One question we hear a lot from clients, friends and family is “Should I rent a car for my Disney vacation?” This question sparks heated debate among faithful Disney parks fans all over the world. Some people insist no car rental is necessary at Disney due to all the free Disney transportation (as long as you stay on Disney property). Others wouldn’t dream of visiting Disney World without renting a car. So what is the right answer for you?
As with most things about the “perfect” Disney vacation, the answer depends on what’s important to YOU. A Disney World vacation IS a vacation where you can rely on free or economical transportation for most everything–having a car on your Disney vacation is NOT a requirement.
Where are you Staying?
One of the quickest resolutions to the “Should I rent a car for my Disney vacation?” question is if you are staying on Disney property or not. If you are not staying on Disney property, it is a lot more likely that you might want to rent a car.
Staying Off Disney Property
While many of the hotels and resorts do offer shuttle service to Disney parks, you may prefer to travel on your own schedule and have the freedom to leave the parks and return to your resort on your timeline, not theirs. Most of the off-site properties don’t offer unlimited or frequent transportation to and from Disney. Usually, there are a few timeslots in the morning, some in the afternoon and some in the evening. But it varies a lot, depending on the resort you are staying at. If you’d prefer NOT to rent a car, make sure you check with your resort before your trip about what options they offer to get you to the parks–or what they don’t offer, as the case may be.
If you are staying at an Air BnB or a bit farther from Disney, you will need to find your own way to the Disney parks. Orlando has a thriving Lyft/Uber community, and using Lyft or Uber as your vacation transportation is VERY doable for your Disney vacation–but it can get pretty pricey, especially if you are more than a few miles outside of Disney.
Generally, I recommend guests staying off Disney property rent a car for the convenience factor. However, it is possible to stay off property and NOT rent a car. Note: Many non-Disney owned hotels charge for parking. Make sure you know if you’ll need to pay for parking and how much. Also, Disney will charge you to park your rental car at the theme parks if you are not an Annual Passholder or DVC Member. Be sure to take that extra cost into consideration because $25 per day adds up super fast, and can really inflate the cost to rent a of renting a car.
Staying on Disney Property
One of the benefits of staying at a Walt Disney World resort is that Disney provides transportation from your resort to each of the four theme parks and Disney Springs absolutely free. If you are staying on Disney property, a strong case can be made that you don’t NEED a car for your Disney vacation.
Magical Express
If have done any research for your Disney vacation, you may have heard about Magical Express. Magical Express was a terrific service that Disney used to offer to resort guests that provide free bus transport from Orlando International Airport directly to your resort. It was very popular with many guests over the years, but Disney ended the service in 2022.
Mears Transportation
Mears Transportation is the company that used to provide the Magical Express service on behalf of Disney. They still offer transportation via bus from the Orlando airport to your Disney resort–it’s just not called “Magical Express” any more and it’s no longer free. The service is now called Mears Connect, and it serves multiple resorts, not just Disney. Prices are currently $13 per child and $16 per adult. Advance reservations are required, but are easy to make from your phone or computer. Learn more or make reservations at Mears Transportation.
Keep in mind that the prices above are per person and are for one way trips. They are also subject to change without notice. Those with larger groups may find it more economical to take an Uber or Lyft from the airport to their resort. We’ve done this a few times, and the total cost with tip has been between $30 and $45, depending on traffic and the tip.
Is Your Trip All About Disney or Will You Visit Other Tourist Destinations?
Another important consideration for those asking the “Should I rent a car for my Disney vacation?” question is whether their vacation is exclusively all about Disney. If your family or group wants to also visit Universal Studios or LegoLand; if they want to go visit the outlet malls; if they want to go see the mermaids at Weeki Wachee State Park; you are much more likely to need a rental car for your vacation. That is not to say you cannot do all of these things if you DON’T have a car–you absolutely can do it if you are determined. But visiting multiple unrelated destinations is much easier if you have your own car.
Combining Disney and Universal Studios
Surprisingly, it is pretty easy to visit both Disney World and Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in the same vacation without renting a car. At Universal, both parks are within walking distance of each other and they are also in walking distance or a short water taxi ride from many of the Universal resorts.
Both Disney and Universal offer shuttle service from one resort to the other. I recommend you plan in advance if you want to use this, and make your reservations early. Prices range from $35-$50 per person, depending on whether you are purchasing them in a package with Universal park tickets (or Disney park tickets if you are starting at Universal.)
Much like hotel shuttles, the shuttles between Universal and Disney usually run on a specific time schedule. Depending on the number of guests with reservations, your shuttle might be a small van or it could be a full size coach bus. The trip between the two resorts takes about thirty minutes–more if multiple pickups or drop-offs are involved. Make sure you allow for extra time when you are planning for this.
If you don’t want to take advantage of the Disney or Universal shuttles, Uber or Lyft is also a great option. We’ve never had to wait more than about 15 minutes for an Uber or Lyft on Disney property. Note: We have waited longer than 15 minutes at both the airport and Disney Springs. Traffic and demand have a BIG impact on wait times in both apps.
So, do you need a rental car if you are staying at Disney but also want to visit Universal? No, you don’t. But having a rental car does make it a lot easier and more convenient, that’s for sure. You can travel on your own schedule, and you don’t have to stop at other resorts to pick up other travelers.
Shopping
What if you like to go shopping on your vacation? Should you get a rental car for your Disney vacation if you like to shop? Not necessarily.
If you are planning to shop for groceries, grocery delivery is a great option and has become very common on Disney property. If you want to visit the Disney Character Warehouse or the outlet malls, you CAN use Uber, Lyft or a taxi service. However, the more running around you want to do, the more convenient it is to have your own car.
We almost always do a grocery run at the start of our trips, stocking our room with breakfast and snack items, wine and water. We’ve also found the Publix near Disney property to have some really great Disney souvenirs at prices much more affordable than at Disney World. It’s not the Disney branded stuff, of course, but especially if you are buying for little kids, it’s good stuff at decent pricing.
Convenience versus Cost
For many of us, the choice to rent a car or not comes down to the question of convenience versus cost. When Disney offered Magical Express transportation from the airport for free, many guests chose to skip the rental car and take advantage of the free Disney transportation on property. From a cost savings perspective, it’s hard to beat the free Disney transportation available for Disney resort guests.
Now that transportation from the airport is no longer free, the decision of whether to rent a car has gotten a little murkier for some folks.
Modes of Transportation
Some of the fun of a Disney vacation is all the different modes of free Disney transportation available. You can travel by bus, monorail, boat or Skyliner. The most common method of Disney transportation is the bus. You can take a bus from every resort to every theme park and to Disney Springs. Note: You cannot take a bus from one theme park to another, so if you are a park hopper, you’ll want to be hopping between Monorail or Skyliner resorts to minimize your travel times. Alternatively, you need to plan on taking the bus back to your resort and then taking the resort bus to the theme park of your choice.
Monorail
There are two Monorail runs. The original Monorail track joins together the three deluxe resorts closest to the Magic Kingdom. This track loops in the Ticket and Transport Center at the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The second Monorail line runs from the Ticket and Transport Center at the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT. That is a nice long ride, especially if you really want to “ride” the monorail for the sake of riding it.
Boats and Water Taxis
One of my favorite modes of transportation at Walt Disney World are the boats. When you visit the Magic Kingdom via car, you are required to park at the Ticket and Transport Center, and then take the Monorail or the Ferry to the Magic Kingdom. I love the Ferry, and will almost always choose the Ferry if offered the option. The Magic Kingdom resorts all offer a boat or water taxi to the Magic Kingdom. Port Orleans, Saratoga Springs and Old Key West all offer boats that go to Disney Springs. Finally, anyone staying at any of the Boardwalk area resorts has the option to take a boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.
Skyliner
The Skyliner is a mode of Disney transportation but it’s more than just getting from point A to point B. The Skyliner is also an attraction that many guests love to ride just for the fun of it. The Skyliner offers transportation to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios from Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Each Skyliner cabin features different colors and characters, and the ride itself is smooth and offers gorgeous views of Disney World property.
The Rental Car Advantage
The biggest advantage to having a rental car at Walt Disney World is the convenience. You can go to whichever theme park you want at whatever time you want to, without waiting for Disney transportation. Having a rental car also makes it much more convenient to visit a second theme park in the afternoon or evening. I’ve found having a car makes it so much easier and faster to take an afternoon break and return to our resort, returning to the park for evening fireworks.
Freedom and Flexibility
I have learned over my many trips to Disney over the years that I am a control freak, and I really prefer to have a car for my Disney vacations. I like the freedom of being able to grocery shop on our way in from the airport, and the ability to leave property to go shopping or to find someplace to eat for less than $50/person.
Generally, it doesn’t really matter to me that I could get anywhere on Disney property for free and that I don’t NEED a car. I like to have control over where we go and when. I’m not very patient, and I don’t like waiting for the bus (or the boat or the monorail or whatever.)
A Possible Disadvantage for Some
However, many people don’t like to worry about driving while they are on vacation. Disney signage is not always the best, and sometimes navigating Disney property can be frustrating. So while freedom to manage your schedule the way you want and the convenience of having a car is significant, you have to weigh that against the INCONVENIENCE of having to navigate Disney roadways and driving while on vacation. If the thought of that stresses you out, renting a car for your Disney vacation is probably not for you!
Lyft/Uber
After Covid, there was a severe shortage of rental cars for a couple of years, and renting a car was extremely cost prohibitive. For our first trip during this time, we originally planned to take an Uber or Lyft from and back to the airport and use Disney transportation for everything else. We ended up using Lyft and Uber for transportation to and from the parks and to Disney Springs as well. By the end of the week, we’d spent about $230 on Lyft and Uber. This was a 7 day trip, and we also took Lyft/Uber to and from the airport. We visited one park per day, but we did take afternoon breaks on a couple of days. Usually, we spend a little more than that on a rental car for the week, so we felt the Lyft/Uber solution was a good fit for us on that trip.
However, now that rental car prices are mostly back to normal and good deals can be found, we usually rent a car for our Disney vacations.
Final Answer: Should I Rent a Car for my Disney Vacation?
The answer that is right for you comes down to what is most important to you and your family. Cost or convenience? If you are trying to keep costs down, I recommend you don’t rent a car. Take advantage of Disney’s free transportation. Allow extra time each day in case you have to wait a bit for the bus. If you are going to a theme park or Disney Springs for a meal reservation, it’s good to allow yourselves at least an hour when using Disney transportation.
If convenience is more important than cost, I really love the convenience of having a car. Yes, it costs more money, but it saves TIME–which depending on your perspective, can be just as valuable as money.
What’s YOUR final answer? Will you choose to rent a car on your next Disney vacation or will you skip the rental and rely on Disney transportation to get around?
