Car or Bus

[baseballgal]

My first trip to Disney since I've had kids. (They will be 4 and 2 at time of trip in January.) I'll def be taking a stroller. We're staying at Pop Century. Should we take the bus system or is it simpler (with stroller and young kids) to just drive to the parks??

3 months, 2 days!!!!! SO EXCITED!!

 

[EverestSherpa]

My first trip to Disney since I've had kids. (They will be 4 and 2 at time of trip in January.) I'll def be taking a stroller. We're staying at Pop Century. Should we take the bus system or is it simpler (with stroller and young kids) to just drive to the parks??

3 months, 2 days!!!!! SO EXCITED!!

First off, Congratulations! First trip with the kids sounds awesome, can't wait to have mine. I have done both, and both have their pros and cons.

Rental Car
Pros
-Convenience (Leave when you want to, no waiting for buses)
-Efficiency (Get places faster, no need to make transfers)
-Experience the Monorail by driving to TTC
-Good if you plan on going off site, or visiting places on site the Disney Buses do not visit.
-Disney Buses do not run 24/7. You will never feel rushed to make the last bus.

Cons
-Daily Rental Costs
-Pay for Parking
-Pay for Gas, Need to return with Full Tank
-Can be confusing navigating Disney World for some folks.

The Buses Pro's and Con's are basically opposite of the Rental Car's. In the end of the sole reason is because of bringing a stroller on the buses, don't sweat it, people do it ALL the time. I don't know if I've been a bus without a stroller.

 

[baseballgal]

Thanks so much for the advice - one important factor I should have mentioned is that we are driving to Disney (from ATL) and will have our car with us. I didn't know you had to pay for parking... so that will definitely be a deciding factor for us. My DH is NOT a Disney lover (yet!) so I'm trying to make this trip as affordable as possible. He hasn't been since he was a very young child so I'm hoping this will be a great experience and he'll want to do lots of return trips!! Which is on of the main reasons I'm trying to plan as much as I can for the smoothest trip possible!!!

 

[Hootch]

always had a car including a rental when we have flown. We almost always drive to DHS, Epcot and DAK. For the MK you have to take a bus to the T&TC parking lot, catch a tram to the T&TC and board the monorail or ferry so we take the bus. The Unofficial Guide has a table for average transit times and the MK is the only one that is shorter by bus on their table.

We usually stay at POFQ and use the boat to DTD. This past trip the boats were shut down due to lightening in the area. After the experience with the bus, I would strongly recommend driving their too.

And while the buses can handle big strollers, it's more convenient by car.

Since you are staying at Pop you do not have to pay for parking. You will be given a parking pass for entry into your resort and the Disney parks. Just keep it on your dash.

 

[charleygop]

We have done both depending on factors that would only apply to ones individual situation. However, I would take the bus, and we always do, to MK because it drops you off near the gate and not at the parking lot so you eliminate the need to take a tram from parking lot to either the Monorail or Ferry which I see as a bigger pain than putting a stroller up and down for bus boarding. Since your children are smaller, you are more likely to leave MK before park closing so the bus should not be overly crowded given the time of year you are going. Regardless of what you choose, enjoy your visit!

 

[NJtoATL]

People who stay on property do not have to pay for parking. Just keep the parking stub on the dashboard and you will be set. You are giving a parking voucher when you check in. Have a good time.

 

[EverestSherpa]

People who stay on property do not have to pay for parking. Just keep the parking stub on the dashboard and you will be set. You are giving a parking voucher when you check in. Have a good time.

I never knew this! You guys rock. I always use my pass, even when staying on property. But I agree with these posts, Car is more convenient for all the parks EXCEPT Magic Kingdom. However, I rather enjoy the monorail (perhaps because it's been engrained in my head since childhood).

In any case, hope you enjoy your trip! Hope your husband has a blast. The notion that Disney is just for kids is clearly incorrect.

 

[I Love Pluto]

We have taken the bus - especially to MK. But - we feel that it is easier to drive everywhere else.

We have also started driving to MK on our last few trips. We park at the TTC (Transportation & Ticket Center) then take a monorail (or ferry) to MK. With a stroller (or ECV in our case), the TTC and monorail route is simply easier in managing everything. Your little ones can even stay in their stroller for the ride - no questions asked.

 

[Hootch]

I never knew this! You guys rock. I always use my pass, even when staying on property. But I agree with these posts, Car is more convenient for all the parks EXCEPT Magic Kingdom. However, I rather enjoy the monorail (perhaps because it's been engrained in my head since childhood).

In any case, hope you enjoy your trip! Hope your husband has a blast. The notion that Disney is just for kids is clearly incorrect.

took a bus to rope drop for an AM EMH at Epcot this past trip, rode Test Track, got fastpasses for Soarin' and took the monorail to the MK for rope drop. That gave us our monorail fix with a bus back from MK.

 

[baseballgal]

Thanks again to everyone - this is all so very helpful!!!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Our trips have all been without a car, and we didn't mind the bus system. There are pros and cons to anything and everything, so you really just have to decide what is important to you. There is a good possibility that we are driving in 2012, but we will probably use the bus system then too. I don't know if I'd be able to drive those roads! It's crazy! Anyway, one pointer for if you do use the bus system, make sure you have enough bags to hold all your stuff in the stroller. We made one mistake in planning on our whole trip this last time, and now I know better! We had just started throwing what we needed for the park into the stroller and left the room without a bag. We never even thought about the fact that the stroller has to be folded before you get on. Duh. It was easily fixed b/c we asked at the giftshop at POR, and they gave us a plastic bag. We had to do it again at the end of the night at EPCOT b/c the bag ripped. After that we always had a backpack! Have fun!

 

[GingerJay]

Once you figure out how to navigate around WDW- it is much more convenient to have a car- so much better I would definitely try to rent a car if there is any room in your budget--you absolutely won't regret it.

 

[hushupu]

If you are driving around WDW do not depend on a GPS for directions. If you do though you will see some very interesting places as it will take you down all sorts of roads not intended for the general public.

 

[kohlby]

We drive down but use the busses more than half the time. If you plan on park hopping at all, then it's easier to use the busses. The busses get you into MK faster too since you skip monorail that way. However, this is our 4th trip with kids and will be our first time not taking a bus to MK since we won't have time to check into our resort then. I figure the kids will like the monorail ride for once. Driving is nice if you're not sure how long you'll spend in the parks. You can get in your car around dinner time and eat off-site. Sweet Tomatos in one of our favorite places nearby. It's a salad buffet place but has lots more and is an easy place for the kids to eat. On the flip side, using Disney transportation makes it easier for us to split up if one child needs to go back to the room and another one doesn't.

We use the above factors to decide which days to drive and which days to use the bus, so it's a mixed bag for us.