What is the difference between taking the WDW busses to the park entrances and taking a car? Don't the busses drop you off at the park entrances? Also, is their a shuttle from the parking lots to take you to the entrances? I'm taking my mother 70+ and my 10 year old son. I'm trying to justify renting a car.
bus vs car to parks
- Thread starter vincent
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Nolcrest
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We always drive our car to WDW yet it pretty much stays parked in the lot. We've always had pretty good luck with their transportation. The busses drop you off as close as you can get to the parks. Their would be more walking involved if you drove your car to the parks. We really only use our car to go to a dinner reservation at another resort. I guess it's a personal preference but I don't think I'd rent a car just to drive to the parks.
We always drive to the parks because we have 2 little ones, and with strollers, backpack etc, it's a pain to ride the bus. However, that wouldn't be an issue for you, and for the most part, the bus service is excellent. The only thing that I would find a real pain is if you want to go to another resort. Your only option is to take a bus to the closest park to the hotel you want to go to, and then take that hotel's bus from there. If it's only the parks you think you want the car for, I wouldn't bother. Also, if you're going to MK, the busses take you right to the gate, whereas if you drive, you then have to take additional transportation to/from the TTC and then a tram to the parking lot.
We drive to WDW, and therefore have a car, but we always take buses everywhere. The car doesn't get moved after we park it when we get there. Really, you'll find that the buses are very convenient. Yes, sometimes you have to wait a little while, but in the end, it probably ends up taking as much time as if you had to walk out to your car in the parking lot every time. Plus, you wait for the buses under awnings with fans, and when you get on them, they're nice and cool. That sure beats walking through a hot, sunny parking lot and then waiting for the AC to cool the car down.
cindyfan
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We always rent a car and use it sometimes depending on certain things.......for example:
We never drive to MK! Always use the bus, because you would have to park at TTC then ferry or monorail to MK, just not convenient!
We almost always drive to AK. We always go early and the way it is set up, the walk from the bus to the gate is almost as long as the walk from the car. But if it is going to be really hot...90+...then we take the bus. No one wants to get into a 100 degree car after a long day at the park.
We always drive to Epcot. The bus stop is so far away....it is actually closer to park. I don't think anyone realizes that. The parking lot is always empty.
as for MGM...if we go early then we drive. Same thing....the parking lot is just as close as the bus stop.
There have just been too many times we have waited 30+ minutes for the bus from the park back to the resort. Seems we have no trouble getting to the park, just getting back.
We never drive to MK! Always use the bus, because you would have to park at TTC then ferry or monorail to MK, just not convenient!
We almost always drive to AK. We always go early and the way it is set up, the walk from the bus to the gate is almost as long as the walk from the car. But if it is going to be really hot...90+...then we take the bus. No one wants to get into a 100 degree car after a long day at the park.
We always drive to Epcot. The bus stop is so far away....it is actually closer to park. I don't think anyone realizes that. The parking lot is always empty.
as for MGM...if we go early then we drive. Same thing....the parking lot is just as close as the bus stop.
There have just been too many times we have waited 30+ minutes for the bus from the park back to the resort. Seems we have no trouble getting to the park, just getting back.
The Sybah Shelstah
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We took our car last time (and stayed offsite) so at the present time I can't state how it would be bus vs. car. But I CAN say that parking for AK and Epcot was convenient.... parking for MK is way far off (take tram from parking place to TTC, then monorail to MK. So it takes awhile). She said MGM is closer in parking- but I think it's busier than Epcot at times and maybe that is why for us it was further out? That was also far enough that needed a tram (which you also have to fold up strollers, etc. to ride that)
If I'm staying onsite-I'm probably not going to ever rent a car during my/our stay unless needed for other things (like going to IOA/US, shopping or eating offsite, etc.) I would think the buses drop you off closer than where people PARK their vehicles?
(It is actually closer to park at Epcot than ride the BUS?? That's odd. Why would they do it that way?)
If I'm staying onsite-I'm probably not going to ever rent a car during my/our stay unless needed for other things (like going to IOA/US, shopping or eating offsite, etc.) I would think the buses drop you off closer than where people PARK their vehicles?
(It is actually closer to park at Epcot than ride the BUS?? That's odd. Why would they do it that way?)
TreeOfLife
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Disney buses all the way for us!
It avoids the herds racing to get in and out of the trams, and when you're beat at the end of the day someone else does the driving!
It avoids the herds racing to get in and out of the trams, and when you're beat at the end of the day someone else does the driving!
Thanks for the input. I will probably stay at the Dolphin and take advantage of the teacher rate. I will not rent a car while I'm at the resort but I will have a couple of extra days. Can I have a rental car delivered to the resort and then drop it off at the airport?
We always take the bus to Magic Kingdom because it's much quicker than having to transfer to either the monorail or the ferry at the TTC (since there's no parking lot at the Magic Kingdom.) We also take the bus to the other 3 parks when we go first thing in the morning. But our family has always been in the habit of going back to the resort for an afternoon break. When we go back to the parks later in the afternoon, then we take our car. It's been our experience that by this time of day, a lot of the parking spaces near the front of the lots have cleared out and it's just a quick walk to and from the entrances. The wait for a bus back to a resort at closing time of a park can be rather long due to the large numbers of people leaving all at the same time. Hope this helps.
Well, I've done both modes of transportation and, being a veteran of many trips to WDW (8), I can tell you first hand that I would opt for the buses every time. The drawbacks to taking a car are these... 1) You must drive to the themepark and then park car. This may not seem like a big deal now, but it will be later when you depart the park. (If you stay for the fireworks plan on a long wait since there will thousands of you all trying to leave at the same time.)
2) You must take a shuttle from the parking lot to the transportation center. Now you will have a choice of either the monorail or the ferry to get to the entrance of the magic kingdom. If you go this route, opt for the ferry. It's faster and it's actually a very nice ride across the lake.
The monorail is also a nice way to go but it is usually very crowded with a long wait.
Now taking the bus from the resort involves the following:
1) Walking from your hotel room to the front of the resort to wait for bus. (I've never waited anylonger than 20 minutes for a bus and I've been there when the park was packed!)
2)Once you are on the bus, it will drop you off at the front of the magic kingdom where it's a short walk to the gate.
3) The return trip is also pretty straight forward.
Now I will say one thing.... If your mother does have trouble getting around, you may find the return trip (at the busy times) tough to get a seat (unless another rider is kind enough to let you have their seat). I've given up my seat many a time to allow an elderly person or young child to sit when you could see they were very tired. By the way.... I've seen many good people do this and I've seen a great deal pretend that you are not even there. In any case, depending on the time of day, if you leave the parks in the afternoon, you will have no trouble at all at getting seats. It's the evenings when you have to deal with full buses. Buses are still the best way to go to see all of the Disney parks. Hope this helps!
Have fun!
cindyfan
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Sybah.......Believe it or not that is the way it is.....let me explain...
20 years ago when Epcot was built there was no bus system for resorts!! Keeping that in mind........
The parking lot is a straight shot out of the exit, just past the monorail entrance. We have parked there many, many times!!
When the bus system was started, they had to make the bus entrance come into an area that was easily accessible for the buses. Therefore the bus stops were put in way to the left (as you are leaving the park). You are actually walking past the left side parking lot to reach the bus stops. The bus stops are split into 2 sections, divided by a building that I'm not sure what is it used for.
As of Oct when we were there, they were in the process of fixing up the bus stops that are closest to the entrance. Therefore all the busses were grouped together in farthest stops. In order to accomidate all the resorts, some of the stops were added way at the end, which really is quite a hike!!!!
We have also found it easy to park at the Boardwalk and walk into Epcot by the International Gateway! You won't be fighting crowds trying to leave after Illuminations!!
We would never drive to MK
20 years ago when Epcot was built there was no bus system for resorts!! Keeping that in mind........
The parking lot is a straight shot out of the exit, just past the monorail entrance. We have parked there many, many times!!
When the bus system was started, they had to make the bus entrance come into an area that was easily accessible for the buses. Therefore the bus stops were put in way to the left (as you are leaving the park). You are actually walking past the left side parking lot to reach the bus stops. The bus stops are split into 2 sections, divided by a building that I'm not sure what is it used for.
As of Oct when we were there, they were in the process of fixing up the bus stops that are closest to the entrance. Therefore all the busses were grouped together in farthest stops. In order to accomidate all the resorts, some of the stops were added way at the end, which really is quite a hike!!!!
We have also found it easy to park at the Boardwalk and walk into Epcot by the International Gateway! You won't be fighting crowds trying to leave after Illuminations!!
We would never drive to MK
I guess where you stay could make a difference, but we stayed at Beach Club in December, the week of Christmas, and the bus transportation was fine. We never had to wait more than a few minutes to go anywhere.
We rented a car and when we first got there DH asked the guy at the booth at the resort about driving to the parks. The guy said "I don't know why you would want to do that. The bus will pickyou up right there and take you right to the gate of the parks." He was right. It would have been more of a walk to get to the parking lot to get the car than it was to the bus stop. Plus, we didn't have to park and walk to the entrance. When leaving the parks it was the same - buses already waiting or there within a few minutes and just a quick bus ride to the resort.
The only thing we used the rental car for was to go to Boma for dinner and again for breakfast, and to go to the grocery store and buy pop to keep in our room (and really it would have probably been less to just pay for the refillable mugs and not bothered with the grocery store).
We rented a car and when we first got there DH asked the guy at the booth at the resort about driving to the parks. The guy said "I don't know why you would want to do that. The bus will pickyou up right there and take you right to the gate of the parks." He was right. It would have been more of a walk to get to the parking lot to get the car than it was to the bus stop. Plus, we didn't have to park and walk to the entrance. When leaving the parks it was the same - buses already waiting or there within a few minutes and just a quick bus ride to the resort.
The only thing we used the rental car for was to go to Boma for dinner and again for breakfast, and to go to the grocery store and buy pop to keep in our room (and really it would have probably been less to just pay for the refillable mugs and not bothered with the grocery store).
Hopefully
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We have always had a car, but it often sat unused once we checked in. As others have said, the Disney Transportation system is designed to take guests from the resort hotels to the theme parks and it does a good job at this. If, however, you want to "Resort Hop" or go to dinner at another hotel etc, then having a car is a big plus. That said, there are now an abundance of taxis within WDW (This wasn't always the case) and for those occasions you might want to venture to another resort, this is an option. I do not know the cost of the taxis, but I bet it is less than a car, unless you use them alot!
We always rent a car as well - we've gotten great deals using the codes on Mousesavers, and with five in the family - it is actually cheaper than paying for a roundtrip towncar and tip (We need the van!).
On our first trip, we didn't use the car at all on-site - but after the bus ride from h*** to Downtown Disney from the Contemporary - an hour each way, horrible driving, and no seats, we tried it - no trouble - I would definitely use it to go between resorts, and especially Downtown if you are coming from a monorail resort. We decided to go to MGM on our way back from Downtown Disney - it was our first time parking at a park (By the way, resort guests do not pay for parking!) The trams run constantly, and are huge, so we never had to wait - it was much easier than the bus stops, especially when we were leaving along with the other hordes from Fantasmic and the Osbourne lights! We didn't take the car the first night, and we waited through three bus loads to get onto a standing room only bus back to the Contemporary. The line for the bus the second night looked just as long, but we just hopped onto the tram - no line as they were lined up with 3 trams waiting for more passengers!
We wouldn't bother taking the car to MK, as the other posters have said, and when we stayed at AKL, (they do not share a bus with any other resorts), the bus service was so timely, we only took the car a couple of times.
We just like the freedom to choose where we go when, and with your Mom, you may want to avoid the long bus lines!
On our first trip, we didn't use the car at all on-site - but after the bus ride from h*** to Downtown Disney from the Contemporary - an hour each way, horrible driving, and no seats, we tried it - no trouble - I would definitely use it to go between resorts, and especially Downtown if you are coming from a monorail resort. We decided to go to MGM on our way back from Downtown Disney - it was our first time parking at a park (By the way, resort guests do not pay for parking!) The trams run constantly, and are huge, so we never had to wait - it was much easier than the bus stops, especially when we were leaving along with the other hordes from Fantasmic and the Osbourne lights! We didn't take the car the first night, and we waited through three bus loads to get onto a standing room only bus back to the Contemporary. The line for the bus the second night looked just as long, but we just hopped onto the tram - no line as they were lined up with 3 trams waiting for more passengers!
We wouldn't bother taking the car to MK, as the other posters have said, and when we stayed at AKL, (they do not share a bus with any other resorts), the bus service was so timely, we only took the car a couple of times.
We just like the freedom to choose where we go when, and with your Mom, you may want to avoid the long bus lines!
cindyfan
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perd....I agree where you stay does make a difference.
When we stayed at Beach Club...our car was parked so far away!!!!! OMG...we could have walked to MK in less time that to just get to the car in the Beach Club parking lot!!!!
But at the moderates, we have always been able to park right outside the room.
And it always seems that leaving the park is more the issue that getting there!
For example: last year we drove to MGM later in the afternoon....around 4:30....and planned to stay for Fantasmic. We were able to find a parking spot very close. It wasn't any farther than the bus stop. Fantasmic started at 9pm. We had a seat near the front, so after the show we went to the bottom of the stands and walked (with no crowds!!) to the stairway that is directly straight up from the stage....I think it is Sorcerer Mickey. Walked straight up and out!! This is a great tip we learned!!
Anyway.....we headed right out to the car and away we went!! no lines to get out of the parking lot!!
We were back to the room by 9:45!!!!!
Otherwise, we would surely have had to wait at least 20 minutes just for the bus!!! Any time we have taken the bus back from Fantasmic....It is always at least 45 min to an hour til we are back to the room!!!!
I agree that using the car is not always better......but there are many, many times it sure beats waiting for that bus!!!
When we stayed at Beach Club...our car was parked so far away!!!!! OMG...we could have walked to MK in less time that to just get to the car in the Beach Club parking lot!!!!
But at the moderates, we have always been able to park right outside the room.
And it always seems that leaving the park is more the issue that getting there!
For example: last year we drove to MGM later in the afternoon....around 4:30....and planned to stay for Fantasmic. We were able to find a parking spot very close. It wasn't any farther than the bus stop. Fantasmic started at 9pm. We had a seat near the front, so after the show we went to the bottom of the stands and walked (with no crowds!!) to the stairway that is directly straight up from the stage....I think it is Sorcerer Mickey. Walked straight up and out!! This is a great tip we learned!!
Anyway.....we headed right out to the car and away we went!! no lines to get out of the parking lot!!
We were back to the room by 9:45!!!!!
Otherwise, we would surely have had to wait at least 20 minutes just for the bus!!! Any time we have taken the bus back from Fantasmic....It is always at least 45 min to an hour til we are back to the room!!!!
I agree that using the car is not always better......but there are many, many times it sure beats waiting for that bus!!!
CRCrazy makes a valid point. Renting a car can cost the same or less than hiring a towncar to transport you between airport and resort. The great advantage to having a car is that you have a choice of whether or not to use it. If you still feel you might want the car for a couple days even though you think you might use WDW transportation then I would say just rent the car for the whole trip. Usually a weekly rental is more cost efficient than a per day rental (i.e. it's possible for one week to cost the same as a few days).
M
mrsltg
Guest
We're car rental fans. We drive everywhere on property and find it to be no hassle at all. Parking is not a problem, and we've only used a tram once or twice.
I think whether or not you'll like the transportation system will depend on your personality. I'm very much a type 'A' and I like to be in control of my comings and goings all of the time... for me, a car just makes more sense. If you're very laid back and flexible, the bussing would probably work out just fine for you.
Erin
I think whether or not you'll like the transportation system will depend on your personality. I'm very much a type 'A' and I like to be in control of my comings and goings all of the time... for me, a car just makes more sense. If you're very laid back and flexible, the bussing would probably work out just fine for you.
Erin
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