Rental car vs Disney transportation

[couch007]

Hi, We (myself, husband, 13yo & 9yo)are going to Disney for the first time 4/6 - 4/14/07. We are staying at the Contemporary and will be doing some park hopping each day because of charater meals and dinner shows. I know Disney will be VERY crowded this week. I need help with deciding on whether to use a rental car to get around Disney, or just to use Disney transportation.~Thank you!

 

[IluvDonald!]

IMHO, I would use Disney transportation. We have stayed onsite for many years, and the first year we rented a car - which sat in the parking lot the entire time. The transportation is convenient (maybe a few mishaps now & again) but overall, DEFINITELY worth the money we saved.

Have fun!

 

[Princess Roo]

I would go with Disney transportation. We drive down and we still seldom use the car. With the money you save on car rental, you could even take a cab back to the hotel a few times if the bus line is long.

 

[mikeesuee]

We rent a car every year its just quicker and easier than waiting with a 5yo and 2yo in the heat we usually stay at the boardwalk,which is not on the monorail route so we don't have the conveince--if you decide to rent a car here's a code for dollar rent a car which is located DTD area --KISS2 it saved me alot of money !!!have fun

 

[lochy691]

I'm for the car option too. I just find it easier (espec. if park hopping) to know how long it's going to take me to get everywhere and not have to factor in time for waiting for buses etc. especially during the busy times.

 

[eliza61]

Hi, We (myself, husband, 13yo & 9yo)are going to Disney for the first time 4/6 - 4/14/07. We are staying at the Contemporary and will be doing some park hopping each day because of charater meals and dinner shows. I know Disney will be VERY crowded this week. I need help with deciding on whether to use a rental car to get around Disney, or just to use Disney transportation.~Thank you!

Another vote for the car option, especially since now adays you can get pretty good deals (most cc, AAA, AARP etc will give you a discount). Especially during a crowded period we loved being able to hope in the car and zoom in and out. Since you are staying on site you will not have to pay for parking.

 

[scammermom]

Do you pay for parking at the resorts?? or parks??
I was going to ask this same question but I'm glad others are confuzzled too!

 

[lochy691]

If you're staying on site then you get a pass when you check in that you display in your windscreen and is valid for free parking at all Disney parks, resorts etc.

 

[TiggerStac]

we, also, get a car. We prefer the freedom of being able to go offsite if we want....we like to go down to I-Drive at night, etc. Many more restaurant options, offsite. Plus we like the freedom of being able to drive to the parks...parking is free when you are staying onsite. We will usually drive from park to park, except for when we go from MK to Epcot...DS has to ride the monorail.

 

[momto2girls]

I vote for the car option as well! I find horrible to be waiting for the buses during busy times like when you are going. When I am tired after a long day, nothing is worse than waiting and waiting for the bus to arrive and then frequently having standing room only.

Ever since we had children (now 6 and 3), we have rented a car and just driven ourselves to the parks.

 

[scammermom]

We always seem to need something from a drugstore or Walmart. That's why I like having a vehicle.

We usually go to DHs mom's in Cocoa for several days before Orlando and need a rental minivan. It's just a matter of keeping it or not. Thanks for letting me know there's no parking fees. That helps.

 

[flowergirl]

Just got back from CR - we used Disney transportation. We fly to Orlando and always use Disney Transportation once on site - it works for us. We have used taxis before to ensure we arrived somewhere on time (like our Illuminations Cruise - we couldn't afford to miss that ) Just be aware that if you are going during a very busy season it will take you longer to get where you are going using DT. Have Fun!

 

[SarahKate]

We used Disney transportation in 2006 and it is very efficient most of the time. We really had no complaints.

But this year, we decided to rent a car so we could explore a little bit. We will NEVER go back to just relying on Disney transportation.

We were able to go to malls, resort hopping (which you CAN do w/ the buses but it's not that convenient), and be on your own schedule and not have to worry about just missing a bus. It was fantastic.

And we had our package thru AAA so we had the "diamond" parking pass which got us a little closer to the entrance.

 

[deejohn]

We always use DT. But here is a good gauge for you...
Dec 2006 trip we needed to get from Downtown to Grand Floridian - 15 minutes; needed to get from MK to Downtown - 1 hour - took monorail to CR then bus to Downtown.

 

[cinjam]

In the past, i would have always said Disney transportation, but this past October I got a great deal on a rental car - so instead a the van service we always get to take us from the airport to WDW, I rented the car.

Well, we were at POP and the bus transporatation was just so-so, so we decided to drive ourself one day...and then we were hooked on driving. We had our sosn (ages 2 and 5) and it was just easier driving our car with them in tow.

Plus, we were able to do our own grocery store stop, plus a trip to Walmart (I had to have a coffee pot in the room).

So, for our next trip, I will rent a car if the cost is equivalent to the van service. We are staying at CSR resort this time, so if the bus service is just so-so again, we will use the car.

 

[TravelinGal]

car car car car car!

Last trip we had a car but I didn't want to deal with parking at DTD - BIG mistake! It took us about half an hour to get there (boat) and about an HOUR to get back (bus) to Port Orleans!

I knew I didn't like the transportation system for a reason - I just figured it would be better than that parking madhouse. WRONG. I'll NEVER do that again! (I ended up being late and missing my friends I was going to join for MNSSHP that night. )

 

[Marshay]

Another factor I don't think was mentioned is to put extra things in the car which we may need while in the parks (spare clothes, swimsuit to ride wet rides, extra socks, shoes, snacks, etc). We may not need them but it is nice to know that they are close by if we do.

 

[all4fun]

On our last trip we stayed at the Boardwalk and we rented a car from the National desk at the Dolphin. We saved some money by using Disney Transportation or just walking to Epcot and MGM Studios and then driving to MK and AK on the days we had a vehicle. We did use the busses some too. Overall, it worked great.

http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html

In addition to its Orlando airport locations, Alamo has locations on the Walt Disney World property. If you are staying at any of the Disney resort hotels and just want to pick up a car for part of your stay, have the hotel's front desk staff call and arrange for a shuttle ride to the Car Car Center. (It's best to request this the night before.) There are also Alamo desks at the Dolphin Hotel near the Boardwalk at Walt Disney World and at the Wyndham Palace Resort near Downtown Disney.

If you are staying at any of the Disney resort hotels and just want to pick up a car for part of your stay, there is a National desk at the Dolphin Hotel near the Boardwalk and at Buena Vista Palace Hotel near Downtown Disney.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

We had this same dilemma. We decided to use Disney transportation and when we want to go to DTD or SeaWorld just hire transportation. It would have cost us $315 for a minivan for 5 days so we figured out how much for a transfer to SeaWorld ($60 + tip) and maybe one taxi ride to DTD (guessing $20-30 w/tip). We really don't want to drive around while on vacation...its so nice to just relax and let someone else do the driving. Yes there is a "price" to pay..time..but compared to walking to the car, cooling it off, strapping kids into hot car seats and then figuring out how to get where we want to go w/o arguing. I'll wait at the bus stop for an air conditioned bus.

And if we decide we're tired of waiting for the buses, we can always rent a car when we're there or take a taxi.

Have fun which ever you choose!

 

[katyjeka]

We tried one evening to get on a bus back to OKW and found it to be a pain folding the stroller, and managing the kids. From that day on we've always had a car. We too book through AAA and go with the diamond parking pass. It's great in all the parks, but MK. We also like to take a break in the afternoon and have lunch at a resort. It's soooooo much easier to do this with a car. Have a great trip. Janice