In all my years of going to Disney I have never rented a car. For me, part of being on vacation is NOT driving! :) Once I park my car at the airport I just let Disney do the driving. My trip this fall my be different as we will be going over to Universal Studios for a couple of days to see WWOHP.....may rent a car for that.

We have never rented a car when we vacation at Disney. Having 3 small kids (6,4 & 2) one of their favorite things to do is ride buses, trolleys and monorails. They think this is as much fun as any E Ticket ride in the park! As for us parents, we just sit back and enjoy the down time before hitting the pavement again!

I can appreciate the utility of having a car at WDW but the need to never drive is one of the things my wife and I love about the World. I'm ok with maybe having to hire a cab once or twice a trip though!

I LOVE enjoying everything Disney has to offer. I would never rent a car in Disney. The fun is trying to navigate the bus system. The kids LOVE it!

We rented a car in 2004 at the airport. Once we got to the hotel, we didn't use it again until we drove back to the airport except once to drive to Downtown Disney. I know we drove to Disney around 1993 but we also stayed off-site IIRC.

Honestly, I think examples like Jiko are the exception rather than the rule. Most places can be reached by one bus and possibly another form of transporation. To get to any of the MK resorts, ride the bus to MK and take the monorail or ferry. To get to Boardwalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club, take a bus to EPCOT or DHS and either walk through EPCOT to the International Gateway, catch a Friendship right outside DHS, or walk from DHS.

Even for an early reservation at CRT, we used the buses and got to the Magic Kingdom in plenty of time. Besides, why not let Disney drive your drunken self back to the hotel after drinking around the world at EPCOT?

I have never rented a car but since we've started driving our own car to WDW…I love having a car at WDW. Not having to depend on Disney Transportation makes moving around easier and quicker.

When I was younger, we always had a car. My Dad likes to play golf and we would usually go to Universal for a day, so a car was easier. When I started going on my own, I never used a car. I think Magical Express is a great way to kick off the trip and before that I used the Mears Shuttle. I also love Disney transportation and staying in the Disney bubble.
That said, my last trip we drove down and had my car. From now on, I will always rent a car. We love to visit the different hotels and go to the restaurants there. A car made that sooooooo much easier. We still used Disney transportation for a lot of things, but I liked having the option to jump in the car and go if we needed.

It is such a timely question, as I am planning a May weekend WDW getaway. I am going to share a secret with anyone who wants to read it. Ready? The Fly in/Drive out or Drive in/Fly out. Let me tell ya how that works...

Many of the rental car companies move vehicles TO Florida during the Wintertime to meet the demand of their reservations. Then, in the Spring, these cars need to be moved back to the cities where they came from (or simply, outside of Florida). They use amazingly cheap rates to do this. For example, National Car Rental is currently offering a rate of $10-20/day (depending on size) to pick up at many FL airport locations and drop at airports outside of Florida now through the end of May. BONUS- You can pick up the car at the Dolphin as well! If you have a family, imagine the savings of money and time by only driving one way! Again- just my secret to share with everyone.

Always check with each of the rental car company's specials page (or ask you favorite travel agent) to research the dates/cities/rates that apply, as they change each season.

Otherwise on the overall car question, the rental car is a "nice to have" and not a "gotta have" for me. Getting to/from the airport is so easy (and FREE) with Disney's Magical Express. And if you need a car, the Alamo/National locations at Disney's Car Care Center or the Dolphin Hotel can rent them as needed and they have the free pickup shuttle, too.

We like the Magical Express but dread resort to park bus transportation. We've boiled it down to the following. If we are staying at an Epcot resort on Crescent Lake we take Magical Express and use the boats or are feet to get to Epcot and DHS. We always go park hopper so an MK trip is a quick stroll through Epcot and a relaxing monorail ride. Jiko is a must for us but we cab it to save time and it's a safer way back following a couple of glasses of Pinotage at dinner. We rely on the buses only for AK and DD trips which are somewhat infrequent. Monrail resorts (a rare treat) have the same approach.

If we don't stay on Crescent Lake or a Monorail resort a car is a must. We find it makes park hopping super easy without the unpredictability of the buses. The other nice thing about having a car is you get a couple of extra hours at the beginning and end of your trip as you dont have to abide by Mears.

We always seem to forget about the tolls though, which brings up the always popular debate if you rent a car...408 to I-4 or 528...decisions, descisions.

We often drive down and initially we never move the van once we get there. We were commando park touring and it was easy to get to resort restaurants. Now our trips are a lot slower and we drive to the water parks, resort restaurants, mini golf, ... Really everything but the parks.

Now that really wasn't Katie's question. I'm not sure if we would rent a car. It would really depend on the trip. If it was a quick F&W trip then no. We would likely stay at BWV and walk/bus to everything. On a longer trip we might rent a car for part of the trip but those are the trips that we've decided it's cheaper to drive anyways.

Well, it appears I'm going to be in the minority here! We have ALWAYS had a car at Disney World. Both trips as a youngster, my parents rented cars. We might have tried the bus once, but it was quickly decided the car was more convenient.
Now, despite coming from Michigan, my husband and I always drive to Disney World. We like the road trip (we can do the drive straight through in about 17 hours) and we love having our car. We drive to the park every day, and love the ability to leave exactly when we want and go directly to our next location without waiting for a bus and making a bunch of unnecessary (for us) stops along the way. For us, driving is not stressful and we don't look at vacation as time free of the burden of driving...since we actually like driving. :)
Staying at Contemporary the last trip was awesome, though, because we could just walk home at the end of the night, which was great. If we could walk to all the parks we would!
But, seriously, we're all about the driving. Even when staying at the Contemporary, we chose to drive to Epcot instead of taking the Monorail and dealing with crowds, rushes and switching cars.

Every trip to WDW for us has involved a few days off property, so we've always rented a car. Even if we're spending most of our time on property, it's nice to have a car to hit the outlets, pick up perishable groceries, go to off-property restaurants, visit friends, etc. Perhaps if we were taking a long weekend rather than a week-long trip, we'd forgo the car, but that hasn't happened yet.

We like Magical Express and have not been stung by it yet. I like not having to drive and the WDW transportation system has been top notch. Getting from resort to resort can be a challenge with WDW transportation, but it can also be fun! Besides who doesn't want to spend some quality time in purple or orange plastic bus seats???

Interesting dilemma Katie and one we have faced a number of times. We've done it both ways: we used to drive so always had our car. We liked the freedom of having a car and not being a slave to the bus schedules. Then we flew and rented a car, still had that freedom.

Then Magical Express began, and wow it became hard to justify that car expense. We still did it once or twice when I actually flew home out of Tampa because the airfare was so much better than what I could get at MCO. But the last couple times it's been no car whatsoever.

I admit I have mixed feelings about this. It definitely saves us money, and I am fine with no car....80% of the time. But geez the resort to resort situation is just a pain in the you know what. We also really like to eat dinner at other resorts and I really hate having to plan an hour just to get to the restaurant on time. That is valuable park time!! I admit we haven't succombed to the taxi scenario yet, but I can see how that might happen next trip if we are without a car again.

No real advice here. I just feel your pain. :) Let us know what you decide!

It's actually a running joke in our family - how to get to your ADR by taking the maximum number of Disney transportation means possible. Sometimes it is just hard to get around using the buses.

I've never rented a car at Walt Disney World. I've gone with people who have had rental cars-I really see driving+taking a tram and buses to be not that different from each other.
My personal solution of choice are taxis. For less than what it costs to rent a car at MCO, I can take a cab to a far ADR (Boma, Kona), or home from Jellyrolls.

I honestly don't think we'll ever go to Disney and not drive!

The only good thing about the Disney buses is getting the chance to chat to your fellow guests, and Lord knows that Disney provides plenty of lines to do that throughout the rest of the stay :D

If we are going to the Magic Kingdom we'll use the bus, or if we fancy having a drink with dinner, we'll rely on the buses or take a taxi. We have to travel so far to get to Disney, it's all about making the most of our time, and if you're not in the park first on opening (which just isn't as likely when you take the buses), you'll spend more of your day in lines, and less soaking up the magic. :)

I'm not a parent yet, so I find the prospect of ME a little overwhelming. Being tucked into a small space with a lot of youngsters who have just arrived on a plane (read: not enough sleep and more likely to have eaten E-number-heavy convenience food) doesn't sound like a fun way to start a holiday! Ask me again when I've got my own ;)

i've not rented a car in all my trips to the world. while there are times that a car would be useful, such as a trip to universal or sea world, i generally don't like driving in a place in which i'm not that familiar. that being said, i've been on disney transportation for so many years now that i probably already know the place like the back of my hand and wouldn't need a map. still, i would prefer not to drive. if i need to get somewhere in a hurry, which isn't often, then i'll take a cab.

ironically, the no car thing has actually created a disincentive for me to go to universal. i used to go usually one or two days during a trip, but the atmosphere was so different that the last few years i have not made any arrangements to go. if i had a car, that might be different, but realistically, i'm too lazy to go through the effort of renting a car just to go to universal. that might change with the new harry potter park within islands of adventure, but knowing me, i'd probably take a cab.