Let’s talk about transportation after you get to Orlando International Airport.  It is our opinion that having your own transportation during a Walt Disney World vacation is a vital requirement.

Lesson 1: You need your own car at Walt Disney World.

If you have hotel reservations off WDW property (a.k.a. “Off-Site”), renting a car is the only reliable way to explore the Disney property. Getting to and from the airport will require a taxi or a shared shuttle (that will make several stops before getting to your hotel). The shuttles offered by most hotels only take you to the theme park gates – or sometimes only to the Ticket and Transportation Center – and are generally not reliable from a time perspective. If you want to go anywhere else, you will have to pay for a taxi. Instead, you should consider using your cab and shuttle fare to rent a car for your stay.

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you may be tempted to rely on the Walt Disney World Transportation System. We strongly advise against this. One of our guiding principles at Dis on a Dime is that time is money, and the more you have to stand around waiting, the less value you get out of the vacation you spent your hard earned money on. Disney’s Magical Express – which is a paid service much like a shared shuttle to and from the airport – will make several stops before getting you to your resort, with the added bonus of waiting hours for your luggage to be delivered. In certain situations Disney Transportation buses will get you to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom Park earlier and faster than driving – but that also depends on your resort and the number of bus stops on that bus route.

Think about this – after a long day at a theme park and waiting in line for attractions, your feet are hurting, your kids are cranky, and you can’t wait to get to your room. Would you rather hop in your car and go, or wait some more for a bus, shuttle, or taxi and make several stops before getting there?

Another advantage of your own car: you can get your supplies, food, and gifts for less money off-site. Sunscreen at a drug store, groceries for meals in the hotel and on the go, cheap breakfast at Waffle House, and fun gifts at the kitschy shops along US192 in Kissimmee.

So, now we know we need to rent a car. How do we get one cheap?

Lesson 2: Choose the smallest class car your family will fit in.

Though this may sound obvious, the easiest way to start is to only rent enough car to meet your needs. All you are really looking for is four wheels and an engine for a short period of time. There are two big advantages to this:

• Rental cars are priced by size “class,” from the least expensive smallest (“economy”) to the most expensive largest (vans, sport utility vehicles).
• The smaller the class of car you reserve, the better your chance of getting an upgrade. Rental agencies will only purchase a limited number of “economy” class cars, and will carry a large “midsize” and “full size” fleet. Pay for a small car, and you may likely get a larger car anyhow.

If you are a 2-person party, do not let a rental agency’s threat of a Hyundai Accent or Chevy Aveo scare you. First, these cars are perfectly capable of getting two people and their luggage around WDW for a week. Second, you probably won’t get one anyhow. My recent “economy’ size cars have included two Toyota Corollas, a Pontiac G6 sedan, a Saturn Ion, and a Mazda 3 sedan. I have still not been given an Accent or Aveo to rent.

For a family of four, you will most likely also be able to get by for a week in an “economy” rental. A family of four needing car seats for small children could consider moving up to “compact”. For larger families, “compact” or “midsize” should be your starting point.

Lesson 3: Use a credit card with car rental insurance for your reservation.

Do not pay for Loss Damage Waivers (LDW) or other types of rental car insurance from a rental agency. Most credit cards (including American Express) include some type of rental insurance, as well as many auto insurance plans.

Lesson 4: Use these two methods for the best price.

We only use one of two methods for reserving a car. In order of preference:

• Priceline. Unlike a hotel or a flight, I don’t care which vendor I purchase from. With Priceline, you choose your rental car class and how much you are willing to pay per day, and rental car companies will either accept your bid or deny it. If your bid is denied, you can try a different car class and bidding price, or wait 24 hours and try all over again. This process may take some time, so this strategy works best when you have 4-6 weeks or more of time before your vacation to secure a rental car. Bidding on Priceline is a bit of a science, and could take up an entire post in and of itself. Use BiddingForTravel.com to see what bids have recently been successful on Priceline to help choose an opening bid. Also, use sites like Hotwire to get an idea of what car rental rates per day look like for the dates of your vacation. Generally, bids in the $14 – $18 a day range will be successful in most seasons. On average, I pay around $150 – $190 to rent a car a week using Priceline – less than one night’s stay at most on-property Disney resort hotels.
• Deep Discount Coupons. Occasionally we have used a deep discount coupon to secure a better price on short notice than we could get on Priceline. These coupons can often be found from your auto insurer, auto clubs like AAA, and occasionally from the Entertainment Book. Never buy directly from a rental agency without a coupon!

The one major exception to these rules is if you travel for business regularly, in which case you may be able to use loyalty program points and status for upgrades and discounts.

Lesson 5: Fill ‘er up before you take ‘er back.

Rental car agencies will absolutely gouge you on gas prices if you forget to fill your car’s tank before returning it. Make sure to fill up at one of several gas stations around the Orlando Airport before returning your rental car.

A word of caution: DO NOT use the on-property Walt Disney World gas stations to fill your car before returning it to the Orlando Airport! Rental agencies consider those stations to be too far from the airport, so your full tank will not be “full” once you reach the airport and you will be charged for at least one gallon of gas at inflated rates.

Enrichment: Free Parking for WDW Resort Guests

As Syd mentioned in a recent quick tip, guests staying at a WDW resort can park free at all theme park lots.