CP Life w/o a Car!

[thisisemily]

Hello DISers
I will be checking in on 5/23 for the Fall Advantage 2011 season! I was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting around without a car?

 

[BabySimba]

I would like to know too! I don't have a car let alone a drivers license so I'll probably be depending on buses, taxies and friends.

A lot of people complain about the buses being late and busy. I'm used to it, however, since I take a bus to and from my college every day. It'd be just like home!

 

[jlg263]

I've done the CP twice without a car. Well, once I had a car but i was too scared to drive in Orlando...but that's a whole 'nother story, haha.

Anyway, it's not horrible. You get used to it. Yes, the buses can be late sometimes, but only once was I late because of the bus and the managers were able to take that point away from my record card (they won't always do that, but if they can verify that the bus is the reason you're late..then there's a good chance they will). Often you have to leave for work really early though. I remember on my last CP that for work at the studios the bus would either get there 17 minutes before my shift or 47 minutes before. ugh. And sometimes 17 was cutting it kinda close (especially if I had to go to costuming). And then 47 would be way too much time! haha. So it just takes some planning...and determining how close you can cut it.

The WORST part about the buses to me was leaving work, at least when I worked at Magic Kingdom. I worked attractions and basically everyone would get off work at the same time. So you'd be at the bus stop with hundreds of other CPs waiting for the same bus. Which could mean that you'd have to wait for another bus if that one fills up. And once the bus got there everyone would rush it. You really had to be aggressive or else you'd be waiting another 20 minutes for the next bus. I wish they had some sort of queue for it because you'd see people that had just arrived at the bus stop get on the bus and then you wouldn't. My advice for this is to make friends with people at work with cars!! haha. I didn't have as much of a problem with this when i worked at studios because I worked merchandise in one of the shops that closed an hour after park close. So most of the attractions people were already gone by the time I was off work.

The good side to the buses is that you don't have to pay for gas! Which is very nice! And the ride to and from work can be very therapeutic really. You just sit and listen to your MP3 player and watch the scenery pass.

But I would definitely get good friends with someone with a car. You'll need it for Walmart or any other excursion you might want to go on. Of course, there's the walmart bus...but I wouldn't recommend that I tried it once, and only once, haha.

 

[savannahjean85]

The buses were horrible lol! I had a car but the last month of my program it decided to break down, so I had to use the bus. I could never understand why my fellow cps were always so exetrememly thankful that I gave my fellow cps rides home, then after having to ride the bus I understood.

I am seasonal and when I go back down to work my blood pressure rises when I see the dreaded "A" bus (j/k). I worked MK and I must second that yes you have to be aggressive when loading on. I was not use to having to load onto the bus at closing so my fellow workers would help me get on the bus by latching onto my arm and pulling me through the pushing crowd. If I did not feel like fighting I would try to wait it out but alas closing at MK means you are normally getting off between 11 PM-3 AM. Personally one night I got off at 2:30 AM and was not able to get onto a bus until about 5 AM after waiting through 3 buses.

Also with buses understand they are old. I only rode the buses for one month but I was on 2 buses that broke down and we had to be unloaded off onto another bus. I was on a handful of buses that overheated the driver stopped, we waited, then the bus started again and we went on our merry way.

You do also wind up having to plan on getting on the bus far in advance. I would always give myself 30 minutes of spare time just in case so I normally caught a bus an hour and 15 minutes early. Disney is ubber strict about being on time. I had a friend who was on a bus that overheated, 20 cps on that bus got docked half a point for being late. It is up to the manager if they willing over look you being late sometimes.

If I can ever give advice I say take your car, if it is at all a possiblity.

 

[grlwonder]

I am also planning on doing the CP, and will probably be using the busses since I don't have my license and a car of my own. How far away are the apartments from the 4 parks? I don't ride in busses (only disney busses lol!) so I think this will take a bit of getting used to.

 

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

I am also planning on doing the CP, and will probably be using the busses since I don't have my license and a car of my own. How far away are the apartments from the 4 parks? I don't ride in busses (only disney busses lol!) so I think this will take a bit of getting used to.

Parks aren't that far it takes about 30-45 mins to get to them on slower days or routes that a dedicated to more than one area. Resorts are annoying to get too from what I hear. I rode the bus once to DTD and decided never again it was late picking me up from work. (I had originally planned to only use my car on days off changed quickly.) But the only bus thats really really bad is the MK A bus because a lot of people use it.

 

[piratechick]

I am also planning on doing the CP, and will probably be using the busses since I don't have my license and a car of my own. How far away are the apartments from the 4 parks? I don't ride in busses (only disney busses lol!) so I think this will take a bit of getting used to.

The closest park is about 20 minutes away. But, the buses take forever to get there! I hated the buses! I'm taking my car this time, thankfully! So, if anybody ever needs a ride, just ask me! The Walmart and A bus are the worst buses to take! Like it was said above, you have to be aggressive to get on the bus. The C bus (Epcot) is the same way! The buses do take some getting use to, but after a while you will figure it out and it will become second nature. You will even remember the times the buses run by heart without having to look at a schedule. Remember though, they run in military time (as all of Disney does including your work schedule), so if you don't know how to read military time, you should start learning now!

 

[grlwonder]

The closest park is about 20 minutes away. But, the buses take forever to get there! I hated the buses! I'm taking my car this time, thankfully! So, if anybody ever needs a ride, just ask me! The Walmart and A bus are the worst buses to take! Like it was said above, you have to be aggressive to get on the bus. The C bus (Epcot) is the same way! The buses do take some getting use to. But, after a while you will figure it out and it will become second nature. You will even remember the times the buses run by heart without having to look at a schedule. Remember though, they run in military time (as all of Disney does including your work schedule), so if you don't know how to read military time, you should start learning now!

Wow really, military time? I always count with my fingers to make sure I'm correct when I read military time. That is interesting to know, thanks for the heads up! Even if I did have my license, I wouldn't have a car because my parents wouldn't buy me one. Are all the busses crazy or just Walmart and MK? Are they the type of busses that you have to get up at 3am to catch the early bus?

 

[piratechick]

Wow really, military time? I always count with my fingers to make sure I'm correct when I read military time. That is interesting to know, thanks for the heads up! Even if I did have my license, I wouldn't have a car because my parents wouldn't buy me one. Are all the busses crazy or just Walmart and MK? Are they the type of busses that you have to get up at 3am to catch the early bus?

No, just the Walmart, MK, and Epcot (only at closing) buses are crazy. The rest are fine! So, if you are not bringing a car down, try to make some friends that has one, so you can tag along with them when they go grocery shopping. That's what I did in my last program! On your other question, it depends what bus you are taking and when your shift starts/ends. When I had a 6am shift at AK, I had to get up at 4:30am to catch the 5:30am, which was the earliest bus for AK, and it would get me there at least 10 minutes before my shift. The person above who said that they got off at 3am and didn't get on a bus until 5am is telling the truth. That happened to me as well! I remember one time, when I was trying to catch the C bus and it was right after the park closed. There was a huge crowd of ICPs waiting for the bus as well and when it came they all made a mad dash for it! They were pushing and shoving so much that they actually broke the doors, ! I, unfortunately, got caught in the mad dash and was being pushed and squashed so much that I was actually lifted off the floor and my purse almost got lost in the crowd! I was like, "Never Again!!", lol! So, like I said, make friends with people who have cars. So, that way if you are waiting for the bus and happen to see them walking towards their car, you can catch them and ask to tag along with them.

 

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

Wow really, military time? I always count with my fingers to make sure I'm correct when I read military time. That is interesting to know, thanks for the heads up! Even if I did have my license, I wouldn't have a car because my parents wouldn't buy me one. Are all the busses crazy or just Walmart and MK? Are they the type of busses that you have to get up at 3am to catch the early bus?

I don't know about Walmart but getting to places from the bus aren't that bad. Just get on the on an hour or so before your shift. It's getting home on the busses when a shift is over thats annoying.

 

[grlwonder]

I don't know about Walmart but getting to places from the bus aren't that bad. Just get on the on an hour or so before your shift. It's getting home on the busses when a shift is over thats annoying.

I get annoyed getting on the bus when the parks close to get to the hotel. I think I will get used to it.

 

[jlg263]

Yeah, it's really not so bad if it isn't closing time. If you're just going to the parks in your free time it's absolutely fine! (just make sure to get out of there before all of the CPs get off work!) . The WORST is when it's closing time and for whatever reason one of the buses isn't running. So people just keep piling up at the bus stop! Then it's even more of a mad-house than it usually is! This doesn't happen too often, but I definitely remember it happening more than once to me when I worked at MK. Ususally it was the really late shifts too So, just be prepared to have some really late nights, especially if you work at MK.

As far as the walmart bus is concerned, I think if you go in the early afternoon on your day off or something then it shouldn't be too bad. The time I went was at night and the bus ran once an hour. So the plan is to get in, get everything you need, and check out in an hour (or two...just as long as it's in hour increments). But you have to plan well because if the checkout takes too long then you'll miss the bus by a few minutes and have to sit outside with all of your stuff for an hour waiting for the next one. I would just recommend going with a roomie with a car to avoid all of of that hassle. Not to mention the walmart that the CP bus runs to is always out of things like shoes and pantyhose, haha. I swear they never restocked those freakin pantyhose my whole last program!

I'm happy to say that i'll actually have a car during the alumni program AND I'll actually drive it this time. I plan on offering a lot of rides home to pay it forward for all of the rides I was given on my CP!

 

[Dreamstuff]

The buses weren't bad at all honestly, getting around was easy and simple and if you're just going to play in the parks you could just as easily take a guest bus/monorail/ferry to get around. All it takes is simple planning and a bus schedule in your pocket lol.

That being said the Epcot bus SUCKS.
Not because it was late or anything but it was always crowded, and always loud. That route was not by any means a pleasant ride.

My main route was the Studios bus and it was always quiet with seats available, people used to nap on the way to and from work, best line ever.

 

[iSINGalong]

So, if the buses are crazy, does anyone suggest buying a car down there in Orlando? I drive my dad's old car right now, but it's going to my brother for the time I'm in Disney. Would it be worth it to save up a few grand and buy a beater that will last the few months?

 

[jlg263]

So, if the buses are crazy, does anyone suggest buying a car down there in Orlando? I drive my dad's old car right now, but it's going to my brother for the time I'm in Disney. Would it be worth it to save up a few grand and buy a beater that will last the few months?

I mean, the buses can suck at times but they're by no means unmanageable. I would at least try the buses for a while and if you decide you just can't deal with it anymore then get a car. But, like I said, I did 2 programs using the buses and I was only late 1 time and never had a bus break down on me (although i know it happens). The worst part was at park close, but if you have a good friend with a car that usually gets off work at the same time as you then that can be easily remedied. It just takes patience and planning really