Always.
the first time I rented a car it was just as Covid closures were ending and I wanted to mitigate risk of confined spaces with large groups of people.
That trip changed my life. I get a car every time I can, and I don’t have any strollers or small people.
Yeah no RD possible although I do consider starting with world showcase…not sure yet…
Interesting ! Any specific strategy for MK parking ?
That might be the one time it’s worth it to spring for preferred parking if it’s available. Short walk to the ferry or monorail, both of which you can drive your stroller right on.
Thanks very much !!! 
You’re welcome!
In fairness, the bus depots are often not super close anyway
No but still closer than where you car is parked. I can barley make it the bus sometimes - I can’t imagine walking through an entire parking lot.
Trams… ?
Apparently currently no trams at Epcot and DHS. Not sure if true and how bad it makes things but I just read it on a few websites.
I think I read those are coming back very soon? Not sure, but I think I did.
To me, the lack of waiting/uncertainty is worth the walk. I would rather know that it’s X minutes until I get in that car than sit at those bus stops for god knows how long! And the pain of seeing one just pulling away…
We have always driven to WDW so have always had our car available. This makes the cost factor not an issue in our case. We have loved the freedom of having a car onsite. We park at most parks and don’t have to wait for buses to arrive and then leave, we get to go when we are ready. We found that being able to store the stroller in the car when the kids were little was amazing because we gained that space back in the hotel room and 1 less thing to have to get in the morning. We also have stashed drinks/snacks in the car to have available on the trip back to the hotel.
We will take Disney transportation when it makes sense (part of the group staying in park for longer then the rest, park hopping to a different park for part of the day and returning to same park later for dinner) or just for the experience of riding the skyliner or monorail.
We have buses to MK and also did the park and ferry/monorail. We have also had breakfast at contemporary/Poly and parked the car there and left it for the day. Having the car gives freedom to figure out the best transportation situation for that day and park.
Trams will be back at all parks beginning in September.
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.
A temporary kid sounds pretty cool… 
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.