To rent or not to rent (a car)

[rufio]

Good morning! I am trying to decide whether to rent a car. My mom and I are going to WDW in December for 7 days, staying at either Kidani or Boardwalk (depending on what happens with the waitlist). She is probably going to rent an ECV to use for some of the time we're there (the one we're looking at does come apart to fit in a trunk). I've seen that I can rent a car for about $22/day, so it's financially doable. I've stayed using a car and the busses (busses more times than not) and have no issues with either. My biggest problem is my fear of driving in big cities that I'm unfamiliar with. Anyway, what would you do in this situation? Rent or go with the bus?

 

[stevehousse]

EVCs can be heavy...you will have to load and unload it everytime u use the car...busses I think would better suite ur needs?

 

[Tuvalu]

If you are staying exclusively on property, the ride from the airport to WDW is quick, easy to navigate, no "big city" traffic issues. Even I-4, though heavily trafficked (and not the road you take to/from the airport) is not a stressful drive. (Trust me, I live in Atlanta and live the "big city" nightmare!)

Having your own car at WDW is very convenient and I miss it when we choose to fly down. It is much faster to get from place to place without having to wait on a bus (and it makes resort-to-resort trips soooo much easier...opens up a lot of dining possibilities.) As long as you can lift and transport the ECV (as @stevehousse mentioned) I think the car is the way to go.

 

[rufio]

If you are staying exclusively on property, the ride from the airport to WDW is quick, easy to navigate, no "big city" traffic issues. Even I-4, though heavily trafficked (and not the road you take to/from the airport) is not a stressful drive. (Trust me, I live in Atlanta and live the "big city" nightmare!)

Having your own car at WDW is very convenient and I miss it when we choose to fly down. It is much faster to get from place to place without having to wait on a bus (and it makes resort-to-resort trips soooo much easier...opens up a lot of dining possibilities.) As long as you can lift and transport the ECV (as @stevehousse mentioned) I think the car is the way to go.

This is what I'm thinking... According to the ECV website, the largest piece weighs about 30lbs. I'm a pretty strong girl I think I can handle it as long as it's easy to take apart and the guy in the video did it in 30 seconds, so hopefully it's easy. I'm thinking jumping in the car and going to the parks is going to be less frustrating for both of us than waiting 20+ minutes for a bus.

 

[rufio]

EVCs can be heavy...you will have to load and unload it everytime u use the car...busses I think would better suite ur needs?

The one we were looking at (Go-Go Elite Traveller Plus) disassembles into 5 pieces and the heaviest is just over 30lbs. I think I could handle that and she doesn't plan on using it every time we go to the parks, so there's that. We're just thinking it might be less frustrating than waiting on busses and then having to load and unload before the other guests.

 

[stevehousse]

Ya as long as u r ok with the lifting, a car is always much faster than the bus, especially since u don't have to spend an hour traveling from here to there...you can pretty much get anywhere in 15-20 minutes at the longest with a car...

 

[rufio]

Ya as long as u r ok with the lifting, a car is always much faster than the bus, especially since u don't have to spend an hour traveling from here to there...you can pretty much get anywhere in 15-20 minutes at the longest with a car...

And that sounds a lot better to me since I don't think my mom (@mycatbaxter) is going to be happy with having to get up two hours early to make a 9am breakfast ADR

 

[Arty Cordova]

As long as your not planning on getting drunk at the parks, I would recommend the car. Remember you can always park at the Contemporary and take the monorail over to the magic kingdom instead of parking in the main lot. The other lots aren't to bad at all.

 

[got2lovedisney]

Do you sometimes have to wait for a bus? Yes. Travel time from point A to point B would be the same whether driving a car or riding a bus. The difference is that that the buses usually leave you right at the front of the park. If you drove, would you then have to wait for a tram in the parking lot? Probably. Would you have to pack and unpack the ECV to board the tram(s)? Don't know.

Remember you can always park at the Contemporary and take the monorail over to the magic kingdom instead of parking in the main lot. The other lots aren't to bad at all.

Not always true. There are many occasions when the parks are busy that the Contemporary lot is closed to all but it's resort guests.

I've never found driving to be a faster option. I get to the resort and park my car until the day I check out. I had to rent once and realized that I paid to have the car sit in the parking lot for 3 days.

 

[SAV]

Travel time from point A to point B would be the same whether driving a car or riding a bus.
...
I've never found driving to be a faster option.

I have to disagree with these points. I find driving myself to be quicker overall.

When I drive my car, I don't have to make any other stops at any other bus stops along the way or on the way back. I guarantee I get from point A to B faster than a bus. The only possible park where it can be quicker on a bus is at MK where the bus drops you at the front door and not at the TTC. But then factoring the wait time(on average) for the bus, it is a wash there.

 

[SagamoreBeach]

I always rent a car. I love the option of coming and going at my leisure. AND there is always the mad rush to get on the bus after the fireworks - and then you're packed in tighter than sardines. I would rather pay to have the convenience of my own vehicle whether I choose to use it or not.

 

[rufio]

Do you sometimes have to wait for a bus? Yes. Travel time from point A to point B would be the same whether driving a car or riding a bus. The difference is that that the buses usually leave you right at the front of the park. If you drove, would you then have to wait for a tram in the parking lot? Probably. Would you have to pack and unpack the ECV to board the tram(s)? Don't know.

Not always true. There are many occasions when the parks are busy that the Contemporary lot is closed to all but it's resort guests.

I've never found driving to be a faster option. I get to the resort and park my car until the day I check out. I had to rent once and realized that I paid to have the car sit in the parking lot for 3 days.

I have to disagree with these points. I find driving myself to be quicker overall.

When I drive my car, I don't have to make any other stops at any other bus stops along the way or on the way back. I guarantee I get from point A to B faster than a bus. The only possible park where it can be quicker on a bus is at MK where the bus drops you at the front door and not at the TTC. But then factoring the wait time(on average) for the bus, it is a wash there.

I hate to agree with @SAV on this one. We drove on our honeymoon trip and, while we intended to leave the car parked and use the busses, we ended up using the car more often than not. Not only can you go right to the car and go (without waiting), but at the end of the night, there's no waiting at the bus stop following by a standing bus ride with multiple stops along the way.

 

[JillC LI]

Can't comment on the ECV aspect of it, but after one trip without a rental car, we now ALWAYS rent a car for convenience and speed of travel. So much more convenient and easy to get around at Disney.

 

[anchorman314]

Something else to consider with a car. I certainly would never ask for personal info., but the ECV part made me think. If your mom has a handicap parking placard/permit from your home state, you can use that to park in the HP sections of the lots. A member of my travel party has one, and often times, we were able to park closer than some of the park bus stops.

 

[rufio]

Something else to consider with a car. I certainly would never ask for personal info., but the ECV part made me think. If your mom has a handicap parking placard/permit from your home state, you can use that to park in the HP sections of the lots. A member of my travel party has one, and often times, we were able to park closer than some of the park bus stops.

She doesn't have a handicap permit. I wish she did though! A good friend of hers has an extra... hmmm... (kidding)

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I used to rent a car all the time because I'm impatient and wanted to visit other places (Uni, outlet malls, etc) but I just don't see the value anymore - $350+ for a rental car after paying $300+ to fly is just not worth it IMO

 

[got2lovedisney]

Anyone that can just exit the park, hop in their car and be resting in their room in 15 minutes is in the minority. IMHO The rest of us have to, in the case of the Magic Kingdom, wait in a long line for the monorail or ferry, wait in a line for the tram, walk out to your car which in my case is usually at the far end of the lot, navigate through traffic and construction to get back to their resort to try to find a parking spot in a resort filled to capacity and then make the hike to their room. But hey, that's just me.

Everyone has their own good and bad experiences with either avenue. Either way, have fun on your trip!

 

[rufio]

I used to rent a car all the time because I'm impatient and wanted to visit other places (Uni, outlet malls, etc) but I just don't see the value anymore - $350+ for a rental car after paying $300+ to fly is just not worth it IMO

We were able to find a rental at $209 for 8 days! I wouldn't do it at the price you're talking about!

 

[DznyGrlSD]

We were able to find a rental at $209 for 8 days! I wouldn't do it at the price you're talking about!

I used to be able to get 10 days through Alamo for less than $300 but not anymore. I think we're going to rent a car for 1 day when we go to Universal & Halloween Horror nights.

 

[rufio]

I used to be able to get 10 days through Alamo for less than $300 but not anymore. I think we're going to rent a car for 1 day when we go to Universal & Halloween Horror nights.

That would definitely be worth it! I was looking at a cab to go to UNI and it was around $40 each way!