Splitting hotels, will this work?
 

We've decided to fly in a day early before our official Wilderness Lodge stay starts on a Sat, I have a 820 am breakfast in Epcot Sat morning.

Is it best to pickup a car rental on Friday when we fly in and then stay at an offsite hotel (thinking Wyndham LBV), go to the Wilderness Lodge in the morning, pickup park passes and then drive to Epcot for the 820am breakfast and drop off the car later somewhere close to Wilderness Lodge? I'm not sure if there's a simpler way to do this?

I stayed at the Renaissance Airport as arrived late and picked up the car the next day. Used Sixt which was just down the road and hotel shuttle dropped me off. From Sixt to LBV is about a 15-20 minute drive straight down the Beeline (Keep right for the cash tolls) and then I4

Is there not a rental car agency at the Swan/Dolphin? National? Been a while for me.

Follow your plan, then drop off there at 7:45 or so and walk to back entrance of EPCOT.

It's possible you can get Disney to pick you up at the airport with Magical Express for free very early Saturday. So you wouldn't have to rent a car at all; just stay at an airport-area hotel with shuttle Friday night. Might have to get up pretty early, though.

Or stay Fri. night at a Disney hotel (cheap one, probably) and have Disney transfer your luggage to WL for free on Sat.

Simple - may not be cheapest.

Simplest - take a cab (I took Disney's Magical Express once, and in my 20 visits to WDW it was the worst - over two hours from landing to the Boardwalk. Kids and I were so hot and tired and I almost left the line twice to go find a cab, but I didn't have enough cash on me and didn't remember that cabs take credit cards) TO Wilderness Lodge and book an extra night there. Easiest yes, but may not be as frugal.

Or, stay at the airport (I've stayed at the Renn there and it's nice with a shuttle, then next morning take a cab to WL to drop off luggage - very early I'd assume for your breakfast).

Or stay at the Hyatt in the airport.

If it were me, and you were my spouse, I'd also by the way kill you for making early breakfast ADR! I don't do breakfast and would hate to be checking into WL by at the very least 6:30am! That is no vacation to me!

My advice, is if you're going to make this early (UGH) reservation, just book another night at the WL.

Rental car is the most flexible way, and it's my preferred way. Of course, I always rent a car for my entire stay, but that's another argument...

This is a common situation, and the most common solution is a one-way rental.

Rent from Alamo or National at MCO for two days. Use the car to get from MCO to the Wyndham on Friday, then use it on Saturday morning to get to WL in the morning to check in and pick up passes, then drive to Epcot for the day (you will have to decide whether you want to leave your luggage at WL all day, or leave it in the trunk of the car). At the end of the day, drop off the family (and luggage) at WL, then return the car to the Car Care Center, which is just on the other side of the MK parking lot from WL. Alamo/National will shuttle you back to WL after you drop off the car. Cost of the rental should be somewhere in the $100 range.

While you have the car, you also have the ability to go off-site for shopping. Snacks, bottled water, any forgotten items like sunscreen - all of these items can be found at local Walgreens stores at far more reasonable prices than those of the various on-site options.

Then there's the possibility of going to one of the Disney outlet stores in the WDW area, such as the Orlando Premium Outlets location about 1/2 mile from Downtown Disney. It's a 10-minute drive from the Wyndham; you could stop on the way from MCO and do a little browsing, if your plane lands early enough on Friday night. Or you could take a mid-day break from Epcot on Saturday. Or, you could keep the car an extra few days, if it's in the budget.

Just keep that scene from Die Hard in mind: "The Car. Send in the Car!"

Thanks I think the plan will be exactly as you suggested WillCAD, I would have preferred to stay at WL room only the additional night but it's $400..no way!