Rental Car-Staying on Site

[OhMari]

Someone just posted over in Trip Reports that you should rent a car.

If I am staying at POFQ, would I have to pay for parking at the Parks.

 

[stinkerbelle]

no - you get free parking at the parks

but you really don't NEED to rent a car...the bus is really good..didn't have any issues with it when I stayed at POFQ in Sept.

 

[betterlatethannever]

Originally posted by OhMari
Someone just posted over in Trip Reports that you should rent a car.

If I am staying at POFQ, would I have to pay for parking at the Parks.

No, you do not pay for parking at the parks if you are staying at a Disney Resort. You will get a paper to put on your dashboard so the toll plaza CMs will just wave you through.

Ed

 

[bearzabout]

Car rental is great for people who are miserable waiting for buses. A rental will help maximize your time, especially if you park hop. The best part is you are guaranteed a seat at the end of a long day! It is best to memorize the road maps before driving since Disney roads and signage can be a bit confusing.

A car is a great help if you plan on visiting/dining other resorts. I rent a car if I plan to spend time at the water parks or plan on going to Downtown Disney after a visit to the parks.

If you only plan on visiting the four major parks with minimal park hopping, the bus should be fine as long as you don't mind a possible 20-30 minute wait.

 

[OhMari]

Thanks everyone.

I plan on hitting the parks early in the morning, and I don't care how long it takes to get back. This Poster in Trips report was posting that it took 30-45 minutes to almost an hour to go anywhere. I rather not rent, my sense of direction is horrible, I would spend all my time getting lost.

 

[huskies90]

It was our fam's first trip a few weeks ago and we rented a car mainly because it only cost us $120 for the week with all the taxes, fees, gas etc and with 4 in our group, it was about the same cost as most roundtrip transfers (shuttle, limo, etc) from and to the airport so we easily justified the cost. We used the car and bus about 50/50. It was nice to have a car especially driving to other resorts for dinner but for going to the parks, it was easier taking the busses. We also planed to go offsite but with the exception of a grocery run, we never made it outside the "world." I am one of those people who HATE to wait for anything but there was very little wait for the busses.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Originally posted by OhMari
Thanks everyone.

I plan on hitting the parks early in the morning, and I don't care how long it takes to get back. This Poster in Trips report was posting that it took 30-45 minutes to almost an hour to go anywhere. I rather not rent, my sense of direction is horrible, I would spend all my time getting lost.

We've done the busses during trips and we've rented during others. While there are benefits to having your own car it really isn't a big deal to take Disney transportation. Just give yourself plenty of time for the transportation as to not become too unnerved if it takes longer than usual at times.

I think you should give it a chance this first time.

 

[GDUL]

It was our fam's first trip a few weeks ago and we rented a car mainly because it only cost us $120 for the week with all the taxes, fees, gas etc and with 4 in our group, it was about the same cost as most roundtrip transfers (shuttle, limo, etc) from and to the airport so we easily justified the cost.

huskies90,

What type of car did you rent and from which rental company? At first glance, this looks like a very good price. Currently, I'm getting prices above $225 for a mid-size car in February. That includes various discounts. I'm hoping that prices drop as we get closer to February. Thanks!
Gary

 

[senecabeach]

I'll be going down 12/10 through 12/17..Yipee

I have an intermediate car, for the entire stay, rented through Dollar for a total $$ of $147.75.

My suggestion would be to check on line : Orbitz,Travelocity etc.

1. For an agent in the airport
2. Dont forget to add in the extra $$,state tax,vehicle licence fees,state transact tax..etc

Good Hunting!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Originally posted by GDUL
huskies90,

What type of car did you rent and from which rental company? At first glance, this looks like a very good price. Currently, I'm getting prices above $225 for a mid-size car in February. That includes various discounts. I'm hoping that prices drop as we get closer to February. Thanks!
Gary

Try www.mousesavers.com for some great hints and tips at car rentals. This site lists great codes for you to use when finding your rental.

 

[CarolA]

Take any time estimates that sound horrid on buses with a grain of salt.

I was once waiting on the bus at OKW. While I was waiting a family showed up. A little later the bus showed up. The man got on the bus and fussed at the bus driver because "we have been waiting 30 minutes" I looked at the bus driver and said "thats funny I have been waiting 15 minutes and they showed up after I did" Dad huffed his way down the aisle and told his wife I was rude! (I had timed the bus since I had heard OKW horror stories) Time getting ready in your room does NOT count as bus waiting time LOL!

 

[huskies90]

GDUL - I rented from Dollar. Mid size car, weekly rental. It was $96 for the week + tax, fees, etc. I agree, try all the discount codes on mousesavers.com for all the companies. You will save $$!!

If you are going at a peak time, that may be why it is so expensive. We went the beginning of November.

I just went to dollar.com and with no discounts for the week of 2/5/05 a mid size is $118...

Good luck!!!

 

[cthetulips]

We have done both transfers (Mears) and rented a car on different trips. We found that for a family of four, the cost of renting a car comes pretty close to the expense of the transfers. With Mears we felt inhibited in getting excited with our young children when we saw the great Disney World Signs because the Mears van was full of strangers and us. Also, the Mears van stopped at many different resorts picking up/dropping off people. Even though we allowed plenty of time and even more than the amount of time Mears recommends to get to the airport, we barely made our flight home because of this.
Renting a car with just our family was more fun. It is true that you do not need a car onsite because of the great Disney transportation. However, on our last trip, one of our family members got sick and had to go see a doctor and pharmacy outside WDW. We were extremely grateful for the car then!
Just some thoughts that you may not have considered...

 

[disneywithdrawal]

Originally posted by CRSNDSNY
Try www.mousesavers.com for some great hints and tips at car rentals. This site lists great codes for you to use when finding your rental.

First a disclaimer... I got lots of great tips from mousesavers. I am in no way trying to say they're not a good source.

OK... so... if you're checking car rental rates online be sure to also check without the codes. I tried multiple times with codes from mousesavers, codes from my work, no codes, etc. Sometimes no code came up with a lower price. And check every few days. I lowered the cost twice within about a month before my trip.

As far as Disney transportation, we didn't see our car from the minute we parked it after check-in until we were leaving. We stayed at POR and the bus was great. More than once we seemed to get the slow bus driver (typical for me and my life) where I was sitting with a confused look on my face saying "Why are all the other cars and busses zooming past us?" Notice I still said they were great though. Including wait time at the bus stop, we got to the parks in 30 minutes or less.

 

[Laralyn]

We rented a car and didn't use the busses at all, so I can't really compare. We did take the boat to DTD when we planned to drink, and that was great, so even if you rent a car, you might plan to use the busses then.

At any rate, we found glancing at the map they give you at check-in helped us find our way to the parks pretty easily. We really enjoyed having the car, and taking the trams, etc. always seemed faster than waiting for the busses. That may be particularly true for parks that have one big event after the park closes (like Fantasmic and Illuminations) since the entire park crowd tries to leave at the same time.

The main reason I rented the car is because I know my boyfriend hates crowds, and that loud people (especially kids) can be trying for him at the end of the day. After a day waiting in line at the parks, in line to eat, in line to even walk sometimes, not spending 30 minutes standing on a crowded bus was really helpful.

We got an economy car from Priceline for about $120 (after taxes and fees) for 10 days.

 

[crow11ad]

We got a town car to take us to and from the air port back in April and used the Disney Transportation for the rest. We are renting a car this time just because if we need to get somewhere for a PS we won't to have to wait for the bus. The busses are great, but we want the freedom. We are getting our rental car for a week for 77.00 unlimited milage.

We cannot wait.