Rent a Car?

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

We have yet to rent a car on previous trips and relied on DME for airport transportation, garden grocer for food deliver and buses to get around the parks. My friend is also a DVC member and always gets a car when in WDW which has me thinking that we should try it.

Does $200 for 7 nights seem reasonable for a rental car? We would likely go through National as we get free upgrades for work perks.

We are staying at AKV-Jambo, will have platinum passes and prefer to rope drop.
-How is traffic entering the parks early?

Does it save a good amount of time over using DME?

Why do/don't you use a rental car?

 

[BillPA]

The price depends on when you go and how early you book. I have a full size from Dollar for Nov 8-15 at $144 for the week. Traffic depends on when your there. Most days for rope drop not much of a problem. Even with a car we usually take the bus to MK as it is typically quicker going. No tram, no ferry... Driving could be faster, but if you don't know where you're going you could have delays. Also be sure to have a roll of quarters with you as the tolls are everywhere, off site that is.

 

[a742246]

Two hundred is a good price for a car rental. You can make that up by eating outside of WDW a couple of nights. Plus from AKL you won't have to use the buses all the time.

 

[Kidanifan08]

We like having a car for transportation to Epcot, AK and HS. Like BillPA, we generally use Disney buses for MK, as the parking is way out and requires additional (slow) transportation to the gate area. We're heading up later this month and are also looking forward to having a car for the water parks and Disney Springs, as the Disney transportation to the water parks requires a transfer. We are still using GG for groceries, as we don't want to spend much time off site. I may make a quick run to Target to replenish our OL while the family takes a mid-day snooze.

I usually rent through Costco Travel and get the best price, but I don't have discounts through work or a frequent renters club. With Costco, a second driver can be added for free. Lately, round trip from MCO has priced best for our trips, but sometimes Alamo MCO to Dolphin or the opposite direction price better. We have a two week rental for about $400 (economy), so your $200 for 1 week sounds reasonable.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I think $200 is a great price. We ALWAYS rent a car at WDW, my husband insists (but now that we live closer will be driving our own car to WDW). We would do only one grocery run on the way there, usually a Walmart or Target. We use the ferry to go to MK, our resort is WL. But use the car for other parks. Comes in handy, especially with ADR's. In the past I would try to talk my husband into using WDW transportation, why not save a little, right? But by the second or third day, I'm always finding myself telling him he's right.

 

[Micca]

We always rent a car but we usually stay 4 or 5 nights, I think it typically runs around $150. We talk about not renting a car and using DME & Uber, but old habits die hard. We like having the car for grocery store/liquor store runs, and inevitably someone needs to go to Walgreens or CVS for one thing or another. We also like going to the the Character Warehouse at the outlet mall. Right now we are struggling with car seats for our DGDs, of course in a few years that will no longer be an issue. It is a hassle though getting them on/off the plane and installed in the rental vehicle.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Thank you all for your help!!!