Car Rental Help!?

[Polynesian27]

Hi All, we are in the early stages of planning an Easter week vacation in WDW staying at Saratoga Springs. My wife is fearful of the internal bus system at Saratoga and getting to and from the parks with three kids. Has anyone had experience recently renting a car instead of depending on Disney buses? Can you get through the gates early for "Disney guest early entry"? Are the entry booth typically backed up for miles? I know the buses have their own dedicated lanes so is there an actual advantage to renting a car? Please help us make a decision lol. thank you!!

 

[Rich M]

I rent a car every trip and will have a rental in Feb. We usually get to the parking lot early enough to be in line when it opens. We try to make our stays at BoardWalk or Beach Club to have other ways to get to Epcot and HS and just drive to AK and MK. AK has been hit or miss on weather they let you line up early or not. We usually try to get there an hour before park opens as we found the parking usually opens then and then the actual park opens up 30 mins before official opening. None of that is guaranteed. I am not spending my vacation on a bus so I will always choose the rental car.

 

[ashleyasiegel]

We rented a car last time. The only time we took a bus was when we wanted to rope drop MK as there was no way we could be ahead of the crowds for that park. We enjoyed having our own car

 

[gharter]

We used to take their transportation all the time. The last few years, we have rented a car. With prices going up and up, we will have to reconsider this in the future.
We love being able to stop at a grocery store on the way to the resort. Driving to DS instead of a long bus ride. We always drive to AK. We walk to HS and EPCOT and take the bus to MK.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Entry booths are not backed up for miles. Even on NYE, the day that MK has traditionally been backed up several miles, was to this year. That's the only day I've seen more than 4, 5 cars in a given lane at any park, ever. In a decade of regular attendance to the parks.

We rent cars often, if we find a deal cheap enough, because we usually split trips between Universal and Disney. If we don't rent a car we usually take Uber instead of the buses. Except for MK, we never use non-Disney transportation to MK because that just puts you at TTC and you are still at the mercy of some sort of other transportation. Why add an extra step you don't have to?

Yes, the open the gates early enough for guests to get in.

 

[Colo17]

For Saratoga it helps to get on the bus at one of the first stations. We like Paddock area - this is 2nd and third pickup. By the time the bus gets to the pool area it can be full.
Note that for water park they only pick up at the pool.

 

[GreatLakes]

We always rent now, even when staying on property, and have been able to get to the parks early without issue when staying on site. They will let anyone through the parking gates no matter where you are staying, it is just at the park gate that they check if you are eligible to enter early.