Rent a car or Limo Service?

[Luvdisney]

Okay, need your opinion. Usually we drive to WDW or take the auto train. I'm surpising the DW with a birthday trip for 4 nights or I guess 5 days? I checked and it looks like I can rent a car for just about $100.00 for this period. I can also get a ride service for about the same. Based on what the RT price from MCO to WDW is plus the tip. Do you think I need the car or won't miss it. Staying in a DVC VWL. (1st trip Home) It will be Myself, wife and 2 kids (8 & 14).

 

[atigeg]

As someone who has done both options multiple times, I will give you my perspective. But let me start off by saying that I have a pre-existing bias...I prefer towncars because I hate to drive while on vacation!
We visit the Orlando area 6 to 8 times a year, and usually we use Happy Limo. They are very reliable and we've always been pleased with their service. Once we are on WDW property, we rely on their transportation service. Usually it's pretty prompt...sometimes the waits get long, but that is the exception rather than the rule. The crowds may be large, depending on the time of year, so you may be stuck in standing room only. But for me personally, that is preferable to having to worry about driving. For the first time ever last year, we stayed at offsite (Downtown Disney and main gate area) hotels, and even though we rented cars, we found that we never used them when getting around WDW property. The hotels provided buses to WDW...the only time we used the cars was to do some running around in Kissimmee that we had to do for business (I was attending a conference).
Speaking of the car rentals, one thing I will say that is good about driving is the excellent signage in the Orlando area and on WDW property. Never once did I get lost, and for me that is a big accomplishment I got my rentals via Priceline and got MCO agencies all three times (Avis once and Alamo twice). It was a bit of a pain picking up the cars...more so with Alamo than Avis. But since I really had no choice on those trips, I did find it tolerable. If you really think you'll feel "lost"without a car, go ahead and get one. But if you want to relax, go for a towncar and Disney transportation.
This is just my opinion...I think you'll find lots of different viewpoints on this topic!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Sandi]

You will get lots of opinions on this one. I have done both and I mix it up. If your looking for ease and don't plan to do dinners at different resorts, I'd say get the limo service.

The only time I think you really need a rental is when you have dinners at any resort other than the one at which you are staying or if you are using a childcare service at a resort other than your own. The resort to resort transportation by bus is not easy and quick. Having a car or getting a taxi is the most efficient.

So, to me it depends on what you have planned.

I will say that $100 for 5 days is a great price for a rental. Is that including taxes, etc? When are you going and what rental company is that with?

 

[sconstantz]

and didn't have a car at all!! We went to other resorts, all the parks, DD, DH went golfing, etc. NEVER missed it. In fact, if we had rented it, we would have paid to just look at it. And there was something magical about having our limo.

We paid for the stop at the Grocery store to get some items as we stayed at OKW, then off we went.

Now, staying off-site, we will definately have the car.

Shelly

 

[abbysmom]

My opinion is that you do not need the rental unless you plan on going offsite. When staying onsite I find it very convenient to use Disney transportation, after a long day at the parks its nice not to have to get in the car and drive.

My family and I will be staying offsite this trip and don't want to deal with parking, traffic and directions so we have opted for a car service, this actually happened to be less expensive for us.