Rent a car or not?

[Debi]

I always rent a car, and would reccommend it if you have ADR's at resorts. The convenience is worth the cost. Disney bus transportation is famously unreliable (wait times anywhere from 0-30+ minutes). It makes getting to/from resorts and theme parks easier. As a PP mentioned, check the Transportation Board for car rental discounts.

 

[KarlMal]

Love having a car. It's a control thing with me. I hate waiting for busses.

And you can't beat the flexability of eating off property. So much of the Disney food is good but overpriced, even on the dining plan.

Also, I love racing the monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom.

 

[mel&me]

We always rent right from airport threw priceline.
Stop for supplies on the way to resort.
Last year had an SUV, year before got a caddy for $345 total for the week.
I love priceline for car rentals. Can get car way less the anywhere else if you do it right.

 

[jodifla]

WDW transportation tells you to allow 2 hours to get from resort to resort. If you are going to have ADRs at other resorts, you really need a car, or your worst fears will come true, and you'll little but wait for buses to get to your dining reservations.l

 

[patsal]

The flexibility of a car is so nice, but in your case, I don't think youd need one for the whole vacation. We have been using ME to get from the airport to the resort. It is a nice break for DH not to have to drive. A few days into the vacation I rent a car from Alamo's DOlphin location on the board walk. I usually do a noon pick up time so I can be at one of the parks then head over using disney transport and pick up. I drop off the day before we leave doing the same thing. Playing around with codes and coupons you should be able to get something small for a reasonable price. We are also resort changers, especially since the points charts have changed so much! It is far easier to move my own luggage. It is nice to check out at 11 from one resort and then head over to the other and check in before moving on for the day. While bell services will move your luggage it is nice to know that you are in possession of it and it will be there for you when you want it.

Example, this year we are at AKL for 8 nights than onto OKW for 7 nights. Day four of the vaca we will pick up our car at the Dolphin, I have a 10 day rental for just under $300 total. The flexibility, especially at the end of the day is totally worth $30. I always think of the worse, most crowded times on the bus and remember how much I hated it late at night....that makes it really easy to say yup worth $30 not to stand on that overfilled and less than pleasant bus! We also do water parks, so it is nice to have the ability to go early, leave mid day, not travel with all that stuff on a bus, etc. It is also nice to have the flexibility to get off site a bit or go to the store if there is something you need.