town car vs. rent car for newbie!!!

[averill94]

Hi - only our 2nd time to Disney and we are staying at CSR- thought we wouldnt have to rent a car but kids are 7 and 1.....

Can town cars/taxis provide baby seats?

Being that we will only be there from OCt 13th (landing 10am) to Oct 17th (leaving 7:30 am) I want max time at resort/ park. The early departure makes me nervous about taking a shuttle.


I really appreciate input and suggestions!
Thank you

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

Check the prices of renting a car and using the shuttle services. We are renting a car for the first 3 days for the price of a town car service and we are renting a car on our last day to drive to the airport for $30.00. The Mears shuttle would have cost us $47 and we would have to go with other people and I found Mears to be a hassle becaus you dont have control.

I like being in control of my transportation.

 

[sarahsmom73]

We used a FL Tours in April and it was hassle free!
We were in the town car on the way to the Dolphin while people stood in line for shuttles and rentals etc... We had no problems on the return trip also.. DH is now a FL Tours convert!

 

[lbrown]

How many can you fit in a town car? How much was it? Is it a one-way or round-trip price? per person/per car cost?

 

[inkkognito]

As a newbie, I would probably do a towncar. We've done it many times using Happy Limo, which is my preferred method when we are staying at a WDW resort. I've done a rental car too, but find the far away parking and the lots to be something of a hassle (although it's easy to find your way around). I prefer to be driven around when on vacation.

The cost of a towncar is a total, regardless of the number of people. Happy Limo has a coupon, as do many of the others, so you should be able to get a little discount if you price around. You can get a roundtrip.

Barb

 

[TinksDH]

lbrown-

Happy Limo has different sizes of cars and vans for different prices, and both roundtrip or oneway fees. Unlike Mears, with Happy Limo you get the whole vehicle, so no multiple stops and no 'per person' charges. They can even stop at Albertson's for a grocery stop (no extra cost - fax your order in ahead of time and they shop for you).

Last year we reserved a van for 5 of us (I think $110 roundtip with tip included and a discount from another board). A nice Lincoln stretch showed up instead of a van and the kids were in heaven. This year my parents vacationed with us (7 people total) and again it was $110 roundtrip and this time a huge Excusion stretch showed up, no extra cost. How cool is that?! It had a DVD player, 2 flat panel monitors, CD/stereo, drinks/ice, and another TV with a PS2. It was a blast! You can imagine the looks on the peoples' faces when we stopped at Albertsons and then pulled up at BCV.

They also offer child car seats, but I forget if they were free or not as we travel with ours.

If you want to see pics, go to the homepage on my profile.

 

[crisi]

cabs do not have carseats. Towncars do - but a regular towncar will only fit one carseat if you have two adults and two children (your seven year old is probably big enough to go without?) If you want more carseats, you'll need a van.

Some towncar companies charge for the carseat, some don't.

Car seats via rental companies are iffy. We waited over an hour in the airport for ours to show up. Other people have said theirs were filty dirty. So you may want to bring your own carseat if you rent a car. Rental companies charge a per day fee for the carseat.

As to which is better, it depends on you. Disney buses don't have any sort of child restraint - so some parents don't feel comfortable with little ones on them. We've always taken Disney transportation and like it fine - seems less chance that the bus will get in a serious accident than I will on strange roads. We don't enjoy driving and really enjoy not driving on vacation, other people love the control their own car brings. Some people get great deals on rental cars and come out ahead, some don't - and budget can be a determining factor for some.

 

[averill94]

Thank you for all of your input!! I will check with the car services and reserve. What a treat not to drive for a few days(DH happens to be NYC bus driver!).