Disney buses

[punch423]

We are renting a house off property for this trip. We are going to Sea World, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, etc... and to get a bit of Disney in on this trip we would like to visit the Disney resorts. We even booked a few ADR's at the resorts.

Can we park at Downtown Disney and still use the Disney buses to get to the resorts since we have ADR's there or do you have to actually be a resort guest?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Yes, you can park at DTD and bus it resorts.
2) But, it can be inconvenient.
3) Better to park at the resort for your meal(s).

 

[princssdisnygina]

Like above P said... it would be easier to post at the resort you are dining at. As long as you don't plan to go to a park after your reservation it won't be a big deal.

 

[Sue M]

As others recommend, I agree with just driving to the resort you have the ADR at. When you go thru the resort gate, just tell the guard you have an ADR and you will be issued a 3 hr parking pass.

Parking at DTD - can be hard to find parking spots, and then you'd have to wait for the resort bus.

 

[rlovew]

If your adr is before noon you may be waiting over an hour for a resort bus. They run very infrequently at that time of day to keep people from parking at DTD and then taking buses to eventually get to a park.

 

[Lynne M]

And I'll throw one more opinion on the pile.....if you value your time, don't use DTD as a bus travel hub.

It's perfectly OK to drive directly to the resort and park there, to dine, to shop, or to look around. You can even use the recreational facilities like boat rentals, bike rentals, etc. The pools are for registered guests of that resort only, but otherwise, you can explore as much as you'd like. Disney not only allows visitors at the resorts, but encourages it. This year's visitor might be next year's registered guest.

When you drive up to the resort parking lot entrance, the guard will greet you. Just tell them you're dining there, or visiting, whatever your reason is for the visit. They'll likely ask you for a photo ID, and then wave you on through.

 

[punch423]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

One more question...

Is there a time limit for parking at a resort?

 

[Missytara]

There are a few frustrating things about using DTD as a bus hub, with the exception of coming back to a resort that is on the water taxi route. It can be a time saver coming back from a resort dinner, say to POR, where I stay.

However, in the morning, they are so busy getting people to the parks, they send over buses that are called "dead-heading."

It can not only take a long time to get a bus, but if say like for me last year, I was going over to OKW for breakfast from POR. The DTD bus arrived exactly at 9:00 am at POR and went directly to the DTD bus hub.

The OKW was the first bus stop. I sat there for 50 minutes waiting for a bus. And you know what the most frustrating part was that buses would come in and they would have say DH-FQ. It took me a while to figure out that was "dead-head - French Quarter, in lieu of usually saying POFQ.

And to top it off, I saw four buses come in with no designation on it, go right past me, and then they rounded the circle and as they are going out of the exit, and their sign suddenly said "DH-OKW."

 

[TheTurners]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

One more question...

Is there a time limit for parking at a resort?

3 hours

 

[punch423]

Thanks so much!

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks so much!

Keep in mind that parking at the resorts and then going to a park is frowned upon. There is usually signage at the Epcot and MK resorts that state parking is not provided for park access. You are more than welcome to park at, say the CR, and have a meal and do some shopping and such, but do not plan on heading to the MK after breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

Easy access to certain parks is one of the perks that people pay for when staying at the CR, Polynesian, GF, BW, YC/BC, S/D.

 

[lustergirl]

Like above P said... it would be easier to post at the resort you are dining at. As long as you don't plan to go to a park after your reservation it won't be a big deal.

Nice picture of my favorite football player

 

[Missytara]

Keep in mind that parking at the resorts and then going to a park is frowned upon. There is usually signage at the Epcot and MK resorts that state parking is not provided for park access. You are more than welcome to park at, say the CR, and have a meal and do some shopping and such, but do not plan on heading to the MK after breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

Easy access to certain parks is one of the perks that people pay for when staying at the CR, Polynesian, GF, BW, YC/BC, S/D.

Also, POR is very diligent around the holidays when I go, because people often have dinner at the resort and then take the water taxi over to DTD and hang around for several hours, rather than move their car over there.

I have seen a couple of cars towed from POR.

 

[andrewilley]

I have seen a couple of cars towed from POR.

Really? Wow! I've never been to WDW during real peak times and have not seen them bother very much at POR as there is so much parking there. I must remember the resort parking pass in future then, as I usually forget to put it on the dash for a day or two!

Andre