Need help with ME vs rental car

[DougandBeth]

We are DVC members and will be taking yet again another trip to Disney in April of this year. We will be arriving on the 5th and leaving on the 11th. Yes we are nuts for being down there during easter!!!!

Anyway we have been to Disney every year for the past 6 years and always took ME which we loved. However we are getting a little bored with the bus and the same video, etc. I know it sounds crazy

In addition we are staying at old key west and we have always had great experiences with Disney buses to the parks but I would imagine that week will be nuts so we are thinking about renting a car instead. Anyone feel the same way or regret renting vs ME? Does it make sense to rent vs buses the week of Easter due to waiting for buses?

Last but not least it will give my wife an opportunity to run and get things for the kids Easter baskets.

Last question

Should we take ME to take advantage of return luggage and just rent a car on day 2 when we get down there?

Thanks all

 

[maxiesmom]

In my trips to WDW I have found that the busier the parks, the better the bus service. It seems they have more buses running when the parks are full, so the waits are much shorter. Unless you really enjoy driving to the parks, I wouldn't rent a car just to get around what you think may be longer waits for the buses.

When you talk about luggage delivery, are you talking about going back to the airport? As in Resort Airline Check In? If so, you don't have to use DME to take advantage of that. They are 2 seperate things. RAC is just like checking in at the airport--they will take your checked bags for you. All you have to do is drive to the airport and go thru security and to your gate. Easy as can be.

 

[DougandBeth]

Bump

 

[DVC California]

In addition we are staying at old key west and we have always had great experiences with Disney buses to the parks but I would imagine that week will be nuts so we are thinking about renting a car instead. Anyone feel the same way or regret renting vs ME? Does it make sense to rent vs buses the week of Easter due to waiting for buses?

Last but not least it will give my wife an opportunity to run and get things for the kids Easter baskets.

We're DVC also and almost always rent a car. It's not so much about the buses being crowded but that we enjoy being in control of how we want to travel. We enjoy picking up groceries at Publix or the Super Walmart. We like to drive to DTD to see a movie or Disney Quest without walking way past PI.

We like being able to drive directly to another resort if we have an ADR. AND we sometimes, between you and me, go north to that other theme park.

However, when the parks are crowded, we actually prefer the buses. We've visited over a few Christmas' and NYE. We've noticed that it's hecka crazy trying to drive out from the parking lot at the end of the night and the buses were actually the fastest way out.

If you think about it, MK to OKW is much faster by bus. You skip the monorail/ferry to TTC. You skip the tram to "Goofy 157". You skip the walk to the car and the slow drive on World Drive.

The bus bypasses all that and exits out the back road (Vista Blvd) which is way less crowded.

Last question

Should we take ME to take advantage of return luggage and just rent a car on day 2 when we get down there?

Thanks all

As PP mentioned, you do not need DME to take advantage of return luggage. There is a RAC (Resort Airline Check-in service) near every Bell Service stand. You only need to check your luggage in at least three hours before your flight.

IIRC, If your participating carrier charges for baggage, you will have to prepay that by calling RAC's 800 number, pay by credit card, and be issued a confirmation number to check your bags.

It will actually be easier to bring your bags up if you have a rental. You can drive it up your self rather than calling bell services or schlepping on the resort shuttle bus.

HTH, Steve

 

[goofy4tink]

We own DVC as well...and I'm finding that since we are at WDW so often, we really like to do some alternative stuff now. We don't spend quite as much time in the parks as we used to. We want to head to other resorts, or maybe do some offsite stuff. So, thinking that renting a car may be the way to go down the road.

I would compare prices for renting at MCO vs at WDW (area). It may be cheaper to rent from MCO for the entire time. Or, it may be cheaper to rent at a car rental company that is based in a hotel/resort in DTD for part of the time. Budget, for instance, is located at the Doubletree in DTD. Fairly easy to get to from OKW.
Luggage delivery service with DME and renting a car??? If you rent at MCO, you can always tag your checked bags (as usual) and have your wife take the bus with the kids, while you get the car and drive to OKW. That way, you are assured that all is well with the checked bags. As noted already, it doesn't matter how you are getting back to MCO...as long as you are flying home on a participating airline, you can check your bags at OKW. It actually has nothing to do with DME at all.

So, compare rates for various rental areas. Then, decide the best way to get to OKW. I used to be a huge proponant of just using WDW transportation, but lately, I'm liking having a car at my disposal.