Is Car Rental Worth It?

[THERESA522]

We're staying at AKL and are there for 5 nights, getting in about 10 am on 5/31 and departing on a 6 pm flight on 6/5. I've always used ME and Disney transportation, but am thinking...

Is it easier just to rent a car for our stay and drive ourselves to the parks each day? Can you give me the pros and cons?

 

[Jessica14]

Personally, I think its worth it for a couple of reasons. Our kids are young (will be 6 and 7 and were 3 and 5 on our last trip). I like to have the option of "cutting and running" if you will if it all gets to be too much. We like breaks after lunch and it is the most efficient thing for us.

The second thing is that I'm a bit of a control freak and if I had to wait for buses and saw that it was chewing up our break/park time, I'd be a very unhappy camper. So for me, it reduces a lot of anxiety.

 

[LaurenLC]

Is it worth it? Yes! It's great to be able to go where you want, when you want. If you have dining at other hotels, using Disney buses can be a pain.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We've done three family trips (kids ranging from 2yo-7yo during different trips) relying solely on Disney transportation...no problems whatsoever and frankly, I prefer it.

I love that I park my car in at airport parking near my house...and don't have to drive again until we come home!

It generally only takes us 10-20min to get to any park...no more than a 5-10 minute wait for a bus...most times significantly less.

No issues w/ the kids on the buses... or with a stroller!

Dh and I both like that we save a good bit of money by not renting a car.

That all said, we ARE renting one during our trip next month. My ILs live locally, and although they have come to see us on property in the past... we will be spending some time at their home this trip so we need a car. Part of me is dreading having to shell out the cash.

It will be a nice comparison for us...with and without a car!

 

[THERESA522]

We've been 3 times already with the kids with NO car and really didn't have any problems with the busses, but I was just wondering if it would be easier with a car. I have a 6 and a 7 year old. The one thing I would miss, though, would be ME - it's just nice not to have to worry about the luggage!

 

[juliemcalister]

You might want to look at taking ME to your resort and then picking up a car at WDW. We needed to do this a few trips ago for various logistical reasons and it worked out quite well. Forgot how the bus/shuttle worked but I'm sure one of our DIS friends could fill in the blanks.

 

[Sandisw]

You might want to look at taking ME to your resort and then picking up a car at WDW. We needed to do this a few trips ago for various logistical reasons and it worked out quite well. Forgot how the bus/shuttle worked but I'm sure one of our DIS friends could fill in the blanks.

WE did this last summer and doing it again this summer. We took ME to the Boardwalk and the next day, I walked to the Dolphin to pick up the car. Returned it the day before we left and took ME back to the airport.

This year, we are doing the same thing because we are coming in late and it was actually cheaper to pick up the next day. We are staying at BCV so renting from the Dolphin again. However, my DH is with us this time, so we are just driving to the airport when we leave.

There is a car rental at the Car Care center and you can arrange from them to send a shuttle to pick you up and drop you off at your resort.

IMO, having a car is well worth it. We took the buses during our first trip in 1994. Standing on a bus for 45 minutes, with our 18 month old daughter in his arms, was more than DH wanted to deal with. We have driven to the parks ever since.

 

[jensen]

We're staying at AKL and are there for 5 nights, getting in about 10 am on 5/31 and departing on a 6 pm flight on 6/5. I've always used ME and Disney transportation, but am thinking...

Is it easier just to rent a car for our stay and drive ourselves to the parks each day? Can you give me the pros and cons?

We stopped using Disney transportation a few years ago... when I can get a midsize for $100/week, the aggravation of the buses just isn't worth it for me. I stand in lines all day at Disney... the last thing I want is another long line and then being sandwiched into a bus with cranky parents and kids. Ugh!

In most cases, we do find it saves us time. It's especially nice when you are going from one resort to another since the buses require a change at the parks... it can take an hour to get from AKL to Boardwalk (for instance) for dinner... that's a lot of park time missed.

 

[THERESA522]

Do you call Disney for the car rental? Will they be able to set it up if I do the ME and rent it while at Disney?

 

[zamboniman333]

We stopped using Disney transportation a few years ago... when I can get a midsize for $100/week, the aggravation of the buses just isn't worth it for me. I stand in lines all day at Disney... the last thing I want is another long line and then being sandwiched into a bus with cranky parents and kids. Ugh!

In most cases, we do find it saves us time. It's especially nice when you are going from one resort to another since the buses require a change at the parks... it can take an hour to get from AKL to Boardwalk (for instance) for dinner... that's a lot of park time missed.

Who are you using for a $100.00 per week car rental? Thanks

 

[Enter User Name]

We stopped using Disney transportation a few years ago... when I can get a midsize for $100/week, the aggravation of the buses just isn't worth it for me..

Does that include everything? What costs are on top of that? I have never rented a car in my life!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Disney transport has worked very well for us through the years, but in December we will be off property for much of the stay and end up on property the last couple nights. One of my concerns is the cost of car seat rental too. We would need 1 car seat and 2 boosters. Does anyone know the fees most companies charge? Or can you recommend a company that deals well with carseats? We've had some real beaters in the past and waited a ton of time for them to dig them out. (Not in FL.)

 

[wolf29]

We always rent a car for our trip. Usually can get a full size for $18-$20 a day. We use Priceline/Hotwire because all of the companies that they use are IN the terminal, so no wasted time dealing with shuttles. One thing to do is check with your credit card company & insurance company and see what they cover. You will usually find that you are already covered by those, so no need to accept CDW & liability from the rental company, even though some will try and force it upon you. Go online and sign up with the appropriate company's "club". They are free and allow you to skip the counter and go directly to the lot & pick your vehicle. We were driving out of the airport 10 mins after having gotten our bags last year.

 

[THERESA522]

How do I find our about car rentals? If I take ME and am already at the resort, is there a company that will deliver one to me right on property?

 

[jensen]

Who are you using for a $100.00 per week car rental? Thanks

Alamo/National... I usually book higher and then watch the transportation board for the best deals and keep changing right up until the day we leave. I've never paid more than $150/week - including taxes, but we don't get the insurance.

 

[jensen]

Disney transport has worked very well for us through the years, but in December we will be off property for much of the stay and end up on property the last couple nights. One of my concerns is the cost of car seat rental too. We would need 1 car seat and 2 boosters. Does anyone know the fees most companies charge? Or can you recommend a company that deals well with carseats? We've had some real beaters in the past and waited a ton of time for them to dig them out. (Not in FL.)

Have you considered taking the car seats with you on the airplane? We've done this in the past and used the car seat/booster seat in the airplane seat.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Disney transport has worked very well for us through the years, but in December we will be off property for much of the stay and end up on property the last couple nights. One of my concerns is the cost of car seat rental too. We would need 1 car seat and 2 boosters. Does anyone know the fees most companies charge? Or can you recommend a company that deals well with carseats? We've had some real beaters in the past and waited a ton of time for them to dig them out. (Not in FL.)

When our kids were in harnessed seats we always took them on the plane, even when using DME and on property transportation. We just put it under the bus at the airport and stuck it in the corner of the closet area for the duration of our trip.

I have heard too many horror stories over the years about the car seats that the rental places have available...old dirty seats, missing parts, instructions...sometimes they have either expired (generally after 6-8yrs) or have been recalled!

I would most definitely bring your own seats with you. The car seat should be used on the plane (unless it is one of the very few that aren't FAA approved) and if you bring low back boosters they can be brought on the plane as carry ons (each person gets one carry on and one personal item).

We are traveling next month and my kids (4yo & 8yo) will each be bringing a low back booster on the plane w/ them so we can use them when we arrive.

I'm not warm and fuzzy about checking any kind of car seat (or booster). Checked baggage has the possibility of getting lost or delayed (I know the chance is slim, but if you arrive at the airport and don't have the seat...there aren't a lot of options!), and even gate checked baggage can be damaged in the cargo hold.

I know there are thousands of people that can post and say, "I checked X number of seats over the years and everything was fine" but Murphy's Law says if "I" do it my kid's seats will be lost, damaged or delayed.

Incidentally, the NTSB issued a travel advisory today about using car seats on aircraft...

The first paragraphs say...

The National Transportation Safety Board today issued a Safety
Alert to advise parents of the dangers to young children on aircraft
when not restrained in an approved child restraint system or device. The
Safety Alert notes that preventable injuries and deaths have occurred in
children younger than 2 years who were unrestrained.

Specific child passenger safety issues on aircraft include the
likelihood that parents and caregivers may not be able to maintain a
secure hold on a lap-held child during turbulence and survivable
accidents. Additionally, unrestrained children have become separated
from their parents during survivable crashes and parents were unable to
locate them during the evacuation.

You can read the entire advisory here.

 

[tpsh007]

I just booked a week in sept for $180/week all taxes included - fullsize. Used AAA discount to get a free car-seat. IMO this is a small price to pay for the convenience.

This is hertz, so there are certainly cheaper prices around. I personall stick to the bigger names like Hertz/National/Alamo/Avis etc instead of payless lind of car rentals.

 

[n2mm]

Absolutely worth it to us. We would never not rent a car. We enjoy going to other resorts to eat and it only takes us about 15 minutes to get back and forth. We also like to go to the grocery store and get drinks and snacks. We are also AP holders for US/IOA, so obviously it takes us about 20 minutes to get there and to CityWalk if we feel like visiting. Another big plus is going to the Disney World Outlet at the Prime Outlet Center. If you like the buses and don't have a problem waiting for them then you'll be OK with the Disney transportation. I'm so glad they offer it, but we are not fans of the buses, so we avoid them. We do like to stay at the BWV or BCV, so we generally walk to the Studios and EPCOT, but we drive to MK and AK. Parking at the parks are free to Disney resort guest, so that is another plus.