Would you rather rent a car or take Disney transportation?

[cluvsdisney]

We always rent a car. I don't find anything enjoyable, relaxing or vacation-like about waiting on lines in the heat to pile on a bus hoping for a seat to get anywhere. We don't have to run for a bus that's at the depot or risk missing it and waiting for another one. We enjoy being able to hop in the car where we'll always have a seat and air conditioning and drive straight to our destination. I figure worst case scenario is that we are breaking even time wise when we consider getting the car vs waiting for the bus but being in motion feels more productive then just standing and I have a feeling we come out ahead.

We often go off property for groceries, incidentals that we may need or for a meal. We also dine at other resorts frequently and loathe the whole transfer at a park/DTD situation. We never experienced anything more then light traffic and find the signage to be more then adequate to find our way around the property.

 

[I-Bike]

We rent a car but rarely use it to go to the parks during the week. DH just likes to have it there "just in case" and it's helpful when we have to make it to a dining reservation.

 

[SenoiaDawg]

I voted on renting a car, but actually we always drive. We live near Atlanta, so a 7-8 hour drive isn't too bad. Besides, what we save in airfare for 5 almost pays for another WDW trip!

As for Driving vs WDW Transportation... My experience is that driving is quicker that waiting for the buses, and I can keep things in our van (extra change of clothes, snacks, etc.) that would be difficult carrying on the bus and into the parks.

 

[dalstitch45]

We always rent a car, except our trip at the end of May. I let DS talk me into driving our car from home. Either way, I would much rather have a vehicle. The buses are fine during non-busy hours of the day, but at park closing no way. I don't like how they pack people onto the buses.

 

[Vivianne]

We always rent a car. We also take trips off-site like our ritual trips
to Orlando Premium Outlets to the Disney store and we always pickup
our snacks, wine. Of course the Mousesaver discount codes help with
the rental fee.

I've only been on the buses 2xs once from AKL to POFQ it took way too long and from WL to MK after evening EMH.. it was good drive back she got us back
to the resort quickly. There were only 4 people on the bus...That's the only resort we didn't drive since we took the boat ride going to MK.

 

[Stinger5]

Reasons why i love the magical express:

-don't have to wait for or handle your checked bags; they are brought right to your rooms. Saves a chunk of time and hassle in baggage claim.

-i enjoy just sitting back and relaxing after a busy day in the park. True, the busses do get crowded but i don't mind.

-not having to pay extra for a car rental.

-i love taking the disney water taxi, even if it takes a longer than driving.

-not carrying around baggage to and from airport. With a DD4 and DD5mos, it is crazy enough lugging diaper bags/stroller/etc. Less bags = happy daddy!!

 

[Minnie J]

I voted on renting a car, but actually we always drive. We live near Atlanta, so a 7-8 hour drive isn't too bad. Besides, what we save in airfare for 5 almost pays for another WDW trip!

As for Driving vs WDW Transportation... My experience is that driving is quicker that waiting for the buses, and I can keep things in our van (extra change of clothes, snacks, etc.) that would be difficult carrying on the bus and into the parks.

Im in Atlanta too and we are driving because Airfare for a family of 5 was 750 dollars versus paying 197 for a unlimited 6 days rental through Enterprise
Also the last time we were there we drove and we snuck out late nights to Steak and Shake and visited the outside World Of Disney!! very fun renting a car

 

[Pineapple Whip]

The OP asked for opinions. These are my opinions. The 8 passenger SUV we priced was $1400 for 10 days. Whether it is $600 or $1400 that is money I'd rather spend elsewhere. It doesn't matter anyway because I am not schlepping 2 car seats along with a double stroller through the airport.

We are in a large metropolitan area, we commute for work on a daily basis. There is nothing relaxing about doing it on vacation. My husband does not like to drive and gets very aggravated driving in traffic. There is a huge difference between walking in a theme park and negotiating a packed parking lot and unfamiliar roads when exhausted. We simply find it easier and more relaxing to just get on the bus and be delivered to our hotel.

On the flip side, if you choose to rent a car and that is how you enjoy your vacation most, then do it. Also don't create the myth that using WDW transport is cheapening ones vacation or that WDW transport is similar to the 7th ring of h*ll.

To each his own.

That's fine, all you needed to say was "we'd rather spend the money elsewhere. I'm not attacking you personally, but there is a lot of myth about what can and can't be done on a WDW vacation. There are people seeking information here, and after reading some of the stuff posted on this board, some people wouldn't even want to do a WDW vacation. In fact, the most cost prohibitive part of a WDW vacation, is WDW.

You don't need to schlep car seats, they're rented with the car. 2 car seats $100 max for entire rental. The $599 was a 7 pass SUV / 7 days / 2 car seats / no discounts or specials applied.

I was born and lived in NYC for over 30 years. The "commute" in Orlando is nothing near that. The bus rides however are. Again, if you don't want to drive, that's fine. There is no horrible traffic, parking jams, exhaustion, road rage, or hassle.

No one is creating myths about renting cars except for some of the posters here. No one said WDW transit was the 7th ring of shell, just that it is not as convenient. Renting a car is about convenience; if it is not convenient for your purposes, then that is the prohibitive part, not the cost.

As for cheapening one's vacation, not renting a car is a cost cutting measure, flat out. You said you would rather spend the $600 elsewhere, that's fine, you have to buy 6 park tickets and that makes sense. For 2 or 4 people, 7 days in a car could be quite inexpensive, and handy. For others, the savings of a car vs airfare is much worth it. I drove here from NYC all the time and it was more enjoyable than flying.

 

[NYDisGuy]

As for cheapening one's vacation, not renting a car is a cost cutting measure, flat out. You said you would rather spend the $600 elsewhere, that's fine, you have to buy 6 park tickets and that makes sense. For 2 or 4 people, 7 days in a car could be quite inexpensive, and handy. For others, the savings of a car vs airfare is much worth it. I drove here from NYC all the time and it was more enjoyable than flying.

That's your opinion, not fact. I can't stand driving on vacation, doesn't matter if there is no traffic or if the rental cost $1, it's the point. I commute 3 hours a day so getting away from a car is my top priority.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

we drive to fl and to the parks, MK is the only park we will think about using transportation at??? because of the parking situation. We have found other guest to be extremely rude at the end of the night and we just won't deal with it any more. Drive to the park for rope drop, park up front, take transportation buses back and forth during the day as needed, then at the end of the day your car is parked up front ready to go...

 

[khertz]

We stayed offsite for our December '09 trip, and I honestly thought I'd hate using the rental car instead of Disney transportation, but I think it converted me! No fighting for a seat at the end of the night. No waiting as bus after bus came that we didn't fit on at the end of the night, which was especially beneficial since we stayed until park closing almost every single night. No having to figure in "waiting for a bus" time if we needed/wanted to be somewhere for a certain time.

It helped that we were staying at Bonnet Creek, which is still basically on Disney property. But we did a quick weekend trip a couple weeks ago and stayed at a Wyndham resort in Kissimmee and still had a quick drive to and from the parks.

Since you are going at the end of August, a lot of people will comment on how hot the car will be when you get to it. We were absolutely DREADING this on our weekend trip, but we just went out to the car, opened the doors for a second to let the trapped heat out, and blasted the A/C, and we were cool in no time. The trams are not bad at all if you are forced to park further out. Much quicker than the bus, and fit a lot more people! I don't know how you like to tour the parks, but if you are planning to get to the parks for rope drop and stay all day, you can get a spot close enough to walk to anyway.

Another trick we learned quickly is to snap a picture of the lot information on our iPhone so that there is no question of what section & row number you parked in at the end of the night.

If you can afford it, and your time is what is important to you vs. saving the money on a rental, definitely go with the rental. And if you hate it this trip, go back to the buses on the next trip.

 

[Donut23]

Discounts are fairly easy to find quickly.

Far in advance, checkout airline discounts for rental cars.

Close to rental time....check the individual websites for discounts. Except for the brutally busy times, all of them have last minute rentals.

It took about 5 mintues (4 months out) to find the 40% southwest discount for our avis rental when we drove from Maryland to Orlando. THEN....they upgraded us to a Traverse....quite dashing red...we named him Trevor. Even had a DVD player so our friends watched Disney movies on the drive!

9 days in an SUV ended up costing us just under $350. (including taxes).

Pretty easy stuff....I do it all the time. Anyone need help....just drop me a PM and I'll see what I can find.


Happy Renting!

 

[Bonnie151]

We always rent a car but the amount we use it depends on the trip. Three years ago when we stayed at POFQ with my ILs and (nearly) 2 year old and 5 year old we took the bus exactly once before switching exclusively to the rental car. All of the stops around Riverside combined with our larger party and stroller/nappy bag etc made the bus system too much hassle for us.

This trip we stayed at the WL. The kids were 5 & 8 so no stroller required and we happily took the buses around the parks and boat to MK, leaving the car for trips to the other resports for dinner and off-site trips.

 

[Donut23]

I just can't agree with that at all. We don't have to walk from our room to the nearest bus stop, we've never been behind other cars going thru the gate & are just waved thru because we have the resort ID thingy in the window, don't have to look for a parking spot cause you are guided to the next available space. Walk a few paces to the tram stop, get on, listen to the friendly banter of the tram operators, get dropped off at front. I think tram dropoffs are closer than bus drop offs. We always drive to MK, love riding the ferry or monorail.

I am going to give a big for the Ferry. We discovered it again the first time I traveled around WDW on a scooter. It's such a great way to go to and from the parking lot...... you have that beautiful view of the train station and castle.

The children laugh and ring the bell on my scooter....honk the little squeaky horn or play with my LightSticks (from the Dollar Store). The trip is over in a minute and poof....we are right there!

I am a Ferry nut now....thanks for taking me back to the magic place for a moment on an otherwise frustrating afternoon!

 

[Donut23]

 

[disfamily4ever]

We, actually, did a trip where we didn't rent a car and hated it. It's more convenient to have a car, especially, if you want to leave early or just change your mind about which park you want to go to. Also, it's better having a car, if you have resort dining reservations, for dinner.

 

[wdwluv]

Now we rent and it is so much easier to park hop if you have a car. We rarely stay the entire day in one park and using a car is very easy in wdw. Even when I make a wrong turn its interesting to see other areas. Great for exploring the entire area including shopping outlets etc. I am an Emerald Club member so here is what we do: arrive in MCO get luggage(or not if we just have carry-on) head to emerald aisle and choose a car. On way to wdw via 417 we stop at target and get any items we need (case water, other personal needs) and then head to hotel. As an emerald club member you get a discount and can also add anyother available discounts. In early July 10 days of rental(a midsize) with discounts was $255.85 and when we got to pickup car there was a choice of many cars and caravans. so I got a caravan for $26/ day well worth it.

 

[disneypofq05]

We always rent a car but it's not because we hate waiting. We like the freedom to do and go where we want. We use a combination of Disney transportation and the rental car.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

That's your opinion, not fact. I can't stand driving on vacation, doesn't matter if there is no traffic or if the rental cost $1, it's the point. I commute 3 hours a day so getting away from a car is my top priority.

That's your personal choice, fine. You are correct, that was my opinion. It never dawned on me someone might not like to drive.

I'm taking that 3 hours to mean 1.5 hours each way right?

One of these days, just for giggles, rent a car for a day trip at WDW. Splurge on a Charger for $30 and drive around for a bit. Head over to the beach, drop the windows and turn the music up. Then tell me it's the same experience you have on one of your roads commuting.

 

[brunette8706]

Great thread!

I voted for number 2! We did rent a car and drove from Baltimore to Orlando! Cost was $372.00 for 13 days. The drive wasn't horrible took about 14 hours with stopping in between. With that said, we did utilize Disney's transporation system. The busses were great, the monorail was efficient, and boats were kind of cool. Never had a problem.

thanks!
Brunette