Drive to parks or take Disney transportation?

[mrstomrice]

We'll have our van at Sports, since we are driving down. What is the general consensus on driving to the parks? I like the transportation that Disney provides, but will using the van save that much time? Is MK the only park with a disadvantage? Also, will the hotel provide us with a map for directions to each park? Thanks!

 

[happymommy]

To us, the main advantage of staying onsite is to avoid driving. So, I don't drive at all at Disney. Never. Also, it's easier then if you hop from one park to another, to get back to your resort. Sometimes we'll wait for a bus, and the first one that comes, that's where we'll go. It's fun.

 

[toyman70]

considering the way transportation is going DRIVE

 

[truck1]

Yes the resorts will have maps for property. In all honestly, you really dont need it. From where you are, coming out of the Sports, you are on 1 of the 3 main roads on proerty, and all of the parks are clearly marked.When you leave Sports, make the second left, and you are on your way to AK.
Leaving sports, go straight past the overpass.Pass the Cornado, make the left just over the overpass, and your on your way to Epcot and MK. If you go straight past the MK Epcot exit, DHS is on the right.Pass the DHS and your almost to DTD.
Driving your own vehicle on property has its advantages. You can move from point a to b with ease, and you can do it on your schedule.
As far as saving time, you may not see it on the way to the park, but at the end of the night, at Epcot or DHS youll see a big difference as your not waiting on several busses to go back.MK youll prob see it also.
Another advantage is that if you decide to go to another resort for whatever reason, you can go drectly there, as opposed to transfering.

 

[Amy&Dan]

To me, it all evens out. Yes, if you drive you won't have to wait for a bus. But you'll have to pass through the parking booths, wait for trams and walk to and from your car to the tram. At some resorts (the GF comes to mind) you'll be parking a long ways from your room. At others, you'll be able to park right outside your door.

I think it all comes down to what you prefer. If you enjoy driving and have your own car or don't mind renting one, then by all means drive. If you are like me and fly in and don't want to pay for a rental, enjoy having Disney drive you around! There will be aggravations here and there, but as long as you always allow plenty of time, it shouldn't be stressful. And of course, I enjoy the fact I can drink what I want and not have to worry about driving!

I'll add that in 13 trips we have rented a car over half the time. I used to be able to get better rates and now, I go for longer stays (last trip was 16 nights) and that adds up. Also, once ME came into play, it just seemed dumb for us to rent. We've always had great bus service overall.

I think its just a preference and will be different for all people. If I had stroller aged kids, that might make a big difference. But I must say, for the four of us with two adults and two teens, the busses are very nice and work very well.

To me the key point is that there is no quick way to get around WDW. You'll be waiting for trams, monorails or ferries even if you drive and walking to get to your car, bus or whatever no matter what you do. But overall, to me it evens out in the end anda there are a lot of variables to consider.

 

[mrstomrice]

Thanks for al of your responses! We are driving down, so we're not paying for the vehicle. With the 2 young ones and a stroller in tow, I think we'll use the van more than not. My least favorite memories of disney transporation are the evenings where we are exhausted with 2 sleeping kids and no seat to be had on the bus at closing time. We may take the van in the morning, take the bus back for any break and return to the park for the evening and drive the van back at the end of the night. I do like the friendly people you meet on the buses, well, mostly friendly

 

[DebbieB]

I always rent a car and drive to most places. When I was there last month, I stayed at AKV. I was having dinner with friends at Trails End at FW and we planned to go to MK afterwards. Rather than drive and have to go back to FW for the car, I decided to bus and boat. 1 hour and 20 minutes later I made it there, 15 minutes late for dinner.

I hate standing on busses. Not only uncomfortable, I don't think it's safe.

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

We don't stay on site any more, it's way over rated.
On site it's easier to ride with the cattle on the bus to MK and drive everywhere else; parking is free, you can come and go on your own time.
Good luck all,
Joe

 

[Brian Noble]

My experience has been that driving is faster to anywhere except Magic Kingdom---even accounting for parking trams, booths, etc. Magic Kingdom is *normally* faster to go with Disney, but only by a little bit, and recently I've had a couple of too-long (35+ minute) waits for buses in the afternoon to return after a break. So, in the future, I plan to drive there too in most cases.

Some people prefer not to drive, and don't mind the extra time. Also, if I'm going to Epcot or DTD for dinner and plan on having a second glass of wine, I'm sure to take Disney to get there.

 

[Disneyfanatic108]

I would also vote for driving to all the parks. We have only used disney transportation once and did not like it. with all the stories about how bad the transportation is right now, hands down drive.

 

[redrosesix]

There is a definite advantage to taking the bus to MK. But since you're staying at ASSports, you are better off taking bus to AK if you're not going to be there for rope drop -- it would take the same amount of time to get a bus and get to AK as it does just getting from the parking lot to the front gate on the tram

But...if you're going to be there well before rope drop eg. early am character breakfast, you can drive to AK and just walk from the parking lot. This also works if you're arriving at AK closer to closing time, after 5 pm, since there will be lots of parking spaces up front then.

 

[Tara]

For me it's not that Disney transportation is BAD. In fact, it's quite good given the large number of routes and stops. But I personally hate sitting and waiting for a bus (or worse, standing and waiting). I would much rather be in control of where I'm going and when. So I drive. It's nice to have the privacy of your own car, to be able to relax and not worry about "does everyone have their stuff?" - if you leave your bag in the car, it's an inconvenience; if you leave your bag on the bus, it's most likely a loss.

On our last trip in May, we took the bus exactly 1 time - to MK. We were about to get in the car when I decided "heck, let's just bus" and we walked over to the stop (which was in sight of where our car was parked, so close). The MK bus arrived just as we arrived at the stop, so no waiting. But in general we drive to MK, too, even though it takes a little longer. Even though it might take us a little longer to get there, it often saves time in the end because it gives us the ability to go straight to the next thing, like to dinner at a resort. Yes, we could take a bus from MK to that resort, but we still have to get back to our own resort, and resort-to-resort transportation is very time-consuming.

A couple of other things that make driving a more enjoyable experience for us:

• One of the best sources of protein in my son's diet is (sadly!) McDonald's cheeseburgers. It's the only cheeseburger he'll eat, in fact. So being able to run by McDonald's before or after going to a park is priceless.
• Our son has Asperger Syndrome and while his is very mild, over-stimulation can be a bear. Being in the quiet isolation of our own car is a nice break for him. (and for us - who *doesn't* get over-stimulated at Disney from time to time? )

I also valet park (unless I'm staying at a DVC resort like SSR where I can park right outside my building), so that makes the driving experience a lot more pleasant.

 

[dvczerfs]

We'll have our van at Sports, since we are driving down. What is the general consensus on driving to the parks? I like the transportation that Disney provides, but will using the van save that much time? Is MK the only park with a disadvantage? Also, will the hotel provide us with a map for directions to each park? Thanks!

when we use to rent a van and drive down, i would drive to the parks. the past 4 years, we have our own van and i drove to the mk in 06 and the a-- next to me smashed his door into the side of my new van! no note,no sorry,nothing! said i wouldnt drive to the parks again. last oct we drove again to the mk. came out and the side of my van has a big door ding in it!(his car didnt fair to good either.) so, when we were down in may, i parked it in the contemp. parking lot and it didnt move. when we go in oct, its being parked in the okw parking lot and not being moved.

 

[Bullseye]

We'll have our van at Sports, since we are driving down. What is the general consensus on driving to the parks? I like the transportation that Disney provides, but will using the van save that much time? Is MK the only park with a disadvantage? Also, will the hotel provide us with a map for directions to each park? Thanks!

Drive, you will get around so much quicker. Lake Buena Vista is a piece of cake to navigate, you can't get lost. Even driving to the Magic Kingdom is no problem. The trams pick you up in a couple minutes at the most, usually right away. Plus everyone has their own seat and you can keep a nice cooler of cold drinks in the car. It's a pleasure having a car at Disney IMO.

 

[NALA 24]

We have never driven to the parks, but have driven to different resorts for dining. This year, I might want to drive to some parks. Is there a long line of cars entering and leaving the parks? Is there a separate place for Disney resort guests to park? (We will also have a AAA parking pass.)

 

[TheWog]

We haven't used a car to get to the parks, we always use the Disney offered transportation. By saving time do you mean a couple of minutes? If that is worth it, then drive, otherwise park it and let them do the driving. You're on vacation.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Drive, you will get around so much quicker. Lake Buena Vista is a piece of cake to navigate, you can't get lost. Even driving to the Magic Kingdom is no problem. The trams pick you up in a couple minutes at the most, usually right away. Plus everyone has their own seat and you can keep a nice cooler of cold drinks in the car. It's a pleasure having a car at Disney IMO.

Ditto X 10!!!

I have even found it faster to and from the MK.

We stay away from departures immediately following the fireworks and always take the Ferry. It's a beautiful way to arrive and depart....standing at the railing, holding hands, watching the view.

Getting around is sooooooo much faster and far fewer wait times.

 

[davidb69]

We drove last year on our last day to Epcot before heading home and it was quite simple. I don't know what we are planning this year. I know we are driving down and I think on days when we are staying late at Epcot and Hollywood Studios we will drive but on most normal days we should be fine with taking Disney transportation. We just don't like the wait when there are so many people in lines to get the kids home to bed and we sometimes had to wait for 3 buses to come.

 

[CanadianPaco]

On our first trip, we only used buses. It was post 911 and pre free dining - in late August! It was dream using the buses.

Our second trip was in July and we rented a car since we were going to the beach after Disney. It worked out great because the buses were so busy in comparison to our first trip so we always had our car option.

This trip, we are renting a car again and I think, with maybe the exception of downtown disney, we're driving to the parks. It is so nice to settle into a quiet car and head back to the resort. The "squished in the bus thing" has gotten old for us.

 

[Tara]

We haven't used a car to get to the parks, we always use the Disney offered transportation. By saving time do you mean a couple of minutes? If that is worth it, then drive, otherwise park it and let them do the driving. You're on vacation.

For me the time savings isn't the most important factor. But we save far more than a couple of minutes - we do a lot of resort dining and resort-to-resort routes are very time-consuming using Disney transportation. But with our car, we go straight to the resort where we're dining and valet park (I always valet parked, even before it was free at most resorts for me because I'm a DVC member).

And yep, I'm on vacation. Which means I want to be comfortable and relaxed. Standing on a crowded bus doesn't mean those criteria IMO.