car vs. Disney transport

[mcnuss]

The only time we did not rent a car was when I was at the CR for a conference, and DD and DM were with me. They used Disney transportation but bc of the monorail, barely used buses. We have had aggravating experiences with the buses trying to get around FW and such, and just cannot deal with the hassle of it while on vacation.

I like the freedom of having a car, but then again, we now tend to stay off-property bc I also like having a full kitchen, washer, etc.. We are a family of 3 and even getting a 1 br on site is so much more expensive than off. With the car, it doesn't matter anyway. We have had situations with friends staying at DL, and us at Vistana, where routinely we were at the park or back at the condo 30-45 minutes ahead of them when leaving at the same time. They now rent a car even when staying on property.

Having said all this, I do not have a family of 5 and we are happily beyond the stroller years, so I get the smallest car I feel comfortable driving, knowing that we drive it 20-30 minutes per day, in short hops. We just got one from Budget and my total bill came to about $100 for 5 days.

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by BrerMama
Right now I'm being quoted at least $300/week from all the in-airport companies (and that includes using codes).

Is that including taxes? If so, then that is fairly typical for a mini-van for a week. They usually go for 199 to 229 per week with a good code (sometimes lower) before taxes. Usually the rates go down as you get closer to the travel date as well. Booking 6 months out you can sometimes find good rates, but other times they don't release them until later. We rent mini-vans almost every time we go since we have one at home.

 

[Rence]

In the past I was always a big fan of the Disney Transportation System – fast, efficient and lots cheaper than renting a car.

After our most recent trip to WDW (second week of December) I would vote for get a car. Everything at WDW was wonderful EXCEPT for transportation.

Busses never came, we had several waits of over 45 minutes. When a bus did show it was too crowded to take on additional passengers. We heard several transportation horror stories from other guests while during our long waits at the bus stop.

We finally complained to guest services and they told us that the transportation manager would call us personally with regards to our complaint -- he never called.

By all means rent a car!

 

[shoppie]

We did rent a minivan - for those who don't know the entertainment book is excellent for rates.

We have the van for 8 days - only $246.00 WITH taxes. You get a lower rate plus $20.00 off.

Check it out...

 

[Pumbaa_]

We have been to WDW about 12 times over the last 5 years and have yet to rent a car or really leave property. I love not having to figure out how to get somewhere. I am on vacation, not in a hurry, have routinely had wonderful bus experience (I also stay at BWV so have limited bus usage) and use taxi's as needed.

Sometimes it would be convenient to have the flexibiltiy of a car, but that quickly passes and no regrest. Someday I am sure I will be ready to venture off site and explore a bit, but I just love being on site and don;t have time to leave. It may make a difference too how long you are staying. We are there usually 6 days (a couple times a year) so it just never seems like there is time to go offsite!)

Most of my friends rent cars and swear by them though. The best part about it is, you can all decide what works best for your family!

 

[jimmytammy]

Glad you asked this question. We are driving for 1st time in Mar and again in Oct. I was wondering what advantages it would be to have your own vehicle vs Disney transportation. Lots of great info here.