Rental cars

[Kimberly]

Do any of you here bother with rental cars? I know there are a bunch of people that drive there, so those are the exception here. Is a rental car worth it at Disney/Orlando resort areas? Why or why not?

 

[RichmondTiggerFan]

If I'm staying onsite, I don't bother with a rental car, there are shuttles to take you from/to the airport and WDW has transportation between the parks/resorts/DTD. If you're wanting to go outside of WDW a lot (i.e. Universal, Sea World, outlet malls, beaches, etc..) you may want to consider renting a car.

 

[weregoingtodw]

We do, just because we like the convenience & flexibility of it, and are able to use an intermediate car without any problems. If we had a minivan sized family, we'd likely reconsider, but would still ultimately end up renting, I believe.

 

[crow11ad]

THe first time in April of 04 for our disneymoon we did not. We got a towncar to take us from the airport to the CBR and then pick us up and then back to the airport. We went not knowing that we were going the week of Easter and it was peak season. We went back in December and decided on a rental car. To get a town car it was like 120 round trip. For a rental car we got it for like 70. something for unlimited milage. We drove everywhere. The only time we didn't was when we went to MK. We were staying at WL and used the boat to take us. We did drive to the Contem for Chef Mickey's one morning only because the boat was not going that early or it wasn't coming in time and we didn't want to miss our ps. Once we were done, we went back to WL and got on the boat. I will say this that it's pretty cool to drive to DTD at night and Illuminations is going off. Also, if you plan on playing mini golf or seeing other resorts that doesn't use the monorail, the rental car comes in handy.

Can't wait for October. We are flying to Boyenten Beach to visit my dad and from the WPB airport getting a rental car and then 2 days later driving to Orlando.

 

[alien]

We always get a rental car. Staying at the Polynesian, we use monorail/boat/etc. to MK and EPCOT. But for MGM, AK, TL, BB, DTD, and other resorts, it's much easier with a rental car.

 

[Christine]

I always get a rental car. The reason is that "dining" is a big part of our vacation. We usually don't dine in the parks but dine at other resorts. While the WDW bus system is great for getting to a park, it is often difficult to get to other resorts. Well, I should say it is difficult for me. When I go back to my room, change and get ready for dinner, I want to go directly to my restaurant. I don't want to catch a bus to the TTC and then find the next bus to the corresponding hotel. I have also heard horror stories of people trying to get to Downtown Disney during dinner hours--long rides, lots of people. Frankly, I'm just too tired to deal with that after a day in the parks.

I got a rental this year for $94.00 per week with taxes for the whole week. Car fits 5 people. In previous years, it's been a lot cheaper than that. If the cost was really high and I was on a tight budget, I wouldn't do it. But for that amount of money, it is worth it too me. Then I end up using it for everything. I drive to the TTC and get the bus to my park and it is very quick. Also is great for getting to the waterparks.

 

[Hopefully]

We've done it both ways, with a car and without. On our trip coming up in October we will not rent a car. We are staying at the Beach Club and our focus will most likely be in Epcot (walking distance), including most dinners. I have decided that if we want to go to another resort, we will take a cab - another option to buses. For the number of cab trips we might take, it is still less expensive than a car. There is a "freedom" to not having to worry about driving too! It really is a personal choice - some trips we liked the convenience of a car and some trips we preferred the "freedom" of not driving. Enjoy your vacation.

 

[Rootskate]

We always rent a car. We find it to be much more convienient for us to be able to come and go on a whim.

 

[OKW Lover]

Do any of you here bother with rental cars? I know there are a bunch of people that drive there, so those are the exception here. Is a rental car worth it at Disney/Orlando resort areas? Why or why not?

I don't find it a "bother" at all. In fact, I find it much more convenient than having to rely on Disney transportation. My rental car is ready to go when I am, not when it finally arrives from wherever else it was on its route. My rental car has music (or silence) that I like depending on my mood. My rental car stops at the store for snacks or perhaps the Character Premier. And (usually) the other passengers in my rental car didn't have beans for lunch.

 

[AJKMOM]

We always rent a car at the airport for extra off-property attractions. If we think we won't need it the whole time, we get one we can return at the WDW CAr Care Center and take the shuttle back to our hotel. Works well for us to have "wheels" at least a few days.

 

[Momof6]

we always rent a car. If you look around you can get a really good deal - makes it so easy to use whatever schedule we want. Also - we like to control the temp/have the trunk for storage/ listen to our music/ go offsite for groceries or other parks/etc. Wouldn't do without one. We always return to our hotel mid day and park hop a lot, so without a car we would lose a lot of time.

Denise

 

[saintloo]

We always rent a car for our stay. We found a couple of good, reasonable retaurants outside of DW that we don't want to miss while we're down there. Also it makes it much easier to get to attractions other than the big 4.

 

[InstImpres]

We always get a car for the reasons mentioned above. If you are looking to keep the cost down but want a car, consider scheduling your non park (car time) together. You can pickup and/.or drop off an Alamo car at the Dolphin. With it being right next to Boardwalk and a boat ride from Epcot, it is easily accessible.

JMHO
Sandy

 

[Aimeedyan]

If you're planning on hiring a towncar service to get you to and from the airport, you're usually better off financially to rent a car for the whole week instead!

We always rent, I despise waiting on buses and rental cars are quicker and easier. Plus we can leave things in our car for later at night to run back and get if we want (jackets and such), go off site to eat or run by the grocery store, go outlet mall shopping on our day off, etc.

If you are trying to do Universal or SeaWorld as well, it's usually cheaper and easier to rent, too.

I don't find it a bother at all, but often much easier. Now that my mom lives there, we still rent for a few days when she can't be with us and rarely rely on WDW transportation other than monorail and boat =)

 

[Kimberly]

Thanks for the responses! This really was a question for my friend, thankfully she is old enough to rent a car, and i am not. But we're going to pool our money together so when we do go outside of disney (Universal IOA and Sea World) and to downtown disney, it is just easier. The economy car rates are outstanding too in the Orlando area, some are under or at 100 dollars for a week. For only two people, it's perfect.

 

[golfgal]

We are renting a car because we are going to go to the coast for a few days after our trip. We could have taken the Magical Express to Disney, but the cost for the few extra days on the rental car wasn't very much ($60) so we decided to have one the whole time. My guess is that we will use it on our first park day to get to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickeys and on the day we go to the water parks so we can keep extra stuff in there if we want (food, extra towels, etc). We will use the busses for our MK and Epcot days, so it might just sit in the lot for a few days, but that is ok, too. It also gives us the option of eating off site if we want or making a run to the store if we want.

 

[kimisabella]

We always rent a car - dh doesn't like to go on the buses schedules. It's much easier to get the stroller packed up in the car also. If you are going during a busy time, the buses can be full and you may wait for the bus.