Will A Rental Car Save Us Time Or Not...

[JessicaKnits]

For my next trip I have put a lot of thought into getting a rental car to help us get to some of our early morning ADRs (we are going to use the Deluxe Dining Plan.)

Previously we have been able to successfully accomplish this by using Disney's transportation, but it lead to some very early mornings for us. The goal is to always have breakfast around 7:30, make it to whatever park for the day for rope drop, and then come back for a break in the afternoon.

Originally I thought that having a rental car would be great, since we can just get in the car and go, don't have to wait on a bus getting there, and won't have to worry about transferring at a park if we are having breakfast at a hotel.

Now that I think more about it, I'm not sure this actually will be a time saver for us. For example, we are having breakfast at The Wave on a morning we are going to Epcot. So, while we can drive directly to the Contemporary, we then have to park at the Contemporary, go eat, and then either drive to the TTC and park, or drive directly to Epcot and park, and either monorail it in, or take the tram in.

I'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on having a car. Did you enjoy it, or did you find it more of a hassle?

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

For a lesser reason I rented a car, just because it was inexpensive and i didnt have to trek to a bus stop. The girls trip I thought I would go without. The cost was the deciding factor. Total cost was Thrifty for $122.12 8.2 days for Chrysler 200.

If the entire family goes, we all ride ME and send my oldest and dh to get the car. We have had a couple of emergencies and needed a car. One was a pediatric Dental emergency in Orlando.

If the price is right, I drive even without ADR's.

 

[bumbershoot]

I love using a car at WDW.

The morning we ate at the Wave we simply paid for Valet parking for the day. Left the car, totally "legally", all day as we ate then played at MK. WELL worth the $15 plus tip to not have to move the car to TTC etc. Getting over to Epcot, however, is not my knowledge-base from the Contemporary. (because we usually drive so I don't know the ins and outs of the WDW transportation system)

 

[rwdavis2]

IMHO, it does. Except possibly going to the Magc Kingdom. In all the trips you see listed below in my signature we have taken 1 bus ride.

 

[msmayor]

I know that there is no perfect answer but for my family, we won't ever be without a car at WDW.

We did a trip down there when the kids were younger and my DH had a conference at the Swan/Dolphin. Now we had a car, but we were staying at the All-Star (to save money on the extension part of the trip and avoid moving hotels) so DH needed the car to get to his conference every day...bus transportation between resorts is simply too long.

Well all it took was one attempt at using the bus system to do something OTHER than go to a park and I was convinced I never wanted to be without a car. It took us 90 minutes to get from All Star Sports to the Fantasia mini-golf where the kids wanted to go, and then another hour to return to the hotel. With the car, it would have been a 10-minute drive each way.

When we are at Disney, time = $$ and we spend far too much on tickets to have fun to spend our time sitting on buses.

Using our car we have always felt like we are 'moving', getting somewhere...even waiting for parking lot trams has never taken a long time as they have ONE function and ONE destination...the parking lot. Heck, sometimes we luck out and park close enough to just walk. The exercise means more Dole Whips for me!!

 

[sam_gordon]

IMO, yes, having a car will save time. However, we don't rent a car because I like the "immersion" of being able to do an entire vacation and not have the "stress" of driving (how to get there, what other drivers are doing, etc).

If time is your deciding factor, then yes, a rental car is good.

 

[msp2mco]

We feel we save time using a car most of the time over the Disney transportation. However, MK is an exception, so we usually take the bus when going to MK.

On our last trip, we stayed at AKV, and actually it was a wash whether the car saved us time. Our DS, who loves the buses, usually took the bus while the rest of us took the car. We arrived about the same time. On the previous trip, we stayed at BCV and had very long waits, both at BC and at AK (over 40 minutes each) waiting for buses.

 

[North of Mouse]

For my next trip I have put a lot of thought into getting a rental car to help us get to some of our early morning ADRs (we are going to use the Deluxe Dining Plan.)

Previously we have been able to successfully accomplish this by using Disney's transportation, but it lead to some very early mornings for us. The goal is to always have breakfast around 7:30, make it to whatever park for the day for rope drop, and then come back for a break in the afternoon.

Originally I thought that having a rental car would be great, since we can just get in the car and go, don't have to wait on a bus getting there, and won't have to worry about transferring at a park if we are having breakfast at a hotel.

Now that I think more about it, I'm not sure this actually will be a time saver for us. For example, we are having breakfast at The Wave on a morning we are going to Epcot. So, while we can drive directly to the Contemporary, we then have to park at the Contemporary, go eat, and then either drive to the TTC and park, or drive directly to Epcot and park, and either monorail it in, or take the tram in.

I'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on having a car. Did you enjoy it, or did you find it more of a hassle?

Suppose it's a personal decision as you will get answers pro and con. It's what fits best for your own family - not a decision across the board.

It would be a hassle for us. We love the Disney transportation and not having to 'think' about the driving. It's part of the 'Disney' experience for us and we totally enjoy it.

Have there been a few issues over the years? Yes, but there has also been traffic jams for your personal vehicle also that would have slowed you down.

I think a lot of decision of not taking the WDW transportation is how people perceive the 'length' of time spent on them and maybe a few bad experiences.
Transporting so many people a day there will be glitches, but we have had few in 'many' years and will continue to relax and leave the driving to Disney.

 

[cjbcam]

I was wondering how parking works. We are staying in a cabin at FW and have a morning breakfast at ohana are we allowed to park at the poly and then can we leave our car there for the day?

 

[wdwrich]

I was wondering how parking works. We are staying in a cabin at FW and have a morning breakfast at ohana are we allowed to park at the poly and then can we leave our car there for the day?

No. You can park at the Poly while you have your meal, but you then have to move the car if you're going to a theme park (assuming MK). An easy solution would be to park at the TTC (MK parking lot) and walk over to the Poly (5 minute walk). After your 'Ohana breakfast, monorail or boat to MK for the day.

Another option is to pay to valet park at the Poly, then you could leave it for the day.

 

[Tiggs14]

For us the deciding factor is always price. If we can get a car we do.

There is nothing worse than having to stand on a crowded bus with two little ones after an entire day at the parks! This combined with the time savings is a good enough reason for the additonal expense of a car in our opinion.

 

[rlduvall]

For me personally, I have to be in control of my own destiny . . . to a fault. I am too Type A to relax while standing around at a bus stop waiting for the bus. This is my inner thoughts on a typical day of using the bus system: Hurry, hurry, get to the bus stop. Hm, no bus; did I just miss the last bus? Will I have a long wait? tick, tock, tick, tock, Oh - there it is. Oh - no that's for another park. Good grief, how many buses do you need for Typhoon Lagoon. tick, tock, tick, tock Where's another bus for us. That group of people better not cut in front of me. tick, tock, tick, tock Hope I don't have to stand. tick, tock, tick, tock. If I had a car I would probably already be there. tick, tock, tick, tock Geez.

Whether I am truly saving time, which I think I am, I just make myself too nervous with the whole 'game' of it. Plus, we like to go to DTD and visit other resorts. It's just so much easier to do this with a car. Well, maybe not DTD with all the parking lots closed now.

 

[Pembo]

Love having a car and yes it saves us lots of time, even at the MK. We are rope drop people so we always get a close spot at the MK. When we left for a break we found an even closer spot when we returned. Love not having to wait for an overcrowded bus at the end of the day.

 

[pigletto]

Just curious why you would have to go to the TTC after your breakfast at the Wave? Drive to the breakfast, get back to your car, and drive to Epcot. It's easy.
I can only speak for us. Having the car saves us a ton of time and bus waiting. We prefer it, and rent one every time now. It is especially useful for us when we leave for the afternoon, have a rest and head back for an evening ADR. Like everyone else said it will be up to you if you find it convenient, but I don't like going without one anymore. It's not even that I dislike Disney transportation that much. It's just that I prefer knowing exactly when I have to leave, and exactly when I will get where I am going vs. leaving at least an hour early and hoping the buses will be on time, taking another bus for an afternoon break, and taking another bus to go back and a final one to come back to the resort at night. It eats more time that driving for sure.

 

[bsusanmb]

I have been going to WDW for 15 years, 4-5X a year, and have done rental car and Disney Transfers. To me, time is money. My preference is a car. The only time I don't get a car is if I plan on just kicking back and have no ADR's to rush to, and no plans. I don't like standing in long lines waiting for a bus or standing alone for a long time waiting for a bus either. I know my way around property from all of my visits, and it is just faster and easier to drive it. When my grandchildren come with me I always rent a car. They don't do well standing on a bus at their ages. Of course, I am a type A personality (and an RN who has run all my life) so to me, a car is the way to go.