Do You Need A Car If You're Staying In A Disney World Hotel?
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Hiring a car and staying on-site in a Disney World resort hotels offers flexibility and convenience, as well as cost savings if you plan on hiring a car anyway. If you don’t plan on hiring a car to explore the area, and are wondering whether you need one to get around Disney World, the answer is no, you don’t need a car. If you’re only doing Disney World during your holiday, with the odd trip off-site, a hire car isn’t worth it from a cost perspective.
If you are considering staying off-site we have put together a guide to car hire in Orlando which covers non-Disney specific advantages and disadvantages to hiring a car: guide to hiring a car in Florida from the UK
Car Vs Disney Transport Vs Ride Share: Do You Need A Hire Car?
Factor | Hire Car | Disney Transport | Uber / Lyft / Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|
Theme park access | Free parking, flexible to visit | Included for free, different transport options | Can be picked up and taken to parks: cost involved |
Parking | Free at Disney World; various at other attractions | Not relevant | Not relevant |
Universal Resort or other Orlando attractions | Convenient | No access provided for free by Disney | Costs per trip and needs to be ordered |
Shopping/dining off-site | Much easier | No access provided for free by Disney | Costs per trip and needs to be ordered |
Flexibility | Excellent | Limited to Disney network | Mixed |
Cost | High | Free | Depends on how much it’s used |
Hiring A Car And Staying At A Disney World Resort
Hiring a car at the airport and heading to Walt Disney World is an incredible feeling. Hitting the i-4 and then heading under the Disney World sign is an feeling you just can’t beat; it’s the excitement combined with the sense of coming home or heading into the magic for the first time. Having a hire car at Disney World does however have it’s own logistics to consider.
I have hired a car and stayed on-site at Disney World many times. Driving onto site is an easy experience, but there are a few things you need to know.
- The first time you enter your resort in a hire car, you need to stop and speak to security and then go to reception. They do take a note of your registration, however, after this first stop parking at your hotel and using your car around Disney World is easy.
- It is free to park at your resort, and there is a security barrier manned by security that adds an extra layer of safety and peace of mind.
- Driving around Disney World is the same as driving anywhere else in Florida and the same rules apply.
- You can park at the theme parks for free if you stay on site which offers a saving of £26.25 ($35.00) a day.
What Do You Use Your Hire Car For In Disney World
Disney World has free transportation so a hire car is not necessary, you can get around for free using buses, boats, and Disney Skyliner, but it is surprising how much you can use a hire car around Disney World. It’s useful for getting to areas that you might want to visit around the resort that aren’t served by the free transport system. This includes:
- Getting to mini golf which is an experience you can enjoy for free with your 7- and 14-Day UK Magic Ticket. Disney transport does not go directly to these 2 locations.
- Going to McDonalds. There is a McDonalds at Disney World and Disney transport does not take you directly to it.
- Experiencing Disney golf courses.
To find out where Disney’s free transport system goes check out the free transport guide.
Having a hire car also gives you extra time to get to dining reservations without planning your route on the free transport system first, which can require stops and transport changes. Car hire offers convenience that you don’t have with Disney’s free transport, for example coming out of Jollywood Nights only to find the Disney Skyliner is closed. It comes down to convenience.
We also use the hire car to:
- Pop to Walmart or other supermarkets to get snacks for the room and the parks, including fruit which is quite expensive on-site and limited in comparison to what you can buy in the shops
- To eat out, go to Starbucks or Dunkin’
- To go to other attractions
- Go to the parks and then carry on to other off-site locations
Pros and Cons Of Hiring A Car And Staying In A Disney World Hotel
To weigh up if you need a hire car when staying on-site here are the pros and cons as I have experienced them driving around Disney World:
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Flexibility and convenience: hop in the car and go where you want when you want | Data is needed on your phone for Google maps, so an Esim or sorting out your data before flying is needed to avoid high roaming costs |
Able to store spare clothes, and drinks in the car if you get a cooler, which is perfect if there’s a downpour and you get soaked | You need to read up on driving rules before you go on holiday as there are some differences when driving in Orlando, Florida. |
Can explore the Orlando area without worrying about rideshare costs or availability | Can be a further walk to the hotel room from the car park than using the free transport options |
Parking in Disney World is free everywhere so there’s no extra cost to park a hire car at Disney World | Costs more than rideshare options overall if you only want to make a few trips off-site |
If you hire to and from the airport you can include the cost of the hire car in with your airport transfer budget |
What If You Only Want A Hire Car For Part Of Your Holiday?
You don't have to hire a car for your entire holiday, renting one only for the days you actually need it can often save money and be more convenient. Hiring a car for a few days, for example to include an airport transfer, a few days visiting other Orlando attractions and to head to the shops can work well.
You can also rent your car from the Disney Car Care Center, opens in a new tabnear Magic Kingdom. Enterprise, Alamo and National all offer hire car rental and collection from this site, If you stay in a Disney World hotel, Enterprise for example will come and collect you and take you to the centre to pick up your hire car. For UK visitors who are staying at Disney World for only part of their holiday there is an option to:
- transfer from MCO by Mears Connect to a Disney World hotel,
- have a week in Disney World, staying on-site and using the free Disney transport system
- then hire a car to pick-up from the Disney Car Care Center and use it to explore more of Orlando while still staying in a Disney World hotel
- then drop the car at the airport and use the hire car as your return airport transfer.
Split Stays: Car Hire When Staying 7 Days At Disney Vs 7 Days At Universal
Hiring a car for a split stay between Disney and Universal is a numbers game when you’re asking if it is worth it. I find it’s cheaper to have your hire car while you stay at Disney and to enjoy the flexibility a car offers at this destination, while returning it before your stay at Universal. The downside is that you lose the convenience. This table shows the difference between what car parking perks hotel guests at Disney and Universal get and why you might prefer to have a hire car when staying at Disney World hotels.
Car Hire: Extra Costs | Disney World | Universal |
|---|---|---|
Resort car parking | Free | £19.50 ($26.00) plus tax - £26.25 ($35.00) plus tax |
Theme park car parking | Free | £26.25 ($35.00) |
Free regular resort to theme park transport | Free | Free |
Total extra cost for hiring a car | £0 | Approx £52.49 ($70.00) per day |
Reasons Why Hiring A Car For Disney World Is Useful
Staying at a Disney World hotel and using it as a base to go beyond Disney World is something we have done a few times. Here are a few of the reasons why a hire car is needed:
- If you don’t have a Dining Plan a hire car opens up a lot of food options, and there are plenty of places to eat offering so many different food options. This is perfect if you are vegetarian, are a light eater or have picky eaters.
- People who struggle with noise and congestion on transport. Free Disney transport is often quiet during off-peak times, but when the parks open and close, the queues can be long for any option.
- Anyone who wants to stay in the Disney bubble but spend 50% or more of their vacation visiting other theme parks and attractions, even if you plan on popping into the parks daily. If you’re doing a simple split between Universal and Disney, this may not be the case and we look at that further down.
- If you want to be able to head to the shops regularly to pick up snacks for the parks, rather than planning in one trip to Walmart and one to Target. Car hire gives you the freedom to go to Walmart, Target, and Publix as many times as you like.
When To Consider NOT Hiring A Car For Disney World
Disney World is purposely designed so you don’t need a car, which means when you stay on-site you can get to all the attractions by using free Disney transport. Here are the instances where UK visitors can comfortably skip hiring a car and save some money to use elsewhere:
- You plan to spend most of your holiday visiting Disney attractions and only plan to have a couple of days off-site.
- You don’t need a hire car to get to your Disney resort. Although the days of the free magical express are now long gone, Mears offer an affordable coach transfer from MCO direct to all Disney resorts. There are other options too, which will likely provide similar or better value, including private transfers.
- You have a strict budget. If you are doing Disney for the smallest possible amount, you can skip car hire if you are mainly planning on a Disney or Disney and Universal split stay.
Take a look at our guide to free Disney transport to explore just how easy it is to get around the resort.
Hiring A Car For Disney World: Is It Worth It?
We have always found hiring a car to be convenient when staying on-site at Disney World, but we frequently explore beyond the parks on our Florida holidays. Car hire offers convenience to do your own thing when you stay at Disney but it really isn’t necessary and it is definitely an expense you can skip. Getting to and from your hotel for breaks, and to park hop, is easy using the free Disney transport system. Using Disney transport and ordering Ubers and Lyfts is easy and will save you money if you don’t plan on regular days out to the coasts or other Orlando area attractions.
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