Disney transportation vs car to get to parks

[KYmommy]

I have been planning on using Disney transportation to get to the parks but now I am wondering if we would be better off using our car.

Here is what I am planning. It will be myself, DH and DS (5). We will visit a park in the morning, go back to our resort (POFQ) for lunch (break, swim, etc) and then off to a different park in the evening. I have PS's in the evening park for dinners.

I know that a break is very important and I will not take that away, but I want as much time in the park as possible, but I like the convience of the bus system (not having to find parking, getting dropped off in front of the park, etc). This is our first trip to WDW, so we have no clue what is in store for us. Can anyone help me know if we should be using the bus system or our own car?

Any help would be apprieciated. We leave in 6 days. Thanks. Kris

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

Take the bus, Take the bus, Take the bus......I am a huge fan of Disney Transportation....when we show up at disney (if we are driving) we park our cars and never get in it again until we leave....this is one of my favorite things about WDW. You never have to worry about how to get where..just let the bus driver do that for you. As far as going back to the room...we do that nearly every afternoon we are there and the buses are plenty quick enough to get you around. Hope this helps and enjoy your first trip.

 

[dawgsgirl]

Take the bus!!! That is the main reason to stay on-site. You will love POFQ! I have never had any issues with the bus transportation when staying here. Have a great trip!!

 

[zurgswife]

Take the bus....you'll be glad you did....

 

[maxiesmom]

I would take the bus to MK only. It is much faster to drive yourselfto the other parks. POFQ and POR share a bus system. You will be the first picked up, but will have to circle POR picking up their guests too. It took about 40 minutes to get to MGM from POFQ. And when you are tired you can leave without waiting for the bus to show up. Great expecially if it is raining.

 

[n2mm]

You should try the buses. They work for some people. They don't work for us. We try them every now and then and always go back to our car. It actually only takes about 10 minutes to get from the parking lot to your resort, but the buses seem to take much longer. Getting to your car is pretty equal to the time you spend waiting for a bus. At least in your car you always get a seat. The only time we use the WDW transportation is if we are staying at WL and we take the boat over. When we leave the parks, we sometimes stop elsewhere at a moments notice. I think it's great that Disney offers transportation to it's guest, but it isn't for everyone, us included.

 

[OKW Lover]

Stay away from the bus at all costs - with the exception of going to the MK.

With the bus you have to wait for it to come, then it makes other stops along the way before you get to the park. Same on the return trip. With your car, you just get in and drive off. It will be much faster and more comfortable.

 

[EthansMom]

We like taking the bus because we don't have to worry about making a wrong turn when driving. But it does seem easier to drive our own car on rainy days or when carting a lot of stuff to/from the parks.

On our trip in April (stayed at POFQ), I thought for certain that we would drive the car most days. But we actually ended up taking the bus every time! I still like having a car just in case -- in fact, on this trip, I used the car to take the baby to the Walk-In clinic when she got Pink Eye. Also, having a car is nice if you want to go to other resorts for dinner.

Now if I could only figure out how to go to the parks without the strollers, bottles of water, diaper bags, changes of clothes for the kids, etc., I would be ecstatic with taking the bus most every time.

 

[ericafny]

I just posted this question in another thread! I am contemplating renting a car, because I think I am not going to like leaving the parks at nite, in July, and having to wait an hour and a half for a bus back to my resort. We are staying at CSR and I know they have their own bus system, but I am assuming it will still be packed in July and the thought of having my own car seems so appealling...anyone have ANY suggestions?!?

 

[Aimeedyan]

We never take the bus - it is SO slow!!!! The parking at the parks is not far away and the trams come to you and drop you right by the gate. The buses are often farther from the gate then people realize. Not only that, but you often have to wait in long lines to get on, stand on the bus, and wait in long lines at the other end when you watn to come back. Taking our car means we're a hop skip and jump. Parking is free, we come and go as we please, and are back and in our room WAY before the people waiting on the bus are.

On occasion we'll ride the bus and then wonder why the heck we did it again.

Since you'll have your car already, you have the best of both worlds! Give the bus service a try one day and you decide which you'd rather. We would rather not rely on someone else to get us to and from, and like to keep things in our car for quick retrieval if we need. We like never being late for PS's due to bus service (happened just 3 weeks ago to us!). The boat is another story, and the monorail. Those are great.

Some resorts have faster service then others, and closer stops - I'd try and see what you think =)

 

[dawgsgirl]

Just curious--Why would you pay the money to stay on-site and not use the busses? I have stayed both on and off-site and only stay on-site for Disney Transportation.

 

[12BNWDW]

We only take the bus to the the MK and drive to the other parks. We have found that it is much quicker, especially after a long day at the parks. Don't get me wrong- I think Disney transportation is pretty good. But, if you have a choice- drive. Try doing both and see what works for you. Why stay at a Disney resort if you don't use their transportation? You are still close to the parks, you get free parking and the atmosphere!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

We have always used the transportation-buses, monorail, etc. Friends of ours rented a car when they went with us b/c they thought it would be easier, faster. Well, in our case, renting a car was a waste of money and time for them. They would leave their resort before we left ours in the morning and they would get there a lot later, they always had to park, get on a tram and we would be waiting inside for them. They also said it wasnt worth the hassle of directions to and from and the car being 1000 degrees when they got in it after a day at the park.
Contrary to another poster, we have been during pretty busy times between May June and August and have never had to wait in a long line for a bus at our resort OR at a park. We find the buses to be efficient, fast, comfortable and way more convenient than having to worry about our own car.
It is much easier to head out to a bus stop every morning, catch an airconditioned bus to the park. Hop out and have some fun. Then at any point, if we are ready to head back, we just hop that nice airconditioned bus back to the resort!! Our friends swore they would never rent a car again in WDW b/c it was a waste. Now families might find a car more convenient but I cant see how. You pay all that money to stay onsite why not get all the benefits of it.
By the way-we have stayed at CSR the last 2 trips and find their bus system to be one of the best!!

 

[maxaroni]

I wouldn't rent a car to use unless you need it for anything offsite. We have used Disney transportation in the past and while their may have been some hiccups, it was certainly fine. However, this trip we are driving and will have the luxury of doing either. We plan on using both Disney transporation and our car. We want to use the car for the evening as getting back to the resorts (POFQ & CBR are the 2 we've been at) can be totally exhausting using the busses. We've been on many a bus where we are packed in like sardines and standing and at the end of the day, we are all tired. There were several nites where everyone was wet from rain and on the busses freezing, standing and being pushed and shoved. I will walk a bit further, perhaps but get into our car and head on back to the resort.

 

[KYmommy]

Thanks for all the tips. You have given us a lot to think about. We will try Disney transportation and see what works best for us.
We were not planning on having a car this trip, but it just has worked out like that for us.
Any other thoughts. Thanks again.
Kris

 

[stacy6552]

We have two rules: Use the bus for the MK, the parking lots is such a hassle......and use the car and arrive for breakfast at the AK an hour before park opens, because the gate gets so bottlenecked.

 

[n2mm]

Just curious--Why would you pay the money to stay on-site and not use the busses? I have stayed both on and off-site and only stay on-site for Disney Transportation.

Here's why I don't use the buses. I'm married to a CM and we ALWAYS stay onsite, but never use the buses. In my real life I commute by public transportation over 4 hours a day to Wash. DC, by commuter train and subway (yes 2 hours each way) which required long waits and crowds and standing. When I'm on vacation the last thing I want to see or use is a form of public transportation...even getting on the monorail is hard for me--but it's a short ride. So going on vacation is my way of getting away from it ALL. No buses for us. (Mind you I have nothing against WDW buses or their drivers and I think it's a great option, it's just we tried it and it causes me stress, I find using our rental car much more relaxing).

 

[Ronda93]

I'm with the MK only crowd. The busses drop you off in front of the MK. Nothing else gets you so close. The other parks I think it's better to drive.

Don't worry about directions or getting lost. Keep your head up and read the signs. Disney does a great job herding people AND cars. The first couple of trips I tried to read the transportation map and determine my route. The exits are not marked with street/road names. After a couple of behind the scenes tours I abandoned the map and just read the signs.

We've been in some one hour bus lines after park closing and it can poison the Disney Transportation experience.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Just curious--Why would you pay the money to stay on-site and not use the busses? I have stayed both on and off-site and only stay on-site for Disney Transportation.

There are LOTS of people that stay onsite at Disney and never even step foot into a park! They certainly don't come to Disney to ride the bus. We are in that camp, and often don't even go to a park but instead enjoy the amenities of the hotel, the atmosphere, restaurants, and things to do there. That's why we stay onsite - the hotels are great! Plus EMH is a great thing =)

 

[maci]

We have done both, and both have advantages.
If you were going in off season, I would say buses. But in high season, I just dont know. We liked having a car, and not having to deal with crowded buses late at night, espeically with double stroller, and tired/ asleep kids in tow.