Rent a car or not?

[jc1delaware]

We want to stay at a Disney resort and are wondering if it’s worth renting a car so we can travel from park to park instead of taking the bus. We are hearing that it can take a long time for the buses so we are just a little worried with having young children. Tia.

 

[Spunky946]

We don’t mind the busses and using the occasional Uber or Lyft. What resort are you staying at?

 

[Tink_83]

I think it depends on the resort your staying at, also don’t forget to factor in the cost of parking at the resort as well. While I prefer driving I also drive to Disney so it makes complete since for me to drive me car to the park as well from the resort... if I had to rent just for Disney I may reconsider though.

 

[Frogman88]

So I rented a vehicle for my trip and I did the same last year and I enjoy having the comfort of being able to go somewhere when I want in privacy as for traveling to and from the parks I think u can use Disney’s transportation.

 

[tinkerjo]

IMO it’s not worth the extra money. On top of car rental there is the fee to park daily. The bus transportation sometimes is fast, sometimes isn’t. Depends on your driver and luck of getting to the stop at a “perfect” time. We have waited for buses for what seemed like forever and we have also lucked out and got there right before it left. BUT I didn’t have to search for my car, wait for it to cool down a tad before getting in because it was 250 degrees inside, fight traffic going back/coming in, etc. the air conditioned bus takes you right back to your resort stop. Nope, if I didn’t have a car I would not rent one.

 

[TOBS2010]

I wouldn't rent one. We have been going to WDW since our kids were 2 and I don't think it's worth it. The extra cost to pay to park they instituted in the last two years or so solidifies that. If you are staying off property it might be something to consider. But one of the biggest benefits of staying on property is the free transportation. Even with a stroller it isn't difficult to navigate the busses, boats and monorails to get around with kids. However, I will say now that they have the Minnie Vans and Family Ubers we cheated a few times and used them to get to a dinner reservation quickly. The only stressful time on the busses in my opinion is after fireworks/park closing. But with younger kids we only do this once or twice a trip so it isn't that bad. You can also monorail, walk, boat to the nearest hotel to that park and take a family uber back to your resort if you really wanted to circumvent the crowded bus at that point in the night, which we did this past summer. Well worth the $15-$20 for that.

 

[UK2K]

Uber and Lyft are all you need.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Disney transport and Uber/Lyft for us. Vacation means no driving to me.

 

[UK2K]

I could not agree more with the above post. The stress level itself is worth not driving at Disney.

 

[BOST99]

We rent a car but might be an outlier. We take public transportation for commuting to work so we dont want to wait on transportation on vacation.

We also like to go to some offsite restaurants so find the freedom worth the expense.

 

[afsaneh3838]

For us, busses are a great way to get excited in the morning before the park, and a great way to wind down after closing....it also helps when the buzzing of busses puts the kiddos to sleep .
We love taking boats, buses and with this trip, we’ll be testing out the skyliner!

 

[rdaky]

I don't think the extra cost is worth it. You're paying to rent the vehicle plus the cost to park on property. That adds up. The only time we have actually needed a car has been traveling from resort to resort to eat at a restaurant, and we got a Minnie Van Lyft.

 

[Beachmom0317]

We have an unpopular opinion it seems but for us the rental car is invaluable. We’ve taken our littles since babies and the car has allowed them to nap and rest or just exit the park quickly and get back to the resort ASAP when they need a rest. We’ve also enjoyed driving around resort hopping for dinners without having to worry about transferring to Disney Springs to hop on a resort bus. That being said we are DVC and don’t pay for parking at resorts, but if I’m being honest we probably would save more money for our vacation and fork up the parking fee even if we weren’t DVC.

 

[Feberin]

We drove to Disney last time we went so we had a car however with two kids in car seats the bus seemed easier. Plus we park hopped and it was nice not going back to our initial resort. We only used our car once to get to a dinner reservation that we were running late otherwise we used buses. We were at All Star Sports too so no other options besides a bus for Disney transportation tonour resort.

 

[PrincessinTrainingMomma]

The first time we went to Disney was just before my daughter’s 4th bday and getting on the bus to go back to the resorts at night was horrible. You have to fold up your stroller and in my case hold a sleeping child standing up squished against strangers or if you’re lucky enough to get a seat your squished in again and likely have someone else’s kid hanging over you, cause they can’t help it. Factor in people coughing and parents in mid argument with their kids about behaving, it was beyond my personal comfort zone. A car and space is invaluable to me. Ride sharing services would also probably avoid the things I take issue with too. Depends what makes you comfortable.