Bus or car?

[ashleymrush]

What would you do and why?

We are staying at AS Sports for a week and are driving down. It's me, DH, DS5 and DS2 (and a double stroller). Should we drive to the parks in our car so that we don't have to wait for buses or will bus transportation with two kids and a stroller be easier, even with AS resorts sharing?

 

[pdmeroc]

Do them both and go with what you like. Car is easier and faster. Bus is more Disney.

 

[ashleymrush]

To add one more thing...does it matter if we are park hopping after a midday nap every day?

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We stayed at AsSports 2x with our two children - once when they were 3/4 and then again when they were 8/9. Both times we opted to drive to the parks instead of dealing with the busses because then we were on OUR schedule.

For MK we drove to the TCC and took the monorail or ferry. If we didn't plan on hopping we drove to Epcot - when we planned on hopping MK to Epcot or vice versa we would drive to the park we were planning on ending the day at and transport via monorail or go to TCC and use that as our base. AK & MGM/DHS we drove directly to. We never really had any issues with traffic being an issue - my opinion might be different if we traveled during high peak times but we generally go off season vs. summers/school breaks.

It was nice to be able to pull the double stroller out of the trunk and keep the kids in it until we were putting them into the car. It was great not having to stand around waiting for the next bus. I was better able to time early am ADR's when we had them because I knew how long it would take me to get from A to B vs. figuring out how many stops, how long each stop depended on many were getting on/off. The car was also familiar to the kids and a lot less interactive than the provided transportation so by the time we got back to the resort they were either 1/2 asleep or at least ready to go to bed instead of needing more time to decompress from all the excitement.

IMO your car is there, you don't have an added expense of a rental, use it.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

If you plan to stay in the MK through Wishes I would highly suggest taking the car that day. With a 2 year old (And even a 5 year old) you are gonna want the most direct route to a bed afterwards. Last thing you are going to want to do is wait for a bus. If you're lucky the lil' ones might even doze off in the car on the way back making the put down even easier

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

The last few times I've been to Disney the buses have almost always been 20-30 minutes. Much quicker to drive usually and also it's nice not to have to keep undoing the stroller. We usually don't bother with the trams and just walk to the front from the parking lot.

 

[heybravo626]

Due to some back experiences and not always predictable long waits, we take car over bus.

 

[TooExcitedCantSleep]

Since you'll have your own car I would drive!!

 

[think-like-tink]

DH and I have been talking about this on and off. We are driving down and staying at AKL, out of my comfort zone as we stay at monorail sites. I am thinking will we mostly drive. Maybe take a bus here and there just to say we did it.

I plan to be super early for our MK day. Front of the pack early A car will come in handy for that.

 

[ampersand]

Since you're staying on property there's really no reason for you not to drive.

 

[mm1971]

To add one more thing...does it matter if we are park hopping after a midday nap every day?

Nope, doesn't matter. I would drive since you have the car anyway. WE have down both and find driving to be a lot more flexible. You can come and go as you please and the buses can be unpredictable. We have been on an empty bus when we thought it would be busy and had to wait for buses when we thought it would be slow. Just no way to know and it makes it harder for planning. We were always able to get everywhere needed or wanted when we took the car.

 

[Momof2Singers]

CAR definitely, oh my, I remember those days with younger kids and strollers, it is hard enough getting on certain modes of transportation in the parks that require you pack up everything, my kids love to ride the train, and we always had to pack up everything. I am not a big stature mom, and carrying all that around was not pleasant, but like all other parents, we did it for many years. Our girls are 5 years apart.

We have only flown once, but we did rent a car. We have taken the bus maybe twice. It worked out, but the car was so much more convenient.

Our children had so many things, and it was so nice to come back to the car, change clothes or freshen up and then move to the next place, usually a water park.

Our daughters and I plan to use the bus system once or twice this July trip because my DH does not like early mornings. Since it is his vacation (not according to him) too, we feel getting up an hour earlier to catch a bus is not a big deal. Plus he is ALWAYS the last one out the door, which is so frustrating for 3 women that are impatiently waiting.

Our first visit was when our daughter was 2-1/2, my neighbor (a bit jealous that we were going) said, why are you spending this money, she will never remember this...WRONG, she had the time of her life and although she doesn't remember everything, she does remember quite a bit. We took 150 pictures that short 3 day trip. Wonderful memories.

Have a wonderful time....use the CAR

 

[minnie mum]

Double stroller? Multiple bags of "stuff" that you absolutely need to make it through the day with little ones? Multiple little ones? Definitely use the car. Leave the buses until the kids are older.

 

[ashleymrush]

I wanted to thank everyone who have the advice to use the car. It was the best decision made on our entire trip! We did the bus a couple times and quickly found out that DS2 doesn't like to sit still. If others are standing he wants to too! I thought using the tram would be a hassle but when one left another took it's place immediately. I loved never having to wait on a bus to show up! We drive to FL every time we go. After this trip I think we will always drive to the parks! Thanks again for all the great advice!!