Towncar and rental car same price~ which would you do?

[Carrieberry]

Ok, I got a midsize rental from Jan 21-28 (8 days) for $121.15 through Alamo so it is onsite at the airport. We already are Quicksilver members as well so that should cut down on time. The town car with tip both ways is the same price. Which would you do? We will be at POFQ 2 nights and OKW for 5 nights. We will probably use wegoshop.com so we don't have to go off property for groceries, but we will be traveling with our 6 year old son (he is deaf and autistic) and our 8 year old son. I am leaning towards rental car just in case of meltdowns my little one might have, but the thought of driving around Orlando makes me a little nervous. Oh, and anyone know how much the tolls are from MCO?

 

[goofyandmore]

This is a tough question, one which I think about each year. I have a similar situation as you. I have 3 children and my youngest (age 7) has a brain injury-she looks typically developing but doesn't speak and has sudden melt downs. There only time I thought the rental would be beneficial is if we wanted to go to a park where the boat from the polynesian or the monorail didn't go; such as MGM or Animal Kingdom. The bus was always too crowded for her and a car would have been better. Otherwise, I have been using Tiffany towne car and loved them. I love the fact that someone reliable is waiting for me as soon as I get off the plane and escorts through the airport and to our luggage. The driver knows when to leave for the airport on the last day and is waiting for us with no problem. If we are running late the last day, there isn't the problem of still having to drop the rental car off. So, basically what I did last year is I only went with my daughter to Magic Kingdom and Epcot while my husband went to MGM with the boys. Magic Kingdom is really the park that has the kind of rides that she enjoys anyway. Also, the negative thing about a rental is that if my daughter was upset and we had to leave the park, it would still mean getting on that train thing to get dropped off by our car or most likely a long walk. At least, that is what I assumed. Lastly, Tiffany was under $100 even with the tip included. If you need a van for more room as we do, ask for Berkely he is friendly, reliable and the best. Carolyn

 

[goofyandmore]

You also might want to get the opinion from parents at the DisABILITY board. Lastly, I just wanted to make sure that you are also getting the special card from quest services when you get to disney, for your child. It really helped last year because my duaghter would never be able to wait on long lines and it would end up being very disruptful for everyone else.

 

[Carrieberry]

Goofyandmore-
Thank you so much for your reply. Yes we will be getting the assistance pass, as it really helps when we go to DL in CA. We only use it when the lines are fairly longer (more than 20 minutes) because he really does not understand waiting very long. He is high functioning but since he is deaf, it makes it more difficult since we can't just explain to him what is going on all of the time. He uses a picture communication system since the autism makes it difficult for him to learn sign language. We don't plan on using the car to go to the parks too much. I think he will love the buses in all honesty. He rides in van to and from school every day, and he does not have aversion to people unless it is really really packed, like standing room only. That would be BAD! We would more than likely take the car or at the very least wait for a bus that was less crowded. Hopefully since it is the offseason it will be manageable. We used Tiffany our last 3 trips and had very good service both ways until our last trip in 2002. They were over 40 minutes late picking us up from AKL to take us back to the airport. I am a little hesitant to use them since our son will not know the driver and the car will be more crowded. It is difficult to explain to strangers sometimes about our son. Thanks for the advice about the Disabilities board I will also post this there. I am terrified of flying with him! Thanks so much!

 

[dudspizza]

I would take the rental car for sure. There are only 2-$1 tolls on the 417 to DW (another 50¢ if you stay on it all the way to DW). Very easy and a quick drive.

Good luck and have fun!

Duds

 

[Brian Noble]

Rental car, but I'm one of those type-A control-freak personalities---even if it costs a little more, and even if it takes a few extra minutes, I'd rather not be dependent on someone else's schedule to get me where I want to go.

 

[zurgswife]

I always choose a rental car...I like the freedom of buying my own groceries...and driving where i choose

 

[Carrieberry]

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice! We are going to get the rental car. It is a great rate and it will be better for our situation I think.Besides, we will have 4 people and at least 4 big bags and that makes for a tight towncar ride. Thanks again!!