Rent car or use Disney Transportation?

[KristiMc]

We will be staying at POFQ from Jan. 25-31. We are wondering if it would be easier to rent a car to get from hotel to parks and other hotels or if using the disney transportation is easier.

We will be traveling with a 4 year old and a 1 year old and will probably go back to our room in the afternoon for a rest.

We stayed at Dixie Landings back in 2000 (pre-kids) and thought the disney transportation was very easy.

Kristi

 

[OKW Lover]

I find using a car is much easier when going to the other hotels and all the parks - with the exception of the MK. I'm guessing that your children are young and thus you are traveling with a lot of "stuff", which makes using a car even more convenient.

However, when going to the MK, because you would have to park in the main parking lot and take the parking tram to the monorail/ferry to get to the MK, you'll probably find that the MK bus (which lets you off near the entrance turnstyles) is the better choice.

 

[ktink]

Last year we flew down and used a friend's car only to and from the airport. Once we were at WDW we relied soley on their transportation. We are flying this year (booked this week) and aren't renting a car. I just don't see shelling out the extra $ when you have free transportation. Before we booked our airfare and were planning on driving DH insisted that when we parked the car upon arrival that we would still use the busses. We figure we're on vacation and we go during a slower time so we don't want to have to fool with driving when we have a chauffer.

 

[Bob P]

Hi Kristi and welcome to the DIS!

I'm, afraid you have asked a question that DIS-ers are split pretty evenly on! There are people who swear by WDW transportation and there are people who couldn't do without their rented cars. So I suggest you think about what makes the most sense for you because I don't think you'll get a clear consensus here!

Enjoy!

Bob

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

As the previous poster said.....you will likely get 50% yes and 50% no. We never rent a car as I do not like driving in an unknown area. The traffic in WDW is very heavy and there are numerous accidents because people aren't sure where they are going. We always rely on Disney transportation and have no complaints. It will be heavy if you go at peak times like park openings and closings. But for the most part Disney does a great job of moving so many people daily. Keep in mind that the Disney buses leave you closer to the park entrances than by driving yourself. Also, you cannot park at the Magic Kingdom. You must park at the TTC and maybe tram or walk to the boat or monorail to the MK. Only Disney buses drop you off at the Magic Kingdom.

ps....Welcome to the DIS!!!!

 

[Uncleromulus]

There you go--we awlays rent a car!!
But since you are already familiar with Disney transportation, the decision should be easier to make.

 

[beattyfamily]

I've never hit heavy traffic and I've never seen an accident.

I started renting a car when we split our stay between WDW and Universal and now we cannot live without.

It's great for eating offsite or going to a grocery store for medicine or supplies. It's great to get to and from the airport. It's great to get from your resort to other resorts. It's great to get to DTD.

We use Disney Transportation also but it's nice to have a choice.

Of course, you can live without a car at WDW but since we need transport to and from the airport, we choose to have a car and we just budget it in automatically.

The convenience with little ones is GREAT.

 

[ncbyrne]

Yes, WDW transportation can be quite adequate for getting from your resort to the parks. However, we have found that getting to other destinations, like a PS at a resort or HDDR, is quite time consuming and can involve switching busses or taking busses and a boat. We always rent a car. This year we are taking ME from the airport to CSR and then renting a care at the Car Care Center to save one day of rental costs. We are returning the car to MCO and this way we'll be able to stay longer at the end of our trip.

 

[sanibelover]

We always rent a car. Depends on how you feel about being at the mercy of Disney transportation. With the little ones, I would feel more comfortable with my own car. Lugging all of the "stuff" you have to have onto a bus, etc. is a huge hassle.

We always go to Wal-Mart to stock up on water bottles, snacks, etc.

Also handy if someone is sick and needs meds, etc.

We did take transportation from POFQ to CR for Cali Grill - only took 1 1/2 hours to get there by way of Blizzard Beach (????????) to pick someone up LONG after the park had closed.......

Buses are OK, but I prefer to have a car.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Seeing that your cast includes some little ones, I would rent a car. This way, you can easily stop for grocery's and take the car to the park, if you don't feel like waiting for the bus.

 

[GGOOFY1]

I would also take into account the time of the year you are going. It shouldn't be that crowded and should be easy to get around by bus or by car.

 

[jenrose66]

after my current trip to POFQ, I would say the transportation is easy but slow. I would recommend renting a car.

 

[cocowum]

Yes, WDW transportation can be quite adequate for getting from your resort to the parks. However, we have found that getting to other destinations, like a PS at a resort or HDDR, is quite time consuming and can involve switching busses or taking busses and a boat. We always rent a car. This year we are taking ME from the airport to CSR and then renting a care at the Car Care Center to save one day of rental costs. We are returning the car to MCO and this way we'll be able to stay longer at the end of our trip.

This is exactly what we are doing. I'd rent a car. It's alot easier.

 

[LoraJ]

On our last trip we spent 90 minutes alone in one day waiting for buses. We had a rental car, but I wanted a break from driving. Boy was I sorry for that decision.

 

[Sammy]

We've done it both ways in the past. Each time we go, we think about what kinds of things we'll be doing and that pretty much dictates whether we rent a car or not. If we are planning lots of park/resort time....we don't bother with a rental. If we plan on doing lots of resort-to-resort stuff (restaurants, activities, etc.), we rent. DH hates driving at WDW, so we tend to rely on the Disney transport more than the rental car.

If I had little ones and I was planning on going back to the resort in the afternoons, I would probably rent. Much easier to load all your stuff back into your own car vs. the busses.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

We too have done it both ways. 3 years ago we stayed in POFQ and relied solely on Disney transport. We only had one long wait and it was at AK - we left rather early in the afternoon (for DSs nap) and there were no buses and no other people waiting. But, it was shaded and there was a beverage/snack machine so it was a bit easier. DS did not mind at all.

Last Jan and this Nov we will be using a rental car (mostly because we are staying off site before and after and also have to get to and from the cruise terminal so the car is cheaper than all those taxi cabs).

In the future I would base my decision solely on budget. With a good rental code, the rental is often cheaper than taxi fare. I do plan on leaving the rental in the lot pretty often during the AKL part of our stay though - driving is not my idea of a vacation!

Good luck with your decision! We did get an excellent rate with Thrifty with the Orlando Magicard code (KW18).