WDW Resort Rental Car or Disney Transport?

[sbirmantaz]

We are staying at Old Key West in June for a week. There will be 4 adults and 4 kids, 6 mo, 3, 4, and 5. I have never been to WDW before but from what I read it seems it may be a hassle using the Disney transportation. It will cost us over $600 to rent an 8 passsenger vehicle for the week. Do you think it is worth it? I will definently spend the money if we will be frustrated waiting for buses etc everytime we want to go anywhere... WDYT? Thanks!

[bnme]

Wow, is it really that much to rent? We rented an 8 passanger van for our Dec 04 trip and I don't remember paying nearly that much, though I could be totally wrong.

Anyway, it was really nice having the van over WDW buses but it depends on your personal preference. We went in Dec 04 with a 4 month old and 2yo and had a van. Then in Dec07 with a 3 and 5yo and no van. We stayed at OKW both times.

Sometimes it seems you wait forever for the buses which is very frustrating with little ones. It always seems to happen at the worst possible time. BUT more often then not the buses are fine. Most times we waited less then 15 minutes. The ride can be up to 30 minutes. For us the kids would start to wind down in the car, as opposed to the bus being like another ride for them. And you don't have to worry about getting a seat, etc.

Since you have 1 adult per kid the buses should be manageable -but would be harder if you were ever 2 adults and all 4 kids+strollers.

That being said, we did have a handicap permit which meant we got prime parking. It may be more of a hassle if we were parked way-back. The nice thing about the buses is that they are very close to park exit. And the OKW stop always seemed to be near the front.

Another thing to consider is carseats. If you are going to bring them for the plane anyway and didn't rent a car it would be more to lug through the Orlando airport and for no reason on that end. On our second trip we did not bring carseats. But on our first trip I would not have felt comfortable flying with out them.

HTH a bit! Have a great trip! I can't wait to go again.

[egoldber]

Have you looked into the cost of renting two cars vs renting a large van? Its probably a lot cheaper. Week long car rentals in Orlando are usually in the $150 range.

Fur us, we always prefer to rent a car. If you are going to be staying late for fireworks and parades, then I would prefer a car. The lines for the buses can be absolutely astronomical at the end of the day. But if you don't plan to do that, then it may not be so bad.

Also, do you have any early breakfatsts planned? If so, then realize you need to be walking out of your hotel room about an hour ahead of time to make sure you have plenty of time. And also if you need to get another hotel from your hotel, you will need to allow time to transfer on the buses.

All that being said, I have done the buses when DH was not around or when we needed to do something separately. I didn't think it was that bad and Sarah really enjoyed it. Its much more of a pain with a baby who needs a stroller and a fair amount of gear, but its easily doable when you have a lot of helping hands.

I think it boils down to are you the kind of person/family who hates waiting around vs the kind of person/family who hates driving in unfamiliar places on vacation.

And since you are staying at a WDW resort, you can use the Disney transportation from the airport and they will schlep carseats for you.

[MamaC]

We love the Disney transportation. There is some waiting for the buses but it's really not too bad (you WILL be waiting if you leave the park right after the last fireworks show, but you'll hit traffic in the parking lots w/ your car then, too).
Also, if memory serves me (which it does less & less these days, lol) even if you drive, you're almost certainly taking a trolley from the lot to the gates and you'll end up waiting for the trolley/loading kids & strollers, etc on and off the trolley.
Plus, add the cost of parking to your car tab. It's a bit expensive. If you do end up driving/parking, you should check to see if you have to re-pay in a new lot if you park-hop on the same day.
HTH

[dhano923]

We jusr came back from WDW a couple weeks ago. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and used Disney Transportation. It was great! The longest we had to wait for a bus was to go to Animal Kingdom and that was because we walked up right when the bus was driving off. Otherwise buses were coming every 5-10 minutes. We also used the Ferry from WL to the Magic Kingdom and that was also nice.

[belovedgandp]

We went in September with just 2 adults 3 month old and 3 1/2 year old. Did the Disney transport thing without a problem. Only lines were at the end of the day when everyone wanted to leave.

If you think you'll want the vehicle to go off-site or work on your own schedule, then I'd consider the two car suggestion. Will all 8 of you always be traveling as a group? Two cars would give you some flexibility.

Personally, I'd have to have a specific reason to pay for a rental and parking when staying on-site with the transport available.

[daniele_ut]

Have you looked into the cost of renting two cars vs renting a large van? Its probably a lot cheaper. Week long car rentals in Orlando are usually in the $150 range.

This is exactly what I was going to say. We went 3 years ago with 4 adults and 4 kids and the rental agencies couldn't guarantee an 8 passenger minivan. The full size van was over $600 to rent for the week, but we were able to get 2 mid size cars (they were both Chevy Malibus) for $125 each for the week. We were REALLY grateful to have 2 cars, so both families didn't have to do everything together. We weren't staying onsite that trip so we needed a car regardless, but it was really nice to have 2.

[sbirmantaz]

thanks! I think if we rent we will do this, not sure why I didn't think of that before. I am definitely the type of person who will not like waiting EVERY time we want to go somewhere. I need to increase my patience level :-)
Anyways, I have another quick question: do you have to park and take a shuttle from the lot at all parks or just MK? Thanks!

[egoldber]

do you have to park and take a shuttle from the lot at all parks or just MK?

We only do it at the MK. There are parking lot shuttles in the other parks, but thats the only one we use regularly. Depending on where you end up parking, you may not need to use a shuttle even at the MK. We often walk if the weather is nice.

BUT if you are driving your own car to the MK, you part at the TTC (Transportation & Ticket Center) and THEN take either the monorail or a boat to the actual entrance to the MK. Depending on timing (if you just miss a boat or train) it can take up to 30 minutes to actually get into the MK from the TTC.

One advantage to the Disney buses for the MK is that you get to skip the TTC. The bus from your hotel will drop right at the main entrance to the MK. You still have to make your way through security, etc.

[writermama]

Also, whether renting a van or two cars, check mousesavers.com for coupon codes.

We're planning a spring break trip and just found a code that made our rental half of the best price we were finding on Expedia and other sites.