Disney buses and car sickness

meek mouse · Mar 23, 2015

We will be visiting WDW for the first time in mid to late April. I have one daughter who struggles with car sickness on some bus rides. She is usually ok if she can sit towards the front of the bus. We are going during a medium crowd level according to the various crowd calendars and are staying at AKL. I would like the true Disney experience of using the buses, but am considering renting a car to achieve shorter drive times in a smaller vehicle. Anybody have any thoughts or experiences to share?

Laurie5013 · Mar 23, 2015

I would rent a car, I wouldn't want to chance her getting sick on the bus. If it happened in the morning on the way to the park, it could ruin your day....and everyone elses on the bus (yuck!). If you absolutely don't want to rent a car, I think you could probably ask anyone in the front of the bus if they'd mind you taking their seat if other's are avail for them to move to if you explain why your daughter needs to sit in the front (I wouldn't mind moving to prevent someone from getting sick). Another thought, have you tried using those bands that you wear around your wrist to prevent motion sickness? I think they are called sea bands and you can get them at the drug store.

meek mouse · Mar 23, 2015

I guess I should clarify that she rarely gets sick like the pp mentioned. It's more of a disoriented-I have to lay down and sleep it off kind of sickness. Having never been there, I'm just wondering how full the buses might be and if there are a lot of stops and sharp turns along the various routes to the various park locations. I should also mention that because we have 2 young children, we are only planning one late night for Wishes and will not be closing any parks. What are the chances we would have to stand or ride in the back of the bus routinely?

seashoreCM · Mar 23, 2015

Different people may get sick on some kinds of vehicles but not others. But since you said your daughter gets sick on buses in general, the chances are high she will get sick on Disney buses.

Sometimes a person would be better off facing sideways or maybe better off facing forward. But figuring this out would require a lot of experimentation and trial and error.

The Disney buses do not make as many stops as a typical city bus but there are some stops and fast broad turns and a few sharp turns.

Reading a book is likely to aggravate car sickness.

bumbershoot · Mar 24, 2015

I would rent the car.

maxiesmom · Mar 24, 2015

I would rent a car. The Disney buses have more standing room than seats. Unless you are very lucky odds are at some point your family will have to stand on the bus. And when they start filling the bus with standees, they have to go all the way to the back of the bus, and people are packed in. Doesn't sound like that would be a good thing.

Muhlenberg · Mar 24, 2015

Another one for renting a car. My dad had a dizziness problem, and on someone else's advice I decided to do Disney transport instead of my USUAL car rental. Well, it only took the ride on ME from the airport for the nasty side effect to rear it's ugly head. I didn't waste any time renting a car. Problem solved. Also note that, as mentioned, sometimes there are sharp turns. That can be at the park bus stops; they sometimes have to make a u-turn before getting to the right stop before you get off. It can also be at the resort bus stops; they have to turn that "beast" 180 degrees to leave.

charmed59 · Mar 24, 2015

My experience at AKL is the bus is almost always full. One more vote for renting a car.

meek mouse · Mar 24, 2015

Thank you for the meaningful replies. Part of the Disney allure for me is not driving at all on vacation, but my daughter's experience is obviously more important!

I think we will take the Disney bus from the airport and then rent a car for the week on the grounds. Hopefully, we can get a seat at the front of that bus. Being first timers, is the driving experience around the grounds fairly easy and well-marked? Is it easy to get lost?
I really appreciate your help. Transportation has been the trickiest part of our planning.

tobikaye · Mar 24, 2015

Does your DD have to be facing forward, as well? I am not sure what the current, mostly used, configuration is. I know that I have sat on various styles over the years and most of the seats towards the front of the bus face inward instead of forward. I agree that it sounds like driving would be the best bet for your family. DME from the airport does have regular bus seating so you should be okay there if you do not want to rent from the airport.

I will say that I drive probably 75% of the time I am at WDW and I have never gotten lost. I might have missed a turn, but I was always able to get back to where I needed. The signage is good, but you need to know what you are looking for. I would still suggest looking at some of the area maps and maybe due some directions to help you get used to where you need to go. I like the street view for intersections.

How do you think your daughter will do with the monorail or ferry from TTC, where you park for MK? Do you think she could handle the monorail since she will not be able to see our of a front window? I would suggest if you take the ferry that you make sure to enter on the side that would let her sit/stand facing the direction the monorail will go.

goofy4tink · Mar 24, 2015

The vast majority of buses have side facing seats in the front, but forward facing in the very back. There are some buses that offer a few forward facing front seats, but not many anymore.
If your dd has any issues at all with riding in a bus, I would seriously consider renting a car. The rides to the parks, other than AK, are going to be on the longish side when staying at AKL.

meek mouse · Mar 24, 2015

Thanks for the continued help. We will rent a car, but a pp brought up the trip from the TTC to MK using a ferry or the monorail. Being a Disney newbie, I hadn't even thought about that. How long is the ride with both options? My DD does fine on short trips like on the airport shuttles that take you from the parking lot to the terminal. Most of those shuttles are even side-facing seating. It's just the long windy rides I'm concerned about.

tobikaye · Mar 25, 2015

The express monorail is under 10 minutes and curves from the TTC through the Contemporary to MK. The ferry is about 15 minutes straight across. You can usually find some videos on You Tube of these if you want to look and see if you think she would have any trouble.

Mommee · Mar 26, 2015

meek mouse said:
Thank you for the meaningful replies. Part of the Disney allure for me is not driving at all on vacation, but my daughter's experience is obviously more important!
I think we will take the Disney bus from the airport and then rent a car for the week on the grounds. Hopefully, we can get a seat at the front of that bus. Being first timers, is the driving experience around the grounds fairly easy and well-marked? Is it easy to get lost?
I really appreciate your help. Transportation has been the trickiest part of our planning.

i have two daughters that battle "bus sickness". It's the ME bus that gets them every time. Each daughter has puked once on the bus-the first one i caught it with my hands :crazy2:

The second time i dumped our 3-1-1 bag for her to use and then washed it at the airport :crazy2:

. Guess who always sits near the girls? :sad2:

Neither one has any issues with the on-property buses at all, though.

houseofduck · Mar 26, 2015

Mommee said:
i have two daughters that battle "bus sickness". It's the ME bus that gets them every time. Each daughter has puked once on the bus-the first one i caught it with my hands The second time i dumped our 3-1-1 bag for her to use and then washed it at the airport . Guess who always sits near the girls?

Neither one has any issues with the on-property buses at all, though.

The same is true for my daughter. The ME bus is the one that makes her feel sick. If we use ME, she uses sea bands. The buses on property don't seem to make her sick. Maybe it is because they are shorter rides.

kandb · Mar 28, 2015

The buses on property always seem to be full with people standing around you.

Best Aunt · Mar 28, 2015

As the Queen of Motion Sickness who just got back from Jambo House (AKL), I feel qualified to respond to this one.

We went to Epcot on two days. I felt motion sick on the bus on the way back on both days. It was a 25 minute bus ride. The theme park buses always stop at Kidani first, whether on your way to the park or on your way home. If you are getting on at Jambo to go to a theme park, the bus may be almost full from people who got on at Kidani. Don't count on getting a seat. When you are going back to Jambo from a theme park, you have to wait while the bus drives to Kidani first.

As a pp said, the seats do not face forward; they face into the bus. I get less motion sick if I can watch out the front where the bus is driving, but in order to do that I had to strain my neck on these buses.

If you drive to Magic Kingdom, take the ferry boat rather than the monorail from the TTC (parking lot). You are out in the open air on the ferry boat, which makes you less likely to get motion sick. Also, the monorails sometimes smell inside, which makes you more likely to get motion sick.

Also remember that Magical Express may make several stops before it gets to your hotel. Years ago I took a shuttle bus to a Disney hotel and swore I would never do it again. I felt motion sick before we got to the first hotel, and there was a long ride until we finally reached my hotel.

Also - I always drink iced tea with lemon when I feel motion sick. It seems to help. They sell it in the Jambo House gift shop and at the Mara restaurant there in the grab-and-go section.

richmo · Mar 30, 2015

You have no way of knowing where you'll wind up on any bus. Even in slow times, they may or may not be crowded. You're probably best off renting a car.

Or, switch to Wilderness Lodge. Should be about the same price with about half the bus rides.

OKW Lover · Mar 30, 2015

If the OP decides not to rent a car the "easy" solution is that if there are not seats near the front of the bus because you are in the end of the waiting line to just wait for the next one.

meek mouse · Apr 6, 2015

Well, I got a great deal on a rental car so now we have options. I am grateful for all the various tips received so that the magic isn't lost on our first visit.

Disney buses and car sickness

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