Disney Buses versus Driving

[kristinradico]

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!

 

[RaySharpton]

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!

The AoA is located across from Pop and behind DHS park.

MK parking does have trams that take you to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then you have to take the monorail or riverboat to the MK entrance.

I say all of this because bus transportation from all Disney Resorts go straight to the MK entrance.

Obviously, a lot of folks like to drive, and I guess someone else can help you with their personal experiences.

I don't know what the parking policy is for how long that you can park at the CR for breakfast.

If you take the bus route, you could walk the sidewalk from MK to CR.

Or if you drive, you could take the resort monorail around past MK to the CR.

Have a great time at the new resort and breakfast and MK.

 

[Alesia]

It's a personal decision, but In general I prefer the buses.

 

[sharadoc]

We drive everywhere, except we take the boat at Fort Wilderness to MK. If we stay anywhere else, for Me we will either valet park at a monorail hotel, or park at the TTC and take the ferry. At the end of the day, we would rather be moving on transportation over standing and waiting at a bus stop for 45 minutes. Even the monorail seems to take less time than waiting for a bus.

At every other park, either a tram or walking to our car is quicker than the wait for the bus.

Plus, depending on your resort, the walk from your room to the car or vice versa could be considerably less than the walk to the bus stop at the resort. This is especially true at Fort Wilderness and OKW, usually better at a value or mod. At deluxes, if you don't valet, you have a pretty long walk to your car from the resort. In your case, since you'll be at AoA, you will have a parking lot nearby so it shouldn't be too far for you.

We drive from PA to WDW, so obviously a drive from a resort to a park is a piece of cake!

 

[dburg30]

We had family that drove down, so we had 2 cars available for the week we were there, and they never moved one time. They stopped at the store on the way down, then didnt start again til they left. Downside to buses? There are very few resorts that dont have multiple stops, and it does take an extra few minutes for each stop. The bus drivers follow traffic laws and regs (in my experience) to the T. And that can add on. They normally dont speed away from the lights, dont speed at all, at stop signs they fully stop (no rolling stops). We just dont see how any extra time we spent waiting on buses in any way ruined our vacation or felt we wasted precious time etc etc.. Obviously that's a personal choice and You get to leave on your terms, not WDW, but for us, everyone likes the idea of not driving.

 

[rlovew]

We live nearby and so always drive to the resort to begin with but then we leave our car there- now granted we never choose the most crowded times to leave the park (right after a parade or fireworks) but find that the buses work very well for us. The only day we will drive is our last day after we have packed up the car. We just find the buses less stressful than finding our way. When traveling between 2 parks the buses tend to be faster- we have had some people take a car and others take a bus about 3 times in the past and every time the people on the bus got into the new park first. Sure you have some waits at times for buses but they haven't been worth the hassle of driving the car to my husband.

 

[RaySharpton]

I would like to add to my previous comment, that I prefer to use Disney's bus, boat launch, monorail, and sidewalks instead of my own car for transportation within WDW because I use my own mobility scooter and it has become to difficult to disassemble and then reassemble my mobility scooter by myself each time that I move my car.

WDW is my favorite vacation because of this.

 

[deserrai]

The buses are one of the reasons I stay on property. I love to park my car at the resort and never move it until we leave. I don't really have a reason, it just seems more convenient and I love not having to drive.

 

[holden]

It's so interesting to read everyone's take on the buses!

We actually can't stand the buses. At least with a car you can leave when you want. Plus the extra excercise (walking from parking lot to park/monorail) can't hurt either.

I don't know if we actually get anywhere faster, but it is more convenient for eating dinner at the resorts (there is no resort to resort buses as far as I know).

Having said all that, we are going to be using the buses for our upcoming trip. We are staying at BC which is within walking distance to Epcot and DHS, so no rental car for us this time

 

[cjnix29]

If we have a car, we drive to the parks except for MK, always take Disney transport to the MK, because it really is a hassle to drive. It especially works out great when we have the AAA preferred parking. DH doesn't mind driving, and we can get there faster most of the time. But as you can see, it's a personal preference. Depending on the time of year you go, you may have difficulty parking at the CR for the entire day, as they can be funny about that as technically it is not allowed, only for a period of time around your reservation. In that situation, I would take the bus to the MK and just walk over to the CR.

 

[hsmamato2]

sometimes we have a car,sometimes not.....my DH likes it, my kids prefer buses...
the one rule we have is we ALWAYS take the bus to MK....it is hard to get into and out of there, the buses are easiest!
just take the bus and walk over to Chef Mickeys....then walk back to the park!

 

[Brian Noble]

A car will be about the same time give or take five minutes to MK on average, but is much more predictable. A car will be a little faster to all of the other theme parks. A car will be much faster to DTD, the water parks, and any other resorts.

So, if you are mostly going to the theme parks, it's really up to you. What sounds more like vacation?

1: Never having to touch your car keys or drive in a strange place.
2: Never wondering when the bus will come or if you will have a seat.

For me, #2 is more of a vacation, so I tend to drive myself most places. But, for others, #1 is heaven on earth. I will skip the rental car if I'm staying in the Epcot area, but that's about it.

 

[MolonLabe]

Personally I think that using Disney transport adds to the immersive experience of WDW.

Ie. All Disney, all the time. For a week we forget about the world because we are at the world.

Yes, sometimes driving is much faster but for me, ten minutes extra in transport time didn't matter when I've been in lines all day anyway, lol.

Do whatever you like. Personally I'd s rather take a cab than drive to an early morning adr but that's just me.

I'm just glad we are at CR this trip, all my early adrs are walking distance

 

[lugnut33]

One aspect of the Disney experience you don't get if you drive is waiting in line for the bus.

I find it much less stressful to be able to go wherever I want whenever I want to. If I want to go off site I can. Nothing gets me more upset on vacation than watching the bus I need pull off.

And if you go to Disney enough you WILL have one of those times where it will take 45 minutes for the next bus to come.

That said, Disney probably has the best transportation system of any large city. They do a great job moving all those people. I just prefer to drive.

 

[RaySharpton]

It's so interesting to read everyone's take on the buses!

We actually can't stand the buses. At least with a car you can leave when you want. Plus the extra excercise (walking from parking lot to park/monorail) can't hurt either.

I don't know if we actually get anywhere faster, but it is more convenient for eating dinner at the resorts (there is no resort to resort buses as far as I know).

Having said all that, we are going to be using the buses for our upcoming trip. We are staying at BC which is within walking distance to Epcot and DHS, so no rental car for us this time

The Epcot/DHS lake and resort area has wonderfully lighted, wide sidewalks around the lake and from Epcot to DHS. They also have the boat launches that go from Epcot, BWV, BCV, Swan and Dolphin and DHS, too.

I'm sorry that you won't have your car.

 

[AaronInWI]

Our last trip in September (our fourth overall) was our first time with a car. We stayed at the Contemporary, so I can't comment on MK parking, but I personally loved having a car. We didn't step foot on a Disney bus all week, and I didn't miss it a bit. The parking lot trams were very convenient. I liked that I felt more in control of my time, if that makes any sense. It's the same reason we drove instead of flew - we were on our schedule instead of a Disney bus' (or the airline's) schedule. But that being said, I can certainly see why some people like parking the car and not seeing it for a week. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[dvcterry]

One aspect of the Disney experience you don't get if you drive is waiting in line for the bus.

I find it much less stressful to be able to go wherever I want whenever I want to. If I want to go off site I can. Nothing gets me more upset on vacation than watching the bus I need pull off.

And if you go to Disney enough you WILL have one of those times where it will take 45 minutes for the next bus to come.

That said, Disney probably has the best transportation system of any large city. They do a great job moving all those people. I just prefer to drive.

Indeed.

 

[Bryanhoop]

Good to know. I'm going in Nov and haven't decided if I want to rely on the buses or not.

 

[Brian Noble]

Having said all that, we are going to be using the buses for our upcoming trip. We are staying at BC which is within walking distance to Epcot and DHS, so no rental car for us this time

I've done this as well; the only park trip I really missed the car for was to/from AK. To MK, it's a bit of a wash most of the time. I did feel a little trapped when I wanted to leave the EP resort area for dinner; if that happens to you, just grab a cab. One or two cab rides will be a lot less expensive than a rental car.

 

[kamms]

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 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!