Art of Animation - Car and Bus to MK?

[sunshine girl]

We are staying at Art of Animation... on our MK day we plan to get there before rope drop, return to our resort around 2pm for a rest, and then return to MK around 7 pm for the fireworks etc.

I was thinking of driving to MK pre-rope drop, then taking the bus back/forth for the afternoon rest. Then late night after fireworks we'd head back to our car at the TTC. That way at night the kids (and grandma, and all of us!) would be guaranteed a seat in the car after a long day, and the car would be parked close to the TTC.

Will the buses run regularly in the early afternoon and evenings to get us back/forth from our rest? I always, always ALWAYS drive and haven't been on a Disney bus in a long time... but this time I will have kids age 5-11 with me and need to figure out how to best handle a return to the resort for rest.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Will the buses run regularly in the early afternoon and evenings to get us back/forth from our rest?

Yes, they run pretty regularly and should be less crowded than the morning and later at night (post Wishes for example)

 

[Itinkso]

We were happy with the bus service to/from AoA. There's only one bus stop so it quickly leaves from the resort.

It can be a long walk to your room from the bus loading area. The Little Mermaid rooms are quite a distance from the Lobby/food court/bus stop. The other sections are much closer. It's a good thing you'll be returning by car at the end of the day!

 

[sunshine girl]

Great, thank you for the info! (We are in the Lion King section, so not too far from the main building, but not as close as Nemo.)

 

[lroger01]

Keep in mind that you PLAN to return to MK at 7pm. If something happens and you can't do that, someone will need to retrieve the car. While everything will likely go as planned, it is something to think about.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We just returned from a stay at AofA, and used the buses back and forth on our MK day. On our Epcot day we drove. We had marvelous bus service, and we also did rope drop. No issues and buses came very quickly.

I absolutely detest driving to MK and having to park then take the boat or monorail, it takes forever! The Disney buses are so convenient dropping you off right in front. However, we left long before park closing.

 

[sunshine girl]

We just returned from a stay at AofA, and used the buses back and forth on our MK day. On our Epcot day we drove. We had marvelous bus service, and we also did rope drop. No issues and buses came very quickly.

I absolutely detest driving to MK and having to park then take the boat or monorail, it takes forever! The Disney buses are so convenient dropping you off right in front. However, we left long before park closing.

Yeah, I am considering doing ALL bus and no car for MK. I'm just worried as I haven't done that before, and I have a lot of people relying on me to make the transportation decisions. I used to live in FL and thus always had a car, and got used to driving 100% of the time. I am nervous about being dependent on buses but not sure that being dependent on a monorail/ferry is any better! We also have 2 cars full of people and I am the only one who really knows my way around property... The other car will have to follow me. A bus might just make it easier for them.

I wonder if it might be better to use the bus all day??

 

[ljca79]

How long is the ride from AoA to each resort, most importantly MK and HS?

 

[bobtabin]

Yeah, I am considering doing ALL bus and no car for MK. I'm just worried as I haven't done that before, and I have a lot of people relying on me to make the transportation decisions. I used to live in FL and thus always had a car, and got used to driving 100% of the time. I am nervous about being dependent on buses but not sure that being dependent on a monorail/ferry is any better! We also have 2 cars full of people and I am the only one who really knows my way around property... The other car will have to follow me. A bus might just make it easier for them. I wonder if it might be better to use the bus all day??

With that said (2 cars), take the bus as it gets you closer quicker!!!!

 

[hiroMYhero]

How long is the ride from AoA to each resort, most importantly MK and HS?

AoA > MK Maybe 20 minutes if the bus is there when you walk up.
AoA > HS Maybe 10 at most. AoA is behind DHS.

 

[ladyelizabeth]

I would definitely recommend taking the bus from AoA to MK. Between parking at the MK, getting on the tram, then the monorail/ferry, you about double your travel time. And as a PP said, if things don't go according to plan, someone will have to head back to get the car. Also if you have two cars of people, it might be a bit hard for the other driver to follow and not get cut off by someone else on the way to MK.

I can understand the worry about the end of the night and not getting a seat on the bus. I found that cast members are great at getting buses back to pop and AoA. I was waiting in a really long line after park closing and they got three buses loaded and off to AoA within 10 minutes. Also, lots of folks are pretty aware and nice to others on the bus. I've seen many people offer seats to others on crowded buses. And it's not too long of a ride.

It's a little easier with the other parks driving your car because the slots are a lot closer to the entrance. I've come to Epcot at 6pm and able to get within the first ten rows of the parking lot multiple times. It's just the way that MK is set up that makes it a little more involved with a car.

 

[scoobygrl79]

Keep in mind that you PLAN to return to MK at 7pm. If something happens and you can't do that, someone will need to retrieve the car. While everything will likely go as planned, it is something to think about.

Excellent point as I have done this very move sooooo many times!

 

[sunshine girl]

Thanks everyone for the input! So if we just do the buses all day, how are the lines to get on the buses at the end of the night after fireworks? I mean, I know... they're long. But do the buses come quickly and keep the line moving? What's the longest you've had to wait for an AoA bus (after fireworks)?

Thanks again!

 

[Bullseye]

Sunshine, just drive your car and be happy . Since you're going early you'll be parked way up front within walking distance of the monorail/ferry. There's always way too much drama made out of having to take the monorail/ferry to the MK. It's not a big deal and imo part of the MK experience. Where else in your life do you get to ride on a monorail or ferry?

No one mentions the extra time spent waiting for buses to and from the park. If you choose to take bus home for break, then your car will be nice and close for when you leave at closing. Good Plan

 

[sunshine girl]

Just thought I'd update here, in case this is useful for anyone!

We ended up taking the bus to MK. It was significantly faster than driving to MK, no question about it. In the morning at 8AM, we got to the bus stop, a bus was waiting for us, it left promptly, and we were at the Magic Kingdom entrance within 20 minutes door to door. I don't think I can do that in my car, considering the parking, tram (or walk) to the TTC, and monorail/ferry.

For the afternoon, we waited 10 minutes for the bus back to AoA for our afternoon break. In the evening, we waited about 5 minutes for a bus back to MK, and the bus zoomed back to the park (he was going so fast, it was like a rollercoaster ride in itself!).

The most challenging part was, as expected, the final bus ride back to AoA at the end of the night. However, that leg of the journey was still easier, and just as fast if not faster, than driving (time spent waiting in line for the bus included). We waited about 10-15 minutes for a bus to arrive, which at the end of the night seems like too long of a time between buses, with lots of time for the crowd to back up. Perhaps they were having a transport bottleneck. Anyway, we did not get seats, but we managed to find a spot for our littlest one to sit down, and the rest of us had no problem standing for the ride.

The one thing that we didn't love was the loooong walk to the AoA bus stop from MK. The AoA bus stop is the furthest stop possible. It was a fairly long walk, especially with little kids at the end of the night. And it was the most crowded bus stop by far. I don't understand why they don't put the most crowded bus stop a little closer to the front of the bus station area, but I guess it's because it's a value resort.

Anyway -- that's it! The bus worked out great.

 

[rizzo0904]

This may be unpopular....but we had an ADR at The Wave for dinner. We drove from AoA to the Contemporary early, told the guard we had an ADR (we did, just didn't say it was for dinner), took the monorail to MK, and then after dinner we jumped in the car and drove back to AoA.

 

[siskaren]

This may be unpopular....but we had an ADR at The Wave for dinner. We drove from AoA to the Contemporary early, told the guard we had an ADR (we did, just didn't say it was for dinner), took the monorail to MK, and then after dinner we jumped in the car and drove back to AoA.

It's not just unpopular, it's wrong. You're not supposed to park at a resort for theme park access.

 

[supersnoop]

This may be unpopular....but we had an ADR at The Wave for dinner. We drove from AoA to the Contemporary early, told the guard we had an ADR (we did, just didn't say it was for dinner), took the monorail to MK, and then after dinner we jumped in the car and drove back to AoA.

Cars parked for more than three house can be, and have been, towed. If you want to park for the whole day, you can pay for valet.