First time having car at WDW

[roselark]

I have a rental car booked for an upcoming solo trip over Labor Day. I have never had a car at WDW, so looking for some advice, tips, and things I need to know.

I think a rental car is the way to go for this trip. I have a split stay, where I will be at 3 different resorts (Boardwalk, Grand Floridian, and AKL), so I think a car will make it easier for those moves. I also plan on spending 3-4 days at the water parks (part days), and I hate the bus transportation for those. I figure that the cost of the week rental (just under $300) will be close to what I would spend on ride share to/from MCO (I hate Mears) and the various ride shares during the trip. Any counter arguments here? I normally love being in the Disney bubble and not having to drive, but the logistics on this trip are a bit different.

I have rented a car at MCO before, so I am familiar with the process, but I have never returned a car there. What is that process like? I am going through Alamo (and will be using the skip the counter option at pick up).

Are there any tolls between MCO and WDW? I have read about the Visitor Toll Pass. Should I get that?

During my moves between resorts, should I drop my luggage at bell services, or leave in my car until my room is ready? The morning of one of the moves, I will be heading to Blizzard Beach, and for the other one, I will be spending the morning at AK. While I am not too concerned about security, I am concerned about heat.

I will be taking the bus when I go to MK since I have read that is easier than parking at the TTC. Any tips on parking at the other parks?

Any must-try, off-property restaurants? I am willing to give that a try one or two nights.

Since I will have a car, I think I will make a stop to grab a few things like spray sunscreen, so that I don't have to check a bag. What store (Walmart, Target, etc) is easiest to get to?

I appreciate any and all advice.

 

[sponica]

I don't know all the answers but I have heard that the water park parking lots have been closing due to capacity, so if you're not going to the water park at park open, I'd probably take a minnie van or uber/lyft.
I also wouldn't leave stuff in the car due to the heat, so I'd either drop your bags at bell services at the next hotel or have bell services move them between resorts.

 

[jcarwash]

Are there any tolls between MCO and WDW? I have read about the Visitor Toll Pass. Should I get that?

Yes, you should plan for tolls. For the most part you can use cash but there are a few exits where that option isn't available. I haven't used the Visitor Toll Pass but I read good things about it. Also, if you have an EZ Pass (this specific type) from your home state, you can use it in Florida -- that's what I do.

I will be taking the bus when I go to MK since I have read that is easier than parking at the TTC. Any tips on parking at the other parks?

Just wanted to comment that taking the bus to MK is a good idea. When parking at the other parks, it's good to use whatever parked car reminder app or photos to remember where you parked. The My Disney Experience app has a parked car locator too.

I have rented a car at MCO before, so I am familiar with the process, but I have never returned a car there. What is that process like?

I can't think of anything notable about returning at MCO. It's similar to the return process at any major airport where you drive into the car return garage and enter the queue for your agency.

 

[jrsharp21]

We love having a car at WDW. When we first started going, we very much loved taking the buses. But as trips went on, we found that we like the option of having a car much better. No more waiting for buses and then being able to go to a store during the trip, made it nice.

I have never used Alamo. We use National and have Emerald Club (skip the counter). As soon as we get our luggage, we walk across the street to the rental car garage and go straight to the Emerald Club section and pick our car and head out. Yes, there are tolls on the way to WDW. I have never bothered to get a toll pass. They will charge the tolls to your rental. But if you do this, you also have to pay a daily fee. I think it's something like $7 a day, plus the tolls you use that day. I gladly pay that $7 fee to not have to have another thing to worry about at the airport and get out of there ASAP.

We have done both, left our luggage in the car and also left it at the bell hop. Both worked out fine for us. We never have any perishable items with us, so no concerns about heat there.

We like driving to all the parks, even MK. True that when you take the bus to MK, you get dropped off close by. We always take the ferry from the TTC. We enjoy the boat ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon. The only negative about driving, is if you decide to leave after fireworks or after park close, you either have to wait in line for the ferry or the monorail to get back to TTC. The ferry line looks long when you first get in line, but it goes quickly as they usually have two ferries running at the same time.

For parking at other parks, you are kind of at their mercy where you get to park. They pretty much tell you where to park.

For stores, we like going to one of two Targets. There is one in Flamingo Crossings off of Western Way. It is a smaller Target, so good for snacks and drinks, or some one off items. If you are going on a bigger shopping trip, the Target on Daryl Carter Parkway is the one we go to.

 

[pinkxray]

I don’t have an answer to all of your questions but will offer up our experience. We rent a car every time we go to WDW. Alamo is our preferred company so we have used them like 98% of the time.

When returning the car you just follow the signs for terminal A/B departure. We have been in terminal a most of the time. The car rental lane is on the left and kind of sneaks up on you. Not sure about the other terminals. Just pull in, attendant directs you to park and checks out the car. Takes just a few minutes.

There are tolls between MCO and Disney. Alamo has the option to just get a bill for the tolls. I forget the name. The cars have the sun pass or whatever is needed and you just go through the toll. Alamo charged our card on file for the tolls once we returned the car. I would see if you could find the info from Alamo online, since you are skipping the counter.

We LOVE having a car, even it’s just to drive to the parks and not necessarily go offsite. We typically stay at MK resorts so we don’t have to bus there. Can you schedule most of your MK time during the GF portion of your trip?

I love split stays. I also wake up super early so going to the new resort before starting our day is always better for us. On our last trip we left our 1st resort, checked in our new resort, dropped our bags at bell services, had a quick breakfast and headed to Typhoon Lagoon. We arrived 10 minutes before opening and the lot was barely occupied. (June 30)
I was worried about leaving the bags in a super hot trunk, especially iPads and such.

Looking forward to hearing about more offsite options for stores and dining. We usually do Walmart orders for sunscreen and toiletries or Publix for food.

We did enjoy Ford’s garage in July. Everyone in my family found something they liked.

 

[kylenne]

Parking is hell at the monorail resorts because of limited spaces, the volume of non staying visitors going to eat there, and still a big portion of the latter using that to game the system and go to MK all day (there's a jerk bragging about doing this at CR in a thread on the resorts board btw). Honestly I would just rideshare. You're within walking distance of three parks on this trip and I don't see the point in renting a car with a stay like that. Just structure your park time around where you're staying, and rideshare to the water parks and AK if you don't want to be bothered with the buses.

I have heard that the water park parking lots have been closing due to capacity

This hasn't been the case since both of them have been open.

 

[reddog21]

Yes, you should plan for tolls. For the most part you can use cash but there are a few exits where that option isn't available.

FYI, Depending on which toll road you're taking, Highway 417 has been completely cashless since August(not sure at the end of or currently). The remaining toll roads are expected to go cashless by the end of 2025, although no firm dates have been announced for when this will happen in 2025.

 

[fla4fun]

Do not leave bags in your car. Leave them with Bell Services. Electronics and toiletries are especially heat sensitive, and temperatures are still around 90 at the beginning of September. There’s nothing worse than heat causing a toiletry to expand and leak all over the clothes in your suitcase or having a tablet or laptop inoperable when you unpack. There is rarely any shade at all in the TP/WP parking lots so your car get extremely hot. Make sure that there is nothing in full view inside the car to attract interest. Car break ins are not common on Disney property, but can happen so it’s best not to be a target.

Although a PP mentioned that with a little pre-planning you can get by fine without a rental car, it sounds like you have researched what you want as far as transportation is concerned and that a rental car is right for you on this particular trip. While it is true that parking at the monorail resorts can be difficult at times, ride shares can quickly add up, especially if you are using them multiple times per day to get around property. I have never stayed at a monorail resort and been unable to find a parking space (and I have stayed at all of them). Having the ability to make as many stops as you like on the way to the resort from MCO is a plus. The roadways on property are well marked due to so many drivers unfamiliar with the area.

Parking at the theme parks is simple and straightforward. You will get free parking as a resort guest (verified as you enter) and then you just follow the line of cars and park as directed by the CM. Another PP mentioned that there haven’t been any WP parking capacity issues while both parks are open. You do not mention how long your trip is but Blizzard Beach will be closed for annual refurbishment starting September 8th, leaving only Typhoon Lagoon open. Just wanted to point that out if your trip is longer than a week.

Have a great time! Solo trips are great!

 

[DisneyFive]

This past trip, a couple of weeks ago, was the first time we had a rental car. We stayed on property too, at POP and Saratoga. It was easy to take the rental to all the parks except MK.

MK is a process... park the car, wait for a tram (in the hot sun), take the tram to the TTC, go through security, then decide if you want to take the boat or monorail and then hope that your wait isn't too long. We had a long wait for the boat. Should have opted for the monorail that time.

It is much easier to take a Disney bus or Monorail from your resort to MK in my opinion.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I had assumed that a time limit existed on ADRs that prevented visitors eating at the Contemporary from then going to MK for any substantial length of time. Is that no longer the rule, or maybe it's just unenforced?

 

[roselark]

I don't know all the answers but I have heard that the water park parking lots have been closing due to capacity, so if you're not going to the water park at park open, I'd probably take a minnie van or uber/lyft.
I also wouldn't leave stuff in the car due to the heat, so I'd either drop your bags at bell services at the next hotel or have bell services move them between resorts.

Oh, good to know! I do plan on being there early, but will definitely keep this in case that changes.

 

[DisneyFive]

Oh, good to know! I do plan on being there early, but will definitely keep this in case that changes.

I believe this was only when there was one water park operating. Now there are both. We drove to Typhoon Lagoon this past Wednesday (July 30th) and had lots of available parking. We arrived around 2pm.

 

[_19disnA]

In the days before MDE, we always rented a car when at Disney. Good to have a general idea of where things are located since the Disney property is HUGE and often there is more than one way to get to a certain place. A good GPS unit is also helpful for getting from one end of the property to another. Disney signs on the property are generally very helpful, but when there is lots of traffic, you often need to know ahead of time which lane to be in to get to a specific park/resort. Disney people are always directing traffic on where to park. It would become a free-for-all if drivers were allowed to try and randomly search for a spot up close where someone has just left that park.

Many other threads about parking at various Disney resorts. The ones within walking distance of a park are more strict about allowing you to park if you aren't staying there and/or don't have an ADR. Some think they can 'game' the parking fee by parking for free at a resort and then walking the rest of the way. Disney is wise to that.

If you have an EZpass transponder from where you live, those can also be used in Florida.

 

[leebee]

From Alamo's website:
You may utilize our TollPass™ Service, which currently consists of the following three options:
For vehicles equipped with an installed transponder device follow the directions on the device to activate and begin TollPass™ Service.
If your vehicle is not equipped with an installed transponder device or if you have not activated your installed transponder device or you utilize toll roads without otherwise paying the applicable toll, we will automatically enroll you in our TollPass™ Service.
The charge for TollPass™ Service under options 1 and 2 above is $3.95 - $4.95 per usage day, not to exceed $30 per rental period, plus the amount of each toll. There is no TollPass™ Service charge on rental days that you don't use a toll road. The TollPass™ Service charge and the amount of each toll will be charged to the debit or credit card on file with your Rental Agreement and will appear separately from Rental Agreement charges on your credit or debit card statement.

Just a couple of things. Make sure the gas tank is full when you return the car. I've found if I REALLY fill the tank (like fill almost to the top of the fuel pipe after the pump stops pumping) I don't need to get gas at MCO. However, there is a gas station near/at the south entrance that is easy to use to top up the tank. I wouldn't just refill there, as the prices are pretty high, but it's good to know there is a station basically AT the airport.

If you miss your rental car lane (it's easy to do) just keep looping around the airport til you get back to where you want to be. Also, you can return a rental car at either terminal A or B (don't know about C). You'll just have to schlep your suitcases across the terminal lobby if you return at the wrong terminal for your airline.

We either bring our EZPass (put it in the shielded bag while you don't have the rental car... the pass will pick up tolls on toll roads even if it's in your suitcase, as DH discovered after taking the bus from Bangor to Boston...) or get a visitor toll pass. Either work well and you won't be paying the additional daily fee to Alamo. $5 a usage day isn't bad, but SOME agencies charge you $15 per rental day once you use their transponder, even if you only use it one day.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I think a rental car is the way to go for this trip. I have a split stay, where I will be at 3 different resorts (Boardwalk, Grand Floridian, and AKL), so I think a car will make it easier for those moves. I also plan on spending 3-4 days at the water parks (part days), and I hate the bus transportation for those. I figure that the cost of the week rental (just under $300) will be close to what I would spend on ride share to/from MCO (I hate Mears) and the various ride shares during the trip. Any counter arguments here? I normally love being in the Disney bubble and not having to drive, but the logistics on this trip are a bit different.

This is generally why we also rent a car. That, and the strong mid-westerner urge to drive ourselves everywhere. iykyk.

I have rented a car at MCO before, so I am familiar with the process, but I have never returned a car there. What is that process like? I am going through Alamo (and will be using the skip the counter option at pick up).

Follow the signs for the rental return to the appropriate terminal. It's that easy. There are typically attendants who will tell you which "lane" to get in when returning your car after you are in the garage and in the specific rental company's section. We always leave our keys in our car.

Are there any tolls between MCO and WDW? I have read about the Visitor Toll Pass. Should I get that?

YES. Get the toll pass. You can (and should) set up everything ahead of time in the app. Using the kiosk to get your hang-tag takes less than a minute. They look like vending machines, and you scan a code on your phone to get your hang-tag dispensed. It is ridiculously easy. Once you get your rental car, you add the license plate information (state and plate number) via the app, put the tag on your mirror, and off you go.

VTP charges $10 to get you started, and then refunds any of the unused deposit about a week after you *drop the hang tag off.* Don't forget the tag in your rental car or you will be charge $10 for it.

During my moves between resorts, should I drop my luggage at bell services, or leave in my car until my room is ready? The morning of one of the moves, I will be heading to Blizzard Beach, and for the other one, I will be spending the morning at AK. While I am not too concerned about security, I am concerned about heat.

Leave your luggage with bell services if you are concern about heat and items in your luggage.

I will be taking the bus when I go to MK since I have read that is easier than parking at the TTC. Any tips on parking at the other parks?

Definitely bus to MK. There are no tricks to parking at any of the other parks.

Since I will have a car, I think I will make a stop to grab a few things like spray sunscreen, so that I don't have to check a bag. What store (Walmart, Target, etc) is easiest to get to?

Pick whichever store you prefer, and find one that's close to your resort. OR, consider scheduling a delivery to your resort an hour before you expect to arrive (deliver to bell services) and just pick it up when you get to the resort.



My other tip is to get your navigation map set up and "running" before you walk into the parking garage because ours always is still trying to connect if we wait until we are *in* the car and then we are guessing on which exit to take from the airport.