Would you hire a car for Disney?
Discussion
We are off on April during peak time with the family. Staying in a Disney Hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter)
Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
As we are not huge park fans, we only do about 1/3 of our holiday at parks, the rest we explore a bit, go to the beaches, etc, so we always hire cars. There’s always somewhere new to go.
Depends on what your plans are for the holiday I guess, but even for going shopping etc, it just gives you the freedom to get up and go when you like. Driving is dead easy out there too.
Depends on what your plans are for the holiday I guess, but even for going shopping etc, it just gives you the freedom to get up and go when you like. Driving is dead easy out there too.
RicksAlfas said:
You can manage without a car, but I wouldn't want to. I would miss the flexibility.
Where are you planning to eat? Are you going to other (non-Disney) parks?
Exactly this. You might be rarin' to go for 14 days of non-stop Disney park time but after a couple of days even the most enthusiastic youngster needs a break. The malls, evening eats, trip to Kennedy Space Centre/Daytona beach/Busch Gardens etc. Car also gives you option to throw a sickie, let the rest of the family go to Animal Kingdom, and then head on down to the gun store and put some lead down range.Where are you planning to eat? Are you going to other (non-Disney) parks?
RicksAlfas said:
You can manage without a car, but I wouldn't want to. I would miss the flexibility.
Where are you planning to eat? Are you going to other (non-Disney) parks?
We only plan to do Disney. Had not throught about eating out but a good point. We have a meal plan included in the tickets. Where are you planning to eat? Are you going to other (non-Disney) parks?
RicksAlfas said:
You can manage without a car, but I wouldn't want to. I would miss the flexibility.
Same here. We did 10 night in Port Orleans - Riverside last year. Having the car was very handy to nip out to Walmart, Malls, Restaurants.We found the food court at the hotel less than inspiring so many evening meals we had elsewhere.
Although the onsite transport is very good - I felt better having a car waiting for us when the parks kicked out after the big shows. Rather than having to join a queue to get a bus just straight to the car and away.
Also,if you are doing water parks you have to change buses to get there, whereas the car made that so much simpler.
I wouldn’t use the Disney buses, they are slow and infrequent. The boats aren’t too bad though if they take you where you need to go.
Check your parking charges though, I stayed in a Disney hotel over Christmas and was charged $30 a day.
Even if you are staying in a disney hotel, I’d drive to the transportation centre and Animal Kingdon, etc, and pay the $25 parking fee, so much easier.
Other than Disney, I’d get a car to get away from the parks for a bit, get to the supermarket for example. A bottle of Corona was $8 in the supermarket in the Disney hotel I was in, $15 for 12 in Walmart a few miles away.
Check your parking charges though, I stayed in a Disney hotel over Christmas and was charged $30 a day.
Even if you are staying in a disney hotel, I’d drive to the transportation centre and Animal Kingdon, etc, and pay the $25 parking fee, so much easier.
Other than Disney, I’d get a car to get away from the parks for a bit, get to the supermarket for example. A bottle of Corona was $8 in the supermarket in the Disney hotel I was in, $15 for 12 in Walmart a few miles away.
BertB said:
Just noticed you also mentioned getting the boat. Pretty sure that only takes you to Disney Springs.
If you are heading to a park, it's bus or car.
There are boats from some of the resorts to some of the parks. You can make your way from a resort to the transportation centre then get the monorail to MK or Epcot but it will take ages. If you are heading to a park, it's bus or car.
skilly1 said:
We are off on April during peak time with the family. Staying in a Disney Hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter)
Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
My family and I stayed at a Disney hotel for a couple of weeks in July last year, although we also stayed for a few nights at the Hard Rock hotel so we could visit Universal.Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
My wife insisted on hiring a car - I wasn't sure it was going to be worthwhile but I would say looking back it was a good idea.
We wanted to get to each park in time for rope drop, and so it was really easy to park fairly close to the entrances (with the exception of Magic Kingdom, where the car park was quite a trek).
Having said that. the Disney bus system is good, so I'm not sure we actually saved that much time - it just felt generally more convenient to drive.
Plus as others have mentioned, you can visit other places like Discovery Cove and the Disney water parks much more easily with a car.
So taken overall, when you consider you have booked a holiday which is going to cost you an arm and a leg, you might as well add a hire car onto the list
It really depends what hotel and what you want to do - I know that seems obvious.
For example soem friends of us last year (with a 12 year old and 7 year old) went to florida for 10 days ish. They did disney for 7 days (staying in a very nice hotel at Disney springs - waste of money in my opinion) then flew from Orlando to Miami and stayed in miami 3 nights.
They didn't hire a car, did ubers / got the bus from there expensive hotel, but obviously you are waiting around (not long but sometimes after a long day where you have been q'ing all day - to then q for a bus etc with kids etc can be a bit of a mare.
Personally I always hire a car in florida (last went Nov 16), I just find it offers freedom to do what you want. But do check if your hotel charges for car parking spaces. Ours didn't (Caribbean beach) and it enabled us if we didn't want disney food - or changed plans and wanted a early night, hop in the car drive to tgi fridays / chillis / olive garden / outback steakhouse / uno / cheesecake factory etc etc and get out the disney bubble. ALso would recommend a car with shopping - who knows how much the missus will buy - and you can at elast drop the bags back in the car once you got half way round etc
ALso drove to busch gardens and legoland
I must admit it was a lot busier this time (driving) than previous years, but the park generally seemed a lot busier.
For example soem friends of us last year (with a 12 year old and 7 year old) went to florida for 10 days ish. They did disney for 7 days (staying in a very nice hotel at Disney springs - waste of money in my opinion) then flew from Orlando to Miami and stayed in miami 3 nights.
They didn't hire a car, did ubers / got the bus from there expensive hotel, but obviously you are waiting around (not long but sometimes after a long day where you have been q'ing all day - to then q for a bus etc with kids etc can be a bit of a mare.
Personally I always hire a car in florida (last went Nov 16), I just find it offers freedom to do what you want. But do check if your hotel charges for car parking spaces. Ours didn't (Caribbean beach) and it enabled us if we didn't want disney food - or changed plans and wanted a early night, hop in the car drive to tgi fridays / chillis / olive garden / outback steakhouse / uno / cheesecake factory etc etc and get out the disney bubble. ALso would recommend a car with shopping - who knows how much the missus will buy - and you can at elast drop the bags back in the car once you got half way round etc
ALso drove to busch gardens and legoland
I must admit it was a lot busier this time (driving) than previous years, but the park generally seemed a lot busier.
skilly1 said:
We are off on April during peak time with the family. Staying in a Disney Hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter)
Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
If you are staying at Disney Port Orleans resort in peak season, then £400 on car rental is a drop in the ocean. I would personally have the hire car. Will give you a bit of flexibility. You could head up to Kennedy Space Centre for the day or maybe Clearwater Beach and Bush Gardens? Would you have a hire car? I will cost about £400 for the 2 weeks.
Don't particularly like buses, but there is also a boat from that site.
What about just using taxies / Uber?
Sorry for another car hire question !!
Don't want to eat on property, pop out and find a restaurant. Fancy some snacks that aren't disney prices make a quick journey to the local target/Walmart.
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