Magical Express or Rental Car

[mickeeemouse]

We are going in May, is it better to get a rental car or use Magical Express. My dd will have a car seat on the plane because she will only be 19 months old, by my DS who is 5 I don't think will need a car seat on the plane so I won't have one for him. If you think a rental car is a better idea, can I get a car seat somewhere? We have an entertainment book so I'm sure there will be some kind of deal for a rental car or my DH has some frequent flier miles that he could probably use for one too. Which do you think is better. Thank you.

 

[dancin'girl]

It depends on whether you are going to go off property. If you aren't, the Disney transportation system will bring you anywhere on Disney property. We have never seen the need for a rental car since we don't travel off property. You do not need a carseat to ride on the ME bus or any of the other Disney buses. I thought this was wierd, but it did make it easier! Can you imagine lugging your carseat for every bus ride to the parks?? Yikes!! I believe you can rent a carseat directly from the rental car company - if you feel like you will be needing to rent the car.

We used ME for our trip back in 2006 and the bus system was great!! We sailed right through the line and pretty much right onto the bus. They had a Disney movie playing for the kids and the bus driver told funny stories. It was a nice way to start the trip. We also used the luggage program, which I wouldn't reccommend. It took about 7 hours for our luggage to be delivered, only after many calls to the front desk. We waited until about 8:30 PM and then started calling because we wanted to get ready for bed. It seemed like nobody knew where our luggage was. They said "You should have received it by now" alot. We finally received it around 10:30PM. This was our experience. I know alot of other people don't have problems with it.
Going back to the airport was a breeze, too. They give you a time to pick up the bus in front of your hotel.

On our next trip, we will be using the bus system, but won't put the ME tags on our luggage. We will just pick our luggage up ourselves and bring it to the buses.

 

[andymattmom]

We just rented a full size car for $108 for 8 days. Our trip was last week. We were at the Poly and drove everywhere except the MK since you have to take the ferry, bus, monorail or launch. We took the monorail and it was terrible at times...one afternoon 30 minutes from the MK to the Poly! We would see the huge lines for the bus at the close of parks. Read thru the transportation area about experiences people have been having with Disney transportation. Yes, the ME is free and so is Disney transportation to and from the parks. We used our GPS and ate offsite several times- it is not hard to get around as everything in Disney is clearly marked. We went to Walmart and bought a $6 toaster and ate breakfast in our room every morning- toast/bagels/poptarts (we had a refrig). We got bottled water and took those into the park. We bought refillable mugs and filled those with pop/coffee/hot chocolate. It was nice to have the freedom to leave when we wanted and not have to wait for the bus. I can't comment on how the bus ran last week. I know I won't do Disney without a car again. In the end I know we save bunches eating offsite, eating breakfast in the room. If you are onsite the parking is free.

Just something to think about. Mousesavers has great rental car codes- the rates go down the closer you get to your trip.

Have fun!!

 

[noahdove]

I can't say enough about the Magical Express..I love it!!! No hastle..yes, you may wait a bit, but....no traffic for you to fight, no worry about parking, no a long walk and after a long day at the parks, it seems like heaven to go and wait for the bus..climb aboard and in a few minutes you are on your way back to the resorts, or to whatever park you are choosing for the day...I think we waited 20 minutes and that was the longest we had to and that was in August...good luck in deciding

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Rental car is the way to go unless you don't mind waiting on buses that take forever and if you are trying to make it to a dinner reservation on time that may impact getting there.
I rented a car last week for $108 for 9 day trip and it was worth it. Plus we were able to go off property for things we needed and a several of our meals. Eating meals off property compared to what Disney would have charged us saved us some serious $$.

 

[seadd67]

To start we have never rented a car at WDW, we found the Bus system works so very well we never had to. Yes you have to wait for the Bus,some times It can take awhile thats all true at times. You really have to decide what your going to be doing and what kind of time frames you got. If you have a tight time frame say ADR, trying to catch certain shows, getting to and from WDW from off site events US,Seaworld Etc the rental car would work but In side WDW unless your times are real tight the bus seems better.

 

[TashaRVT]

We just rented a full size car for $108 for 8 days.


$108???? Did the car rental fairy come along to get you that rate?? That's an awesome rate! We're going to need a full size for 8 days in Dec, and none of the prices we've seen are THAT good!!

 

[KelLuvsTink]

I agree with th previous poster. Which company did you find 108 for a week for a full size car? My lowest so far is 140 for an economy car like a Chevy Aveo. Very curious.

To the OP, we are taking the magical express to the Pop Century resort, taking a bus to the Dolphin resort and then renting from Alamo right at the Dolphin resort. Or you could rent an Alamo Car from the Disney Transportation Center. That way we don't have to waste gas money to and from the airport and we have the flexibility to come and go as we please. I have a hard time waiting for other people. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[andymattmom]

I used the generic Walmart code that is on Mousesavers and then the $30 ecoupon at Alamo. It ended up being 8 days due to picking up early on Saturday and a late return Saturday afternoon. The rate was about $150+ until about 2 weeks before the trip and then it dropped. To be honest I was compulsive and checked daily at the rates. One day in the transportation area someone posted drops in Alamo---that was the day I found the rate. I rebooked and cancelled often. I was not asked for the ecoupon.

car coupon off weekly thru 12.2008 AD2123JMC $30 off thru 12/10/2008

Standard SUV and minivan thru 12/10/2008 AD2051MMD $40 off

This is for weekly rentals.

Walmart code 428448 which is generic and anyone can use. The coupons are ecoupons and not required to have a printout

 

[jellybeans0607]

I have done both, and i will never used Disney buses again. Renting a car was so much easier. There is no traffic and in a car everything is 10 minutes away.
I found nothing conveinent about using the buses. They made getting back to the resort for an afternoon swim nearly impossible. plus after a long day at the parks, getting on a crowded bus where i have to stand, hold a child and balance a stroller...well it just wasnt for me. sure you can wait for the next bus, but really you just want to get back to the resort.
It is after all just public transportaion. Oh and most people stink after a long day at the park, it's not pleasant.

 

[IndayMichelle]

It takes too long to get to your car from the park! Especially at MK. In the time it takes to get to your car, you could have been on a bus and on your way. You have to walk all the way to the car, or wait for the propane scented tram to pick you up. And if the park just closed, you have to sit in traffic. We preferred the buses.

The few times we had dinner at a different resort, we took a cab back. It's still less than renting a car for a day.

 

[buzzwoody70]

I have heard good and bad for both DT and ME.
SOme of the horror stories were lost luggage and having to wait several days to find it.
Can you imagine ecountering that problem. But for every negative there is a positive.
I have always rented a car and we are kicking around the idea of ME and DT.
Have not made up my mind yet though???????

 

[korg]

I'd go for the rental car. May gets very busy at DW ... do you really want to stand in FLA heat at a bus station with your baby waiting for a bus that's crowded which you may not get on 1st try? (That's MY experience during the hot late spring and summer months with Disney transportation ... never again)

If you're staying on property (which you must be to use the Magical express) then your parking at the parks is free plus I always found it much nicer to get off the tram and into a car with AC rather then a crowded bus with other exhausted Disney guests. No waiting ... no hassle. (OK the car is very hot but AC's work fast!;-) PLUS you have the ability to do other non-Disney things with a car like Universal and Sea World or to go non-Disney shopping like to Four Corners (I think that's what the area is called) to the 24 hour grocery store and resturants! ... That's my 2 cents.

 

[carlbarry]

We just rented a full size car for $108 for 8 days.


$108???? Did the car rental fairy come along to get you that rate?? That's an awesome rate! We're going to need a full size for 8 days in Dec, and none of the prices we've seen are THAT good!!

Go to www.carrentals.com I have found them to be the cheapest.

 

[seadd67]

I used the generic Walmart code that is on Mousesavers and then the $30 ecoupon at Alamo. It ended up being 8 days due to picking up early on Saturday and a late return Saturday afternoon. The rate was about $150+ until about 2 weeks before the trip and then it dropped. To be honest I was compulsive and checked daily at the rates. One day in the transportation area someone posted drops in Alamo---that was the day I found the rate. I rebooked and cancelled often. I was not asked for the ecoupon.

car coupon off weekly thru 12.2008 AD2123JMC $30 off thru 12/10/2008

Standard SUV and minivan thru 12/10/2008 AD2051MMD $40 off

This is for weekly rentals.

Walmart code 428448 which is generic and anyone can use. The coupons
are ecoupons and not required to have a printout

Wat to go did they every question the cancels and rescheduleing?

 

[andymattmom]

Wat to go did they every question the cancels and rescheduleing?

No...I tried used different companies. I never held 2 reservations in my name at once. If the rate went down I cancellled and did a new one. I learned to do that on these boards

 

[all4fun]

We are going in May, is it better to get a rental car or use Magical Express. My dd will have a car seat on the plane because she will only be 19 months old, by my DS who is 5 I don't think will need a car seat on the plane so I won't have one for him. If you think a rental car is a better idea, can I get a car seat somewhere? We have an entertainment book so I'm sure there will be some kind of deal for a rental car or my DH has some frequent flier miles that he could probably use for one too. Which do you think is better. Thank you.

I think it may depend on where you are staying? The reason I say this is, the only time I really wanted a rental car, was when we were staying at the All Stars. This resort is one of the farthest out from the parks, so having a rental car when staying there would have been nice. That was a spur of the moment "budget" trip during the free dining promo period, so we chose to just suck it up and not rent a car in order to save money. But when we are at the boardwalk, we are within walking distance to two parks, and the bus rides to MK and AK aren't usually terribly crowded either, so it's not bad at all.

We have used DME 3 or 4 times now, and never had a problem with it. It is nice to check in your luggage and not have to think about it until you get to the resort, or until you get home. Not having to go to baggage claim in Orlando is really nice. You just have to remember to pack anything you'll need right after you arrive in your carry on as you probably won't see your luggage for a couple of hours after you arrive at your resort.

As one poster suggested, you can also choose to rent a car from on disney property. We have used DME to get to and from the airport, but rented a car for a few days from the desk at the Dolphin (while staying at the boardwalk, next door). You save a little on the airport fees when you don't rent right at the airport too. The down side is that pick up and return can be a little bit of a hassle, but if you don't need to go off property every day, then there is no need for a rental car really, as the bus system is generally pretty great. As far as rental car seats, generally I don't recommend renting a car seat. For one thing, it usually runs about $10 a day, which can add up over a week. You could probably buy a good booster for less than that (ie a High Back turbo booster runs for about $50). The car seats w/5pt harnesses they rent out may not be big enough for your five yr old too. I know the ones I saw them renting out at the desk at the dolphin were all smaller seats that my ds (4 at the time) was already too big/tall for (I'm a regular on a car seat board, and pretty familiar with all the seats out there). Ds is 5 now, I bought him a Ride Safer Travel Vest (see here for more info) he uses when he's with MIL, and for travel.
If you don't want to buy another car safety product (wouldn't blame you) then you could always check the seat your ds currently uses if it's not airline approved, or bring it on board the plane with you if it is. Car Seats usually don't count against your baggage total but check with your airline. If you're checking one, I recommend gate checking as it is less likely to get lost this way.

hth

 

[korg]

For me one of the big concerns is also limitations imposted by not having a rental car. When I go all the way to Florida I want to do more then just Disney. Universal has two wonderful parks, some people love Sea World, some like to drive to the coast, (especially those who live inland) and there's Kenedy Space Center! If you NEVER want to leave Disney property (And they hope you spend every minute on Disney property which is WHY they offer the free Magic Express) then the Express may work for you. But if you want to do more than just Disney during your vacation you need a rental car. ........ For me ... Disney is why I go BUT while I'm in FLA I also visit at least one of the Universal parks each trip. THEN there's the whole crowded Disney busses concern! Some routes will take MUCH longer using Disney transportation then a rental car because they make more stops then just YOUR resort hotel.

 

[ZoZo]

We like using a town car - it's a great option for us. The cost is about the same as Mears shuttle for four people (we don't qualify for Magical Express because we stay at Shades of Green).

Town cars are great because you don't have to stop at other people's resorts (can get very time consuming!) and they will do a free grocery stop for you.

 

[tigger_ttfn]

We have always used ME and had no problems. The buses do take a chunk of your time to travel from park to park (especially if you park hop). We just factor that into all our planning. But, it is great not to have to drive!

This time, however, we have a very short trip planned. We have debated and are thinking about using a town car rather than ME to save some time on arrival day. We used one on a previous trip to Universal only and it was great. We also considered a rental car, but the thought of someone else driving is more appealing on vacation.