Family of 3 with 1 year old... Buses or get rental car?

[hnsdis87]

Hello, newbie here! Have our first ever Disney World trip coming up in mid April, 5 nights, 6 days and staying at all star music. Super excited and just trying to figure out this transportation issue. I'm debating right now about getting a rental car at MCO. There are several reasons why. We went ahead and bought a seat for our 1 year old on southwest. At first I figured she would just ride in my lap, but after doing research I'm glad we got her a seat. I'm not crazy about the fact that when we arrive in Orlando, if we plan on using the buses she will just be riding in my lap.

Also, I'm mainly concerned about saving time getting to the parks each day. It seems like if we had our own rental car we may save time because we can come and go exactly when we need to. However the appeal of the buses is that we wouldn't have to pay extra for the rental car or parking each day. I also have to find a way to get milk for the 1 year old, so I guess a rental car would make it easier to get to a store, the delivery services seem a little pricey to me, since we already have the dining plan and will be doing most of our eating at Disney. We plan on bringing our own stroller so we wouldn't be renting one at the parks. For our second night there we have a reservation at hoop Dee doo at 4 and it sounds like it takes a super long time to get there using Disney transportation!

I'd be interested to hear from others who have any tips on this! Thanks in advance!

 

[siskaren]

I'm not crazy about the fact that when we arrive in Orlando, if we plan on using the buses she will just be riding in my lap.

That's how all buses work - no seat belts for anyone.

Also, I'm mainly concerned about saving time getting to the parks each day. It seems like if we had our own rental car we may save time because we can come and go exactly when we need to.

A lot of people who have cars still prefer to take the bus to MK because the bus takes you right to the entrance gates, while with a car, you have to take either the ferry or the monorail to get from the parking lot to the entrance.

However the appeal of the buses is that we wouldn't have to pay extra for the rental car or parking each day.

You don't pay for parking when you stay on property.

I also have to find a way to get milk for the 1 year old, so I guess a rental car would make it easier to get to a store, the delivery services seem a little pricey to me, since we already have the dining plan and will be doing most of our eating at Disney.

The gift shop at your resort will have milk.

We plan on bringing our own stroller so we wouldn't be renting one at the parks. For our second night there we have a reservation at hoop Dee doo at 4 and it sounds like it takes a super long time to get there using Disney transportation!

Well, I don't know about super long - you would to take the bus to MK and then the boat to FtW - but even with driving, you would have to take an internal but at the fort in order to get to the Hoop De Doo.

I'd be interested to hear from others who have any tips on this! Thanks in advance![/QUOTE]

 

[Betty Rohrer]

there is no car parking at Hoop Dee Doo so you would park at the front of campground and an take a bus to other end . you would have to do the reverse after the show plus each way there could be stops at the loops for guests to get on or off. because of no car parking there is no drop off and go parking either. At parking for MK you will need to take either the monorail or ferry to gate and the reverse when you leave plus depend on how far out you have to park you could need to take the tram to get to the transportation. with the small refrig in the rooms you will need to get milk more than once as there is not much room for large container of milk

 

[Capang]

I don't think it will save time to drive yourself to the parks. Also, you can get milk anywhere. If you do the DDP you will find milk at the quick serve/counter restaurants. The buses were great, starting with magical express from mco. We also took our own full size stroller and had no trouble folding it up and getting it on the bus. travel time to hoop de doo depends on where you are coming from. If from MK just take the boat. If you are coming from another resort that is not contemporary or wilderness lodge (they have boats to ft wilderness) getting there could be kind of tricky. The buses really are not bad, though. We never get a car and that works for us.
On another note, if you need anything for the 1 year old check out the baby care center at MK by Crystal palace. They sell all kinds of stuff and offer quiet feeding rooms and a place to escape the craziness of the parks.

 

[leebee]

We try to rent our own vehicle if at all possible. It's quicker when traveling to the parks. We've timed it side by side, with my sister taking the bus and me going to the parking lot to get our car, and I ALWAYS was back in the room, sometimes even showered and in bed, before she ever got to the room. It's especially convenient at the Value resorts, as you can park fairly close to your room. You won't have to pay to park- it's free if you are staying onsite. We are park-closers, and it's always a hassle to deal with a sleeping child that you have to hold while standing up riding the bus back to the resort as well as balancing a folded stroller. Also, if you are dining at a resort hotel, it's MUCH faster to drive yourself rather than take a bus from your hotel to a theme park, connect to the bus going to the destination hotel and then reverse to get back home after dinner. You need to leave about 90 minutes to do this... or drive your own car and be there in 10-15 minutes. Also, if you need something, you have the flexibility to go to Publix or Walgreens, rather than have to pay Disney premium prices for things like milk, diapers, or ibuprofen. You will find many people who strongly defend Disney transport as being "part of the magic," but we don't find any magic in the bus system. We are FAR happier when we have our own cars.

 

[hnsdis87]

Thank you everyone for the helpful information, lots of things I wasn't aware of!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I prefer a rental car. You are in control of coming and going. If something comes up and you need to go to a store for whatever IE: drug store run for stuff to sooth and upset tummy. Or you for got to pack an item you can easily get it.

When we went in Sept with other family members that did not have a rental car, they were grateful we had one because they forgot gas drops for their son who was very cranky. A quick trip to Walgreens and it was a life saver for them.


As PP mention we too have done the experiment of me taking the bus back to the resort and DH driving the rental car back to the resort. He waited 40 minutes for me to arrive.

 

[Teacup53]

We are car renters ever since our first trip back in 2003 and the dining reservations agent told us to allow 60-90 minutes to get from the CBR to CT for a 7am Chef Mickey's ADR but only about 20 minutes if we had a rental car. We also like the ability to run to the grocery or walmart to pick up supplies (diapers, formula, etc).

Couple things to keep in mind if you rent a car - drive the little extra distance to Publix (Skip Goodings which is at the end of the road by Disney Springs - it is SUPER expensive). There is a Publix on Vineland.

The GoGoBabyz Travelmate is a wonderful investment if you can find one on Craigslist - makes taking a carseat much easier and negates having to drag a stroller through the airport (serves as way to roll child from of end of MCO to the other).

Keep checking your rental car rates as they fluctuate daily and if you an ebates user you can get cash back depending on which company you use. Always sign up for the bypass option (Budget Fastbreak or Dollar Express).

Good luck and have a great trip.