Disney Transportation or Rental

[flippin4mickey]

Hi there,
Here are the details

A Family of 8;Mom, Dad, 4yr old, 2yr old, Grandma, Grandpa, aunt and great aunt.

Staying at Beach Club for the week of October 2.


Which transportation option would you choose? Pros & Cons??

I'd love everyone's opinions.

Thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If you rent you would probably need two cars or a large minivan. The rentals are not cheap.

Magical Express and all internal transportation is free.

And there is a good chance that not everybody will want to be on the same schedule, which makes Disney Transport even a better idea.

 

[serene56]

Have you priced a van--- wow.
we were considering our own transportation- paying for parking we wont have to pay for parking since we are resort guests. I like that I wouldnt have to wait for the bus after parks close-- but after pricing a van-- I rather wait..

 

[tiggerfan9984]

a large minivan.

Oxymoron?

 

[EastonCat]

Here's your Disney transportation options....Since you're at BC, you will walk to Epcot, take friendship boats to DHS, and bus to AK. You can roll a stroller onto the friendship boats, you will need to unload and fold the stroller to use the bus.

Going to MK is interesting. You can take the bus from the resort or walk through Epcot to the monorail. The bus is relatively quick - 15-20 minutes once it shows up, but you have to unload and fold the stroller. The Epcot-Monorail-TTC-MK trek will take you about 40 minutes or more, so it's not really the best option for getting there. However, the return trip when everyone is blown is easier - you don't need to unload and fold the stroller. This is a huge plus and worth the extra 20 or so minutes if the troops are out cold.

Driving works like this...Roll to the car. Unload the stroller - pack up the kids and the stroller and drive to your destination. Park. Unload the car, packing kids in the stroller. Go to where you get the tram. Unload the stroller and fold it - someone will need to wrangle that on the tram. Get off the tram. Unfold the stroller and load everything back up. Enjoy your day in the World. Repeat in reverse order to go back to the hotel.

The reason you'd want a car is to be able to run to a store or do things off site. This is very convenient, but it really depends on the many tradeoffs you are making as you plan. With a party of that size, you'll need a fullsize van or two cars, expensive options.

 

[appletini]

I'm a HUGE HUGE pro-car er. DO NOT DO NOT like Disney transportation... BUT...EastonCat is dead-on. If you can get deals on cars go for it I guess. All depends on your family and how much time you have. You do save ALOT of time with your own vehicle BUT with so much family going and small children maybe you won't. Packing and unpacking a vehicle takes time for sure. My DD's are 12/9 so they're in and out of the car before we are, and there's only 4 of us. Whatever you choose - Enjoy your trip! sounds Magical with so much family.

 

[iheartdolewhips]

While the Disney buses aren't perfect, they are still really good. I don't think it'd be worth the cost of renting a car and the gas. I would just ride the buses.

 

[scarlet_ibis]

I am NEVER in favor of renting a car. My dear mother (hi mom) always wants to rent a car to make a run to the store, etc. I don't see the point of spending all that money on a car and spending all that time running to a grocery store when, for a comparatively small service charge, I can have groceries delivered and held at bell services to pick up at my convenience.

By planning ahead, you never miss an ADR due to Disney transportation. And if it's close, the cost of a taxi is still less than the cost of a rental.

 

[ShannonMB]

I love Disney transportation, find it very economical and convenient. I have never even thought about renting. It's worked fine for us on all of our trips!

However, after countless threads along the lines of "I can't believe people wouldn't give me a seat - I obviously needed one for my elderly relative, child/stroller/diaper bag, etc, etc, etc", I would suggest that if it is imperative that someone always have a seat on the bus (for example, the older folks -- no idea how old they are or their abililty to stand on the bus or wait for the next one if need be) then I would definitely rent. I'd hate for you to have bad experiences on the busses and have that color your trip.

I was on a bus once that was SO sardine packed that I was so squished in it was impossible for me to give up my seat to this poor VERY elderly gentleman who looked like he was about to pass out. His younger companion basically had him in a bear hug holding him up by the armpits the whole time, and it really made me sad. It was on a long trip from All Stars to DTD. For the longest time I thought about it, maybe if I had asked the 2 people who were blocking me in to push their way through, then sit closer to the window, asking those in the aisle to move over and back, maybe I could have arranged to give my seat to him SOMEHOW. But the longer I think about it, why on Earth would that poor man's family put him in that position in the first place?? If you can picture that scenario for your family, I'd rent. JMHO.

 

[Eric in TX]

I agree with many of the other posters - with 8 people, you're looking at a van or two cars - and that can be expensive!

Peronsally, I like using Disney transportation. There are times when it can be a pain to get from one resort to another, but for almost everything you need to do, it seems to work fine. But I do know other folks who always prefer a car of their own no matter what the additional cost.

I'd say go with what you're most comfortable with. If the $$ for a van or two cars isn't an issue and you think that would be best for your group, then do it. If not, you'll be able to do everything you need to do with Disney transportation.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Whenever my family and I would fly to Orlando we would always rent a car, although that's because we like to shop offsite and eat some offsite restaurants. However since we always stay onsite we would use WDW transportation, so we thought it was good having both options.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our transportation board for you.

 

[n2mm]

We always rent a car and it's part of our budget. When we have that size group we rent 2 cars. We are not always on the same schedule so 2 cars works for us. We like to go to the grocery store, Disney outlets, and even City Walk to eat, and the biggest plus for us is we like to eat at other resorts, and there's always the extra beer run if DH runs out. Without a rental car(s) getting to the other resorts to eat is very time consuming (90 minutes is the recommended time to allow for resort to resort transportation), but with a rental car is takes normally about 15 minutes. We also stay at the BCV or BWV for most of our trips and we don't have to drive to all of the parks, just MK and AK. We also like that we only allow 30 minutes to get to the airport while taking the bus requires a much bigger window. Changing resorts this next trip and having the rental will be much easier moving our luggage and ourselves to the second resort. And lastly, we are also Universal Studios passholders and if we feel the urge to go over to USF in the morning for a few hours we can do it easily. Our trip later this month is BWV week 1 and BLT week 2 and as always we will rent a car. There are many deals out there, so visit the transportation board. My daughter has a mid-size reserved for her week since she arrives on week 2 of our trip and she is paying $70 before taxes for a week rental ($120 after taxes) w/Alamo. While alot of folks don't allow for rental car expenses, my savings is that I never pay to park when we go to WDW at our home airport saving us $10 day (x14 days this trip alone). Taking us an hour to the airport each way is a small price for our adult kids to pay for their use of our DVC points. Getting around Disney is very easy and getting there from the airport is easy also. Orlando does a good job with their signs.

 

[Cinerama261]

I love Disney transportation, find it very economical and convenient. I have never even thought about renting. It's worked fine for us on all of our trips!

However, after countless threads along the lines of "I can't believe people wouldn't give me a seat - I obviously needed one for my elderly relative, child/stroller/diaper bag, etc, etc, etc", I would suggest that if it is imperative that someone always have a seat on the bus (for example, the older folks -- no idea how old they are or their abililty to stand on the bus or wait for the next one if need be) then I would definitely rent. I'd hate for you to have bad experiences on the busses and have that color your trip.

I was on a bus once that was SO sardine packed that I was so squished in it was impossible for me to give up my seat to this poor VERY elderly gentleman who looked like he was about to pass out. His younger companion basically had him in a bear hug holding him up by the armpits the whole time, and it really made me sad. It was on a long trip from All Stars to DTD. For the longest time I thought about it, maybe if I had asked the 2 people who were blocking me in to push their way through, then sit closer to the window, asking those in the aisle to move over and back, maybe I could have arranged to give my seat to him SOMEHOW. But the longer I think about it, why on Earth would that poor man's family put him in that position in the first place?? If you can picture that scenario for your family, I'd rent. JMHO.

Wow! I didn't know they packed you in so tightly on those buses.

 

[Renosiris]

When I went in 08 it was the first time I went with my children. I was concerned about the buses. I had read a lot of complaints and thought about the cons of using Disney Transportation. In the end we decided to chance it and everything worked out just fine. I will add however that I have not used the buses in busy season. We always travel between Oct-Jan and not during peak times.

 

[Brian Noble]

What sounds more like a vacation?
* Never having to pick up car keys.
* Never wondering when the next bus will come or if you'll have a seat.

We nearly always rent a car---and drive almost everywhere. I've had mixed success with the bus system. Often, it's fine, but from time to time I've found waits to be longer than I'm willing to tolerate. I'm to the point that unless I'm planning on having one or two adult BEvERages, I generally drive.

 

[Cinerama261]

We always rent a car and it's part of our budget. When we have that size group we rent 2 cars. We are not always on the same schedule so 2 cars works for us. We like to go to the grocery store, Disney outlets, and even City Walk to eat, and the biggest plus for us is we like to eat at other resorts, and there's always the extra beer run if DH runs out. Without a rental car(s) getting to the other resorts to eat is very time consuming (90 minutes is the recommended time to allow for resort to resort transportation), but with a rental car is takes normally about 15 minutes. We also stay at the BCV or BWV for most of our trips and we don't have to drive to all of the parks, just MK and AK. We also like that we only allow 30 minutes to get to the airport while taking the bus requires a much bigger window. Changing resorts this next trip and having the rental will be much easier moving our luggage and ourselves to the second resort. And lastly, we are also Universal Studios passholders and if we feel the urge to go over to USF in the morning for a few hours we can do it easily. Our trip later this month is BWV week 1 and BLT week 2 and as always we will rent a car. There are many deals out there, so visit the transportation board. My daughter has a mid-size reserved for her week since she arrives on week 2 of our trip and she is paying $70 before taxes for a week rental ($120 after taxes) w/Alamo. While alot of folks don't allow for rental car expenses, my savings is that I never pay to park when we go to WDW at our home airport saving us $10 day (x14 days this trip alone). Taking us an hour to the airport each way is a small price for our adult kids to pay for their use of our DVC points. Getting around Disney is very easy and getting there from the airport is easy also. Orlando does a good job with their signs.

$120 for a mid-size? I'm on Alamo's web site now and its $266 for an economy car for 7/24-31. How did you get such a low rate?

 

[n2mm]

$120 for a mid-size? I'm on Alamo's web site now and its $266 for an economy car for 7/24-31. How did you get such a low rate?

I used the Costco code 7014627 and the $30 e-coupon AD2123JMC. The dates are April 30 to May 7. The base rate was $109 before deducting the fees. The subtotal was $75.51 and after taxes it is $120.37. I do continue to check (not sure why) and the same conditions and dates are now totaling $160. Glad I booked when I did.

I do have to say while some folks think not driving is part of their vacation, I am the opposite. I spend 5-6 hours A DAY using public transportation to get to and from work (commuter train and DC subway system) and using public transportation while on vacation is not a vacation to me. By the end of a work week I'm sick of missing trains, standing on trains, being shoved and squished on trains and worrying about getting a seat for the 1 1/2 hour train ride home -- so I am very anti-bus while on vacation. When I do use the monorail and am getting packed into it, it just reminds me of my normal workday!

 

[Cinerama261]

The AD2123JMC code worked but where do I enter the Costco code? Now I'm down to $239 for an economy car.

 

[n2mm]

The AD2123JMC code worked but where do I enter the Costco code? Now I'm down to $239 for an economy car.

Under ID/Corp.ID