To rent or not to rent?

[TaraLee4]

If we're staying on Disney the entire trip (June 13-20) is it really worth it to rent a car?? We orginally planned on booking one because my mother made the disney transportation sound bad, but after all the positive things i'm hearing about it on the boards, i'm beginning to wonder if she's just being grumpy because she had one bad experience.

I'd much rather save the $$ that we'd be using to rent to car to eat somewhere, or quite possibly (if i can manage a few more pennies) upgrade our hotel.

I'm completely clueless here, any help would be fabolous!!

oh, and how long does it take to get to the parks? currently we're staying at Pop Century but if we ditch the car thing we might upgrade to the Caribbean or Port Orleans Riverside. I'm just not crazy about waiting for a bus/sitting on a bus for a long time.

Plus, how does getting TO Disney from MCO work? Is there disney transportation? is there a fee for it?

I'm completely new at this vacation-planning thing. Thank you in advance for your advice!!

 

[Mom24Princesses]

We've stayed on property at 4 different resorts 6 different week + trips and we never moved our car on the last 4. (we drove down). It sat in the lot. Why spend that money? NOW I could not see my dad riding those crowded WDW busses. BUT my mom, or MIL and FIL could.
My 2 Cents

 

[smola09's mom]

I agree with the previous post. It is simply not worth the money. It usually only takes about 10-15 minutes to get from the resorts to the parks. We have found that Disney transportation is excellent. To get from MCO you can use Disney's magical express for free.

 

[mdhkitten]

I'm not using Magical Express due to the short time I'm going to be there, plus needed to go by a grocery store from the airport and didn't want to spend a minimum of $50 plus a delivery fee to have groceries delivered, so we're using Murray Hill Transportation. They've given me a great deal back and forth from the airport to Pop. With a discount, it's $80 (plus tip) and includes a free 30 minute grocery stop, carseat, etc...

 

[WIDisneyFan]

Add us to the list of those who do not rent a car when staying at Disney. We did have one once, and it just sat in the lot the whole time we were there. What we do is a car service and if you look around the boards there are plenty of reviews to help you pick one.

 

[CleveRocks]

I'm not using Magical Express due to the short time I'm going to be there, plus needed to go by a grocery store from the airport and didn't want to spend a minimum of $50 plus a delivery fee to have groceries delivered, so we're using Murray Hill Transportation. They've given me a great deal back and forth from the airport to Pop. With a discount, it's $80 (plus tip) and includes a free 30 minute grocery stop, carseat, etc...

If time is your major concern, consider the fact that waiting for your luggage at baggage claim AND making a 30 minute grocery stop will likely get you to your resort LATER than if you took DME and got a grocery delivery. I know you'll do what you're most comfortable with, but I didn't want you to think that your plan will necessarily save you any time.

As a bonus, Pop Century is just about the closest WDW resort to MCO. As a result, most people who've used DME to get to Pop report that they were the first resort on their bus to get dropped off.

As far as the minimum order, just one pack of diapers will likely send you over the minimum amount, combined with whatever grcoeries you would get anyway. So even if you spend $20 more in groceries than you would if you were there in person, $20 extra AND more stuff that it buys puts you ahead of the game compared with the about $100 (INCLUDING tip) just for the ride.

 

[Sweedee]

I know what my dad would say about Disney Transportation. I would also never take his advice in this area because he just isn't into the "disney scene". He does love Disney, but he wants a concierge room with no kids nearby! LOL He wouldn't like the buses either! So, I wouldn't take his advice! When we went in Feb, we took our car the first night to Port Orleans because we couldn't figure out how to get there from POP. After that first night, it sat...idle from Monday evening to Friday afternoon. We rode the bus everywhere, and it was fine. Yes, there were times when it was crowded, but even in the buses the "Magic of Disney" seems to prevail! And, one of the funniest moments of our trip happened on the bus! 2 young 20ish gals, scantily clad, tripping INTO the bus! A snicker moment for sure (She was giggling herself), but then they sat across from this family with a dad, a mom, a 16ish yo boy, and a 5 yo girl. They were facing each other so all types of flesh was being exposed. 16yo was taking in HUGE eyefuls for a few moments before his mother nudged him...in the meantime, Dad was "asleep" with his head leaned back against the window...but dh and I could see his eyes weren't closed! LOL I guess he hoped his wife wouldn't notice! LOL

We really did enjoy the "bus scene". It felt like another ride to us!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

we rented a car once while onsite, it never moved, so now when we go we never rent one when we stay at just Disney.

 

[powellrj]

we always rent a car. We talked about using magical express and the busses, but I just can't give up that much control!!! I know I have issues!!! We have used the busses, but we like to freedom our own car gives us, and its really pretty cheap to rent cars in Orlando.

 

[Debi]

I'm in the minority, but I always rent a car while in WDW. I love the freedom to be able to come and go at my leisure, and not have to be dependent upon WDW transportation (except going to MK - self-parking there is such a hassle). Plus, going to Downtown Disney is such a pain on Disney transportation; there are 2 DTD bus stops, plus a stop at Typhoon Lagoon. It takes, at minimum, 20 minutes (in my experience) to make the rounds, and it takes all of 5 with my car.

I usually spend some time off site also, and having a car is a huge help when I do go off site. Long story short, I couldn't imagine not having a car.

 

[byoung]

I have no need for a car staying onsite, if offsite a car would be a must.

 

[OKW Lover]

Listen to your mother. Having a car at Disney can save you countless hours in your 7 day trip by not having to wait for a bus. It will also allow you to go off Disney proerty to dine and shop at other places.

 

[califred]

We drive so we have our car anyway, but even on site we used it every single day. It was much easier with two kids and my Mom with us. We took the bus mid day once back to change clothes and rest and it was not my favorite experience.

 

[MKOATEYW]

Do you need a car? Well that all depends on you!
Are you:
Planning to leave property at any point (for shopping or dining etc.)
Hauling Kid(s), shopping purchases, or lots other stuff around
Can't bear to stand in line to wait for the bus
Can't bear to stand while the bus is on it's way to the resort
Planning to Resort Hop a lot during your stay
Have a strict schedule
Hate sitting/standing closely next to the (insert your favorite adjective strange, smelly, etc...) person beside you
A person who really needs to be in control of where and when they are going
Planning on leaving the park the SAME TIME as everyone else (i.e. rushing out as soon as the fireworks/parade/fantasmic has ended)

You really need a car!

Are you:
Planning to stay on property the whole time
Carry just the essentials with you. And have everything sent/stored at the resort
Have no problem waiting a few minutes for the next bus.
Have no problem standing in a line to get on the bus and can stand in the aisle while the bus is underway
Usually just go from the resort to a park or parks and back to the resort (i.e. no resort hopping)
Have no problem with the other people on buses
Are easy going. Relax you are on vacation! No worries mon! kind of person
Would rather have someone else worry about speed limits, possible DUI's, finding your car in the lot, finding your way back to the resort after a long day in the park, seat belts, etc.
Have no problem window-shopping, people watching, eating ice cream etc. until the mass of the people are gone.

You are better off with Disney Transportation.

Other than that it is really a matter of personal preference.

Let me explain. I tested the system last year (Yes I am a little crazy! We few in that trip and didn’t have our own car.) My friend insisted you had to have a car no matter what. I said we only needed one if you leave when everyone else does or plan on leaving property or resort hopping (which we don't do) and there was no way I was paying for a rental when Disney has free transportation. So we bet on it and devoted a rest day to trying it out. We drove to the each park in the car then went all the way up to the ticket turnstiles then turned around and he headed back to the car and I took the bus back to the resort. All four parks. Then again and again, again.
Conclusion:
Unless you are leaving during the mass exit after the fireworks/parade/fantasmic where having your own car will save you a good amount of time. There is really little difference (less than 10 min difference than using your own car or taking the bus. How lucky you are in getting the bus to show up quickly determined if the car or the bus got back first. Except from Magic Kingdom the Bus actually beat the car back all 4 times. But Magic Kingdom transport is always slow especialy the ferry.
Result: He turned the car back in and paid for a nice dinner with the extra money.
Keep in mind: We have visited Disney several times so it's not going to ruin our once in a life time vacation if it is an extra long wait for a bus for some unknown reason. We don't carry a bunch of extra stuff around with us and all purchases get shipped back to the resort. We go to dinner directly from the park if is not the resort we are staying. And most importantly have no kids that we will have to carry back asleep at the end of the evening. If this does not sound like you then you need to rent a car.

Have a good time.

 

[Beana9802]

I have been going with my friends for the last few times I went to dis, and I was never old enough to rent a car. Now that I am finally old enough, we have decided that we will <i>not</i> rent a car when we go back. It is nice to have someone else drive you back to your resort after a long day touring the parks. Yes, with your little one, shopping might be easier, but like a former poster said, it might be to your advantage to just spend the extra $$ for the delivery service.

Just my two cents....Have fun!!! I wish I was going.

 

[CleveRocks]

And most importantly have no kids that we will have to carry back asleep at the end of the evening. If this does not sound like you then you need to rent a car.

I loved your well thought-out and well-written post!!!

As to the above quote, let me share my experiences as the Disney Dad of a 5 year old and 2.5 year old. Our little one and sometimes our bigger one fell asleep on the bus on the way back from parks if it was later than about 9:00 p.m. Carrying her from the bus stop to our room was no different than carrying her from the parking lot to our room, so this was a non-issue for us. And actually, when she fell asleep with my wife holding her, she got jostled less when getting off the bus (rather than having to unbelt her from her carseat and then lifted up), which aided in transferring her to her bed still blissfully asleep.

As I am the person who drives 99% of the time when we are all in the car as a family, I really welcomed having Disney Transport do the driving so I could rest my weary brain, eyes, feet and ankles at the end of our days at the parks. And we were no commandos at all!

 

[justplaingoofy]

I say rent... If you can find a good discount code.. We use the busses for Magic Kingdom... But sometimes it can be a real pain (time consuming) to get to Downtown Disney... Also, if you want to go to another resort.. because you have to take a bus to a theme park first...
AIts handy if you make any dining/tours that is real early... Or go to the store, etc.

 

[Maybelle]

We went to WDW for the first time last summer and did not rent a car until the last day we were there in order to drive to relatives house after our disney stay. We NEVER minded taking the busses at all. To us it was part of the stay, and we enjoyed it. There were a few nights we had to wait after the parks closed, and a few times we had to stand...which DD liked. Sometimes I had DD on my lap which was not all that comfortable, but nothing terrible. I would recommend saving the money if you can. You could rent a car for a day or two to go offsite to shop or something if you wanted to, but use the disney transport the rest of the time. Just my opinion.

 

[Amyg]

I'm having the same dilema and I'm considering Disney transportation most of the time with a few exceptions such as going from my hotel POFQ to Hoop de doo (it seems too long a trip for bussing it) and a few others.

Here's a site to help on the timing of transportation:

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.asp

In any case, I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what!

 

[rigs32]

The only tough route with the busses is to go from one resort to another - you need a hub to change busses. For us, saving those 20 or 30 min would never justify the additional cost.

Parking, taking the tram to the gate, and reversing all that takes just as long as the busses. To get to MK, it takes much longer since you park at TTC and then take the monorail or ferry. The busses drop you off at the gate.

With a little planning it's easy to do. Our non-resort resort meals (get that?) are schedueld so we go from one park, to the meal, to another park, and back home. No muss no fuss and no one has to drive.