To rent a car or not

[nanay2jdr]

Hi, this will be our first trip to WDW in June. Kids are DS13 DS11 and DD3. Staying @ AoA and spending one day per theme park. We also booked our ADR on the park were at that day. Spending some days also at the Water Park and Quest. Will the free transportations be enough or should we rent a minivan? Based on my reading, monorails starts @ 8:45 not enough time for the rope drop. And is the waiting time to lime for transport and go to the parks can take an hour? We hope to take mid day breaks at our hotel but not so sure anymore if its time efficient. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Quite subjective..... Others will deny and some will agree.... We've taken 47 trips to WDW and never used or rented a car, used only Disney transportation ....

While on Disney transportation, we never timed the trip but sat back and enjoyed the free service. We leave in ample time to make our destinations and reservations... It's a vacation, relax....a rental to us is an unnecessary expense .

So a bus, boat or monorail takes an extra 10+ minutes, there's plenty of time in a day to enjoy yourself instead of worrying about the time from here to there....

 

[Alesia]

Quite subjective..... Others will deny and some will agree.... We've taken 47 trips to WDW and never used or rented a car, used only Disney transportation ....

While on Disney transportation, we never timed the trip but sat back and enjoyed the free service. We leave in ample time to make our destinations and reservations... It's a vacation, relax....a rental to us is an unnecessary expense .

So a bus, boat or monorail takes an extra 10+ minutes, there's plenty of time in a day to enjoy yourself instead of worrying about the time from here to there....

I agree completely.

 

[IhrkeFamily]

I agree that a rental car is not necessary. You mentioned the monorail, but the fact that it starts after rope drop won't affect you. You are not at a monorail hotel so would use the bus to get to the parks. Save the money and hassle and let Disney take care of you

 

[nanay2jdr]

Thanks for your assurance. One less expense ;-)

 

[pepe of ohio]

Thanks for your assurance. One less expense ;-)

Others are gonna say you waste so much precious time not having a car.... I've never wasted one minute.... Disney transportation allows me to look out the windows and not worry about traffic, I can have a few drinks ( I enjoy the beer stand by the TOT since I don't ride) and have a few though I'm not happy with the price but its a treat for me....

Time traveled by car or bus is about equal, only big time difference is waiting for Disney transportation, no big deal... We take breaks every noon from the parks and enjoy a bus or boat ride back... What's the big hurry, 12 hours in a park broken in 2 phases not enough... Plenty for us....we enjoy the mid day break, love our resort (deluxe) and want to get away from the crowds and noise....

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

YES it does take up to an hour to get from the resort to the parks and vice versa. Since you are going in June you will more than likely want to go back to the resort in the afternoon for a swim since it will be very hot in Florida and you will need a break.

So if you go to the parks 2 a day you will have spent almost 4 hours that day commuting on a bus. Mulitple that by 7 days and you can easly spend 28 hours of your vacation just commuted from point A to point B.

We did an experiement last May. DH drove the car to the resort and I took the bus. He wait 47 minutes for me to arrive at the SSR on one trip. Then he waited 52 minutes on another trip. So yes a car is faster.

 

[Hopefully]

YES it does take up to an hour to get from the resort to the parks and vice versa. Since you are going in June you will more than likely want to go back to the resort in the afternoon for a swim since it will be very hot in Florida and you will need a break.

So if you go to the parks 2 a day you will have spent almost 4 hours that day commuting on a bus. Mulitple that by 7 days and you can easly spend 28 hours of your vacation just commuted from point A to point B.

We did an experiement last May. DH drove the car to the resort and I took the bus. He wait 47 minutes for me to arrive at the SSR on one trip. Then he waited 52 minutes on another trip. So yes a car is faster.

Our experience over many, many trips does not support this. We never spent an hour traveling anywhere other than home from DTD one time.
We have driven our own car, rented a car and used Disney transportation exclusively. We now use ME from the airport and Disney transportation exclusively. We do not stress over the transport time. We use it to people watch and connect as a family.
Enjoy!!!

 

[wdwrich]

After many trips both with and without a rental car, we always rent a car now. The biggest advantage to having a car is travel between resort hotels. This is especially true in the evenings when the theme parks are closed. Traveling between resorts at night when you have to make a bus transfer at DTD can take forever! With the ages of your children, you may not be planning late night activities or meals at other resorts. If that's the case, Disney transportation will probably suit you just fine.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Our experience over many, many trips does not support this. We never spent an hour traveling anywhere other than home from DTD one time.
We have driven our own car, rented a car and used Disney transportation exclusively. We now use ME from the airport and Disney transportation exclusively. We do not stress over the transport time. We use it to people watch and connect as a family.
Enjoy!!!

I was just stateing the facts of our experiment last May. Three weeks ago it took me close to 40 minutes to get from VWL to DTD. So it is fair to say allow an hour to get somewhere.

 

[nanay2jdr]

My 13DS will be trying all the thrill rides. We dont plan to park hop so well be eating at the theme park were at. We will aim to stay at the park unless we need a break or we started early.

 

[Missyrose]

After many trips both with and without a rental car, we always rent a car now. The biggest advantage to having a car is travel between resort hotels. This is especially true in the evenings when the theme parks are closed. Traveling between resorts at night when you have to make a bus transfer at DTD can take forever! With the ages of your children, you may not be planning late night activities or meals at other resorts. If that's the case, Disney transportation will probably suit you just fine.

We've come to the same conclusion. We will rely on Disney transportation for some things. But getting from resort to resort or to and from DTD, nothing beats having a car. And if you ever need to get to a park quickly, the car will almost always be faster than waiting for the crapshoot timing of the buses.

Our rule is if we can find a care for a reasonable price, we'll get for the convenience If prices are outrageous, we'll stick to Disney transportation (and build in more travel time for our plans).

 

[aubriee]

I prefer to rent a car not only because it's faster, but I don't want to take a chance of having to stand on those buses. Last Feb we took our 3 y/o GS down there and one night got a crazy bus driver that I swear took corners on two wheels and loved jamming on his brakes. My husband was standing with the stroller and I was standing with the tired 3 y/o. Yeah, normally we would have just waited for another bus to make sure we had a seat, but that particular time we were in a hurry to get back to the room and made a bad decision. I told my husband that night, that we would never go without a rental car again and he agreed with me. I was down there last May with a friend, who rented a car and then when I went back in Sept and again in Oct/Nov, I rented a car. It was so much nicer, faster, and alot more quieter. We love not being squeezed into a standing room only bus with all the screaming, crying kids and hot sweaty folks, then having to wait until the bus makes multiple stops before we get back to our resort. If I want to go to DTD I just want to go straight there, not make stops at Typhoon Lagoon. Driving on Disney property is so easy. Because I have no sense of direction, I do use a GPS, but even without one, it's easy to get around due to all the signs. I also love having the rental car to run over to Wal Mart, the Outlet Mall, and Universal for a day or two. Even though we used them for years, now I can't see us ever using Disney buses again.

 

[goofy4tink]

A few thoughts. Yes, there have been times that I stood, waiting for a bus to come, when I was thinking 'this is it, from now on I'm renting a car!!'. But that doesn't happen often. I've been to WDW at least twice a year since '99. So, a lot of bus experience. I have also had a rental car with me on occasion.

Yes, a bus can take up to an hour. BUT...not all the time. It depends on many variables. Time of day, when the park opened, how many guests are waiting, etc. If you get to the bus stop just as the bus you wanted pulls away, and it's not at park opening time (say an hour or so after the park opens), then you may have a longish wait for the next bus...could be up to 25 mins!! But the vast majority of the time you may wait for 10 mins and get on a bus, and then be on the bus for up to 20 mins. It seldom takes more than 45 mins, total, to get to a park. Usually it's around 30 mins tops.

The other thing is that this is your first trip. While driving around WDW is fairly easy (things are decently marked), it can be frustrating to new to the area drivers. I have seen many accidents and near accidents when people make sudden decisions on the road due to unfamiliarity. So, you're really better off on the buses until you get a good idea of the area.

I would forgo the rental, and just use the buses. AoA has good bus service. Yes, the bus can be crowded at park openings and closings, but they tend to come a bit more frequently when there is a greater need. Even if you decide to go back to the resort midday, it isn't going to be a huge deal taking the buses. It's vacation.....relax and stop to smell the roses. Sometimes we lose sight of this and tend to rush around, trying to cram as much as we can into one day. Then you miss a lot of little things. So slow down, relax, enjoy each other's company, stop worrying about 'wasting' an mere 30 mins when using a bus vs a car.