To Rent or Not to Rent?

[disgonz]

We have booked a 10 day trip, staying on property at POP during the summer. We are a family of four; should we rent a vehicle to travel to and from POP to the parks or use the buses? What would you do?

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[PALionKingfan]

Depends on your plans. I'm sorry, that probably isn't what you were looking for but if you don't mind staying on Disney property then using their busses to get around will save you some cash since you do not need a rental car. If you want to go to Universal or anywhere else then a rental car is the way to go. I will say I personally like driving and like not having to wait for a bus and getting packed like a sardine on one after a long day in the park so I usually rent.

 

[DWillowBay]

I agree with the PP, if your plans are all within Disney Property, you have no need for a car. Driving to parks and parking there does not save time and, depending on what time of year you are going...it could actually add travel time. The buses are convenient and constant transportation, despite what you might read on these forums. If your plans take you off property, then by all means, rent a car. I have used Uber with great success even going off property, so much cheaper than renting a car.

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

I agree with the above posters. If you are staying on Disney property, use the Disney transportation.
They will take you anywhere you need to go.
No need to pay that extra expense and rent a car.

Disney will transport you on Disney's Magical express from the airport to your room.
They deposit all of your bags in your room a few hrs after you arrive.

If you want to go off property for something Lyft and Uber are available and easy to use by downloading their apps.
Personally I prefer Lyft it is cheaper then Uber. Car rental will cost alot.

 

[soniam]

We rent a car. We started renting, because we stay at and go to Universal for a couple of days every trip. The car is parked at Universal and never used, because you can walk from most of their hotels to the parks. We really enjoy having a car at WDW. No more waiting for buses to come. Granted, you may wait in some traffic; however, none of the traffic has been bad, even leaving at park closing. Plus, buses can be stuck in the same traffic sometimes. It's nice though to be sitting out of the elements with music or drinks/food that was left in the car for later. I don't know if I could go again without a car, if I am staying at a moderate or value. Even the deluxes can have bad bus service, but usually, the monorail, boats, or walking can outweigh the buses when you have to take them. We have a son, so maybe that is part of the reason. We have not used a car with a stroller though. We even use the car to hop between some of the parks.

 

[disgonz]

Thank you...we do not plan on going off Disney Property. I guess hearing if folks think having a vehicle makes it easier versus the busses in July. I expect it to be busy and I know that POP's boarding spots are furthest away from the park gates....so far it seems as though using the busses is the winner.

 

[leebee]

Rent the car. Mousesavers.com will show you how to stack codes and coupons for discounts, and you can check the transportation board here on the DIS for codes, too. In the summer, at park closing, we have waited in the bus line for a bus back to POP for almost an hour, regularly. I'm too hot and too tired- there is no amount of magic or pixie dust that will overcome that! There's minimal seating on the bus, and they'll pack you in like sardines-standing- to get back to POP at park closing. Also, if you have young kids who might be sleeping in a stroller at the end of your day, you may very likely have to stand while holding a sleeping child and balancing a stroller. It would be nice to think that someone will give you a seat, but don't count on it (read the threads about this here on the DIS). We really, really do not enjoy riding the Disney buses. It's also time consuming. My sister and I have timed it, head to head, several times, at all 4 parks. She'd head for the bus queue, I'd head for the car. I always was back in the room (POP and ASMu), sometimes even showered and in bed, before she'd get back. I don't know that this holds true for the deluxe resorts, but for the values you can park SO CLOSE to your room- but the bus drops you at the front of the resort and you have to walk to the room. More distance, more time, especially when you and the kids are tired. ALSO if you are going to dinner at a resort hotel, having the car will save you time. You need to allow 1.5 hours to get from your hotel to the hotel where you have your ADR because there are no buses between the resorts. You'll have to leave POP, catch a bus to a theme park, then wait for a bus to the hotel where your ADR is; reverse this to get back home. We also enjoy being able to leave a park, sit down in the car and have a cool drink from our collapsable cooler and a snack while driving back to our hotel. It's easy to find your way around WDW, especially if there's another adult to help watch for the huge purple signs that direct you everywhere.

OK, we have taken a few trips and used the buses due to financial constraints, and it wasn't the end of the world, but we were CONSTANTLY wishing we had a car.

 

[Tomh]

Can I answer yes, and no at the same time?

Since everything you have planned to do is on site, you don't NEED to have a car. Disney's transportation system is very complete, and will get you everywhere you need to go, and do so in a fairly reasonable time frame, and it is all included in the cost of your vacation.

A previous poster suggested that driving yourself does not save time. I disagree with that. It won't necessarily save you time on every trip, but many times it is faster to drive yourself. The only park where I feel that buses have a time advantage is MK, where driving means taking the ferry, or Monorail back to the TTC, then the tram to the parking lot, then driving to the hotel. It is generally quicker to get a bus. At every other park, if you get there early enough in the morning to get a spot close to the front of the lots, it will be quicker to drive. Add the convenience of NOT having to stand for the ride home, and driving yourself can become really attractive.

We used buses exclusively for our first 6 trips, even though we had a car with us every time. During trip 7 our car broke down on our non park day, and had to go to the AAA car care center near TTC. When I picked it up, we were in MK for the day, so I just parked it at TTC and went back to the park, then we did the ferry / tram shuffle to the car, and drove back to our resort, and realized it wasn't THAT bad.

Trip 8, we drove to the parks a couple of times, just to see how it was, and it worked out pretty well. This year, we are staying offsite, and so will drive to the parks every day. I really don't see that as a bad thing. The only real downside I see is having to drive late at night when you are tired from a long day in the parks, but it's only a 30 minute drive, and at least I won't have to stand up

 

[MudQueen22]

We did buses on our last trip. We are considering taking our van to the parks next time since we don't want to be on the bus with two children, a backpack, collapsible cooler and a bulky stroller.
And most people won't offer a seat.
Our last trip, I was pregnant and standing (difficult, I discovered, when your center of gravity is off). I recall a family there with two small children. I was hoping they would have their kids share a seat so I could sit, but no luck there. (No, I didn't ask.)

 

[DLM1980]

We usually go a week and I insist on having a car. I love parking at the TTC and taking the monorail or ferry to the kingdom of magic. However there are times I miss the "da da daaaa" of the bus as it arrives at the gates of MK....I just need my phone to play and narrate "take small kids by the hand" as I pull in to my parking spot.

When I take a bus I always end up walking to the bus stop right as the bus I needed pulls away, so that's an extra 10-20 mins I have to wait, when I got an ADR I can just drive right over instead of having to plan "well to get to XX resort, I need to first go to YY park and catch the XX bus ". That's too much travel time for me. You could probably use a cab and it might be cheaper, but I like to drive so letting someone drive me is not fun for me.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

We don't typically venture off Disney property and we've never found it necessary to rent a car. Disney transportation works fine if you have a little patience.

 

[Nancyg56]

We don't typically venture off Disney property and we've never found it necessary to rent a car. Disney transportation works fine if you have a little patience.

I agree, for our family Disney transportation wors well. For the very few times we want to get back to the resort quickly after a meal, we just hop in a cab. Still less expensive than renting.

 

[dsdeleon]

Depends on if your family enjoys convenience or saving $$ and keeping a lower budget. We always have a car even if it's just for going to the on property stuff - McDonalds or Hess gas station. I have learned the hard way that I always prefer to budget extra and pay extra for convenience. It's just my preference though. I could see others thinking its a waste of $, and for them, it would be.

 

[Janed]

We've done it both ways. On our first few trips DME was not available and we were staying in a studio. A stop at a grocery store was a must. I loved the flexibility a vehicle gave us. We went off property for dinner a couple of times and drove to what was then Downtown Disney. When DME became available we used that for transportation from MCO. Our last visit was split between Universal and WDW. We rented a vehicle again, did two days at Universal, made a major grocery stop (now staying in a two bedroom suite), got to WDW and turned in the vehicle at the Dolphin. We used buses exclusively at the park and DME to get back to MCO.

Our October trip will most likely use Disney transportation exclusively. I'll pack some snacks in luggage and buy breakfast supplies at the resort. The only thing I'm wrestling with is how we get adult beverages to have in the room!

 

[AJA]

We drive to Disney so always have our vehicle. We never use the car as long as we aren't going off site to eat, shop or visit Universal.

If you know you are only staying on Disney property for the entire trip then I would not spend the extra money.

 

[mousegear]

Everyone's preference is so different. I personally like having a vehicle in Disney. I don't like taking Disney buses since you have to build in extra time for the wait of the bus and same with taking bus from/to MCO. It saves lots of time and energy to have a car. I also like to drive to resort ADRs since it usually take 10~15 minutes within property. We also do a grocery stop beginning of the trip for necessities like water, snacks, etc since we fly in.

 

[gap2368]

my passion if life is to dislike driving so I drive there and park my car and do not get back in it until I my sad day ( AKA my last day) and use the busses I love that I do not have to drive and can go and come from the parks when ever I like.

 

[Hopefully]

Did you know there is a Transportation Forum here on the Dis? Lots of experts to answer questions like this & more.
The answers here are about what I expected. It is generally about a 50 - 50 split on renting or not. And folks feel strongly about it. We do not rent. Disney transportation meets our needs. And I budget for a few resort to resort taxis for dinners
Have Fun

 

[CarolAnnB]

We have stayed at Pop in the summer several times. We usually have a car as we do some things off property and ADRs at different resorts. If we are planning to be at Epcot or DHS from open to close, we usually drive because in the morning we can get a close enough spot that we don't need to take the tram from the parking lot so I think it is faster than the bus. Driving home from DHS to Pop is like 5 minutes so definitely less than waiting for busses. Magic Kingdom we always take the bus because if you drive, you have to take the ferry or monorail from the TTC so that takes more time, even though Pop is the furthest bus stop. I also like to stop at a grocery store for snacks, water, and breakfast items, which you may want to do if you are staying for 10 days.

 

[cruisingtwins]

I hate buses and being packed like sardines with sweaty strangers so for me a car is a must. Especially with kids.