Should we rent a car?

[Smile Mama]

We are leaving on Friday. A friend suggested we just rent a car when we get to the airport instead of paying for a Towncar and then not have a car while we are at Disney. We have no plans to go off the WDW property. Today I was making a dinner ressie and asking the lady how long to allow for transfers around the park and to restaurants, and she said to ALWAYS allow an HOUR! My stomach did a flip flop! I can't deal with that! I asked her "EVEN at THIS time of year???" She said YES. Can somebody tell me if that is true? We are going to be staying at AKL. I'm worried it might be too late to get a car since we arrive on Friday night. PLEASE ADVISE!! Thanks!!!

 

[kityrussell]

Not sure where you are staying but she is right. It can sometimes be a real pain to get from point A to point B at WDW, especially if you are eating at a monorail resort and staying somewhere near Epcot or MGM. We always rent a car but we always go off property for sundries and drive to Dowtown Disney.

To answer is it too late to rent, usually no! In fact most car companies drop rates closer to the date you rent so you may be alright. Check National and Dollar.

If you are that stressed about wasting time transferring at TTC or waiting on a bus, then rent a car. But then again, if you don't mind giving yourself some time, the towncar probably is a more economic option. I think our rental was about $50 more than a towncar but we used the car a lot last time (we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge).

Hope this helps.

 

[Smile Mama]

Thanks for the input. We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge too. I just put a car on a reserve using the Mousesaver discount code. It's a great deal but I wasn't planning on this expense. My DH is not going to be happy. EEEK! Oh well.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

We always advise an hour for connections and whatnot just to err on the safe side. We'd rather you arrive to your destination early, than to get there late. Some connections can be made a lot quicker than others. It mostly depends on if you just missed it and whatnot... And also on whether you use "Smart connections"



Just to give you an idea what is possible...

The other day, I had to come into work on my day off to take care of some scheduling business. Turned out to be a complete waste of my time. So, in order to not waste my trip into Disney... I decided to go for some rides.

I started out at 4:10 at Westgate (TTC). From there, I took the bus to the WL. At the WL, I wandered around, and took about 10 pictures of the resort, the lobby, the pool, etc. From there, I hopped on the boat. The boat went to Fort Wilderness, and then off to the Magic Kingdom.

At the Magic Kingdom, I took about 15-20 pictures of the monorails, the various boats, and a bunch of busses. Stopped, and chatted with a few coworkers. Then caught a bus to Old Key West.

Took about 5 pictures at OKW, and hopped the Trumbo Ferry to Downtown Disney. Walked around the waterfront of the Marketplace for a few mins, and then caught the Sassagoula Steamboat to French Quarter.


At French Quarter, I walked around the waterfront, and then over to the Pool Area. Took a bunch of pictures of the pool, and of the buildings, and made my way to the Lobby. Took a few more pictures there. Headed out to the Bus Depot. I was planning on catching an Epcot bus and then taking the Monorail back to my car at the TTC, but a Magic Kingdom bus pulled up, and one of my friends was driving. Hadn't seen him in a while, so I hopped on his bus, and he dropped me off directly at the TTC (Along with some other guests who needed to go there)

I got back to my car by 6:15. So, in about two hours, I went from TTC -> WL -> FW -> MK -> OKW -> DTD -> FQ -> TTC. And that includes stopping at most areas and taking tons of pictures. I think I took somewhere around 80 pictures that day. Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Anyhoo... I never waited more than 8 minutes for transportation. Yes, it felt like 20... but I did time it with my watch, and the longest was for the OKW bus, and that was 7mins 48 seconds.

 

[Smile Mama]

Thanks for the reply. That made me feel a lot better. My DH said no way, on renting a car. He said his coworkers told him they never needed an hour to transfer anywhere. I still don't know why they would tell people that. We have a babysitter lined up for a date night (going to Pleasure Island from AKL) and would have to spend the whole date time almost just transferring from place to place, if we needed to allow an hour for every transfer! I hope we don't have problems with the buses and wind up wishing we had rented a car. We'll just have to take our chances and hope it works out. THANKS AGAIN!

 

[CarolA]

Have you thought about taking a taxi for "date night"? Yes, it can take quite a while to transfer and that would eliminate the feeling of "we are paying a sitter while we sit on the bus"

 

[Smile Mama]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have talked to my husband and we decided we would take a taxi. This would take the stress out of the situation.

 

[Pluto4President]

I personally ALWAYS rent. It really depends upon how long you are staying. With some of the great car rental codes out, it might be an economical option. I have used Disney Transportation at times, I just rather drive myself. Much quicker direct routes

 

[inkkognito]

I'll throw in my two cents from the perspective of a person who has always used a towncar and who recently rented a car for the very first time. We usually use Happy Limo to get to the parks and then rely on Disney transportation, and it's always worked out well for us. The towncar has always been on time, and Disney transportation is generally very reliable...once in a while there have been some wicked waits, but that's the exception rather than the rule.
I was forced to rent a car when we went down to Orlando for a conference in Oct. and ended up at an offsite hotel via Priceline, forcing us to have to drive to the Swan every day. We booked Avis through Priceline, and I would definitely recommend an airport rental agency if you do it...it was VERY convenient. The directional signs in the area are great (I also consulted Mapquest and these message boards for directions). But after the conference each afternoon we left the car at the Swan and still used Disney transportation.
Bottom line: Renting a car was much more painless than I thought, but I would definitely stick with a towncar unless I was staying offsite and/or was planning to be doing other things in the Orlando area. Otherwise there is no need for a car...Disney transportation will do just fine.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Smile Mama]

Thanks for your reply. The towncar is the way we have chosen to go. We really shouldn't need a car and if we do once or twice, we can use a cab. We leave tomorrow YEAH!!!

 

[ahoff]

I am in favor of renting. If you compare the cost of the towncar, plus the taxi rides, I would wager the costs will be pretty close. Even if we don't use the rental, it is peace of mind knowing that is there if we did need a car, as we did once when our son got sick and we had to go off site.

And I like to drive! Also convenient for stops along the way to MK for supplies.

 

[Janis]

Smile Mama, your husband sounds like mine. He says, "This is my vacation and I don't want to drive anywhere!!!" We used to use Mears, but have switched to Yourride. We never have had a problem with Disney transportation, and never really waited that long to get anywhere. Have fun on your trip!