Need Honest Opinons... rent a car or Not to!

[Disneydreamer23]

I Am currently going to Disney August 10-17, I am renting a car. I am paying 600.00 for the car due to underage ( my husband is 24) I am considering just doing ther buses, my husband really wants a car but I would rather spend that 600.00 on Souvenirs,extra food ( after Plan , my husband is 6'7 360 pounds) Or In case we want to have drinks etc etc I Am staying at The Pop, Can any one help me to tell me How bad the busses are? We did busses 1 time in June 2008 from ASSports and It was a mess, Can any one tell me is Pop the same way? And if you were me what would you do??

 

[draybook]

Wow, $600 for one week? That's outrageous. Our full size rental is only $350 for two weeks. Granted I'm well over 25, it's just a shame that a certain age group is raked over like that.

 

[SAV]

We always get a rental car for the whole trip(since we do the beach after WDW), but I'd become a bus rider on the Disney part if it cost $600 for it. I almost did it the last trip because the rental was going to be about $350 for the entire trip.

 

[dreamfinder]

For the $600 cost, you could add a few days onto your trip to make up for any "lost" time using the buses. Totally not worth it.

 

[docdebbi]

i agree $600 is completely unreasonable. we rent a car every time and really really enjoy having it, but not for $600 !!!!
however, have you tried priceline? i hear of folks getting really good deals there. if not, then i'd go with disney transportation for that price

 

[Disneydreamer23]

UPDATE: Called Disney I have been added onto the "roster" the girl told me on the phone She said I would not get the luggage tags in time so she wasn't going to send them, but I think they would have gotten here calling at 23 days out?? I am only doing carry on any way so it doesn't matter now for the next question, My last day were going to Animal Kingdom, Do you think Disney would hold my luggage for me until we get back to hope onto the ME >?

 

[Magical Dreamer]

UPDATE: Called Disney I have been added onto the "roster" the girl told me on the phone She said I would not get the luggage tags in time so she wasn't going to send them, but I think they would have gotten here calling at 23 days out?? I am only doing carry on any way so it doesn't matter now for the next question, My last day were going to Animal Kingdom, Do you think Disney would hold my luggage for me until we get back to hope onto the ME >?

Yes, When you check out of your resort they will store your bags at Bell Services....it's like a 2 minute process to leave them and pick them up......PS: Good Choice on dumping the car.

 

[GoofGoof]

For much less than $600 you could take a cab home every day from the parks. The buses are really only bad at the end of the day. Getting there is usually not a problem and waits are generally less than 15 mins. If you leave MK after wishes or some really busy time with a long bus wait just grab a cab and for $20 you are back at the resort.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

We always have a car, split stays between Universal and Disney so it makes this easier. Its also good to get away from Disneys over priced quickly declining eateries and eat off site for less money and better quality.

 

[dreamfinder]

UPDATE: Called Disney I have been added onto the "roster" the girl told me on the phone She said I would not get the luggage tags in time so she wasn't going to send them, but I think they would have gotten here calling at 23 days out?? I am only doing carry on any way so it doesn't matter now for the next question, My last day were going to Animal Kingdom, Do you think Disney would hold my luggage for me until we get back to hope onto the ME >?

Any WDW resort will hold your luggage after check out. Either call bell services for a pickup, or bring it over yourself.

WDW tends to seriously over estimate shipping times. I believe the reason they give is that stuff takes a while to get sent internally, and then gets sent externally? So much like how they suggest 1 1/2 hours travel time from the Contemporary to the MK for your dining reservation, it's a worst case scenario and they don't want to disappoint you.

 

[tare]

Nah!!! Take a taxi when you absolutely need it!!!

 

[atsolomon]

I find a car good to have if you are going to meals at other hotels. The bus system is optimized to get you from hotel to park. I did not rent a car once and my wife and I found it inconvenient because we had to make odd routing choices to get from our hotel (Carribean Beach Resort) to, say, Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner at Jiko.

Perhaps you could make a rental reservation for mid-vacation at one of the on site car rental places. Take the Disney Magical Express from the airport (if you can still wangle that). Give yourself a couple days to decide if the buses are inconvenient or uncomfortable for your husband. If he's OK w/the buses, cancel the car reservation. The shorter reservation may also be cheaper than $600 too.

The on site WDW car rental vendors are Alamo and National: http://www.mousesavers.com/onedayrentals.html

Have a great time either way. ;-)

Regards,

Adam

 

[fredtom]

I really don't see the need to rent a car... especially at that price.


"An Adventurer's life is best!"

 

[Disneydreamer23]

Thank you every one I will be riding the buses this time around next yr we will rent a car bc there will be no under age fees, thank goodness

 

[Jeff456]

I can't speak highly enough of how much renting a car is a great idea even on property (and I still think the buses are pretty good) but at $600 for a week!? I would just take the buses

 

[righttrack]

I have stopped renting cars since Magical Express. It's just not worth it. The transportation provided is great. The only time a car would be considered an advantage would be going to Animal Kingdom perhaps, or needing to travel resort-to-resort. We always scheduled our resort meals to coincide with a park visit, so that never was a problem. IMO, save the $600, you won't miss much unless there is lots you are doing off property. If your plan is to enjoy everything WDW has to offer, you don't need a car.