Why I Rent a Car at Disney World

After reading that title, you may be thinking, "Why would I rent a car when I can use Magical Express and the bus system for free?"

Believe me, I'm a bargain hunter just like you are. I understand the value of "free."

But for me, it's not just about the money.

I rent a car every time I go to Disney World.  That's right; every single time. 

I won't go into a long dissertation, but here are the salient points:

1. Control.
I'm so Type-A, it's not even funny.  I never sit by the window on the plane.  Never. If I'm not driving, there's no point. I need to be in control of my transportation.

Waiting for the Magical Express when I could be in my own car, on the way to Mickey's place?  Why would I waste that time?

Waiting in line for a bus at the park to take me back to my resort?  I really don't want to wait in a line for the bus, only to have to wait for two buses because there were so many people that it filled the first bus. I could have taken the tram to my car and been out of there and on my way faster.

Control for me also means freedom.  I'm not a slave to the system.  Did you know that Disney tells you to plan for an hour to get from one place to another - one way - using their transportation system?  An hour!  Now, it may not always take that long, but it gives me a headache just thinking about that.

2.  Flexibility.
Flexibility straddles control in some ways, but it has its own part of this picture.

I always stop at the grocery store on the way to Disney World from the airport.  Sure, I could use a grocery service or use the limited selection that Disney has in its resort gift shops.  I like to pick out my own food and beverages.  I know what brands and off-brands are acceptable to me when I see them.  A grocery service could ask me what's acceptable and half the time, I wouldn't know unless I was in the aisle looking right at it.

You might argue that shopping for my own groceries wastes my time.  I don't consider it a waste of my time if I know that I'm getting everything I want and I don't have to go back because I forgot to put something on the list.

I also enjoy eating at Disney Resort restaurants.  There is no direct transportation option between resorts.  For example, if I was staying at the Beach Club and I wanted to have dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, and I didn't have a car, it would probably take me at least an hour (as Disney suggests) to get there.  I'd walk through Epcot, get on the Epcot monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center, transfer to the Resort Monorail and ride it to the Polynesian.

Sounds cumbersome, doesn't it?

I could get in my car and drive from the Beach Club to the Polynesian and be there in ten minutes.

Another plus is that if I want to go off-site (gasp!) to Discovery Cove or maybe just hit 31 Flavors for some Daquiri Ice, I can do that.

3. Privacy and Comfort
Let's face it; no matter when you go to Disney World, there are other people there.

When I've been on my feet for several hours, the last thing I really want to do is get on a crowded bus and stand some more.  If I happen to be on a bus that services multiple resorts, I may have to wait through a couple of stops before I can get off, much less sit down.

When I have my own car, each person in the party has their own seat and we have only one stop.

Now you probably all think that I'm bashing Disney's transportation system.  I'm really not. Considering the number of people, the number of resorts and the number of square miles Disney World covers, their transportation system is really quite good.

I'm just an odd duck that has to have a rental car to be happy on my vacation.