Drive our car or take the bus?

[Dominion]

We are driving our own car down to WDW next week cheer2:) and are staying at the Polynesian. We will use monorail or boats to get to EPCOT and MK, but I'm wondering what is best for DHS and AK? Parking is free, so that's not an issue. And we have FP+ scheduled for TSMM and the Safari (going with smaller kids so those are the big ones for us!) so rope drop isn't a necessity, although we want to get there reasonably close to opening time. Is it better to take a Disney bus or to drive our own car? We are pretty good about using GPS or reading maps/following directions...I'm just wondering if dealing with parking/parking trams/walking from parking lots would be better or worse than waiting for buses???
Thanks!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Hmmm I would say take your car. Some of our worst waits for buses were at the Polynesian. We loved it there but bus service was lacking. We waited for close to an hour for a bus to the AK.

 

[figment_jii]

I tend to drive to AK. The parking lot tram isn't that bad; it's pretty clearly marked and a fairly short ride.

In terms of driving around WDW, everything is fairly well marked. I'd look at a maps or ask for a map of the property when you arrive and take the routes marked by Disney. I use a GPS frequently, but I don't use it at WDW. The GPS doesn't always know that some of the roads have restricted use or aren't the easiest to get on to/off of. The Disney road signs (which are huge, like the ones for freeway ramps), clearly indicate which ramps/turns to take and will send you on the easiest driving route.

 

[KCSherri]

I've been to Disney dozens of times, and had always used Disney transportation…until two weeks ago. I drove my car, and I was amazed - AMAZED - at how much time I saved by doing my own driving. It was awesome to leave the park and go directly to the car, and not have to wait for a bus… or, head to a park in the morning and not have to wait for a bus.

LOVED IT!!!

 

[Rosebud123]

Drive! It's so much easier, IMO.

 

[Victoria3]

Drive.

 

[kaybird]

Ok, I'll balance by saying we take the WDW transportation almost all the time. We do drive to AK sometimes, particularly if we are also going to Blizzard beach. Other than that, we find the WDW transportation adds to our trip, makes park hopping much easier, and lets us out closer to the gates. In the summer, we don't have to worry about the blistering heat in the car.

 

[sersee05]

We drove and like pp said..everything is well marked. We didn't need our GPS at all...and we didn't stay on Disney property. We found it was really fast. I stayed at the poly a few years ago and we waited for buses. Plus I thinkits nice to be in my own car ..to decompress a bit.

 

[bumbershoot]

Drive.

I might even drive to MK, because I really dislike the monorail (and my dislike gets stronger every time I ride it...unfortunately for me, DS and DH love the monorail). OF course, parking at TTC can result in a monorail ride as well LOL.


We've had terrific luck with the trams at AK, and I don't think we've EVER taken a tram at DHS. Somehow we always find that it's more easily walked than trammed there.

 

[drp4video]

I always fly down to Orlando, but rent a car as I prefer to drive than use disney transportation. Driving my own car is much faster than waiting for buses.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.

 

[Tiggs14]

I would drive. Bus waits can be really bad and if you're going at busy times (for park opening or closing) you may have to stand.

 

[Rose23]

We drive from Ohio every year and pretty tired of driving by the time we get to WDW. However, we have come up with a pretty good system in our park touring routine.

If we are going to a park at rope drop, we take the Disney transportation one hour and 15 minutes before opening. However, if we are going to a park in the afternoon and staying for closing (fireworks, Illuminations, Fantasmic, etc), we drive our car.

The Disney buses are very crowded in the evenings, i.e. long wait in lines, lots of wheel chairs need to be loaded, your feet are tired, kids are tired, everyone is stressed, etc. It's just easier to drive and park for free at a Disney park and walk back out (or tram) to your car and drive back to your resort. At least you are guaranteed a seat.

There have been a couple of times where we have decided to take Disney transportation in the evening but those were for E-ticket (extra magic hours). We knew we were not in any hurry and would not be returning to the resort until midnight or 1am.

Have a fabulous time!

 

[KrazeeK120]

My first 3 trips, I used Disney transportation. On my last trip, I flew into Sanford, so I had to rent a car. I was SHOCKED at how much faster and less stressful driving is. So...I say drive!