to rent a car or not to rent a car - that is the ??

[soozaay]

If we stay in SSR in October. There's just the 2 of us. Would you recommend renting a car to go from park to park OR use the bus system?


Thanks!

[tjkraz]

I'm a control freak, so I like to have a car whenever possible. It's great when staying at SSR or OKW because your car is only a few steps from your guest room. Other resorts aren't nearly as convenient.

My main reasons for getting a car were:

1. Cost - Got a great rate. Paid $90 for an SUV for 4 days through Alamo.

2. Shopping - We always grocery shop and having the car meant I didn't have to pay Disney prices for grocery items or use an outside shopping service. We spent $50 at Publix for stuff to keep in the room. I estimated that would have been $70-80 if we bought similar items at the resort's general store. That savings helped mitigate some of the rental price.

3. Time - Having the car at our disposal saved us about 2 hours on our departure day vs. using DME. That may not sound like much, but it was time spent at MGM during the Star Wars Weekends, so it was precious.

4. Resort to resort transportation - Disney busses are OK, but they fail miserably if you plan to visit any of the other resorts. There is no direct service so you need to switch busses at one of the theme parks. One of our dining choices was the ESPN Club. With a car, I had no trouble valet parking (for free) at the BoardWalk and walking the very short distance to ESPN. After dinner we even hoofed it over to Epcot for the fireworks.

5. Because I'm a control freak. ;) I like to be able to switch gears at the drop of a hat. Staying at SSR, it was a daily occurrence for my son to say "daddy, can we stop by the Lego Store one more time." Can't do that quite so easy if you're sitting on a bus.

I will note that even if you have a car, taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom is usually quicker than driving. The busses drop you off right outside the park. If you drive, you park at the TTC, take a tram to the monorail station and finally take the monorail to the park.

I tend to over-analyze the value of some purchases during our vacations, but I usually splurge if it means having some readily-accessible wheels available during our stay.

[Plutofan2]

We always bring our car. One year during the summer it took us almost an hour to get to our hotel after the parks. We like the convenience of having a car. For us there is to much to do and so little time.

[nono]

It depends on my mood and where I'm staying. In general, I agree with Tim, 'cept that when staying at SSR we don't mind walking over to the DD busses to get to a resort.

At this point in time, what we generally do is end up renting a car for about 2 days of our entire stay and doing our off-site stuff/difficult transportation stuff on those days. One of us (ok, me) simply leaves WS one afternoon and walks over to the Dolphin to pick up the car. Then I :coolcar: around and pick up the family out front of Epcot.

[carolina_yankee]

As you can tell, there are many factors. If you don't mind spending the money, a car will always be convenient, though you'll probably enjoy having Disney doing much of the transportation, at least to the parks.

Tim gave his take for his decisions. Here mine.

I'm a control freak, so I like to have a car whenever possible. It's great when staying at SSR or OKW because your car is only a few steps from your guest room. Other resorts aren't nearly as convenient.
I'm a control freak, too; but I'm also cheap - so I'm go to offer an alternative view. However, I totally agree that a car is more convenient at SSR than, say BWV (but at least you get free valet there, though tipping is appropriate).

My main reasons for getting a car were:

1. Cost - Got a great rate. Paid $90 for an SUV for 4 days through Alamo.

Here, it depends on the length of stay. Our stays require weekly rates, and I've never gotten a quote less than $170 (tax inclusive). Add tolls and fuel, and you're pushing $200. With the convenience of Magical Express, I learned to get over my control freak ways.

I've thought about Priceline or Hotwire, but I don't want Hertz at MCO (since they're off-site); and I'm leery of waiting in a long line at the other counters. Does anyone know if you can use your "head of the line" membership (sucha Budget or Alamo) if you book through Hotwire?

2. Shopping - We always grocery shop and having the car meant I didn't have to pay Disney prices for grocery items or use an outside shopping service. We spent $50 at Publix for stuff to keep in the room. I estimated that would have been $70-80 if we bought similar items at the resort's general store. That savings helped mitigate some of the rental price.
Again, I think it depends on circumstances. As two adults, we only bought basic breakfast items and sodas since we mostly eat out at Disney. I've been very happy with the grocery service we use - Gardengrocer.com. The delivery charge is $10 and the prices weren't too bad for our items, so we're down $10 instead of $200 at this point.

3. Time - Having the car at our disposal saved us about 2 hours on our departure day vs. using DME. That may not sound like much, but it was time spent at MGM during the Star Wars Weekends, so it was precious.
Very true, however our flight schedules are usually such that we just reserve the last morning for a relaxing departure day. Sleep in, enjoy hotel room, or have a nice breakfast.

4. Resort to resort transportation - Disney busses are OK, but they fail miserably if you plan to visit any of the other resorts. There is no direct service so you need to switch busses at one of the theme parks. One of our dining choices was the ESPN Club. With a car, I had no trouble valet parking (for free) at the BoardWalk and walking the very short distance to ESPN. After dinner we even hoofed it over to Epcot for the fireworks.
I almost rented a car for 2 days just to avoid this problem. (You can rent from National/Alamo at either the Dolphin or the Car Care Center). However, we decided on Disney transportation to resorts for dinner, and then taxi for return. Unfortuantely, it took 80 (!) minutes to get to AKL from BWV via boat to MGM and bus to AKL, so we decided to use taxi both ways the next night. I probably should have rented a car from the Dolphon for 2 days for that one.

5. Because I'm a control freak. ;) I like to be able to switch gears at the drop of a hat. Staying at SSR, it was a daily occurrence for my son to say "daddy, can we stop by the Lego Store one more time." Can't do that quite so easy if you're sitting on a bus.
As two adults, there's less gear switching; but it's still an issue. Sometimes, I just like to drive and explore. Perhaps we're hot or tired from a park, but don't want to go to the room. We've just gotten in the car and visited other resorts to walk around. Very nice way to relax without hibernating.

I will note that even if you have a car, taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom is usually quicker than driving. The busses drop you off right outside the park. If you drive, you park at the TTC, take a tram to the monorail station and finally take the monorail to the park.

At the end of the day, even if we rent a car, we'll usually take the busses to the parks. Dealing with parking lots just ruins the magic for me. It's not that I hate to drive, I just hate the look of a parking lot!! Having said that, except for MK, parking go be more convenient since the trams are usually waiting near where you park and they drop you off closer than the buses. It's just that once I'm there, I want to go - not wait for a full tram. Different control issues.

I tend to over-analyze the value of some purchases during our vacations, but I usually splurge if it means having some readily-accessible wheels available during our stay.
Ditto on the over-anlalyzing. For us, we splurge on food or purchases, so ecnomizing on a car makes all the difference.

Ultimately, it depends on length of stay. If we're there around 5-7 days, we know we're not going off property and with DME, paying for wheels just doesn't make sense. Even this last trip, with 3 cab fares and one grocery delivery, we spent 40% of the cost of a rental and didn't really lose too much time in transit given how we planned the day. If we were there longer, I'm sure I'd rent a car for some of that time, since Disney makes it easy to do on site.

Dirk

[Rozzie]

I am so with Tim on this one!

This past trip, we used the car everywhere and everytime. Usually we only reserve it for MGM and AK. OMG! I was amazed at the freedom it gave us, and we were able to do so much more stuff it seemed. ("hey, let's go ride ToT one more time...", "let's go get some sandwiches at EoS") We didn't leave the villa until 0840, and were at AK at opening. Before, you need to be at the busstop at least an hour before you really want to get there. We figured we saved at least 2 hours a day in transportation time. But then again, we bounce around a lot, and this helped us even to bounce around more. :D
Oh and resort hopping, too fun with a car, in and out! :tilt:

postnote: F&W, no driving!!! We plan on taking the bus there, and maybe a taxi home if the line is too long. :slyasafox

[soozaay]

Thanks all!
I'm leaning towards renting a car (even if it's just a compact) for us...it just sounds so much easier to get around. We've done the bus in the past, but it was when we stayed at Caribbean Beach & Wilderness Lodge...it was nice not having to drive on vacation, but I also like the freedom of not being on a schedule. NOW, I just have to convince DH!! :Pokepoke:

[ghost1000]

I'm not a control freak (well, maybe just a little), but I agree with all of tjkraz' reasons. I like having the ability to just hop in the car and going where I want to go. On one trip we went from our hotel (SSR) to check out the dinner menu at Boatwright's (POR). Decided nothing there fitted our mood at the time so we got back in the car and headed to Olivia's instead. And we made not one, but two trips to Publix on our trip last month.

We also tend to spend our last morning at Disney-MGM Studios (it's become a tradition). We have lunch at the Sci-Fi and then head off to the airport.

On our trip last month we put 225 miles on our rental. I booked a mid-size SUV through Alamo and a week's rental was just under $100 (I used the Costco codes).

I can usually get a good price for a rental. I check every week or so, and if the rental price is better than what I've already booked, I rebook at the lower rate.

There are a few exceptions (like taking the boat from WL/VWL to MK), but we use the car a lot.

And it's usually just for the two of us (DH and me).

[tjkraz]

I almost rented a car for 2 days just to avoid this problem. (You can rent from National/Alamo at either the Dolphin or the Car Care Center).

This is another great option is you can't find a decent weekly rate.

We have a local airline that flies directly into Orlando Sanford, which eliminates the possibility of using DME. To save a few bucks, we'll do one-day rentals at the start and end of our trip. We were staying at the BW, so it was easy to drop off and pick-up cars at the Dolphin (although one time I waited over 30 minutes in a long line with just one clerk working at the Dolphin.)

Even if you aren't in the Dolphin area, I understand that Alamo will drive you to and from the Car Care Center at no charge if you call ahead. :)

If you have some free time, I also recommend stopping by the off-site Disney outlet stores. All of the stores are Disney owned and have legitimate merchandise right from WDW. Most of it is closeout designs, production overruns or out-of-season stuff. But nearly everything is at least 50% off of the original price. For example, earlier this year we saw sharp looking DVC windbreakers that were originally $80 marked down to $40. I didn't need one, but it was a heck of a deal.

It's a great place to pick up gifts for people back home if you aren't too peculiar about what you get. ;) I think my step-father has at least two WDW golf shirts that were originally in the $60 range. I paid about $25.

Rarely do we leave the outlets without spending $150-200 (on stuff that would have cost us $400 at Downtown Disney.) That REALLY helps justify the car rental charges. :D

As far as rates go, a bunch of us got great rates through Alamo back in May. People were paying just over $100 for an SUV for a full week--all taxes and fees included. I'm not sure if this was a one-time thing or if they are scaling down rates to compete with DME. But it's worth checking MouseSavers.com for new rate codes and pricing rentals every few weeks. From the first reservation I made to my final price, I cut about $30 off of my rate over a 4-month span.

[soozaay]

If you have some free time, I also recommend stopping by the off-site Disney outlet stores. All of the stores are Disney owned and have legitimate merchandise right from WDW. Most of it is closeout designs, production overruns or out-of-season stuff. But nearly everything is at least 50% off of the original price. For example, earlier this year we saw sharp looking DVC windbreakers that were originally $80 marked down to $40. I didn't need one, but it was a heck of a deal.

It's a great place to pick up gifts for people back home if you aren't too peculiar about what you get. ;) I think my step-father has at least two WDW golf shirts that were originally in the $60 range. I paid about $25.

Rarely do we leave the outlets without spending $150-200 (on stuff that would have cost us $400 at Downtown Disney.) That REALLY helps justify the car rental charges. :D

OMG...how far are the outlets from the park?!? I could DEFINATELY make time for that!!

[AFMom]

We drive to wdw - so we always have our car for our luggage and groceries that we bring. But once we are there - we don't touch the car! My DH and I feel like it's less of a vacation if we have to use our own vehicle! I certainly don't want to see the parking lots!
This trip we are going to USO/IOA and Sea World - so we will be driving there - but on our last 8 night trip to the world, we never went near our own vehicle. I've found Disney transportation to be more than adequate - but of course - we don't like a lot of park hopping - we are always real slow and have a real lack of agenda - so that helps. I think in 8 days we only had 2 dining reservations that we had to be at and they were both in the parks.

[Colorado Belle]

So many different opinions! And all of them make sense!:sherlock:

Back in the day, before ME, it just made sense to rent a car. Farther back, there wasn't the 33% 'extra' for tax and surcharges, and a $50 a week rental was the norm.

It's true that with mousesaver's and Ghost's help, I got a G6 fullsize for a week from the car care center for $113. And a couple weeks ago, I saw rentals in Orlando for $10 a day ($13 with all the surcharges incl) Hard to beat that expense for the convenience.

Like Rozzie, I enjoy the 'freedom' of 'running' (driving) over to MGM at the last minute to catch a Fantasmic. Of course there is the option of walking (but by then my legs are tired) or taking the boat (but you do have to give it more time, just in case). At near closing...you can park right in front and just hop on in to see a show.

And driving to the resorts is a snap. And I like the freedom of driving to at least a couple of the other resorts every trip.

And I do tend to park hop. Staying at BWV, I'll walk or boat to Epcot, walk back, then maybe drive to AK or MGM or to the Poly for WIshes or Tonga Toast. It's just...well....HANDY. Last trip we were in a standard room BWV at the end...so I just parked in the behind valet overflow area and it was literally STEPS to the far door, up stairs to our room.

I can understand how the look of a parking lot can dampen the Disney magic, cause I feel much the same way about the buses. I had to wait a half hour for one the trip before last (and I HAD a car but left it at BWV) and then had to make a transfer to a boat and there was a crowd...and TWO HOURS later I finally dragged my butinski home. Hated it!!!!

All the other reasons: grocery stops, medical emergengies, just exploring, offsite shopping, leaving later for the airport........DITTO!

[carolina_yankee]

OK guys, cut that out. You're talking me out of my "buses are fine, save the money" position! Honestly, if I could get it down to around $100 for a week, I would. I think that the gas prices have made SUVs far less expensive to rent than before, so there are good deals out there.

As with everything, you have to evaluate what you want to do while you're there, and what's the best way for you to do it. It's usually a mixture of money and convenience, and Disney tries to make things as convenient as possible, but sometimes it's just not convenient enough!!

Dirk

[tjkraz]

OMG...how far are the outlets from the park?!? I could DEFINATELY make time for that!!

This post has some directions and a map that I whipped-up:

http://www.mouseowners.com/forums/showpost.php?p=27146&postcount=11

If you'll be doing some grocery shopping, there is a Publix within throwing distance of the closest outlet to WDW. This store is often packed and I don't usually find as much as at the others. But it's convenient to reach so I usually make the stop.

The other outlet will take you 20-30 minutes to reach from WDW, but I've found it to have a better selection of merchandise. There are actually two separate stores within the same "Belz" complex, so hit them both if you have time.

Here are directions to the other from Allearsnet:

http://www.allearsnet.com/btp/cware.htm

[TW1]

Our last trip, Aug '05, we drove from Philly. It was the first time we ever hard a car at WDW and we used it every day.

On previous trips we always used a towncar or the Mears shuttles and then the park buses to get around. Never thought much of. Felt ike we were saving a few bucks and one less thing to worry about.

Well, after we had a car on that last trip I'm sold. A set of wheels is a nice bonus to the parks, for all those reasons Tim gave us.