Rent a Car - Yay or Nay?

[BrianL]

I usually rent a car, however I went solo in October and did well usiing Disney Transportation. My friend and I decided to sink extra money into a nicer hotel instead of getting a car. Since then, rental car prices came down significantly. Now, I am wondering if it is worth it for my specific trip.

Details:
May 7 - 12 (arriving late on the 6th)
Staying at Coronado Springs Resort
5 Day Park Hoppers
Day 1: MK (must arrive for welcome show)
Day 2: Epcot
Day 3: ADR for Tusker House 8:25 (AK opens at 9) - Hop to DHS or Epcot for evening (maybe both)
Day 4: MK
DAy 5: DHS (Hop to MK for evening EMH 'til 1 AM)

Concerns: Making MK for Welcome Show, and ADR at Tusker house, general park hopping. I am completely unfamilliar with CSR location/bus situation.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[jsal318]

I have never stayed at CST, but have stayed at other resorts. I have never rented a car - always use Disney transportation and have never had a problem getting anywhere. You might have to get to the bus stop earlier than you would leave in a car, but the bus will always get you there. I feel not renting a car is just one less thing to have to worry about. Between Magical Express and Disney transportation, I love not having to rent a car!

 

[jrtoastyman]

I'd just stick with Disney Transportation and save the money. We will generally take a cab or two per trip when we absolutely need to be somewhere as soon as possible, and it's still far cheaper than renting a car. Moreover, you're going to MK 3 times on your trip, and it's easier to use Disney Transportation to go there anyway because you don't have to park and transfer from the TTC just to get to the gate.

 

[ladydi24]

I would never not rent a car. We have family in Orlando so a car for visits is a must. But would rent even if that wasn't the case. We like having our independence. We can go grocery shopping for water and snacks. Several times we had medical issues and needed to get to pharmacy to pick up prescriptions phoned in by dr. After being in a park all day with kids the last thing I want to do is wait in yet another line for a bus ride to my hotel. If you research and check prices for car rentals you can save a lot of money. Well worth the it for our family.

 

[Magpie]

We used to rent a car, but once we experienced the convenience and ease of Disney busses, we swore off ever renting another car. We love the busses!

That said, we've always stayed at either Pop Century or the Beach Club. Pop Century has a reputation for having very good busses, and the Beach Club's location means you can walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, or catch a monorail to the Magic Kingdom (by walking through Epcot). We rarely wait more than 10 minutes for a bus at the Pop, and on our way back it's even less, since we have the option of taking either a Pop bus or an Art of Animation one (and walking across the bridge).

All of which is to say, I don't know. If I was in your shoes, I'd try the bus. But I'd also try to find out what stop the busses at CSR pick up from first. There's apparently four bus stops, and while it'll be a little tedious to sit through three more stops before you get on your way, it'll be better than not being able to get on the bus at all, because it filled up.

 

[john398]

Since I moved from Florida to Texas, I have never rented a car for our Disney trips

 

[Mousemommy1]

For us, a big NAY. We love letting Disney do all the driving for us on vacation!

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

i have always wanted to rent a car just to have . My fiance believes its a waste of money and taking the bus is part of the Disney experience ! After three trips i don't disagree, buses have always been great and honestly have become part of the experience for me aw well .
If you are trying to save a buck i say save it you could always spend it somewhere else in Disney.
enjoy your trip

 

[redrosesix]

Yes but only because we're attending a competition at WWoS. If you have something like that at WWoS or DTD a car is almost a must.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

When we stayed at CSR I felt like we spent the most time on Disney buses than at any other resort (POP, POFQ, Poly & AKL). It wasn't based on travel time to and from the Parks, but the added stops within the resort. I felt like it took up a LOT of time.

 

[georgina]

We usually rent a car when we go as a family, and drive to all the parks. We like the convenience. I am going solo in May and also staying at CSR, planning to use Disney transportation. I have an 8:30 Keys to the Kingdom tour at MK I will need to get to. I was going to ask on the transportation forum when the MK buses start running.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

I drive to WDW and I always use WDW transportation. I always give myself an hour for where ever I am going. I am usually there early but I rather do that than worry about being late. When I stayed at CSR I never had a problem, actually I have never had a problem anywhere except if we left the parks right after fireworks or getting picked up at DTD. CSR is probably closer to AK than any other park and shouldn't be a problem taking the bus at all. I would be out for the bus an hour before you need to be where you are going. This should give you plenty of time for both the welcome show and your ADR

 

[Networth]

We also drive down but don't use our car once on site. I hate using the car on vacations and will always opt for public transportation. In this case public transit is Disney transit. It's very nice to have someone else do the driving wether it be monorail, bus, or boat.

I will admit I wish the monorail went more places(maybe one day) because the buses are not to much fun when they are packed, but if you plan right you usually get where you need to go early. Last trip I stressed about leaving GF early enough to make it to an ADR at the Flying Fish and we ended up being early. Part of what's relaxing to us is having no responsibilities and driving is one.

 

[cymbaldiva]

I always rent a car. My Disney time is valuable and I can't stand wasting it waiting in line to stand on a crowded bus.

I am so serious about this that I won't go without a rental.

 

[BrianL]

I do usually rent a car and I used to consider it a must have. I had great service at POP though.

Honestly, the only time where time is a factor is MK opening and the 8:25 ADR at AK. Will the busses run early enough to get me there? Getting up early is not a problem!

 

[bakers3]

We are renting a car for the first time for our April/May trip but just for a couple of days. We will take ME from airport and pick up the rental the following morning at the Car Care center. We will do a grocery and beverage run that morning and then head to a park for the evening. We mostly need the car to get over to Universal the next day to finally see WWOHP. The morning after that, we will return it to the care care center and have the shuttle drop us at our park for the day, hopefully in time for RD. The rest of the 2 weeks we will using the buses. Normally we go at super busy times (i.e. school breaks) but this trip is carefully planned to avoid the spring break season and all holidays so I am hoping we can escape some of the long late night bus lines that we have dealt with in the past. It is somewhat tempting to keep the car the whole 2 weeks but I am having a hard time justifying the expense for DD and myself!

 

[MickeyChix]

We've never bothered to use our car once we arrive!! It sits at our resort the entire time. As mentioned, just give yourself plenty of time and you'll be fine using Disney Transportation. When checking in let front desk know you have an ADR for Tusker House and give them the times. If a bus is not available that early, they will arrange for a cab to take you to AK gate. Transferring from park to another is super easy as well. Remember if you drive you'll end up having to pay for parking you don't need. Typically the busses start running one hour prior to any given parks opening. So if you are going to EMH at MK that starts at 8am--first bus to leave for the park should be 7am---just make sure your ready to go and in line!!!

 

[Planogirl]

We always rent a car too. We want to come and go as we please, we go offsite to shop and dine, we go offsite to see other attractions. However if you have no offsite plans and don't mind the occasional wait for a bus, you will probably be fine without a car.

 

[mickey1968]

The last few trips I have taken I have wished like crazy I had rented a car just because of the miserable lines at the end of the night at MK. Any other time or any other park has not been a big problem with possible exception of DTD, also at night. Both of my last trips were over Halloween and included two of the MNSSHP so this probably made the end of night crowds even worse. I have a car rented for my upcoming trip in May. Southwest has a lot of the places with week-long rentals right now for around $150 for the economy car.

 

[Rosebud123]

I consider a rental car a must-have. It's sooooo much easier, faster, more pleasant, efficient, etc.