To rent or not to rent

[EK4636]

For our upcoming trip, my group had set up a towncar service from MCO to AKL, then from BC (split stay) to MCO. Everything was good to go...until I had to go and check the price of a rental car for fun.

It turns out that the cost of the rental car for the week we'll be at Disney is the same as the towncar service. Having a car means I don't have to cab and some flexibility if we want to go explore outside of WDW.

What would you do? Would you rent or would you still go with the towncar?

PS I know of MDE but is making a conscious decision not to use MDE for this trip

 

[janiejake]

I like the options having a vehicle gives me. As long as the price is attractive/competitive, I would go for having my own wheels. Even if we have used DME, several times we have opted to rent a vehicle from the CCC for a portion of our vacation.

 

[sam_gordon]

For our upcoming trip, my group had set up a towncar service from MCO to AKL, then from BC (split stay) to MCO. Everything was good to go...until I had to go and check the price of a rental car for fun.

It turns out that the cost of the rental car for the week we'll be at Disney is the same as the towncar service. Having a car means I don't have to cab and some flexibility if we want to go explore outside of WDW.

What would you do? Would you rent or would you still go with the towncar?

PS I know of MDE but is making a conscious decision not to use MDE for this trip

Before DME, a towncar is how to we got to/from the airport. I've only needed a rental car one day (to go off property to see a house my mom & dad were building). I know Disney transportation isn't always the most convenient, but I like not having to drive. Even when we drive ourselves, the car gets left in the resort parking lot until it's time to head home.

 

[jmasgat]

I'd take the car.....but then again I ALWAYS take the car.

As long as you don't mind driving to WDW, and you have a vehicle that fits all your luggage, I think the flexibility of having the car is great. You can go to the parks (except MK, where I always bus) whenever you want, easily get to DTD, resorts and the mini-golf courses, and be able to run offsite if you want to go outlet shopping or get groceries.

The donwsides of the car---paying for gas, the convenience of "not having to think, just got on a bus" are, IMHO, outweighed by the flexibility and potential time savings of getting from point A to point B.

 

[JayhawkFans]

I'm having a similar problem deciding. We were good to go with just Disney busses for our short w/e trip next w/e until I had to price out a last minute rental car and see that for just $60 we can have our own wheels. AAUGH!!!

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm having a similar problem deciding. We were good to go with just Disney busses for our short w/e trip next w/e until I had to price out a last minute rental car and see that for just $60 we can have our own wheels. AAUGH!!!

Don't forget to factor in gas. Figure 10 gallons at $3/gallon? That's a good price you have though.

 

[EK4636]

Don't forget to factor in gas. Figure 10 gallons at $3/gallon? That's a good price you have though.

Yeah, we figured gas into it, too. It will cost us about $120 (with gas) to have a car for 8 days. The towncar alone will be $110 (plus tips).

 

[lisa-upnorth]

RENT THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
worth every penny!

 

[bumbershoot]

I love the rental car. Even when you take gas into account. Just love it. We go to stores, to restaurants, to kitschy giftshops (Gift World WILL be one of our every-trip stops from now on), etc.

 

[North of Mouse]

It depends on how much you would use the car off site. We never go off site, and love the freedom of not driving, and using Disney transportation. Have had very few issues with buses, etc. and that's part of the whole experience for us. Lots of times it would be quicker when you factor in they can take "short cuts" and you have to park, catch a tram, etc.

Definitely a personal decision, whatever works for you.
Reread your post, sounds like you would be better off with a rental since you go where Disney transportation does not.

 

[Lewisc]

How many people in your group? How much luggage? Several of us have witnessed families trying to fit far more luggage into a trunk then could possibly fit.

3, maybe 4 in your group. Stack bags on a seat. Group of 5. Some of your group might wind up with their suitcase on their lap or on the floor in front of them. You can probably live with it for the 30 minutes or so it takes to drive from MCO to WDW.

I'd go with the rental car. Gives you flexibility if you want to go to DTD, outlet mall or go to a different resort. Great if you wind up needing to go to a store to buy something you forgot.

What's the downside? Your car stays at your resort during your entire trip, unused. So what. Only an issue if the rental car is more expensive.

 

[hsmamato2]

rent the car! it's a no brainer, even if you decide to use buses, what's the harm of having it there in case you decide to run out to walgreens,etc? that's what we did, and in a split stay it is SO much easier to toss your stuff in the car and drive over to your hotel,rather than buses,waiting for bell services,etc. We used the car at Universal,and maybe one day at a park...the rest of the time we did disney transport...(wish we had used it to get to Boma at AKL, their bus service is not good lol)

 

[hsmamato2]

I just realized you're staying AKL....last week when we went from MK to AKL for dinner by bus it was.......LONG. Let me tell you,there were some VERY unhappy guests in that line....some of them had taken 1 1/2 hours from getting into bus line at MK to the time we got to the bus stop at AKL.
Our trip took approx. 45 mins,we timed it. Not good, since we saw MANY other resort buses pull up and leave multiple times while we waited,and some poor families were trying to get to the party at MK at night and were also very unhappy.(let's just say they were running very late)
Rent the car. (FWIW,my sis stayed AKL last year,and confirmed the slow bus thing when she was there too)

 

[bumbershoot]

(FWIW,my sis stayed AKL last year,and confirmed the slow bus thing when she was there too)

And it was horribly slow 2 years ago, too. Bus after bus after multiple bus for the 3 other parks, and NONE for our park. No oversight of the "line" (though they had some little beanbag/target games for the kids, which was kind of nice but also made it hard to make sure my kid was where he should be and doing what he ought to be doing while I tried to keep our spot in what many of us felt was the line), no one official calling new buses, nothing.


Car car car!

 

[3pletprincesses]

If it's the same price, I would rent a car. It gives you more flexibility. What we do if we don't feel like driving during the day as the car is too hot is we drive in the morning, get back in the afternoon by bus, take the bus back to park and drive back to hotel in the evening. We don't have to worry about the long lines for the bus at park opening or closing.