Convince me to rent a car.

[disneyfan2kids]

I can get a weeks car rental for first week of Dec for about $145. Is it worth it? I don't "love" the busses (especially how crowded they get that week) but is it really worth the extra money for your own car? I don't hate the bus either. IMO, it does somehow add to the "Im in Disney" mentality actually. BUT - they are getting to the point where we are always standing on the bus ride home.

I've never rented a vehicle...don't know how to get to/from parks (but willing to learn if it really does make the trip better by avoiding bus. In MK - don't you have to take the boat to the TTC and then walk to your car? Doesn't that cancel out any/all time savings by driving? What about Epcot/MGM? How far is the parking and how much time is really saved by driving.

Not opposed to it...just needs pros/cons.

 

[pooch]

except when we took DGS who was 2. As adults, we were fine with the busses but it was better to have our own transportation (ok it was DD's car!) with him. Park closings were a little crazy with lines but, again, as adults we were fine and usually gave up our seats to someone more in need so we stood more than not anyway.

As for driving around, the front desks have really good maps of the propery and we never had problems. Now the competence of other drivers .

Why do you say the first week in Dec. gets crowded? Thought that was a good time to go?

 

[gmeh1]

I can get a weeks car rental for first week of Dec for about $145. Is it worth it? I don't "love" the busses (especially how crowded they get that week) but is it really worth the extra money for your own car? I don't hate the bus either. IMO, it does somehow add to the "Im in Disney" mentality actually. BUT - they are getting to the point where we are always standing on the bus ride home.

I've never rented a vehicle...don't know how to get to/from parks (but willing to learn if it really does make the trip better by avoiding bus. In MK - don't you have to take the boat to the TTC and then walk to your car? Doesn't that cancel out any/all time savings by driving? What about Epcot/MGM? How far is the parking and how much time is really saved by driving.

Not opposed to it...just needs pros/cons.

Personally, I totally dislike busses I don't care where they are. When I used to vacation at Disney, I always rented a car. To me, I enjoyed the freedom to go and come as I wished and to go offsite and explore or go to SeaWorld or shop. It is not super busy the first week in Dec. Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas rush is about 3 weeks into the month.

 

[mdsd8700]

We always rent a car. We don't like the buses and were only on one once and that enough to know we didn't want to do it again. However, it is all personal peference and many can't stand driving on vacation either. If you are going to have many ADRs at other resorts, I highly recommend renting a car. You will be able to be at the resort in 15 minutes. As well we visit all our favorite resorts on each trip so the car is great for that too. To us the time that saves alone is worth the cost of the rental.

We play mini golf each trip as well and like to drive directly to the course.

We drive to all of the parks and do RD so we are always parked close. So no need for trams or a lot of walking. For the MK we are bit unusual that we don't much care for the TTC either. I am always looking for the quickest way possible. We will cab it to the CR and then walk over.

For us the rental car is all about how quickly we can be somewhere. For others they just want to kick back and not worry about such things. Getting to and from places in WDW initially can turn you around a bit. DH is very used to it now and we never have any issues. As well I can't really remember any crazy drivers or "traffic" per say. Though I am sure they both exisit we just have been lucky not to run into it.

Rental rates generally come down the closer to your trip you are. Often 1-4 weeks before your trip you can find the best deal. It is something that you should check often. Using the monthly rental car threads here is a great way to keep up on current promotions and codes.

Since you have never tried it, I would say give it a try that way you will know for sure if it works for you.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I don't really have a pros and cons list, but we rented a car our past trip Feb. 2012 and it was GREAT! We still rode the buses at certain times, but we could use our car to drive to dinner at resorts where there was no direct bus route, drove to DTD instead of a 25 minute bus ride from Animal Kingdom Villas, went to the outlets one day in Orlando, and also got some things from the Publix grocery store (we had a kitchen at our 1 BR AKV Kidani Village).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Nope.

If you have to be convinced, you don't need one

 

[rwdavis2]

Rent the car. You'll save time and trouble. In 5 trips over a long time I have never ridden a Disney bus.

 

[goodferry]

I would rent the car, we love having one it makes things so much easier! First you don't get stuck waiting for buses that are packed but you also have the option of making a run to Target or the grocery store.
Mousesavers has GPS points of interest that you can download onto a GPS unit that make it super easy to get around, that's what we did.

 

[NancyIL]

When my mom was alive and lived in Cocoa, FL, I would rent a car at the airport, visit my mom, and then drop-off the car at the Dolphin. Cars are convenient if you want to go to Downtown Disney or off-site, but I don't mind taking the buses to theme parks.

 

[Brian Noble]

It really comes down to a few different things.

First, what sounds more like a vacation:
* Never having to touch your keys and drive in a new setting?
* Never wondering when the bus will come or if you will get a seat?

Second, what do you have planned? If you are mostly going between your resort and the four major theme parks, the bus system is generally adequate. If you want to do anything else (including a water park, DTD, or dine at another resort) it is a lot less adequate.

Third, and finally, what sort of person are you? Are you a type-A control-your-destiny sort of person, or a type-B go-with-the-flow person?

 

[pepe of ohio]

47 trips so far and never used a car, our own or rented....Disney transportation has been working fine for us since 1977 when we took our first trip... We feel it is an unnecessary expense, we get to where we want easily in comfort and when leaving a park, we see all the car tail lights making for the exit as we roll on by ....

We're on vacation, liked being hauled around from our resort to any point of interest... The bus ride gives us a chance to see the property and enjoy the AC ....

 

[MissManda]

This past June we rented a car for the first time at WDW. It was also our first time staying off site. We travelled with a group of 8 people and it was a lot more affordable for some of them to be able to stay off site rather than on property. When we first made these plans, DH was fit to be tied. He was not at all looking forward to renting a car, driving, having to find our way around, etc. To him, Disney isn't Disney unless you take the ME and have the free transportation. By the end of the trip, he told me that from now on, we would always rent a car.

Here are some of my observations about having your own car:
- Driving in and out of the airport was really easy- we used the 417 toll road. We had no problems at all.
- Once you are on Disney property, the signs are all very easy to follow. (We had a GPS but it just kept getting us screwed up so we just followed the signs).
- We had great parking every day.
- We didn't mind using the trams. In fact we think we walked less getting to our car than we would have walked to the busses.
- If staying on property, we would probably still take the bus to Magic Kingdom rather than driving to TTC.
-It was really nice to keep a cooler of water in the car and have it for the ride back to the condo.
-It was nice to be able to come and go on your schedule and not have to wait for the busses.
- At night you didn't have to worry about being jammed into a crowded bus. You just got in the car and left.
- There really weren't any negatives. The only one I can think of is that we had to get in a hot car instead of an air conditioned bus. But the AC in the rental was great so it wasn't an issue.

Over all, we enjoyed renting and like I said, we probably will in the future.

 

[goofy4tink]

35+ stays at WDW resorts. Have had a rental car maybe twice. Why??? I either flew into Sanford, or I needed a car to head elsewhere during my trip..either to port or over to Tampa to visit my ds and his wife. But to get from point A to point B at WDW??? Nope, never did it. It is handy when heading to DTD but that's about it for me. I have been in a car with someone else going from park to park....it was a wee bit quicker, but just not worth the addtl cost for me.

I have yet to have any issue with Disney transportation. Sure, there may be an occasional glitch but it doesn't happen very often. And since I'm on vacation, I seldom feel the need to rush hither and yon....I take my time. Part of the fun is the journey!!! I have met some terrific people on the buses..had some great conversations. If that means that I stand once or twice? So be it. Just not that big a deal for me. I seldom take the buses when they're that crowded anyway!!!

I guess it's up to you to decide how to spend your money. I suppose that will solve the issue of luggage for that first night!!!