should i rent a car?

[mlbrv]

would love to get opinions on renting a car vs relying on disney transportation for your stay.

1st of all, how's the transportation from the airport?
we are booked at the contemporary and it says transportation from orlando airport is included. how long does it take? is it super crowded?

also, getting from park to park how's the bus system?

please let me know what you like and what you don't.

thanks!

 

[btk2333]

would love to get opinions on renting a car vs relying on disney transportation for your stay.

1st of all, how's the transportation from the airport?
we are booked at the contemporary and it says transportation from orlando airport is included. how long does it take? is it super crowded?

also, getting from park to park how's the bus system?

please let me know what you like and what you don't.

thanks!

People are very opinionated about this- let me just say that we NEVER rent a car when we're going to Disney- it's just not worth it to us- we'd much rather let Disney handle it.

Transportation from the airport is handled by Magical Express- it's a bus with comfortable seats and a video to watch. Most of the time the bus isn't full but it can be depending on the resort and time of the year. It will usually stop at three or four resorts. You also can leave your checked bags at baggage claim and they will pick them up for you and deliver them to your room (we do this and have never had any problems); however, if you have a swimsuit or something that you want right when you get to the resort I recommend carrying it on. Once you board the bus it takes about 35-45 minutes to get to your resort depending on whether you are the first or last stop. We've never waited more than 20 minutes for a DME bus in line.

Park to park is pretty easy too. Buses are available- remember you can walk or take a boat from DHS to EPCOT as well as monorail from EPCOT to MK.

Personally we love the ease of not having to worry about driving on our vacation. You meet some very nice people on the buses too and its fun to talk to other families about their experiences and plans

The downside to the buses is if you are the type of person who leaves the park immediately after the fireworks, especially at MK. MK's bus stands can be nuts after the fireworks (although they've built a new area to the bus stands that might have alleviated this some).

If you're ever desperate and NEED to get somewhere and you're running behind and worried that Disney transportation won't get you there on time- you can always take a cab (we probably do this once every other trip when we have a nice dinner reservation that we don't want to miss) - they're much cheaper than renting a car for the whole trip and are a nice backup plan.

 

[Cyrano]

You will get varying answers so not sure if this will help you

I am from the school that prefers to drive. We often leave the park for a break at lunch-time and like the convenience of not having to wait for buses.

Magic Kingdom with the Ticket and Transportation Centre is the only park that we do not mind taking the Disney buses.

 

[txnana]

I love Disney transportation. I would much rather be on an air conditioned bus getting to the park than stuck in traffic at the gate and then still have to take transportation from the parking lot to the parks.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Again, you will get varying answers, it is what is comfortable for your family. For us we rent halfway. So our plan for upcoming trip:

Arrive at MCO, use Magic Express because of how incredibly convenient it is. Head to BLT.
Day 2 - Walk to MK
Day 3 - Play golf in the morning, take monorail to Epcot/Swan in the afternoon to rent car directly on site at Swan.
Day 4 Drive to DHS
Day 5 Drive to AK in the AM, Epcot in the PM. Drop car back off at Swan Valet after and take monorail back.
Day 6 Walk to MK
Day 7 DME to MCO

This brings down the cost of the rental a bit and allows us to take advantage of ME. For us we feel we need a car for AK and HS because we have 8am ADRs at both and don't want to risk the buses getting us there late.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think a lot will depend where you are travelling to.

Specifically if you have a number of meals at other resorts going resort -to-resort (not on the monorail loop) can take some time as you need to switch at a park or DTD. So if you want to eat at Boma you would need to take a bus to AK, switch there for another bus to AKL and then do similar in reverse. So that can take some time.

Being at a monorail resort if you are really just going to parks you probably will be fine without a car

 

[ucfknight]

The worst delays with the Disney bus system always seem to be getting to the Magic Kingdom. You don't have to worry about that because you are staying at the Contemporary. From there it is either a short walk or monorail ride away.

Getting to Epcot will also be via monorail, and those run pretty regularly (as long as you aren't going when the monorail hours are cut short for system upgrades).

If you aren't planning to leave Disney property, you can probably easily get away without renting a car.

 

[puffkin]

I will never do Disney again without a car. I HATE the busses. Rentals are so cheap in Florida and driving from the airport and on Disney property is very easy so the little bit extra in cost is more than outweighed by the benefit.

That being said, probably the only resort I would consider not having a car is at Contemporary/BLT. The walk in access to MK is FANTASTIC. The monorail ride to Epcot isn't bad. There is direct transportation to pretty many resorts for dining options or you can walk to MK and catch a bus from there to the resorts. But you will still need to bus to the water parks, DHS, AK, and DTD. So if you are spending a lot of time at those parks or want to do anything offsite I would still recommend a car.

 

[W.E.D.]

You will get extremely varied answers!

We've never rented a car and have had virtually no problem with the WDW transportation. Our last trip was 10 days at POR. Once, and only once, did we encounter a late bus when we wanted to go to EPCOT. Otherwise, they always seemed to show up within 5 minutes.

ME from the airport was great as well. Once we got to the waiting area I think we had maybe a 20 minute wait before we were on our way. POR was even the first stop for our bus. I assume you will get even quicker service staying at a Deluxe.

Your mileage may vary. A lot of this depends on which resort you are at, what time of the year you are visiting, which park on which day, what time it is, etc., etc., etc.

 

[mlbrv]

thank you so much for all the replies - i know that the answers will vary but i like to see how everyone handles their trip. this is our first time to disney, so i don't know what to expect.

i forgot to mention that we are doing a split stay with the contemporary then the beach club. i don't think i need a car for the 1st few days since we plan to do MK for 3 days, but then we'll be visiting epcot, AK & DHS so maybe a car will come in handy for the 2nd part of our trip?

is parking at all the parks free? once you park do you then have to take a bus from the lot to the entrances of the parks?

 

[cbsnyber1]

would love to get opinions on renting a car vs relying on disney transportation for your stay. 1st of all, hows's the transportation from the airport? we are booked cvp the contemporary and it says transportatizvson fcdrom orlando airport is included. how long does it take? is it super crowded? also, getting from park to park how's the bus system? please akvzbhcoxvknxvimzblet me know what you like and what you don't. thanks!

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[ghtx]

thank you so much for all the replies - i know that the answers will vary but i like to see how everyone handles their trip. this is our first time to disney, so i don't know what to expect.

i forgot to mention that we are doing a split stay with the contemporary then the beach club. i don't think i need a car for the 1st few days since we plan to do MK for 3 days, but then we'll be visiting epcot, AK & DHS so maybe a car will come in handy for the 2nd part of our trip?

is parking at all the parks free? once you park do you then have to take a bus from the lot to the entrances of the parks?

If you are staying at an onsite resort (like Contemporary or Beach Club) then parking is free at all parks (otherwise it is somewhere around $12 per day). At DHS, Epcot, and AK you can take a tram from your car to the front entrance, or walk if you feel like it. At MK, you have to take either the monorail or the ferryboat from the parking lot to the front entrance (in addition to the tram that you can take if you don't want to walk from your car to the monorail or ferryboat station).

You can walk from the Contemporary to the MK, and you can walk or take a boat from Beach Club to both Epcot and DHS. So it sounds like your split stay is perfectly timed to not have to rely too much on buses (except for AK).

 

[ucfknight]

If you are staying at an onsite resort (like Contemporary or Beach Club) then parking is free at all parks (otherwise it is somewhere around $12 per day).

It is actually $17 per day now!

 

[ucfknight]

thank you so much for all the replies - i know that the answers will vary but i like to see how everyone handles their trip. this is our first time to disney, so i don't know what to expect.

i forgot to mention that we are doing a split stay with the contemporary then the beach club. i don't think i need a car for the 1st few days since we plan to do MK for 3 days, but then we'll be visiting epcot, AK & DHS so maybe a car will come in handy for the 2nd part of our trip?

is parking at all the parks free? once you park do you then have to take a bus from the lot to the entrances of the parks?

From the Beach Club you can walk into Epcot (there is a secondary entrance for Epcot right there). You can also take a boat from the Beach Club to DHS (or walk, but it is fairly far).

So if you focus on Magic Kingdom while you stay at the Contemporary and then do the other 3 parks from the Beach Club, the only one of the 4 parks you'll ever need a bus/car to get to would be Animal Kingdom.

 

[LaurenT]

I never rent a car when staying onsite. I'm the usual driver in my family and I just like having a vacation from that during my vacation. The busses aren't perfect, but neither is driving and I don't find the busses to be more of a hassle.
My friend must rent a car. He needs to be in control of his transportation, it would be too stressful for him to rely on outside transportation. This is great for me because when we're all there together, if we need to go off property for something, he's there!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

blah, blah, answers vary...sure...if you drive your own vehicle there, it can be nice to use on your trip...but renting a car while there? really you would be wasting money if all you are doing is driving on property.

Unless you are going to see other places in the Orlando area, save the money, use the Disney transportation.

 

[TheSixOfUs]

I recommend renting a car if you are staying off site. We stayed at a hotel that we got from Hotwire and enjoyed the flexibility to go where ever we wanted whenever we wanted. We would usually get to the park just before opening, then head home mid afternoon for a swim, nap, and dinner, and return in the early evening until close.

The car let us go to Walmart (great for souvenirs, by the way) and anywhere we wanted easily.

I was able to port over my personal insurance, so the cost of the car rental was literally all I paid. No extras.

Off site accommodations: big yes to renting a car.

 

[MichelleVW]

You will get varying answers so not sure if this will help you

I am from the school that prefers to drive. We often leave the park for a break at lunch-time and like the convenience of not having to wait for buses.

Magic Kingdom with the Ticket and Transportation Centre is the only park that we do not mind taking the Disney buses.

Same...we seriously dislike the buses and would rather be in a car.

blah, blah, answers vary...sure...if you drive your own vehicle there, it can be nice to use on your trip...but renting a car while there? really you would be wasting money if all you are doing is driving on property.

Unless you are going to see other places in the Orlando area, save the money, use the Disney transportation.

Not a waste of money at all. I hate waiting for buses....then getting on crowded buses at night. I would much rather get in my nice rent a car crank up the A/C and head back to my resort in peace and quiet. We usually never leave Disney property unless we want to go to Buffalo Wild Wings or Target for a few things and we have never thought it was a waste of money. Not having a car is a big waste of my time.

Only time we take the bus is if we are going to Epcot and will be having a few drinks.

 

[mrsltg]

I'll throw my hat in the car rental ring. With 15 trips in the last 12 years, we have never fully relied on buses. We have thought about it, debated it, planned it, then changed our minds right before actually pulling the trigger! I find WDW easy to get around. The signage is clear and it's not a big deal for us. That said, we ALWAYS bus to the MK. We will sometimes bus to other parks, as well; it just depends on our mood. However, we really like knowing the car is there if needed. We have had to make the drug store trips and the "I really need a break from Disney food" trips - both are much easier with a car.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[quakechicago]

We rent. Kiddo gets super barfy on busses. Plus I like that we can go anywhere and do anything whenever we want with her super heavy carseat all set up.

Early morning ADRs? Whole foods run? Outlet shopping? Etc? Done.

A bonus is it's super cheap. I think the minivan we're renting is $20 a day.