Do You/Would You Drive Around Disney?

[Bullseye]

We always drive. You get everywhere much faster including the magic kingdom. I'd much rather spend a few minutes waiting for a tram and a monorail than waiting for a bus at the resort. For us taking the monorail to the magic kingdom is part of the Disney experience. Driving around WDW is easy and fun.

 

[mommy2twingles]

I would take your car vs the disney transportation. Last trip we drove to the parks every day. One night I decided to take a solo run over to DTD. We stayed at POR so I decided to just take the boat over. It had gotten cooler out so I decided to take the bus back after completing my shopping. 40 minutes after I got on the bus I finally got back to the resort. Had I driven I would have been back in 10 minutes top. I also liked the fact that I could come and go from the park on my own schedule, not the bus schedule. Just remember where yu park. We walk3d around for 40 minutes one night looking for our car. We were in the right section but just could not find the car

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this thread to our transportation board.

 

[mrodgers]

And, on hot days: the bus is already AC'd. Your car will be HOT from sitting in the sun all day.

If there's one thing that Ford does good (which is probably the only thing it does good) is with the AC. By the time we are backed out of our driveway, we are freezing with the AC cranked up.

We are not people people. We are driving down and plan on driving around. My wife is less of a people person than I am and I know I wouldn't be able to get her to pack into a bus like sardines.

Standing in line to ride something in the park is one thing. Being packed in with a bunch of people in close quarters like a bus is something different. We plan to drive.

 

[DebbieB]

I enjoy driving around WDW. I hate the busses, nothing is worse than having to stand on a bus after a long day at the parks, jam packed.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Also, we've never taken a tram. We always arrive at rope drop, then take a mid day break and return at dinner time. Even if there is a bit of a walk, we walk.

 

[catne]

we drive everywhere...just this past weekend we made the mistake of giving Disney transportation one more time...by trying to take a boat from POFQ to SSR for a dinner reservation. BIG BIG mistake. Took more than an hour for what would have been 10 minutes in our car. We thought it would be a matter of taking the POFQ boat to DTD & then switch to the SSR boat at the "next dock". WRONG. You have to take boat from POFQ to DTD Marketplace. Then line up again to catch the DTD water taxi...which then goes to DTD West side before docking at Pleasure Island. Where you get off the water taxi & get in line for the SSR boat. You'd think these places were miles apart across one of the great lakes instead of close enough to throw a rock from one resort to the other(OK, that's a little exaggeration, but seriously the whole "lake" & "river" set up there are man-made, and geographically quite small. Just the usual total-crowd-control that Disney specializes in. After 65 minutes of messing with the boat transportation, I can say we absolutely will never try Disney transportation again. I won't stand in line waiting for inefficient transport system where I usually don't get a seat anyway.

 

[JB2K]

We will be driving to Disney, therefore will have our car with us. I have been researching travel times around the Disney property... (using ourlaughingplace) & it seems like it would make much more since to drive than take Disney transportation.

For example...

I can drive from the Pop (where we are staying) to Contemporary (to eat at chef mickey's) in 13 minutes-- but with disney tranportation, we would have to go from the pop to the majic kingdom to the contemporary and without including wait time for buses, it will take 40 minutes.

Plus, you may have to wait in a line...

We took the car last time, around and it was really nice to have all that flexibility in getting-around.

 

[Tara]

We've had plenty of all-Disney transportation trips, but now we always rent a car. We love the flexibility it gives us, not to mention little stuff like our own space. We usually have a AAA Diamond parking pass, so taking a tram from there is never necessary. (that was a much bigger advantage when DS was stroller age)

 

[clkelley]

We take the buses everywhere. We park hop a lot, and also eat at other resorts alot. It doesn't bother us at all.

However, in recent trips, we are spending less and less time out and about and more and more time just chillin around the campground.

 

[Uncleromulus]

It's ALWAYS a car for us at WDW. We made the mistake a few trips ago by taking the bus to the MK. I had read on these very boards how much easier that was than taking a car to the MK.
Well--no.
We waited 15 solid minutes for the bus to show up at the stop and it was full--we couldn't get on! It went right by!!
Then another 15 minutes for the next--it was full enough that we had to stand.
Never again.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Maybe, we'll try driving to the MK next time. How does it all work with the ferry and shuttles????? How long do you wait for the ferry?

There have been times waiting for a bus in the evening from MK that we have waited forever for a bus to show up. It feels like every other resorts buses arrive even some multiple times before our resort bus arrives. They really need benches in the bus queues for that long wait at the end of you day.

Jennifer

 

[Tara]

It's ALWAYS a car for us at WDW. We made the mistake a few trips ago by taking the bus to the MK. I had read on these very boards how much easier that was than taking a car to the MK.
Well--no.
We waited 15 solid minutes for the bus to show up at the stop and it was full--we couldn't get on! It went right by!!
Then another 15 minutes for the next--it was full enough that we had to stand.
Never again.

Maybe, we'll try driving to the MK next time. How does it all work with the ferry and shuttles????? How long do you wait for the ferry?

There have been times waiting for a bus in the evening from MK that we have waited forever for a bus to show up. It feels like every other resorts buses arrive even some multiple times before our resort bus arrives. They really need benches in the bus queues for that long wait at the end of you day.

Jennifer

We ALWAYS drive to MK (except when we're at a monorail resort or WL) and I honestly don't think it's a hassle at all. First, if we aren't at a monorail resort, it gives us a chance to take the monorail, so that's a built-in plus. Second, my son LOVES the ferry, so it doesn't feel like an imposition - it's an attraction for him. The ferries run pretty quickly and regularly, as does the express monorail to MK.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

We enjoy WDW so much more with the car. We can make it anywhere on property in under 10 minutes. I would much rather use the time we save waiting for and riding on buses in the parks or dining.

We keep extra clothes/light jackets/extra shoes in the car, water bottles, granola bars, first aid items, etc. Really nice not to have to carry it all into the parks but available without returning to the resort.

We often zip over to Wal-mart for things like sunscreen, lip balm, bananas, oranges or anything else we forgot.

Two words: Outlet Shopping

We love to visit the atlantic or over to Tampa to see the red sox if they are playing at Tropicana.

We love picking up sandwiches at the Earl in between shopping, or waterparking or visiting a park.

Parking is never hard to find and it's always free.

 

[dacky041208]

We would use Disney busses unless we were eating at other resorts or going to DTD. To get back and forth to the parks, I think Disney transportation does a good job overall.

 

[sharadoc]

Maybe, we'll try driving to the MK next time. How does it all work with the ferry and shuttles????? How long do you wait for the ferry?

There have been times waiting for a bus in the evening from MK that we have waited forever for a bus to show up. It feels like every other resorts buses arrive even some multiple times before our resort bus arrives. They really need benches in the bus queues for that long wait at the end of you day.

Jennifer

The ferry runs about every 20 minutes. You can also take either the resort or express monorail to the TTC. The trams to the parking lot run almost continuously.

Driving to MK first thing in the morning then jumping on the ferry is a great way to start the day. You can slowly see the castle looming in the distance, there's MK music playing over the sound system, you see all the resorts around you and usually there's a character in a small boat that comes by and waves. To us, it's the best first timer experience - we started our kids that way, too.

Coming back, the walk to the ferry is shorter than the walk to the bus area, and because the trams run so often, it's not a bad experience at all. You just have to expect it to take a little while and enjoy it.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

The ferry runs about every 20 minutes. You can also take either the resort or express monorail to the TTC. The trams to the parking lot run almost continuously.

Driving to MK first thing in the morning then jumping on the ferry is a great way to start the day. You can slowly see the castle looming in the distance, there's MK music playing over the sound system, you see all the resorts around you and usually there's a character in a small boat that comes by and waves. To us, it's the best first timer experience - we started our kids that way, too.

Coming back, the walk to the ferry is shorter than the walk to the bus area, and because the trams run so often, it's not a bad experience at all. You just have to expect it to take a little while and enjoy it.

Thanks for the info!

I'll have to show this to DH. He was over my shoulder the other day when I wrote I want to try and drive to MK from our resort on our next trip. He didn't sound too keen on the idea. I may be the one driving that morning!

Jennifer

 

[2binak]

We used to rely on Disney buses, until our experience during our first trip with our DD. A few times, we had to wait at our resort for 45 mins for park buses. When you're traveling with an infant, you try to arrange feedings & changing around travel times so those long waits made for a very unhappy baby at times. We rented a car for our next trip and can't imagine not renting again. It was so nice to be able to come and go as we pleased. I don't know if we actually got into the parks any sooner between driving, parking & waiting for trams, but it was nice to be in control

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

I like the buses, I think that's what makes a WDW trip unique, that I don't have to drive. It just reminds me of traveling to any major city & using their bus or subway stations - we do that in NY, Boston & D.C. when we visit. What I like about using the WDW buses is:

1) Not paying to rent a car (we always fly in)

2) Drinking responsibly, not having to drive

3) At the end of the day riding out of the park after a night show I look out my bus window & see all the car traffic and think, "I'm glad I'm not in that mess!"

The only year we drove the 1000 mile trip & had our car, we found it more convenient to just take the buses. Sure you have to wait for the bus & walk to your stop, but I don't see how that's any different from having to wait in traffic & then walk from your parking spot.

That said, we usually just do the 4 parks & resort dining on the monorail or the boardwalk area & that's easy to get to anyway. We order from Garden Grocer to have stuff in our room. Rarely do we go to DTD, a water park or golf. If I were doing that, I probably would rather go by my own car. And we never leave WDW during our stay, why would anyone want to do that!

 

[cruisingkat]

We normally take the bus - but the last two times at Pop, we were in building 2 and a long way from the bus stop - especially on the way back to the resort (plus the fact that the POP bus at the parks always seems to be one of furthest from the park exit) - so we drove.
If we plan on going to another resort for the evening entertainment (like seeing Elliot Dyson at POFQ), we will drive to the park for our evening visit and then just drive over to POFQ. Much easier than taking the last bus to DTD and then transfering to the bus to our hotel.