Driving Around the World v Buses

[bexter12]

Wondered what everyone's thoughts are on this. We usually drive to WDW and have a car with us, so we pretty much drive to the parks and elsewhere even when we stay on site.

Anytime I've had to use the bus system, I always seem to have extremely long waits to get the right bus and end up spending 30+ minutes to get going the right direction. Meaning I always walk up as the bus is pulling away, the next bus that comes along is full or going off-duty. It's happened enough to me over the years to leave a bad taste in my mouth about trying to use WDW transportation.

My favorite time to drive is when we are at the cabins and have our own driveway, but even a room near the parking lot (which seem easier to get because of the view) saves a lot of time.

Of course there was the time I was taking the boat back from MK to the cabins and both my 4 and 7 year old fell asleep on me and I couldn't even get them awake enough to get them off the boat by myself. lol

Of course, I could ride the monorail all. day. long.

What do bus riders like about using WDW transportation?

 

[ArwenMarie]

My husband is completely anti-bus, like he will die if he boards one. He's fine with boats and monorail and trams. Go figure. So we always have rented a car and driven everywhere. It seems to work well for AK, DHS and Epcot, and visiting resorts. MK is the one where I'm not sure if it helps.

 

[chrissydeon]

We love using the buses! We always stay at AKL and have never had long waits for busses or even a problem with the busses being full. We do drive down occasionally, but we like the all inclusive feel of never having to get in our car for the entire stay. With that being said, I am sure I am in the minority, but I hate the monorail! I have no idea why, it just makes me feel claustrophobic.

 

[siskaren]

Other than it being free, I like that I don't have to worry about driving on unfamiliar roads, and since I like to stay at the parks until they close, I don't have to worry about being too tired to drive.

 

[maddiebee]

Because I live in a city where I frequently use public transportation, I have no problem with buses at all. A lot of times I'll pick public transportation over trying to find parking (that is usually parallel) in the city!

The main reason I like the buses, is not having to worry about how I'm getting home after a few margaritas from La Cava

 

[DisneyFanatic09]

We love the buses! We fly out to FL from AZ so we kind of don't have a choice. Its nice after a LONG day to just not have to drive... And we nap on them hahahahaha. (We haven't missed our stop yet) but we have never had horror stories like other people about waiting an eternity to get a bus. Our hotel at Sports was first to get picked up and first to get dropped off. We love it.

 

[GillianP1301]

I prefer the freedom & control of having my own car and it is faster/less time wasted. The only exception is MK, that is only slightly faster to drive or close enough to call it a tie. I tested it 2 years ago and with a 5 minute wait for the bus, got there in the same time as it took to drive. So for that reason, I drive everywhere, even MK. I don't drink in the parks though, if I did, that would be the only thing to change my mind.

 

[hakepb]

I'm a "park it and forget it" sort of vacationer. (It was one of those unexpected benefits of a cruise)

While WDW traffic is not horrible, its busier than my hometown)

I also don't like the trams (especially after being the one who struggled to carry the big stroller on one)

It also helps to have a DS that kinda enjoys it.

 

[shyjade]

Other than it being free, I like that I don't have to worry about driving on unfamiliar roads, and since I like to stay at the parks until they close, I don't have to worry about being too tired to drive.

This! I love not having to "think" about where I'm going or how I'm getting there while I'm on vacation. I've been a divorced single mom for 14 years, and let me tell you, I get plenty of that responsibility every other day of the year. Yes, driving yourself can be faster, but I enjoy stepping onto an air conditioned bus (vs. a car that's been closed up sitting in the hot sun all day). I LOVE being able to get off the plane, head to ME and step on a bus while someone else drives us to Disney.

 

[La2kw]

We always have a car and use it to drive to the waterparks, DD, Universal, Sea World, supermarkets, offsite restaurants, and occasionally to the parks. We do like using the Disney transport too. We've been to Orlando and all over Florida many times and know our way very well.

 

[momtosam]

We are pro-rental car. Hate waiting for buses. Hate crowding on full buses. Like the security of knowing we can go when we want to go. Like being able to leave items in the car if need be, but not to carry around all day. If you watch the boards and shop around you can get good deals on cars that make it worth it to us.

 

[MarineVet]

We loved using the bus at Coronado Springs, as they don't share with another resort, and always seemed to have enough buses that I never had to wait on the next one, at least going to the parks. Leaving the MK in the evening, well, sometimes we did have to wait a while but overall, I found the bus service from there to be excellent. The Art of Animation was less satisfactory, we drove to all parks except MK and the lines to get the bus were always pretty long. It was not unusual to get to the ropes and find there were already so many in line, you took the second or even third bus. The Shades of Green bus is not really worth mentioning, as not everyone can stay there, and they are not "Disney buses" but they are infrequent and do not let you off in convenient places.

We travel in off season, with crowd levels of 4 to 7. Overall, I don't mind the buses, there is kind of a nice anticipation of getting to the parks, and as we get close to MK, its fun to watch the little children get wide eyes and excited.

 

[donnajherren]

We drive to WDW, but we hardly ever use our car while we're there because we stay at the Beach Club. We walk to Epcot and take the boat to HS, so we only ride the buses to MK and AK.

When we drive, it's because we have ADRs or shows at one of the resorts, and I'd rather not bus-hop with a time squeeze.

 

[mousefan73]

We like the buses. Esp for MK. Unless you are at a monorail resort, there's no faster way of getting there.

I find the lines, crowds a non issue as sone one else is driving. Though this time we are renting for half the trip. To save time as we are doing water parks in the am. Resort break a d park. Plus outlet shopping. A car does save alot of time here plus we are planning boma and pepper market dining. A car from por is alot faster

 

[Cookie Princess]

We prefer to use a rental car for the flexibility. However, we will use the busses occasionally. I just don't care for waiting for them in long lines at park closing time.

 

[Csaks]

As far as I'm concerned the buses are only good if you plan on having a few 'pops' and it's a great way to get back to the hotel.
We drive everywhere onsite, it is way faster, yes MK can be a bit time consuming but we love getting on the ferry and watching the MK come into view.
We've been stuck in mile long lines waiting to get one either at the resort or at closing, really rude people on them, we always just missed the last one, have to wait 20 minutes and I sit there steaming that I could already be there as we wait. They just plain don't appeal to us.
Find out what works for you and enjoy your vacation.

 

[texasroni75]

We love the buses. We liked them from our very first trip when getting around between the parks was still new, and it helped that we had one less thing to have to worry about.

And we like them even more now that we have driven to WDW our last 3 trips. It means we can park our vehicle upon arrival, and not have to drive for the next 7 days. Yes, there have been a few long waits for a bus, but it's been the exception to the rule. Even with 5-6 in our group, we usually only end up standing 3 or 4 times a trip too (and yes we do give up our seats for those who need them more than we do!). We might reconsider if we ever happen to be traveling with a newly potty-trained child though, when an unexpected extra wait for the bus could be a disaster

 

[Ravenne]

We've always done buses (monorail, and boat as applicable.) No, they're not the speediest, and most effective way to get around WDW but it's actually one of the reasons we continue to vacation at WDW. We have small children so not having to schlep car seats is a huge plus for us. The fact that I don't have to drive. I don't have to worry about it. No dealing with parking, gas, and all the other stuff associated with driving that I deal with on a day to day basis. I drive enough in my day to day life. Not driving is a vacation for me.

 

[staxia]

Normally I'm not one to weigh in on the bus situation, but I've been pondering it today...

I think I actually enjoy them. It makes it more peaceful for me. I grew up in Florida and still have family and friends there. 75% of the time I'm at WDW, I'm with someone who drove there, so we could take a car if we wanted, but I think NOT driving actually gives us more freedom to do whatever we want. The way I figure, if you've parked in a lot, you've got to get back to your car at the end of the night (or whenever you choose to leave) -- we're casual when it comes to our touring plan, so if things are too crowded one place, we'll just leave and go someplace else. I mean, I guess that's possible with a car, too, but to get into a hot car, and drive wherever, then back on a tram and back to another park... just seems like a hassle to me.

I guess if I were a up in the morning, stay all day, leave when it closes type of person, then maybe the lines would be bad, but usually I don't have any problem with waiting too long! I guess if I'm gonna be up EARLY then I'm gonna do it right and be among the first to the buses super early, and if I'm staying until closing, I usually have to be kicked out, so the lines aren't long then, either!

SO, yes. I'm pro buses!

 

[Jonesloonybin]

DRIVING!!

Our first trip we did the buses for almost all of our trip and then we gave up and drove....what a game changer! We LOVED driving! We have not used a bus since then.