Staying offsite - should we get a rental car?

[vkasal]

Hi everyone!!

I was wondering if someone could tell me if we should get a rental car or not if we're staying offsite? We're staying at the Caribe Royale during Christmas (12/22 - 12/29).

We plan on being at one of the 4 disney parks most of the time, but on the first night there since we get there in the afternoon, we were planning on going to the Belz outlet for Disney stuff. It would either be all 7 of us going, or just two of us for a couple of hours while the rest go swimming, explore the room, etc.

If no one thinks we need a rental, we were just gonna take a cab.

But I also wasn't sure how the "free" buses are to the parks, so if anyone could help me out, I'd appreciate it!

 

[staylor]

If it were me, I would get a car. I was able to get a SUV with Hertz through priceline.com for $20 a day in May.

 

[pdzabe]

My opinion is rent a car. When the park is busy, it is so convenient to just hop in your car and go and if shopping, to have a trunk to temporarily store things til you get back to your hotel room. We had friends on our trip in April who depended on the buses and were very disappointed in some of the waits, one time l l/2 hrs. Also, to go back to your hotel and rest and then return to the parks is a breeze. There are alot of places to see off-site too. It depends on your itinerary. Downtown Disney is more convenient by car, I think. The bottom line is if you can afford it or not. If not a budget problem, I'd say go for it.

 

[vkasal]

Thanks for the replys!!

Money isn't an issue as we'll split the price with the other family we're going with. But I was just concerned about the shuttles and have heard both good and bad, and I wanted to see what others had to say.

Anyone else have an opinion? I'd love to hear it

 

[Dval00]

Hey Ma!!! Going to WDW too!!! Can't wait!!!

 

[Margie J]

I would definitely get a car. With it being Christmas week, hotel buses will probably be packed and most don't have a great schedule. If you also want to go shopping too, a car is a must IMO.

 

[ennazus]

We have stayed off site several times and have rented a car every time except once. We were really squeezing our budget that time for a last minute trip....we did ok without the car, but having a car makes it a whole lot easier than waiting around for a bus or cab. I'd say if you have a little extra, I'd absolutely rent a car.

We have had excellent service with National Car Rental.

Have fun!!!

 

[PooooohBear]

I would definitely rent a car. My future SIL went down in May, stayed at one of the HoJo's and did not rent a car. All she does is complain about the shuttle service whenever she talks of her trip. It's definitely worth the extra expense not to be dependent on a bus.

 

[pbhunt]

At our hotel the shuttle bus left for the parks @7:30 and 10:30AM. The return bus was @9PM, no Illuminations, no flexibility at all. We had a rental car, so we didn't use their service. I would say definitely, rent a car for your trip.

 

[MikeP]

We have always rented a car. Though the first time we went we thought we would try the shuttle service just to avoid the hassles of parking and paying to park. Our offsite hotel offered shuttle service I believe every hour, but by the time we had decided to leave MK both DW and I had headaches from the heat and were rather cranky. The shuttle was way off schedule and we waited 30 minutes past the time it was suppose to be there plus we had arrived just after the previous one had departed so total wait was about 1.5 hours in the heat. We finally just got a taxi and went back to the hotel. For us, the convenience of coming and going is well worth the added little expense. I got my car from National this time for about 150 for a week including taxes, that's Emerald Aisle service which means I at least get a Full sized car, and in the past on business trips I have gotten SUVs and a convertible and have seen minivans on the EA.

 

[vkasal]

Thats everyone for the responses!! I'm definitely going to look into getting a rental.

Thanks again

 

[shooter364]

Yes, you should definately rent a car!

 

[mainey-mouse]

Get a car - even onsite I would not want to be stuck without a car. You might want to run out to a drugstore, grocery store, McDonalds, the clinic.....

 

[ncbyrne]

I'm just adding one more vote to the "yes, rent a car" column. Even if we stay onsite we rent a car...MUCH more convenient...and worth every penny not to have to depend on the services (and time schedule) of others. Even though we travel on a budget, a car at our disposal is an absolute must for our family on every trip.

 

[jesse]

When we looked into taxi service to the hotel it was $12 pp one way. With six of us, this was almost $150.00 JUST to get to the airport and back. We were able to rent a mini-van from dollar for $199.00 a week. I'm sure we saved the difference just in snacks and sodas alone (we went to Publix). Try the transportation board and the budget board for tips on how to get a good price. You might even want to consider priceline.