Disney Buses versus Driving

[married2mm]

If you are planning on park hopping and/or planning on visiting a few resorts and Downtown Disney during your stay, then using your car, in my opinion, is almost a must because of the convenience it provides.
i agree.

I love the buses (my wife hates them), but since we move around so much everyday, we rent a car. If you aren't moving around that much on a daily basis then the buses will be fine, and as at least one previous poster mentioned, since you are taking Disney transport, you are fully immersed in Disney all day long. No matter if you use the buses or your car, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Enjoy your trip!

my dh drives a lot with his job,(i don't drive) therefore i thought he would enjoy the wdw transport option-however he hates the buses also-didn't like waiting, full buses,not being in control!
dd travels on buses for university and enjoys being driven around on vacation

we used buses twice on our last trip (15 days)-for am emh at mk.

 

[dsneprincess]

We drive EVERYWHERE at WDW. From AoA, you are very close to Animal Kingdom, Studios & Epcot. Drive to MK isn't bad, MK is just not "near" much, IMO. For Chef Mickey's, I would park at Contemporary & then have 1 adult move car to MK lot & meet up with everyone else inside MK. If you are not planning on doing a full day & it is not a super busy time, you could probably stay in CR visitor parking for a few hours. It is SO much more expedient to use your car. 30-60 minute bus waits/commutes are not unheard of.....no where is that far by car. I usually plan on 40 minutes from hotel room to Main Street with parking at the TTC & we usually make it in 30. MK is BY FAR the worst case scenerio.
We move around a lot. Usually start day at water park, hit an afternoon park, a swing through DisneyQuest & then a night park. Everything stays in trunk from stroller & camera to ponchos & shoe changes. We grab & go, usually leave room about 9am & return between 9&10pm, except during EMH. We couldn't do Disney without a rental. Did on our honeymoon, but total waste of precious Disney time for us. Would never do for us with kids. We used to ride bus to MK, but don't even do that anymore!

 

[SmallWorld71]

We are staying at AoA in an upcoming trip and we planned to use Disney Buses for everything. However I just learned that we can park at the parks for free and we will already have our car there with us. With the free parking plus how far away AoA is away, which was is the best?? We will have 3 adults, an 8 year old, 6 year old and a 2 year old. The morning we have Chef Mickey ADR, would it be best to drive to MK then walk over or take the bus to MK then walk over?? Yes we plan to spend that full day at MK. THanks!

I would go with the 2nd option here - much easier, IMO.

Driving to the MK - you would have to then take the monorail (4 stops I believe to the Contemporary) or the ferry and then walk.

As for the other parks, it just depends on your preference. I don't like to drive on vacation so we usually take the resort busses. But, I have friends that drive everywhere and wouldn't have it any other way. I would recommend driving to non MK resorts or DTD.