[Goofette]

I hope I am posting this in the correct spot. We are leaving from Missouri and driving to WDW. We are going to rent a vehicle and we can't decide on the kind we should get. We want the MOST comfortable and spacious. If it comes to Spacious vs Comfortable I want Comfortable. Anyway, we're thinking about minivans (with tvs) or luxury cars, something like that, but we are stuck on which would be best. We don't own either so I don't know how well either of them rides.

Please, I need as many suggestions as possible. We have to reserve the vehicle ASAP, because we've put it off too long already. I'm getting worried about finding something in such a short amount of time. Anyway, I would appreciate all the help we can get. Also, we are Sams club members, AAA members and my husband gets specials from work, so we can shop around after we decide on what to try to get.

Thanks Everyone :angel :angel

[wdwjeff]

We've never driven to WDW. However, we have a Chrysler Town&Country, and I can tell you that it's spacious, and rides just like a luxury car. We didn't get the built-in TV, because it was almost $2000 more. You can buy one that plugs into the cigarette lighter at heartlandamerica.com for under $200. Hope this helps, and have a great trip. I'll look forward to reading your reviews when you come back. In July, I'll be posting my reviews, too.:) :)

[lopo]

I have never driven to WDW from home (we always fly), but I had a very good experience renting from Hertz via AAA (the discounts were more substantial than other discounts I found at BJ's or with the Entertainment Book or other board's codes.) We didn't rent a luxury vehicle because we were only driving around the Disneyland area from the airport. We had a Taurus; it was comfortable, but the trunk wasn't very large. It was a struggle packing in our luggage (for 4). The most wonderful thing was the Neverlost system that we also rented from Hertz with the car. It cost $8 extra a day and it was worth its weight in gold! I don't think that I'll ever rent without it again. In case you are not familiar with it: the Neverlost system is a Global Position Satellite system (I think that is what the GPS acronym means) that provides you with directions, maps, and talks to you as you drive. On your way to WDW, if you want to stop at a particular restaurant (Cracker Barrel, for instance), you just type in the name and the system will let you know where the nearest one is, how far it is, and how to get to it. You can select the quickest route or the scenic route. If you make a mistake (I accidentally took a wrong turn), it will tell you. It is an amazing tool! I recommend it highly, It saved us a lot of time and aggravation. I have not used a TV in a vehicle yet, but I have heard positive things about them, too. Really keeps the travelers entertained while the driver concentrates on the driving.

[Goofette]

Yes, that does help. I wasn't really sure if we needed a tv or not. I like to read, and I have lots of travel games but I don't know how riding for that long (almost 20 hours) will be. We need to worry about car sickness (and reading is awful for that), but I also wondered if the tv wouldn't also cause motion sickness.

I'm starting to get panicky, I just realized we only have a little over two weeks, and I'm not even close to being ready. I guess I need to spend more time away from the computer :( :)

[Goofette]

I'm getting ready to call some places and get prices. I know it's going to cost us a lot because we'll have the vehicle for 11 days, but my husband will NOT fly. Even with his business trips now he has it in his contract that he can either drive or take other transportation, so I respect his decision. I just want to be comfortable.

I'll let you all know what vehicles they have and prices and get more input from you if you don't mind.

Thanks Again,
you all are Great.

[minnie]

Mickey and I recently bought a new Honda odyssey. We have been driving a Suburban for the last few years and Hated it!!!!! My new Odyssey is great. I love the drive (very comfortable), so much more like a luxury car. We do have the built in TV and it makes a world of difference for our kids on long drives. We have one son who gets very car sick but watching a movie does not bother him at all. If he read a book he would throw up in about two minutes flat. Another nice feature for our tv system is that the kids in the back can wear wireless headphones for a movie while Mickey and I listen to the radio, or CDs in the front. The Honda has extra cargo space for luggage too. I would highly recommend a minivan for a drive that long, and as a mom of five the TV makes a huge difference in my sanity.

[spike]

Goofette, don't forget to get unlimited milage with your rental.
Also in addition to vehicals with tv's you can get books on tape, I use to rent them every time we took a road trip. We purchased a Honda Odyssey in December and drove from Louisiana to WDW in Feb. it was great. We have the DVD in it and only heard from the 2 and 5 year old when the movie was over. It is almost a pleasure to dive now.
:)

[Goofette]

For the first time since planning my trip I'm starting to get really STRESSED. Unfortunately, I can't find a luxury car to rent in our area (Springfield, Missouri) and NO ONE has TV's. The only thing we have been able to find has been a Buick Lesabre or a minivan like a Ford Windstar. I guess I will go see what these vehicles are like. I really wish I knew more about cars right now. Everyone keeps telling me we can pick up a luxury car in St. Louis or Kansas city but that is 4 hours out of the way and wouldn't be possible. At this point I don't even care about the cost, I just want to find something. I never dreamed it would be this difficult trying to find a luxury vehicle. I guess I'm going to start trying to shop online and see what I can find.

Plus...I keep getting different explanations of the minivan from the rental place. One person told me that there are doors on both sides in back that open automatically, the other said there are not.

Does anyone have any opionions about the Buick Lesabre or the minivan. I have the Lesabre for 431.75, including unlimited mileage and that includes any surcharges and tax. The minivan I found for 523.69 including unlimited mileage and taxes.

Sorry this is so long.:(

[mickey]

Originally posted by minnie
Mickey and I recently bought a new Honda odyssey.

Man, I can't believe she told everyone we have a minivan. How embarrassing!

[mickey]

I would go with the minivan. They are great to drive, get pretty good gas mileage, have great cargo space and if you have to get up to yell at your kids, you can just walk into the back seats without any problem.

My mother in law has a newish Windstar, and it is pretty nice. Make sure you nail them down on what kind it is, and what is included. That isn't a bad price either. Minivans run about $350 or $400 a week in Orlando.

[Goofette]

Originally posted by minnie
Mickey and I recently bought a new Honda odyssey. We have been driving a Suburban for the last few years and Hated it!!!!! My new Odyssey is great. I love the drive (very comfortable), so much more like a luxury car.

Minnie, do you know if the Odyssey is anything like a Windstar or Caravan. I didn't even realize an Odyssey was a minivan until Mickeys response LOL "Man, I can't believe she told everyone we have a minivan. How embarrassing!" (We promise, non of us on here will tell....shhhhhhh ;) )

On the minivan I was told we would have the front seats, then two seats, then a bench seat. Is your vehicle similar to that at all, and if it is, do you have problems with the luggage. It will just be my husband, me and my daughter, with a LOT of Stuff :( .

Thanks again everyone. This is the first time since planning the vacation that I don't have a clue of what I'm doing.

[wdwjeff]

I agree with Mickey. My sister-in-law has a Windstar, also. While it's not as nice as the Honda or the Chrysler, it still has a lot of advantages over the LeSabre, and rides beautifully. Again, if a TV is important, and you can't rent a vehicle that comes with one, go to heartlandamerica.com. I believe you can get a 9 inch TV/VCR combo that plugs into the lighter socket for $169 or $189-I forget the exact price. For a trip that long, it might be worth it, plus you can use it in other vehicles whenever you want to. And, don't let yourself get too stressed out. I mean, come on, you're going to DisneyWorld!:D

[wdwjeff]

And, Hey, Mickey, we had a 1998 Mazda MPV that we loved, because it was a cross between an SUV and a minivan, so, LOL, the wife and I could both be happy with it. Well, it was stolen out of a mall parking lot last October, and they don't make anything like it any more. So, now we have a minivan, too. I guess life could be worse. We really loved that Mazda, though.

[Goofette]

Ok...It's either a Buick Lesabre/or Bonneville, Ford Windstar/or Caravan, and now they have thrown in a Kia Spectra that is brand new that they just had delivered yesterday.

I think the reason I'm so stressed is my husband and I went on vacation to Arizona. We had a vehicle reserved, but when we went to pick it up they didn't have any vehicles at ALL, Except, a HUGE 20 some passenger van. It was hilarious. I was ticked at the time because we had to drive this thing around. It was this Long White Plain HUGE van. We took pictures of it (it was funny just he and I in the front) and now when I look back it's funny. But I don't want the same experience again.

[Goofette]

Originally posted by wdwjeff
And, Hey, Mickey, we had a 1998 Mazda MPV that we loved, because it was a cross between an SUV and a minivan, so, LOL, the wife and I could both be happy with it. Well, it was stolen out of a mall parking lot last October, and they don't make anything like it any more. So, now we have a minivan, too. I guess life could be worse. We really loved that Mazda, though.

Oh my gosh, how awful. We keep leaving the keys in our car hoping someone will steal it, but no luck ;) (just kidding btw). I think we are going to check into the tv/vcr combo. That sounds like a good idea. And we travel quite a bit (just not as far as this trip is going to be).