Questions about hiring a car at Disney

[teambeaman]

The last time we rented a car we decided to valet it for $15/day. The valet manager at our resort told us that if we valet, we could valet at any of the resorts and said if we were going to MK we should valet the car at Contemporary and walk across the street. It was also nice to just pull up to the front of each resort and walk right in for our ADR's. Worth it to us, but you have to decide if it's worth it to you.

 

[tinkerbesh]

Thanks all. Tolls probably wont be an issue as I will likely only drive around Disney property. Dont want to struggle with buses and folding down the pram with 2 babies sleeping

I may drive to Universal.

Only two babies under 5 (1 and 2) others are 6, 7 and 9.

From CR you wouldn't have to fold up anything to get to/from both Epcot and MK. You can keep babies in their strollers/prams on both the monorail and ferries, or you could just walk home from MK to the CR.

Also keep in mind that unless you are arriving first thing in the morning and getting the very closest parking spots at HS or AK, you'll have to ride a tram from the park to the area where you wind up parked in the lot. Someone else can come in here, but I'm pretty sure you would have to pack up the prams for the tram ride.

Sounds like you are set on renting a car, but I thought I'd mention this anyway.

Hope you have a magical time! We are on our way home from a magical first trip with DS.

 

[markmcalear]

Thanks all.

I will be picking the car up from Car Care Centre, not MCO.

We are early risers and actually have a breakfast ADR at most parks before rope drop so arriving early to get a good space should not be an issue.

At home, my 3 older kids strap themselves in quickly and it takes us about 30 seconds to strap the babies in so (we do one each). Pram folds down quickly so we are in the car and away inside of a minute or two. Dont see it being any different at WDW.

Obviously wont use car to MK or EP (or GF and POLY). Will use for DHS, AK and DTD. And also for ADRs we have at BC/YC, AKL and FW.

If I feel confident driving in USA then I will also drive to our offsite destinations (Universal, Discovery Cove and Aquatica). Shouldnt be a problem as I did own a left hand drive vehicle here in UK last year and it only took an hour or so to get used to it.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I would drive to Epcot too. Especially with the annocement of new reduced monorail hours. The ride home from Epcot will considerably shorter by car vs monorail.

 

[richmo]

Thanks all.

I will be picking the car up from Car Care Centre, not MCO....

Makes sense. Just remember to call the CCC the day before you want the car so you can arrange to have them pick you up at the resort....and drop the car back off early enough so that it won't be an issue getting back to the airport.

Depending upon the car, you may want to borrow a bath towel from the resort to hang on the steering wheel as it will be blistering hot when you get in. Also be careful about letting the kids in the car during the day until you've cooled it off a bit.

 

[sjw211]

Hi Mark - can I ask how much you have paid and have you hired it through Disney?
We've ummed and aahed a bit over whether or not to hire a car for onsite travel too but equally have been told the bus service is great. We're staying at SSR in August.
If we don't end up hiring one for the duration, we have decided we're probably going to Busch Gardens once. As we would be going early in the day, I guess this would mean hiring it from the previous day - and equally, as I don't know when the hire places close, I imagine it would be dropped off the day after the BG visit? So it looks like a 3 day hire - but I don't want to the pickup and drop off to be a hassle and take valuable holiday time up..
What would people recommend?

 

[lovesdumbo]

Hi Mark - can I ask how much you have paid and have you hired it through Disney?
We've ummed and aahed a bit over whether or not to hire a car for onsite travel too but equally have been told the bus service is great. We're staying at SSR in August.
If we don't end up hiring one for the duration, we have decided we're probably going to Busch Gardens once. As we would be going early in the day, I guess this would mean hiring it from the previous day - and equally, as I don't know when the hire places close, I imagine it would be dropped off the day after the BG visit? So it looks like a 3 day hire - but I don't want to the pickup and drop off to be a hassle and take valuable holiday time up..
What would people recommend?

You could do Alamo or National and pickup/drop off at Dolphin. You can easily get to/from Dolphin from Epcot or DHS. I'm not sure of the hours-something close to 9:00 to 5:00. You can only pick up during those hours but you can drop off any time with valet-you don't get credited with the return until the next day though if you return after hours. But you should be able to do a 2 day rental as a day is 24hours not each calendar day.

 

[Laz]

We always rent a car for WDW. It is a matter of the feeling of more convenience and less hassle for us. It is a personal preference. We can get to morning EMH and rope drop as early as we want. We can leave when we want and be assured we will have an air conditioned seat and not stand in any line, or in the isle of a packed bus filled with sweaty, tired people. True, the walk to the car in the lot can be a bit long, but we usually get a AAA parking pass. It helps a little.

 

[LaughinPlace289]

I feel like I am going against the tide here, but when at WDW I prefer to just use their complimentary transportation rather than pay for rental fees, fuel, tolls, etc. Why pay for something that is readily available at no cost? Not to mention... You're on vacation! It is nice to not have to worry about your car while on site.

I will admit that waiting for a bus is not exactly the most desirable scenario, but to me the pros outweigh the cons.

Disney transportation all the way.

 

[markmcalear]

I found many USA car rental places to be expensive, around $1300 for a 7 seater an $2500 for a 12 seater. Both prices are for 2 weeks (4pm on Aug 14th until 12pm on Aug 28th)

I booked via Virgin Atlantic in the end (it is with Alamo) and paid £470 for a Chevy Tahoe and my friend paid £300 for a Ford Escape

Virgin also give you the upgraded insurance with collision waiver as standard. Most USA rental companies charged extra (almost double) due to being a non US resident!

 

[sjw211]

Thanks all. The Virgin looks a good deal Mark - we're flying with them too.
If I were to choose to pick up from the CCC, I'm in Epcot that day - how easy is it to get there from Epcot? CCC appears to have the latest opening hours yes? I could pick the car up around 5-6pm on the 21st after the park and drive it back to the hotel.
As for drop off, we're staying in SSR so I guess the best place would be for the Dolphin hotel near DTD around mid day on the 23rd for a 2 day hire? Make sense?

 

[MouseyMin]

Thanks all. The Virgin looks a good deal Mark - we're flying with them too.
If I were to choose to pick up from the CCC, I'm in Epcot that day - how easy is it to get there from Epcot? CCC appears to have the latest opening hours yes? I could pick the car up around 5-6pm on the 21st after the park and drive it back to the hotel.
As for drop off, we're staying in SSR so I guess the best place would be for the Dolphin hotel near DTD around mid day on the 23rd for a 2 day hire? Make sense?

Alamo/National has mini busses at the Car Care Center. They will pick you up and drop you off after renting anywhere on property that you want. (You should tip the driver.) You need to call them the day before and make a reservation for the pickup (the phone number will be on your reservation paperwork). It's very easy and I've done it quite a few times.

 

[richmo]

Thanks all. The Virgin looks a good deal Mark - we're flying with them too.
If I were to choose to pick up from the CCC, I'm in Epcot that day - how easy is it to get there from Epcot? CCC appears to have the latest opening hours yes? I could pick the car up around 5-6pm on the 21st after the park and drive it back to the hotel.
As for drop off, we're staying in SSR so I guess the best place would be for the Dolphin hotel near DTD around mid day on the 23rd for a 2 day hire? Make sense?

CCC probably has longer hours than the Dolphin. If you're in Epcot the day you want to pick up the car, also price out picking it up from the Dolphin. The Dolphin isn't too long a walk from the Epcot International Gateway entrance (between England and France). That way you wouldn't have to bother with the Alamo shuttle at all.

 

[jester161]

Hi - we are from the UK and have driven in Florida many times - actually not a problem as roads are usually much wider than at home!!! Couple of things you should remember...IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES FROM THE UK


Learn about 'turning right at red lights' if the road is clear...makes things flow much quicker...
Remember that you may get some amazing storms in summer...believe me you will never have driven in rain like you will get here...usually in the afternoon for a short time...
Never ever ever overtake a school bus!!
Never ever ever go through a stop sign even if the road is clear!!

To be honest we have a car as part of our holiday package...but we don't use it much!!! We love the Disney buses and it is a real part of the holiday for us..even with small kids. The only times we have ever waited a long time is when the parks close. I know some people prefer to drive but we find the buses really simple.

We drive to the water parks as this is the weakest part of the bus service. We also drive to offsite places (Seaworld, Florida Mall etc).

Have fun and enjoy....

 

[sjw211]

CCC probably has longer hours than the Dolphin. If you're in Epcot the day you want to pick up the car, also price out picking it up from the Dolphin. The Dolphin isn't too long a walk from the Epcot International Gateway entrance (between England and France). That way you wouldn't have to bother with the Alamo shuttle at all.

Apologies, I meant to say the Buena Vista Hotel instead of the Dolphin Hotel. Is that minutes walk from DTD?
Thanks for the reminders too - I did drive there back in '96 which is a loooooon time ago.

 

[markmcalear]

Hi - we are from the UK and have driven in Florida many times - actually not a problem as roads are usually much wider than at home!!! Couple of things you should remember...IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES FROM THE UK


Learn about 'turning right at red lights' if the road is clear...makes things flow much quicker...
Remember that you may get some amazing storms in summer...believe me you will never have driven in rain like you will get here...usually in the afternoon for a short time...
Never ever ever overtake a school bus!!
Never ever ever go through a stop sign even if the road is clear!!

To be honest we have a car as part of our holiday package...but we don't use it much!!! We love the Disney buses and it is a real part of the holiday for us..even with small kids. The only times we have ever waited a long time is when the parks close. I know some people prefer to drive but we find the buses really simple.

We drive to the water parks as this is the weakest part of the bus service. We also drive to offsite places (Seaworld, Florida Mall etc).

Have fun and enjoy....

Somebody mentioned turning right at red lights to me the other day. So if theres a red light and the road ahead is clear I can just go as long as I am turning right??

You cant overtake a school bus at all?

 

[kwelch10377]

Somebody mentioned turning right at red lights to me the other day. So if theres a red light and the road ahead is clear I can just go as long as I am turning right??

You cant overtake a school bus at all?

You just have to make sure there isn't a "No Turn on Red" sign. If there not then you can turn right on red if the road is clear.

 

[richmo]

Somebody mentioned turning right at red lights to me the other day. So if theres a red light and the road ahead is clear I can just go as long as I am turning right??

You cant overtake a school bus at all?

Basically, if you're turning right, think of it as an intersection with a red traffic light acting as a 'Stop' sign. You come to a full stop, then if there is no traffic coming from your left, you may turn right. If there is a 'No Turn on Red' sign, then you can't. There is no international symbol used for No Turn on Red in Florida, or anywhere else in the USA that I'm aware of. Somewhere on the traffic light there should be the words 'No Turn on Red'...sometimes the signs have a solid red circle, but that is nowhere near universal.

School bus laws differ by state, but you can never pass a school bus in either direction if the bus has red flashing lights at the top of the bus. If flashing yellow, it is about to stop. About the only opportunity you might have to pass a bus is if you're on a four lane highway and I would think that would be OK as long as it isn't flashing yellow or red.

 

[Alesia]

Somebody mentioned turning right at red lights to me the other day. So if theres a red light and the road ahead is clear I can just go as long as I am turning right??

You cant overtake a school bus at all?

I would recommend taking a look at the Florida driver's handbook.

 

[ParrotBill]

Thanks all.

I will be picking the car up from Car Care Centre, not MCO.

We are early risers and actually have a breakfast ADR at most parks before rope drop so arriving early to get a good space should not be an issue.

At home, my 3 older kids strap themselves in quickly and it takes us about 30 seconds to strap the babies in so (we do one each). Pram folds down quickly so we are in the car and away inside of a minute or two. Dont see it being any different at WDW.

Obviously wont use car to MK or EP (or GF and POLY). Will use for DHS, AK and DTD. And also for ADRs we have at BC/YC, AKL and FW.

If I feel confident driving in USA then I will also drive to our offsite destinations (Universal, Discovery Cove and Aquatica). Shouldnt be a problem as I did own a left hand drive vehicle here in UK last year and it only took an hour or so to get used to it.

Your plan as described here makes sense, especially for early ADRs and for going offsite. Going offsite would be expensive by Taxi. Enjoy!