Buses vs. Car at BLT?

[sjaz22]

We will be staying at BLT for the first time Thanksgiving week and will also have a car for the first time. My question to those who have stayed at BLT is do you recommend we take buses or drive our own car to the Parks? Obviously we will walk to MK, but the monorail to Epcot takes a long time. Interested to know what people's opinion is regarding Epcot, HS and AK? Thanks!

 

[erionm]

As locals we always have a car with us when we stay on property. Unless we are traveling between resorts, we use Disney transportation.

 

[dizfan]

When we stayed at BLT...

• MK, walking to the park is much faster than the monorail. However, the return trip (monorail vs walking) depends on the monorail wait.
• We didn't mind the trip to Epcot because the monorail is a ride to us. We also enjoyed being able to ride the monorail to the Polynesian for a Dole Whip to cool off.
• DHS did feel a bit longer because our bus stopped at the Polynesian. However, it wasn't terrible because they dropped us off by the DHS entrance.
• We didn't go to AK while at BLT (split stay with AKV), so I can't say how the transportation from BLT to AK is.

 

[rlovew]

We too are locals and always have a car and rarely use it- as someone above said only when moving between resorts.

 

[disneynutz]

By the time you go to your car, drive to the park, park your car, get a tram to the park entrance, you will probably spend about the same amount of time as taking Disney transportation.

Bill

 

[SolPlyr]

By the time you go to your car, drive to the park, park your car, get a tram to the park entrance, you will probably spend about the same amount of time as taking Disney transportation.

Bill

I think there are a lot of factors that go into that. The biggest one is if the bus is there when you get to the stop or if it's there within a few minutes. OTOH, if you're waiting at the bus stop for 20-30 minutes before the bus arrives.....

It's really all a crap shoot. Personally, I prefer the car. I don't have to worry about whether or not I have a seat. I don't have to wait for a bus to get to the park. I don't have to wait to get back, or even wait through multiple buses because there are too many people.

Now, staying at BLT (which we will do in about 2 1/2 weeks), we will walk/monorail to MK and monorail to Epcot.

 

[Snurk71]

I don't have to wait for a bus to get to the park. I don't have to wait to get back, or even wait through multiple buses because there are too many people.

This is why we drive to parks - I'm too impatient with a little bit of control freakiness to not have the power to leave when I want to.

 

[clc053103]

Stayed at BLT last sept- walked to MK. Took monorail to Epcot. took bus to AK and Blizzard beach with no problems. In fact, one time I missed the bus waiting for a late family member, and another AK bus pulled up 4 minutes later. The buses seemed a lot more frequent and less crowded there than they did when we stayed at BWV in previous years.

 

[Sandisw]

We always rent a car and always drive to the park. Last December, when my DD 13 and I went for just 2 nights, we did not.

We left HS at the time it was closing and it took FOREVER to catch a bus back to BLT, well over an hour.

If we had had the car, I would have walk out, jumped in the car, and been back in less time than that.

And, even if taking the car doesn't take a lot less time, it seems less because we are in motion. It is the same way for us, however, when we are driving. I would rather go the long way than sit in traffic that is not moving.

 

[sarahk0204]

And, even if taking the car doesn't take a lot less time, it seems less because we are in motion. It is the same way for us, however, when we are driving. I would rather go the long way than sit in traffic that is not moving.

This is exactly why we drive to WDW and use our car while there. At home, I LOVE to get off the tollway and take the back roads. We are planning on driving to DHS and AK when we stay at BLT this summer. The only bad thing is now since we own DVC, we no longer book a package through AAA. No Diamond parking pass for us

 

[jakenjess]

We walked to MK and took the monorail to Epcot. Took the bus to DHS once and it took a long time. From then on we took the car to AK and DHS. The parking at BLT is so convenient, it was very quick to get to the parks by car.

 

[jarrdisney]

I'm suprised there haven't been more threads like this in general. My wife and I have been DVC members for over a year now and are fortunate to go quite often. We are extremely well versed in the orlando metro area as we've been over 25 times and spend at least 3 weeks in the summer. That being said, we usually have a car when we go down. We've actually had conversations about missing the "disney magic" by not taking their transportation. We went as far as booking ME this Feb trip becaused we missed it and wanted to immerse ourselves in WDW. Dec was another ME to WDW trip and we only rented a car from the Dolphin for one day. Our consensus? Having a car is worlds away SOOO much more convenient. The buses are hit or miss. You could be waiting for nearly 30 minutes for one to arrive or you could have two come within 5 mins of each other. You also don't know how many stops they might make, as it depends on the time of year and how busy the parks are. We like to stay at the Epcot resorts so walking to either HS or Epcot are easy, but getting to MK or AK can be a drag. We've also stayed quite a bit at WL and not having a car this Feb for the couple days we were there was a mistake, especially if you tend to go to any of the other resorts for dinner. I guess it's a matter of opinion, but we find it so much more convenient to have a car, especially having mastered all the back roads on disney property. That being said, there is a bit of magic you miss sometimes, but we'd rather have control of where and when we're going.

 

[briarwolf]

We just stayed at BLT 8-16 May 2010

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2469510

Was not real wild about the bus tranportation. We did a lot of waiting at the bus stop and as I noted in my report, the bus always stopped at one or more of the other MK resorts before heading to our desination.
My DW always mentions renting a car but I always bulk at the idea. After this trip she may win the debate next trip to WDW.

You are right on track with walking to MK in the morning and then taking the monorail back in the evening. However, if it is park closing, it may be quicker to walk back to BLT rather than fight the crowd.

As for Epcot; on the resort line the TTC is the first stop after BLT so it can be a quick exchange. We did not mind the ride, and you don't have to fight the traffic. On the trip back, when you pick up the resort monorail at the TCC you have to sit through the stops at Poly, GF and MK before getting back to CR. If you aren't in a hurry and can relax and enjoy the ride I would say go for it. But that is just me.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!