I’m in the minority here - we had a rental car on our January trip. We needed it for my husbands day trip to Tampa for fishing and we ended up using it for a CVS run.
Other than that, the car sat in the lot the whole time. We were at CBR and used the Skyliner to get to HS/EP. We didn’t go to AK, but went to MK multiple times and used the buses.
I LOVED not using the car. It felt nice to not have to deal with traffic or maneuvering the exits. In my experience, I didn’t drive to the parks and I liked it that way.
If the cost is about the same to get a rental car vs airport car service, then get the rental car. But if it’s a lot more expensive, I wouldn’t do it.
Yes, private airport transfers are surprisingly (to me at least) expensive considering the short distance. Again, much more money needs to be spent because of that bloody 3rd kid…
The Mears shared shuttle is affordable, but looks kinda painful and slow…
We did the Sunshine Flyer last year when we had a temporary 3rd kid and it wasn’t terrible! We did a “kid’s ride free” promo so it was inexpensive. But it was a long bus ride for the kids. And I was staying at BWV and BLT so I did not need a car that time. But I MUCH prefer having a car and my kids are a little older now.
I’m with you on no car and just using disney transport (or lyft). Since driving is a major part of my job, it’s really nice to have a break after I park at my home airport
Uber XL was about $50 each way it can hold about 6 bags and at least 5 people. If you have your own car seats you don’t need to worry. Car seat laws are also so lax in FlL - only requires 5 and under if you’re comfortable.
Slightly OT but The family suites at ASM have been refurbished and I think are nicer than AoA (based on video walk-thrus) - unless you are really wanting the theming of AoA.
The entries into the trams are amazingly uncomfortably narrow.
Be prepared for a learning curve if you drive.
We stayed off property in 2017 so drove to parks. We’d done a dozen on property trips before that and were used to Disney transport. The 2017 trip was not enough to encourage us to switch to driving.
Your mileage may vary. If driving doesn’t suit, the Disney transport is still there.
I’ve rented a car twice - once when I was working in Tampa and so I drove to Orlando and flew back home from Orlando and the other when we did two 1/2 days, Starcruiser, and then UOR and all private transportation was sold out.
I have no sense of direction and I was pleasantly surprised how easy I was able to get around. There were lots of clear signs. I’ve parked at MK, HS, and AK.
At MK you do go through security before getting on the monorail so you skip that step once you get to the park.
In case you haven’t considered it, you will have a mini fridge and microwave in the family suite, and I’m a huge fan of eating breakfast in the room. You can order groceries or with a car, make a grocery run.
This is a great suggestion! I did a Publix curb side pickup order and we grabbed it on the way to the hotel from the airport so it didn’t even need to be an extra trip. Easy savings right there.
@JustKeepSmiling and I could talk about the StarCruiser all day long!
I can’t remember if you did a trip report @cbalusek - did you? @jflafond_869328 if you’re interested look for Jul Ryn and Mel Vett and you’ll find our trip report!
I did! Though I never finished it. I didn’t do the final day (which nothing really happened - just breakfast) or my UOR trip but the rest is there:
We were on one of the first journeys (March 13 2022!) so it was a while back. And it’s also why I rented a car - there was no communication about getting from the hotel to the Starcruiser and I didn’t have anyone to ask yet when I needed to make the reservation
