Rental cars or Disney transportation

[PrincessASquared]

My family and I :trio:will be staying at SSR in Nov/Dec (5 Days) and Feb/Mar(8 Days). We are planning on using Magical Express and all Disney transportation :bus:to get to the parks and daily ADR's. After hearing some concerns over wait times for buses at SSR, would we be better off renting a car? :truck: Do most DVC members rent cars or use Disney transportation? :confused: Is renting worth the cost/aggrevation? What other advantages/disadvantages would there be if we rented a car? :help: Thanks.

[FireMickey]

We only rent a car if we plan to go off Disney property. If you are staying in a 1 or 2 br home, and not doing the dining plan, we run into town to Super Target or Sams Club for food. We have also taken a day trip to the ocean. You have a few options at SSR, you can take the bus or a boat to Downtown Disney. Alamo rents cars at the Dolphin hotel on Disney property. Hope this helps.

[MsMin]

Since we drive we always have a car or two and rarely use them. I've used my car twice out of the past 4 years while onsite. I don't find it that simple to go to TTC then to MK, other parks are easier but there is just something I enjoy about not having the hassle of the car. Maybe it's the 700 miles I just drove to get there.
It's our first time @ SSR but have found OKW and BWV a little slower w/ the bus services (my experience) than Pop. Since there are other options for transportation.
We go in 9 days and for the first time I'm considering using my car. HOWEVER, I don't think I would consider renting a car b/c the time difference is not enough for me to spend the money on a rental that will sit there the vast majority of the time.

[vizsla]

We have always used Disney Transportation on every trip and really never experienced any major problems. You just have to give yourself enough time to get to your destination just in case the transportation system is running a little slow.

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We just stayed at SSR 9/13-9/22.
We did not have one bad bus issue. We commented to each other about how great the bus service was and there were other families saying the same.
They came quickly at both pick up and after park close. We walked right on a bus after Fantasmic one night and the longest we waited in the 10 days we were there was MNSSHP on the 21st. That was only a 15 minute wait because the bus that was there we would have had to stand on and I don't like to stand with my young children if I don't have to, especially after a long day at the park. So we gladly waited for another bus so they could sit.
If you could have seen the lines for some of the Values and Mod's you would not have believed it. I am sure there were people waiting 45 minutes or more that night for a bus to come.
Anyway, I just wanted to mention our experience with the buses at SSR. We had heard some not so great things about it too. We were very pleased with the buses for our entire stay.
Oh yeah, we used the boat from DTD one day too. We had walked over and took the boat back. That was quick and easy too. :thumbsup:

[Maleficent's Dad]

We use Disney Transportation, and as mentioned above, you'll just have to give yourself enough time to get from place to place. Most of the time, we're early to our destinations and rarely are the buses that slow.

One nice thing about SSR & OKW, however, is that if you do have your own car, you get to park very close to your own room. OKW is a bit better for parking, but SSR also allows you to park very close.

[tinkerbell04]

We always rent a car and drive to the parks, with the exception being MK. We don't drive to the MK, since we aren't keen on the TTC. We like to hit the grocery store and get water, beer/wine and soda. We also like to hit the outlets :mickey: We have only used the busses one time and really had no problems with them, we just like having a car.

[MinnieMommie]

My husband (who is the driver) prefers ME. He says he especially likes getting dropped off at the airport not having to worry about filling up the gas tank and returning the car. I though prefer having my own car. Sometimes I like to go somewhere off property. I also do not like to wait for the transportation buses (even though we have had little trouble with them). I like the convenience of coming and going at the drop of a hat. ME is free and is a nice perk so it is hard to say no to. :mickey:

[101pup]

We always rent a car. It's so nice to jump in the car and go wherever we want whenever we want. Since we stay at the Villas we like to get groceries and also hit the outlet malls too. I guess we don't feel so confined this way.

[thrillme]

It depends...Next year we're just going for 3-4 days. We'll probably end up using ME and the regular bus schedules to save a bit $$. But USUALLY we have a longer vacation and We stay 8-10 days. THEN I get a car. I like being able to get in my car and go and not depend on 100 people in front of me. (We also go in the summer so this is a real issue). When we leave the park at night we might go and get a snack off site or ice cream so this is a boon to having a car too. We also don't do Disney ONLY.

HOWEVER...next year when we go for just a few days I'm planning on skipping the car to cut costs. I don't know if I'll regret that decision or not.