Renting a car for Disney

[disney631]

We're staying at POR next week. Do you think we should rent a car? Is it easier? Is parking free at both the resort and parks?

 

[BeerMe]

Parking is free - we've stayed at POR and POFQ without a car before and it was fine.

 

[ElenaRN]

Parking is free at both the parks and the resort.

We rent a car. We find the convenience of not having to wait for the buses worth the $.

It usually cost us about $200 a week for a midsize vehicle. For us its worth it.

 

[Jack&Ryan'smom]

We'll be there next were as well. We never go without renting a car! Got a full size through Costco for only $114!!! Cheapest ever! If you are going to eat at any resorts I highly recommend a car.

 

[aubriee]

We've done both, but prefer having the car. It makes it so much faster to get around. I'm going solo Sept 14th-22nd, but am still renting a car. Right now I have a reservation for $145.46 total, but know it will drop that last week or so before I leave. Last year we paid like $123.00 for nine days, then this past May we paid like $145.00 for eleven days. To me it's well worth it, not to have to deal with waiting on those jam packed buses and it makes going resort to resort so much faster. If you are staying onsite parking is free (and if you are staying offsite, parking is still free if you have an annual pass).

 

[poohj80]

I vote for the car too! We have waited way too long for a bus and on EMH mornings had the bus we were waiting for show up full multiple times.

Earlier this month we added on one night after a Disney cruise so figured we would just use the bus. We waited 45 minutes for a Blizzard Beach bus which reminded us why we always have a car for longer trips.

 

[jennylyn_b]

We go to Disney in May and again in Oct/Nov every year and stay 12-15 nights per trip. We have never once thought we needed a car. We always use Disney transportation and find it very easy and convenient. We don't want to drive or deal with parking lots and trams. We don't want to be stuck in traffic when the parks close.

Some people will agree and others won't but that's what we do and have found to work the best for us.

 

[Bob NC]

We're staying at POR next week. Do you think we should rent a car? Is it easier? Is parking free at both the resort and parks?

We are going the last week of September.

We usually ride the buses mostly.

We were going to use ME for the first time this trip but we decided we need to make a stop to get some beer & wine.

Looking at our options for having a stop and comparing that with a Costco rental cost of one week/full size car for $119 made our decision for us.

I just checked and that same rental is now $114.

At those prices how can you NOT rent a car?

 

[disney631]

We do have a lot of character dining. I believe Ohana, Chef Mickeys, 1900 Park Fare and Wilderness Lodge are all in different resorts. So is it faster to there by using a car versus shuttle? If I'm already at the park, wouldn't it be easier/faster to get on a monorail and get to the hotels? I like easy and fast especially when traveling with kids.
I just checked the price for a rental and I found $135 which isn't bad at all but if I don't really need it, that is also money that can be spend at Disney.

 

[jimandami]

We have always really enjoyed the fact that Disney provides all the transportation we need so we don't rent a car. There is just something so relaxing about getting off the plane and knowing we don't have to drive again until we get home! Plus, for our kids, the bus/boat/monorail are all part of the experience. Are there occasions when we have had to wait or the bus has been crowded? Sure, but we are on vacation and it doesn't bother us in the least!

 

[Enchanted4Ever]

I'm new to the DIS board and have been reading various forums for weeks now, but I wanted to post regarding car rental vs Disney transportation. I have visited multiple times and relied on Disney to get around (ME, buses, monorail). I've even used taxis and Mears shuttle service. The last 2 visits I rented a car and Wow what a difference it made to our family (Alamo & Enterprise had great rates). If possible I will ALWAYS rent a car while at Disney. But it should be noted that we sometimes visit Universal, and shopping centers and also my DD5 uses a wheelchair. Disney transportation and the shuttle services were great but nothing was like going or coming as we pleased with our own car. We drove around at all hours of the day and night and made out fine. Each person or family just has to weigh out what's the best fit for them and decide if a car is or isn't right for them.
Hope my 2 cents helped

 

[poohj80]

We do have a lot of character dining. I believe Ohana, Chef Mickeys, 1900 Park Fare and Wilderness Lodge are all in different resorts. So is it faster to there by using a car versus shuttle? If I'm already at the park, wouldn't it be easier/faster to get on a monorail and get to the hotels? I like easy and fast especially when traveling with kids.
I just checked the price for a rental and I found $135 which isn't bad at all but if I don't really need it, that is also money that can be spend at Disney.

Disney transportation is convenient to resort character meals as long as you are going from a park. If you are trying to get from one resort to another can be quite time consuming unless you are staying at a monorail resort.

 

[crisi]

We've done both and unless we HAVE to rent a car we don't. We do if we are going to Universal or something like that.

When we are in a hurry (which on vacation is almost never) or going from resort to resort, we take a $15 cab ride.

Buses are fine for most things.

Disney is less easy to drive than I really want it to be. After years, its become pretty easy, but the first few times I'd lose 20 minutes of my vacation lost.

We've had bad luck with car rentals out of Orlando - extra charges we didn't authorize on our card, damage charged we didn't do, the car we reserved not being available and the clerk insisting we pay for the upgrade to midsize, waiting 45 minutes for car seats we had reserved. If you rent in Orlando, rent from a reputable national chain - even if you have to pay more.