Rental Car or WDW Transportation?

[Bergeron37]

Hi All,

We are planning a trip next July, and we have been going back and forth between a rental car or using the provided transportation. Here's what I have summed up:

Rental Cars:

Pros:
1) AAA VIP Parking Lot
2) No long waits to get back to hotel at closing

Cons:
1) Waiting to get into actual parking lot ( busses have separate VIP lane)
2) waiting to get back to car (compared to bus waiting time)

WDW Transportation ( Busses, Monorails, Ferries)

Pros:
1) Free with stay
2) VIP drop off/ pickup
3 VIP entrance lanes

Cons:
1) wait times grow long
2) over crowded vehicles
3) unpleasant drivers

I would appreciate any advice you guys have. This is the first time that we have even considered a rental car, so again, any advice welcome.
Happy Holidays!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

In my opinion I would rent.

We did two separate experiments with the rental car. Hubby drove the car back to the resort and I took the bus. Both times Hubby wait 35 minutes and 42 minutes for me to arrive after he got to the resort. So using those numbers it will take about 1 hour and 15 round trip to take the bus to/from one park. Multiply that by five days of visiting parks and now you have just wasted 6 hours of your vacation on taking WDW buses to a park.


Car gives you flexibility too. If you need to run to drug store or a grocery store you can.

We ususally eat off property and the money we save by doing so actually pays for the rental car.

 

[Bergeron37]

In my opinion I would rent.

We did two separate experiments with the rental car. Hubby drove the car back to the resort and I took the bus. Both times Hubby wait 35 minutes and 42 minutes for me to arrive after he got to the resort. So using those numbers it will take about 1 hour and 15 round trip to take the bus to/from one park. Multiply that by five days of visiting parks and now you have just wasted 6 hours of your vacation on taking WDW buses to a park.


Car gives you flexibility too. If you need to run to drug store or a grocery store you can.

We ususally eat off property and the money we save by doing so actually pays for the rental car.

Thanks so much, we also would like to do a little bit of off-property eating as well. We also have been playing with the idea of doing a few day trips to Universal. For that, it would definitely help to have a car, right?

 

[Brian Noble]

If you expect to leave the WDW Bubble, a car is going to be very very helpful. It's also very helpful for any trip that isn't between a resort and one of the four major theme parks.

 

[Donna M]

It sounds like renting a car would be the way to go for your plans. The convenience is well worth it.

You can book a car now and then cancel and rebook if you see a better price. I found the best price about 3 weeks out from my arrival date. My VISA card carries the Loss of Use coverage so I don't need to purchase that at the counter.

 

[Mousemom234]

We're renters, too. For us, the convenience decidely outweighs the cost.
The only place where we've found the car to be at a disadvantage versus the Disney system is the MK, since the busses drop you off far close than the parking lot. But then, we consider the ferries and monorais to be 'rides'
A car's a lifesaver if you want to eat at a different resort - internal transit time can reach nearly 2 hours, if you 'just miss' the bus you need.
And a short grocery run can save you a bundle in snack and water costs.

Cons:
1) Waiting to get into actual parking lot ( busses have separate VIP lane)
2) waiting to get back to car (compared to bus waiting time)

1. We've never noticed that much of a wait for the parking lot; the line moves right along most mornings, and by early afternoon it's almost non-existant.
2. The trams load quickly (at most times), and it is possible to park close enough to walk back to your car, except at MK

If you're considering a car, start browsing rates now, so you can compare costs against taxis and/or shuttle prices. You'll probably save a bit by renting away from the airport - if you're taking DME in, check prices for the companies that have counters at the CarCareCenter and the DTD resort hotels; they usually offer free pickup.

 

[msp2mco]

We usually rent a car and use Disney transportation. If some members of the family are flying in at a different time, they can take ME. I agree with PP who said Disney transportation is almost always faster when going to MK.

The one year we didn't rent a car, we were staying at BC and could walk to 2 parks. Unfortunately, the times we needed to use Disney transportation, the waits seemed ridiculously long, and we decided never again.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

We would never rely on Disney transportation to get me around. That is not my idea of a relaxing vacation. All the cons you listed for using Disney transportation are true and there really is no good things about it unless you are scared to drive yourself around.

There are no long lines to get into the parking lots unless you are going during a school holiday, which I would never do anyway.

Even going back and forth to Mk is no problem. It takes 5 minutes to walk from the AAA Diamond parking lot to the monorail. And after you leave the park at closing get on the ferry instead of the monorail. It is quicker and holds way more ppl.

The only place they seem to not know anything about the AAA Diamond parking was on our last trip at Hollywood Studios they were starting off parking EVERYBODY that came in in the AAA parking spaces.

You do not have to book your trip through AAA to get the parking pass you can get one off Ebay for $10. Although we get ours through AAA because we are members. We bought them off Ebay before we joined AAA.

 

[pepe of ohio]

50 trips to WDW, never rented a car and when we drive to WDW, our car sits in the resort lot...

We rely solely on WDW transportation...We never leave the property, for nothing! When we drive down, that's 19 hours in a car, once we enter WDW, we let them haul us around...Yeah we encounter some long waits occasionally, crowded buses but all in all, it's part of our Disney experience, we're in NO hurry to get around (and enjoy riding the buses and boats)... so it's no time out of our vacation, plus Disney transportation drops you off right up front of rental cars...

To each their own but we don't waste money on something that's provided for free.

 

[LSchrow]

a lot depends on where & when you're staying, how long the trip is, how many ppl in your party (more ppl means larger car), etc.
after 100's of WDW vacations, we found the best combination for us:
- take DME to resort (usually BWVs)
- pick up car at dolphin national/alamo (sometimes we don't rent for the entire trip - easy to do if car rental co is nearby)
- walk/take WDW trans for all parks except DTD (we find those buses too infrequent and/or crowded). we also use the car for off-site dining, shopping, etc

we've gone in april, may, august, sept, & oct. from resort door to park bag-check, WDW trans has beat driving about 90-95% of the time. we have encountered late or crowded buses only a handful of times (note that the problems we had were all years ago. wdw trans have greatly improved, imho)
personally, we don't have the patience to get the car, drive to a park & around the lot, take a tram/ferry....
during crowded times and for rope drop ppl, driving is probably best. for more relaxed vacations, wdw trans works very well

 

[ain0004]

I always advise people to rent. We are renters. We can not stand disney transport. Our vacation time is valuable. And waiting an 1hour to get anywhere, is stressful, annoying and I just do not have patience for it!

 

[rwdavis2]

Rent the car. Of all the trips listed below (except one) we drove to the parks. IMHO it's always faster. Especially if you park early (closer to the park) and don't have to wait around for a parking tram.

It's also convenient for getting to DTD, offsite groceries, and medical care.

 

[MillauFr]

I always advise people to rent. We are renters. We can not stand disney transport. Our vacation time is valuable. And waiting an 1hour to get anywhere, is stressful, annoying and I just do not have patience for it!

I think we will rent as well. I am used to Disneyland where I can stay offsite and walk from my hotel room to the front gate of Disneyland in 10 minutes. If what I read here is correct it seems like you usually wait 10+ minutes for a bus to show up at Disneyworld. I am on vacation to go on rides not wait around for buses.

I just wished they would have designed the resort so you can walk from place to place.

 

[Bergeron37]

50 trips to WDW, never rented a car and when we drive to WDW, our car sits in the resort lot...

We rely solely on WDW transportation...We never leave the property, for nothing! When we drive down, that's 19 hours in a car, once we enter WDW, we let them haul us around...Yeah we encounter some long waits occasionally, crowded buses but all in all, it's part of our Disney experience, we're in NO hurry to get around (and enjoy riding the buses and boats)... so it's no time out of our vacation, plus Disney transportation drops you off right up front of rental cars...

To each their own but we don't waste money on something that's provided for free.

I definitely agree with you 100%!! Why drive when it's provided, however, we are already planning a days at universal, would a car be worth it for that? This may just be a rumor, but does Disney provide busses to universal? Also, are there any rental car buildings on property for just a one day use? That would be extremely convenient for us! I really appreciate the response!

 

[Bergeron37]

Thank you all! The replies have been EXTREMELY helpful!! We have already started a little browsing, just to have some numbers to compare. I also think we would use the triple A black card for our parking. You said it was cheap on eBay, but is it free from triple a if your a member? Also, we are most likely staying at Beach Club or boardwalk. I heard some complaints about that area, so is it better or worst to get a car for that area? We will mostly be going to the two parks near there, with an occasional MK trip. However, as I said before, we are going to Universal. I really appreciate the answers and look forward to many more!
Happy Holidays!