Disney--would you rent a car or no?

In April, DD will be 21 months

These are the pros/cons to renting one, but I thought maybe someone would have more insight:

Pros:
-Don't have to wait for shuttle
-We can come back and let DD take a nap mid-day
-I have a conference, so my fam can come back and pick me up after a morning session


Cons:
-Shuttle from hotel is free to parks
-Have to park, etc


I'm really not sure, thanks for any help!

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Where are you staying?

we stayed at Animal Kingdom and it was very helpful to have a car. Also, if you plan on dining at other resorts, it's nice to have a car.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

I've always rented a car, only b/c I hate waiting around for shuttles and such. I have issues with being able to leave when I want to leave, and am not laid back in that area. I just like my own freedom.

Parking is never an issue really, b/c they have those trolley things that pick you up and drop you off at each lot.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

We always rent.

Shuttle can take awhile and I hate being at the mercy of "public transportation" while on vacation. WHen we were there in Dec the Monarail even broke down a few times and people were waiting forever for buses etc.

Parking is never an issue, you may not be close to the park and have to take the shuttle but have found the past 2 years that its very oderly and well organized.

The only place I hate parking is MK because you park at the transportation center and then it seems to take awhile to get to the park.

What we have done in the past is park at Polynesian (say you are there for breakfast) and take the monarail from there) we found it easier as the line for the monarail at the Transportation center can be crazy.

Our rental through southwest vacations was pretty cheap, we did the smallest car possible which was fine and I think it cost us uner $200 for 6 days with a car seat rental.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Posted by speakthetruth

I've always rented a car, only b/c I hate waiting around for shuttles and such. I have issues with being able to leave when I want to leave, and am not laid back in that area. I just like my own freedom.

Parking is never an issue really, b/c they have those trolley things that pick you up and drop you off at each lot.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Etd b/c I saw your later post you are staying off site...

I would 100% rent a car.

The off site transportation has a reputation for not being reliable. There is a whole explanation on the subject in the Unofficial guide to wdw.

Having a car is very easy. You will have to pay to park - but you only have to pay 1 time a day - and you just show your receipt if you take a break during the day or switch parks.

Someone mentioned parking at the poly or one of the monorail hotels and taking the monorail. You "might" get away with it - but they have had issues with people doing that and NOT dining at the hotel - so usually you have to have a ADR at the hotel (they have a list at security) to do that. So it really depends.

Renting is really easy and then you are on your own schedule. If you go with the hotel transportation they don't run all that frequently and then if the shuttle if full you might have to wait an hour (or if you miss it) or more until the next one. With a young child you are much better to have your car (WDW transportation is good and runs frequently so you don't need a car unless you want one) this way you can come and go on your own time and not on theirs.

As far as car seat rentals. Yes you can - BUT - from what I have read online and have heard from friends - they would never do so again. You don't know if the seat has been in an accident, they don't install the seat for you or give you instructions - you just get a seat - which could be old or very dirty etc. I know at least one person who rented a seat and got down there and they had no more available. It is not guaranteed. They only had a booster seat (this was for a 1 year old) so they had to go out and buy a seat. It is much easier to just bring your own seat and either carry it on, gate check it or check it with your luggage rather than take a chance with the safety of the seat or the fact that they might not have one that you can use. But again that is personal preference.

Message edited 1/16/2011 12:11:59 PM.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

if you aren't staying on property i'd definitely rent a car.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

I stayed at all star movies..it was about 20 minutes from the parks and we didn't have a car..

We used the bus to go back and forth which i found GREAT. Just drop you outside the parks, no parking, no cost to park etc..

I don't think we would have used a car the whole time we were there honestly..maybe to run to a store and stock up on stuff for the room, but everything we needed was at the hotel (just a bit pricier). It really depends your need level!

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

don't see the need for a car in Disney. We did just fine with the shuttles

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

When we went we used shuttles and had no problems

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

If you are staying off property, rent a car for sure. It's so much more convenient than relying on a shuttle.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

no, I would not rent a car. The shuttles work well.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

I would definitely get a car if I was staying offsite - the shuttles at the resorts I stayed at tended not to run frequently enough, it was so much easier having a car.

As for a car seat, you can rent one but, you can also bring your own and check it for free (either at the gate or with checked baggage). I prefer bringing my own because you don't know the history of the seat you are renting and it's kind of pricey.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

We are staying at Animal Kingdom and renting a car. We stayed at The Carribean Beach when my DD was 21 mos and rented a car. We like having the freedom of a car there.

Re: Disney--would you rent a car or no?

If you are staying off property you need a car. Not having one will waste hours of time...every single day. The off-site shuttles do not run continously like Disney transportation and are notoriously unreliable.

I even rent a car when we stay on property....which is now every time we go for many reasons....(cannot beat the Magic Express!) If you are allowed to stay off property, I would book on property and commute to the conference by rental car.

Have a great trip

I just read that you were staying at the Carib Royal....definitely not that far from Disney but I have read about some crime there on the Disboards. ( message board similar to this one) You might consider moving after the conference.

Message edited 1/16/2011 5:59:02 PM.