Bus vs drive

[xtremebodydrop]

What time do the buses start running for the parks?

 

[Dan Murphy]

What time do the buses start running for the parks?

Approximately 6:30 AM.

 

[kitkat95]

What time do the buses start running for the parks?

about 60-90 minutes before park opening

 

[xtremebodydrop]

Awesome! Thank you for the info. Can't wait to be down there in January.

 

[cattywampus]

One of the best decisions we made last trip was to rent/use the car. I want no part of the bus drama and like to control my own destiny. Also kept emergency items we did not plan to need like extra clothing.

We were at GF so took monorail to MK and drove everywhere else. Parking was a breeze and lots small enough to walk or tak tram.

At Ak, tram was there upon departure but I didn't want to fold stroller and just walked. Got there exactly the same time.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I always go by car even when staying onsite. I go to both Universal and Disney so easier to have that freedom. I also like being able to leave whenever I want and not hope I get on the first bus (whenever that comes).

 

[mickyzzzzz05]

We park the car on check in day and move it the day we leave. Our experience with the transportation system has been great over the years. We love not driving. We have done this with 3 children, on our 2 adults only trips and now with the grandchildren trips.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I like to drive to the parks. I was always that person who said take the bus until we stayed offsite one year and had to drive. We found we prefer driving. We are Rope Drop people, we leave the hotel about an hour before park opening because we like to be at the front of the line. We've never had more than a couple of cars in front of us when we park, and usually that's been at DHS where there's only one booth.

IMHO, getting to and from MK is a pain either way. Our last trip we drove after trying out the bus again on our previous trip. It seemed like there was monorail issues every time we went. At closing one night the express monorail was down so we had to wait for the ferry, which seems like takes FOREVER. It's probably no longer than the monorail it just seems to take longer to load and unload.

On our last trip we also stayed at All Star Movies. One thing to consider is, you may have a fairly long walk to the bus stop. We were all they way back in the Love Bug section. It would have been a fairly long walk to the bus stop, but our car was parked just around the corner.

 

[Robo]

about 60-90 minutes before park opening

Sorry, but that's an often-repeated myth that just won't die.

(Likely because it is still up on the Disney website.)
Still wrong.

 

[saramick]

Robo what myth?!

 

[Brian Noble]

Going from any resort to/from MK, driving vs. the bus system is more or less a wash. The bus might be slightly faster on average, but driving is much more predictable. Driving between any resort and the other theme parks will be more predictable *and* faster than taking the bus, on average, but only by a little bit. Driving between any two other destinations* will be much faster in your own car, but such trips are rare for most people.

So, you can save a little bit of time in your on car, but not much in the grand scheme of things. So the way to decide is to ask yourself: what sounds more like a vacation to you?

1: Never having to touch your car keys or navigate in a slightly unfamiliar space?
2: Never having to wonder when the bus will come and/or whether you'll have to stand?

The answer to that tells you whether you should drive or ride.

I don't mind navigating, and I dislike the uncertainty of the bus system, so I tend to drive most places---even to MK about half the time, though I always let Disney do the driving if I'm having a second BEvERage with dinner.

*: I'm not sure about DTD these days. Mostly, I plan to avoid it until the construction is done.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I don't mind navigating, and I dislike the uncertainty of the bus system, so I tend to drive most places---even to MK about half the time, though I always let Disney do the driving if I'm having a second BEvERage with dinner.

This sums it up for me too. You just never know how long that bus is going to take or if you're going to have to stand after a long day in the parks. I also forgot to mention in my post that it's very easy to navigate around WDW, at least going from resort to park. There are signs everywhere pointing you to the theme parks.

I know if I leave the hotel at x time I'm going to arrive at the park at y time. That's what I like about driving.

 

[Robo]

Robo what myth?!

The myth that I quoted.

The one that says that the Disney buses only begin running an hour (give or take) before the park opens.

Not true.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Just posting my support to the twice-monthly bus vs car debate threads.

Discussion threads. Not debate. Discussion!

 

[saramick]

Thanks everyone for their comments! It sounds like for mk we need to park and then take a monorail or ferry to the park ? How long do those usually take ? Really trying to get there at rope drop bc I can't get a&e fp +

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Thanks everyone for their comments! It sounds like for mk we need to park and then take a monorail or ferry to the park ? How long do those usually take ? Really trying to get there at rope drop bc I can't get a&e fp +

Once you board the monorail or ferry it takes about 5 minutes to get to the park. Not sure how long it takes to get from the parking lot to the ferry/monorail though.

To answer (sort of) your original question, the FASTEST way to get to any park is to take a cab. The cabs will drop you off within a few minutes walk of the front gates (except for MK, where you should ask them to drop you off at the Contemporary as close to MK as possible, which will result in about a 5 min walk). This eliminates having to wait for a bus (which can take up to 20 mins) or park in a lot and then get to the front gate. However, will cost you about $20 each way for a cab to any theme park. From a timing/cost perspective, I'd recommend a cab in the morning and bus in the evening. Ask the front desk/concierge to have a cab for you in the morning approximately 60 minutes prior to park opening. That should get you to any park a minimum of 40 minutes or so before the park opens.