Magical Express vs. Rental Car

[lpeter]

I know this has been addressed a million times on here but I did a search and couldn't find my exact answers so I apologize in advance! Plus I also know there is a thread right now addressing a similiar topic so I apologize for that too! I am really struggling with this so I just wanted some advice for our scenario!

We have a minivan reserved for our trip starting June 1. It is $300 for the week. Mainly we wanted it for convenience. It will be DH, myself, DD6, DD4, DS3. My mom and my MIL will also be along for the trip. We are staying at Pop and other than the parks, we will need to go to Whispering Canyon and Downtown Disney. We also have a day planned for Sea World (Would we have to rent a cab?).

Is it worth the $300 for the rental? Will it be a huge hassle traveling ME with three kids 6 and under? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[kpm76]

We rented a car a few years ago because we got a good deal and now we can't be without one. We have a DD who is 2 yrs old and knowing we can leave a park whenever we want to and don't have to wait for busses that sometimes make multiple stops depending on the resort is worth it for us. If you have dining reservations at any of the hotels, trying to coordinate transprotation is a royal pain. We stayed at AS Sports once and tried to get to Chef Mickey's and it was like taking planes, trains and automobiles to get there. I fine that w/o a car you really have to think strategically before you do anything because it takes planning to get from point A to B. A car relieves you of that hassle. With the size of your party and the ages of your kids, I think a car would be well worth it. Some people find a car a hassle, but I find it an indispensable convenience. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[DISNEYFOS]

If I was staying at the POP and had to rely on busses all week, in addition to going to sea world then I would keep the rental car.

Also, like the PP said going to other hotels using Disney BUS Transportation is rough.

 

[lpeter]

Thanks so much for the replies! Exactly what I was looking for. Just needed to justify spending the money but I believe it is justified!

 

[gottagodisney]

Yes, Yes, Yes, cost is justified! Pop is ok with buses at times (does pretty darn well considering the sheer # of people that stay there), but if you have a car at your disposal- USE IT!! With the # of young kids you have, it will offer you so much more flexibility. Only exception to this rule is going to MK- where the bus will take you directly there instead of having to park your car at Ticket and Transportion Center, and shuttle to Mk.

Did I mention- Take the car??

 

[debster812]

What we usually do is both.

We will take DME from the airport, to our resort hotel. We will then rent a car from National or Alamo, and pick it up from the Car Care Center (they will send a free shuttle to pick you up, as long as you call to arrange it). We then use our car most of the time to get around WDW property, and beyond. We will then return the car back to the Car Care Center the day PRIOR to our departure. Then we'll take DME back to the airport.

This saves us 2 days off our rental, and we get a car for the bulk of the trip, so it's the best of both worlds to us.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We couldn't do without a rental car, or at least we wouldn't want to. Usually we rent right from the airport, but on occasion we get a cheaper rate renting from the car care center on property. When that happens we take DME to our hotel and then get the shuttle to pick up the car. DME is good, but when we can get a good rate straight from the airport, we prefer that. We love not having to be at the mercy of the busses.

 

[themousetrap]

For the reasons given, that's why I drive to Disney whenever I go. You never know when you'll need the convenience of your own vehicle - especially when dealing with children and older adults. And, with so many people traveling with you, it would touch off migraines to have to corral them all up for Disney Transportation.

 

[deva]

Have you checked all of the coupon codes for the rental? Go to Mousesavers.com and they list all these codes you can try. Keep trying them. I'm fairly certain we got our minivan for $199 (a week in mid June). Also IMO it is worth getting the rental from one of the agencies in the terminal. I also have 3 kids and don't want to have to worry about taking a shuttle to an offsite lot.

 

[jmkford4]

I am debating a rental too. We are staying at POP and it will be me, DH, my three kids, my mom, and my niece. But when I get rates at doolar.com or the like, it is $500 for a minivan for our dates!!!! I am hoping that the closer we get to September the lower the rates will be.

 

[Colinsmom]

We do both! When we get to the airport, DH goes and gets the rental car (carrying the car seats with him). I take the kids on ME, and let ME transport our luggage. The kids love ME (they are 6yo and 3yo)!! We usually get to the hotel within a few minutes of each other, and DH has had a few quiet moments to get car seats installed (and if he has issues, he can just deal with them later vs. wrestling car seats and chasing kids in the rental car garage). It's also nice not dealing with luggage when we travel with the kids.

We don't use our rental car a ton, but get it cheap enough (typically $225 for a minivan for 10 days in off-season) that we don't care if it isn't driven every day. We do a grocery run the first day, and use it to go between hotels and to DTD. We sometimes use it to go to the parks, but not to MK, as one poster already mentioned.

 

[all4fun]

We have also done both. Used DME and just rented a car for the days we really needed one from the desk at the Dolphin (since we were right next door at the Boardwalk, it was fairly convenient). Another small Pro to renting off airport property is you can deduct the airport taxes from the cost of the rental. May be a pretty minimal savings, but its a savings. We usually stay at the Boardwalk, or one of the other DVC resorts, since we are members, but once when we stayed at the All Stars (a spur of the moment trip to take advantage of the free dining promo) we didn't rent a car and I remember really wishing that we had one. The resort is very far from the parks (IMO) and the buses were always really crowded, which was a different experience altogether than riding the buses to the BW or even SSR, when we stayed there once. We probably won't ever stay at a Value again (for a few reasons) but if I did, I would definitely factor the cost of a rental car into the trip!

Anyway, this is from Mousesavers rental car discount page, I just thought you might find it helpful:

Walt Disney World

At Orlando International Airport (MCO) the in-terminal rental car agencies are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, National and L&M. All others are off-site at the airport, so you will have to take a shuttle. In addition, there are Alamo/National locations on-site at Walt Disney World, which is very convenient should you wish to keep your car for only part of the trip. There are also rental car locations at several of the hotels in the Downtown Disney area.

Alamo is located on airport property in Orlando. You can just walk right out to the garage to pick up your car.

Alamo also has locations on the Walt Disney World property at the Car Car Center, Dolphin Hotel near Disney's BoardWalk and Buena Vista Palace near Downtown Disney.

National is located on airport property in Orlando. You can just walk right out to the garage to pick up your car.

National also has locations on the Walt Disney World property at the Car Car Center, Dolphin Hotel near Disney's BoardWalk and Buena Vista Palace near Downtown Disney.