From our personal experience staying at the
Animal Kingdom Lodge, we often found traveling by car more efficient to the Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Going to the Animal Kingdom is a quick journey by car or bus. If a bus is there, board it. Taking your car, you can leave immediately but you may need to get a tram to the front entrance.
When going to the Magic Kingdom, guests must first park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and then take the monorail or ferry over to the Magic Kingdom. This is a toss-up as to which is quicker. You can depart immediately in your car. Then you’ll have to park at the TTC and maybe take a tram to the monorail entrance. You’ll wait in line for the next available monorail or boat. This all depends on timing. Did you get to the parking lot early enough to walk to the monorail? How long until the tram comes along? Did a monorail just pull away as you were walking up the ramp?
Traveling via bus, you may have to wait for the next bus to arrive. However, once on board, you’ll go directly to the Magic Kingdom, bypassing the TTC.
Touring other hotels is definitely more convenient with a car. I found it helpful traveling by car when we were taking a stroller. Decide whether the cost of a car rental is worth it for your family. We were utilizing our own vehicle so I didn’t have to factor in the car rental in our budget. Best wishes!