To Rent a Car or not...

[chirurgeon]

I have never rented a car for my trips before. I have been considering it for my upcoming trip. I really like the fact that once I'm on a bus, I don't have to do anything. Just sit there and veg on the way. I know the buses can be a pain particularly at park close. A car would alleviate the lines and the possible standing (except for MK.) I'm torn.

Opinions?

TIA,
Kim

 

[BriarRosie]

I think a car is handy for when you're staying in the Value or Moderate resorts. And as you said, for all parks except Magic Kingdom. I'd take the Disney bus if I were going there.

It's pretty easy to navigate around WDW. And if you feel lost, there's always a sign down the road to redirect you. Once you find the sign "All Other Guest Areas", you better follow it, or you'll probably be leaving WDW property.

It's handy also when you're going to visit other resorts, as well. I have been fine taking Magical Express, but I used to rent on occasion. Or just rent one day to WDW and one day back to the airport, dropping off and picking up at the Dolphin. If DME went away, I'd go back to doing that.

 

[SteelerCountry]

Omg YES...we don't do buses..all depends where u are in life....we have no strollers or young kids anymore...don't want that hassle on a bus.... MK..we valet @GF and take the monorail!

 

[momto2inKC]

We prefer to have a car...way too much time wasted waiting on buses. It's crazy how fast you get back and forth to the parks if you drive. This next trip we're going for DISaPalooza and transportation just to that event at Universal is $75 (there are of us), compared to renting a car for our 10 days- $140! So a rental it is

 

[Michele]

I agree with momto2inKC, you won't believe how much faster it is to get to the parks until you do it. WDW signage is incredibly easy to follow.

Depends on which resort you stay at as to how easy it is to get to your car. Love staying at OKW, cuz you can just park right at your building. Other resorts we usually pay for valet, so before we head down to the lobby we just call and ask them to get the car, walk out the door and it's waiting there.

 

[pittsburghmarc]

Hi Kim. If I'm with the family I prefer to take Disney transportation so I can spend time with my kids.

If it's just me or just my wife and I, I rent a car and drive to all parks except Magic Kingdom. Take a bus to MK.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

We had a car rental once at the contemporary and never used it.

This past august we were at POR with the dining plan and couldn't live without it.

It depends what you will be doing and where you stay.

 

[vermontgirl]

We have done both! If we stat at a value resort we use the bus system because they are more frequent. When we use out Dvc points we rent a car and drive to the parks (free parking) except when we go to the MK! We believe it's truly faster to drive! Have fun!!

 

[sayhello]

There are some nights, I'm so exhausted at the end of the day, I'm really glad that I don't have to drive myself back to the resort. I can get on the bus, and let the bus driver worry about it!

Sayhello

 

[Dismom+two]

Normally when I go to Disney I stay off property at a Marriott (on points) but once have stayed at a Value. When we stayed at the Value I hated not having a car. I much prefer not having to stand in lines.

 

[schoen]

Get a car! I HATE waiting for the bus to come, and having to be around all the people waiting in line, and then getting on a crowded bus. I LOVE my car in wdw! We rent one every time, and with diligence and the help of websites like carrentalsavers.com and autoslash.com I have gotten some amazinf deals!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've never rented a car for my solo trips and have just used the buses. They've never been a problem for me and if I don't feel like standing on one that's standing room only at park closing, I just wait for the next one so I can sit. I don't do much dining outside of the parks though.

When our family goes, we have our car. We will drive to AK, DHS and Epcot. I'd be fine on the bus but husband is impatient and my DD whines when she has to wait for the buses. We use the bus to Mk every time unless we stay at CR and then we walk.

I think if you had alot of resort dining planned, it would be helpful for you to have a car.

 

[fromscratchmom]

When we went we rented a car. We were there for 8 days and we knew we wanted to leave "the world" for church a couple of times while we were there, so that made our decision for us. Having said that, it was reeeeaaaaalllly nice to have that car and I hope that we always end up with a car even if we do shorter trips. I think we will because hubby is talking about driving down. Can you tell I'm not a fan of the long road trip? oh well at least I'm going to get to go to Disney again!

 

[OKW Lover]

Kim,
Val & I usually rent a car when at WDW. The exception is if we are staying at BWV/BCV for a short visit and intend on staying on-property for the whole trip. Especially if the focus for the trip is Epcot.

We like the convenience of a car to go from resort to resort. We also prefer not to wait for the bus when going to a park. The exception, as others have noted above, is the MK. In that case we take the bus.

We almost feel that a car is "required" when we stay at OKW, SSR or AKL. We don't have a lot of experience with VWL.
Jeff

 

[disneysteve]

I have never rented a car for my trips before. I have been considering it for my upcoming trip. I really like the fact that once I'm on a bus, I don't have to do anything. Just sit there and veg on the way. I know the buses can be a pain particularly at park close. A car would alleviate the lines and the possible standing (except for MK.) I'm torn.

Opinions?

TIA,
Kim

I would NEVER go to WDW without a car. The last time we used Disney buses was in 1995 and we were miserable. A 10-minute drive took over 30 minutes by bus. That's not how I want to spend my vacation time. I want to come and go on my schedule, not theirs. Also, there are places that you simply can't easily go by bus. If you are at one resort and want to get to another, good luck. You must first go to the TTC, a park or DTD and then take another bus to the 2nd resort. That might take an hour or more. You'd lose half your day traveling on property.

Give me my car and let me go where I want, when I want and I'm a happy camper.

Besides, we typically stay offsite so a car is a must but even if we were onsite, we'd want to be able to go to places offsite - grocery store, restaurants, etc., so we'd need a car anyway.

 

[mel&me]

We always have a car, does not matter were we stay. Can get anywhere way faster than waiting and riding Disney transportation.

 

[chirurgeon]

I know all the positives of having a car. I have a good sense of direction. It's just that I really like not having to worry about the transportation. Let the bus driver do all the work. I can sit and read, people watch, snooze. I have some time to make up my mind. The prices are ok right now. Of course I can't figure out how a car that is $80 a week turns into $180 for 11 days. LOL

Kim

 

[DrMomof3]

We rented a car on our recent trip for the 1st time ever. My DH has always been very anti-car at Disney. He drives around a lot for work (he's a physician who has multiple offices and multiple hospitals) and has always argued that he doesn't want to drive on vacation.
He is now a convert! I don't know that we'll rent a car for every trip but it was really convenient and nice to have a car.
We have 3 young children and 1-2 strollers plus a diaper bag, etc. Not having to lug all of that on the bus while trying to keep little kids from falling over = Priceless! And it bought us some extra time when getting ready for dinner because we could drive to Epcot (or wherever) quickly without worrying about how long transportation would take.
If I were traveling solo, I wouldn't mind long waits for buses or having to stand. With small children that can turn a good day into a not so good day.

Amanda

 

[disneysteve]

We have 3 young children and 1-2 strollers plus a diaper bag, etc. Not having to lug all of that on the bus while trying to keep little kids from falling over = Priceless!a

Yes, it is way easier to have your own car when you have children, even just one kid. And I've seen kids get hurt on Disney buses a number of times when they slid off the seat or fell over while standing when the bus stopped suddenly or made a sharp turn. Much safer belted into your personal vehicle.

 

[kaligal]

It's faster and easier to get around by car.

But if you prefer public transportation, that's what you should do - both at WDW and in regular life. Cars are much too expensive to bother with if you'd really rather be on the bus.