Car vs Buses ...

[sjlogghe]

Headed to Disney next week. Our trip is Wednesday to Wednesday. I'm looking for some input on the buses.

Background ... I have been to Disney probably 20+ times over the years, the majority of the time we always rent a car. The last time we relied solely on Disney transportation was about 10 years ago. (We were also staying at the Contemporary - which made things so much easier!) I don't necessarily like not having the freedom to come and go as I please, instead having to be at the mercy of when the buses will arrive. I can get a bit anxious in having to wait for things on vacations (buses, boats, not ride waits). With a car we can leave anytime we want. With a bus, if we're standing there waiting for a bus for 30 minutes, then have to make multiple stops, my mind keeps thinking about all the things I could be doing at the parks already if I had just left in my own car!

The trip will be me, my sister, and 2 of her kids - 10 yo and 5 yo. She is leaning towards not renting the car, to spend that $200 on other things. I'm leaning more towards renting the car, for my previously mentioned reasons.

I saw where you can now see when buses will be arriving through the MDE app. How has this been working? Is it pretty reliable?

I guess I'm looking for people's opinions/reasons/input on car vs Disney transportation. Basically, I want you to relieve my fears of relying on the buses!! HA. Or make points on why I should convince my sister to rent the car. I'm just so torn on what to do, as it's been so long since I've done only Disney transportation. Also any tips/tricks would be appreciated! I've read that we should plan for an hour to get from point A to point B whenever we go anywhere?

Thanks for any responses!!

ETA: Forgot to mention we are staying at the All Star Sports Resort - if that makes any difference!

 

[gharter]

We have rented and not rented a car.
Pros: We often will have dinner at a restaurant at a resort we are not staying at. We could take a taxi/Uber, etc, but its about $20 each way. There is no direct bus, have to stop at a park and transfer, both ways. Trip becomes about 60 minutes each way. A car solves the problem. We have a TIW card, so free valet as well.
we often drive to AK, seems faster than the buses. we always drive to DS, the buses seem to take forever to get there.
We stop at a grocery store between the airport and WDW to stock up on breakfast foods, snacks etc. We eliminate going anywhere for breakfast this way (could be a pro or con).

Cons: not cheap. Unless you find a good deal, can be about $300 a week or more (depending on time of year). May have to pay for parking. It can be nice to sit on a bus and not worry about traffic or which turn to take.
Have to deal with traffic, construction, detours.

Even when we have a car, we take the buses most of the time to the parks. we drive to DS and restaurants at resorts.

 

[Magical2017]

We have always had good luck with the buses, but we have done a lot of January trips with low crowds. Our most recent stays were at ALK and POP--no issues whatsoever, few crowds, short waits. We really dislike driving in Orlando, but decided to rent a car for the first time in years next month (staying offsite). The car rental rate went down this evening by 30% with Advantage, if this helps. If you enjoy coming and going when you please and don't mind driving, you may want to just book the car. There is a resort parking fee, but you can park for free at the parks if you are staying at All Stars.

 

[MudQueen22]

I have been to Disney twice. On the first trip, we parked our minivan and it didn't move until we left. We took the buses everywhere.

On the second trip, we took the buses only once; we drove our minivan everywhere.

Both have their pros and cons, which I will go into. I have heard that where you stay matters with regard to buses, although I do not know this first hand. We stayed at the Pop Century the first time and the Art of Animation the second time.

First trip: When we stayed at the Pop, we had one child (age 5) and I was five months pregnant with the second. We took the buses everywhere. There was only one day where we had to wait a significant amount of time for the bus. All of the other times, we got on the bus within 15 minutes of walking up to the bus stop. Only once did I find the bus uncomfortable, but that was because I was five months pregnant with the misfortune of standing on that bus ride. I learned really quickly what it meant for your center of gravity to be off.
I have driven and owned my own vehicle since the age of 16. It was not easy giving up that control. My husband convinced me to do so. I was glad I did since it worked out well for us.

Second trip: We decided to take our van to the parks because we were returning with a seven-year-old and (almost) 2-year-old. We brought our City Elite stroller, and it is bulky even when folded up, so we decided this would be too much effort to get on the buses. (Stroller was mostly for baby, but we knew older child could rest in it if needed.) I liked taking the van to Epcot and to other resorts for dining (we did not visit AK or HS), but I did not like taking it to MK. You have to park in a large parking lot, take a tram through the parking lot to a boat, and then a boat to MK. On our last MK park day, we decided that the bus was easier so we took it.

Overall, I felt the buses were easier, especially for MK. I've never been crazy about giving up that control, but I felt that the buses ran regularly enough at these two resorts to take the edge off any anxiety. It was nice to not have to worry about our van, where we parked it, a long walk to it, etc. We just waited at the bus stop, got on a bus, and got out at the front of our resort. Easy peasy.

Our next trip is at the Fort Wilderness Campground; we are taking our camper. Its pretty definite that we will take the boats from the campground to MK (or to the Contemporary, then either monorail or walk to MK). We are undecided on the other three parks. We might use Disney transportation; we might take our truck. The Fort's transportation is two-fold (internal bus system to main bus stop, then another bus to the parks), so we will decide later.

Hopefully, a All Stars fan will post and give an opinion on the bus service there.

 

[Tksolomom]

Don’t forget the parking fee at the hotel when you budget the cost of renting a hotel.

 

[disneyguy07]

If I am staying onsite, I rarely rent a car. First, there is the cost and hassle of renting a car. With a rental car, you are having to collect your luggage at baggage claim and head out to the parking garage to pick up the rental car. A new cost that @Tksolomom mentioned is the resort parking fee. For the value resorts, this will add on $13 dollars per night plus tax. You also have the hassle of driving around Disney property. Right now, there is a lot of construction which can add some stress in trying to navigate the resort.

Personally, I prefer the experience of using Magical Express and relying on Disney transportation around the resort. There are certainly some hassles and frustrations that come with this as well though. The buses can definitely be a bit slow to arrive -- particularly during the middle of the day. In the mornings and evenings, I find that buses are generally fairly prompt but the bus will definitely be full and you may need to stand. The addition of the bus arrival times on the screens at the resort and in MDE help a little bit because it allows you to know roughly how long you will be waiting; however, sometimes these times aren't entirely accurate.

All Star Sports generally will have its own bus, but depending on the time of day they do sometimes share buses with the other All Star resorts. Sports will be the first drop off coming back from the parks.

One possibility would be to not get a car, but plan to occasionally use Uber/Lyft/Minnie Vans for those times when you want to get home quickly.

Some other factors you may want to consider:

• Will you be visiting the water parks? - Getting to the water parks using Disney transportation takes forever because you usually have to change buses.
• Will you need to get to dining reservations at other resorts? - You (generally) can't travel between resorts on Disney transportation and will need to make a connection at a theme park.
• How much (if any) time will be spent off Disney property? - If you are planning to stay on property the whole time, then it might not make sense to rent a car.
• What time of year are you going? - My trips tend to be at off-peak times. If I was going at a peak time, then I would probably be more inclined to consider renting a car so I could have some time away from the crowds.

 

[joelkfla]

FYI: under FL law and for safety, the 5yo should be sitting on a booster in a car. If you plan to use Uber or Lyft, your sis may want to consider getting an inflatable (Bubble Bum) or folding booster. I don't know whether the car rentals rent boosters (I know they rent car seats), but bringing your own is also an option there.

 

[nkereina]

The thing with the bus times on both the app and the screens at the bus depots is that it adjusts accordingly based on where the buses are, how long they are taking, etc. If it says the next bus for DHS is due to arrive at 2:32, it's not uncommon for it to instantly change to 2:45 if they get held up from something. So, its accurate but only because they are constantly updating and changing the times in real time.

We prefer NOT to rent a car because we simply don't like driving on vacation. We drive enough in the "real world" so its a nice break to let someone else worry about it. I use the time to check plans on the MDE app, move my FPs around, check-in with a text to home, etc. We also don't have to worry about directions, construction nightmares, signage, catching the parking trams, the cost (rental car plus parking cost), etc. We love getting off the plane and hopping on DME, not having to stop for luggage or to rent a car. We don't have to worry about having too many drinks because we have to drive. It just makes for a more relaxing trip with one less thing to worry about for us.

 

[gillep]

We have only ever rented a car twice or so in all of our trips and we do not prefer it at all, we have always found it more hassle than it was worth. We usually rely on the buses, walking, and some Uber/Lyft. That said, I have traveled with people who just do not handle the buses well at all, and are complaining about long waits and being tied down, while my husband and I were looking at them like they were crazy as we had hardly waited a couple minutes. Everyone has a different perception and tolerance. If you feel like you really need to rent a car to make your trip more enjoyable then you should.

 

[toontoy]

Not to hijack the thread or anything but how are the buses at Saratoga Springs. We are going to this resort next month and I cant decide car or bus. Our last trip was over 10 years ago at the Beach Club and I hated the buses. They were always packed and it seemed like forever each morning to get to the MK. We usually go to that park first every morning and hop to another park. I just cant decide if its worth the 200 for a car. Great news is we dont have to pay for parking. This time we have a 2 year old and thats why I am leaning on car. Uber/Lift is a hassle with car seats.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Car is faster than bus. we experimented and DH drove the car from Epcot to SSR while I took the bus. He wait 35 minutes for me to arrive! Now factor 35 minutes each way for about a total of an hour commute on the bus. Then if you take a break in the middle of the day and go back to a park you will have spent 2 hrs of your day to take the bus. 2 hrs times 5 days and you will have spend 10 hrs of your vacation on the bus! Just saying.

 

[georgina]

We usually drive when we have a group; when I go solo sometimes I use the buses. I just got back and had an issue with the buses that I have had before (this is at Pop) When staying until park close, the wait for a bus back to the resort can be very long (like an hour). I don't understand why, Disney knows what time the park closes, send a few more buses. I was at the Magic Kingdom until 1 AM this week, and luckily made it on the 2nd bus that came, but the wait was still quite long and the line was long behind me. At AK Thursday night, I had to wait for the third bus, which was an hour wait from 10:30-11:30. Apparently people in the front of the line had been waiting an hour for the first bus that showed up. The rest of the bus trips in the morning, afternoon, and evening were pretty good. Car is much more convenient, but more expensive also.

 

[Christine]

We are usually "car" people. The last few years I stayed off-site so naturally we'd have the car. I've stayed onsite before (CBR and Shades of Green) and still preferred the convenience of my car.

This year we drove down and decided to stay at the Contemporary because my parents were joining us. My father has severe ankle arthritis now and needed to rent an ECV to make it through the parks. The plan was to park the cars and maximize the use of buses and the monorail.

Overall, it worked out fine, but honestly, it was a bit too slow for me. I'm pretty impatient. When I want to go, I want to go. The bus from the CR runs to the other parks every 20 minutes. Sometimes there was a time available on the app, sometimes not. Even when the time was there, it kept changing. It was definitely okay, but I would not want to have to do that all the time. Getting around by car was much more efficient. Also, towards the end of our stay last week, we really did some serious park hopping. Went back over to AK on several nights to ride FoP and that would not have been doable with the bus. Well, sure, it could have been done but would have taken much more time.

But there's no doubt that having the car is more expensive and if you are budgeting, it's worth it to sacrifice some of your time.

 

[Dumbo7]

Car for us. But we don’t always use it and it depends where we stay. We like our own space after we leave the parks. If we go to Epcot we almost always take Disney transportation. Animal kingdom we always drive.

 

[LYSE]

Reasons to rely on buses: Save money
Reasons to rent a car/drive: Save time

To us, time is more valuable than the money saved most of the time, especially with the thought of an angry toddler waiting for a bus.

 

[twodogs]

We have a rental car and are staying at BC. If we plan to park hop, how difficult is it to find parking mid day at the parks? We leave Thursday of next week.

 

[momofbk]

Headed to Disney next week. Our trip is Wednesday to Wednesday. I'm looking for some input on the buses.

Background ... I have been to Disney probably 20+ times over the years, the majority of the time we always rent a car. The last time we relied solely on Disney transportation was about 10 years ago. (We were also staying at the Contemporary - which made things so much easier!) I don't necessarily like not having the freedom to come and go as I please, instead having to be at the mercy of when the buses will arrive. I can get a bit anxious in having to wait for things on vacations (buses, boats, not ride waits). With a car we can leave anytime we want. With a bus, if we're standing there waiting for a bus for 30 minutes, then have to make multiple stops, my mind keeps thinking about all the things I could be doing at the parks already if I had just left in my own car!

The trip will be me, my sister, and 2 of her kids - 10 yo and 5 yo. She is leaning towards not renting the car, to spend that $200 on other things. I'm leaning more towards renting the car, for my previously mentioned reasons.

I saw where you can now see when buses will be arriving through the MDE app. How has this been working? Is it pretty reliable?

I guess I'm looking for people's opinions/reasons/input on car vs Disney transportation. Basically, I want you to relieve my fears of relying on the buses!! HA. Or make points on why I should convince my sister to rent the car. I'm just so torn on what to do, as it's been so long since I've done only Disney transportation. Also any tips/tricks would be appreciated! I've read that we should plan for an hour to get from point A to point B whenever we go anywhere?

Thanks for any responses!!

ETA: Forgot to mention we are staying at the All Star Sports Resort - if that makes any difference!

 

[momofbk]

We have stayed at Sports several times and usually rely on buses. After a long tiring day at the parks it’s so nice to leave the driving to someone else! We did rent a car one time but found the extra money and hassle wasn’t worth it for us. Buses seemed to be available to / from Sports pretty often & even when we left Parks late and had to share a bus, Sports was the first drop off.

 

[Dumbo7]

We have a rental car and are staying at BC. If we plan to park hop, how difficult is it to find parking mid day at the parks? We leave Thursday of next week.

Not difficult at all.

 

[twodogs]

Thank you!