Driving to other Resorts..help!

[dolewhipsareforlovers]

So we will be coming to Disney for our honeymoon in August. I have made all of our ADRs and was are eating at a lot of the resorts. We will have a car since we are not flying to Disney. Can we just drive to the resorts or do we have to take a bus? I wasn't sure how parking at the resorts would be.. one day we are doing Kona for breakfast then going to Magic Kingdom then back to Poly for Ohana for dinner. I wasn't sure if we would be allowed to leave our car parked at the poly for the amount of time in between. This is my first time having a car at Disney so I wasn't sure how parking works. Thanks for any tips!

 

[jdisnut]

In general, you are allowed to park at the resorts for free if you have a dining reservation. So if you're staying at Caribbean Beach and have a reservation at Jiko, you can go to Animal Kingdom Lodge, tell the guard you have a reservation, and you will be allowed in. No problem.

But that said, you are not allowed to leave your car there while you go to the parks unless you pay for valet parking. So in the situation you described, your best bet would be to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and then walk to the Polynesian for your breakfast. From there, take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. When it's time for dinner, you can take the monorail back to the hotel.

Does that make sense?

 

[dolewhipsareforlovers]

In general, you are allowed to park at the resorts for free if you have a dining reservation. So if you're staying at Caribbean Beach and have a reservation at Jiko, you can go to Animal Kingdom Lodge, tell the guard you have a reservation, and you will be allowed in. No problem.

But that said, you are not allowed to leave your car there while you go to the parks unless you pay for valet parking. So in the situation you described, your best bet would be to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and then walk to the Polynesian for your breakfast. From there, take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. When it's time for dinner, you can take the monorail back to the hotel.

Does that make sense?

That makes perfect sense! Thats what I was thinking it would be. Do you know if valet is expensive by chance? Im thinking maybe just taking the buses over to Magic Kingdom in the morning and then the monorail over to the poly might be the best option. That way I don't have to mess with parking at the TTC.

 

[jdisnut]

That makes perfect sense! Thats what I was thinking it would be. Do you know if valet is expensive by chance? Im thinking maybe just taking the buses over to Magic Kingdom in the morning and then the monorail over to the poly might be the best option. That way I don't have to mess with parking at the TTC.

It's $25 to valet park at the hotels, up from $20 just to park at the parks.

Of course, if you're staying on-site, then parking at the parks is free.

 

[Hopefully]

Valet is $25 plus tip

 

[sam_gordon]

That makes perfect sense! Thats what I was thinking it would be. Do you know if valet is expensive by chance? Im thinking maybe just taking the buses over to Magic Kingdom in the morning and then the monorail over to the poly might be the best option. That way I don't have to mess with parking at the TTC.

That's too much hassle IMO. Bus to MK, boat/monorail to breakfast, boat/monorail back to MK for park day, boat/monorail back to Poly for dinner, boat/monorail back to MK to bus to resort? I'd either drive my car and park at TTC or use uber to/from Poly.

 

[dolewhipsareforlovers]

That's too much hassle IMO. Bus to MK, boat/monorail to breakfast, boat/monorail back to MK for park day, boat/monorail back to Poly for dinner, boat/monorail back to MK to bus to resort? I'd either drive my car and park at TTC or use uber to/from Poly.

I've never parked at TTC. So I didn't really think of that! Is it a far walk to get to the monorail or ferry?

 

[sam_gordon]

I've never parked at TTC. So I didn't really think of that! Is it a far walk to get to the monorail or ferry?

Depends on when you arrive. Even if you're "far" out, there are parking shuttles that will take you from the end of the parking lines to the TTC itself. Once you get to TTC (if you elect to do so), simply walk to Poly. It should be quicker than going up the ramp to the monorail and waiting.

 

[goofy4tink]

The majority of people here will tell you not to drive to the MK, but to take the bus. It's quicker than finding a spot in the TTC lot, then walking, or taking the tram to the main area, then waiting for either the ferry or monorail, then heading over to MK. Taking the bus is much faster.
BUT...since you're starting and ending at the Polynesian, that's all a moot point. It would actually be quicker to park at the TTC, walk over to the Polynesian for breakfast (short, pleasant under 10 min walk), eat, then take the monorail over to MK. When you're done at MK, monorail (or boat) back to the Polynesian, eat, then walk back over to the TTC and get your car.

 

[ThistleMae]

Just to clarify....we are staying offsite but I want to book a reservation at Boma, and we do not have a park ticket for that day. So we can park there for free, as long as we have a reservation?

 

[supersnoop]

Just to clarify....we are staying offsite but I want to book a reservation at Boma, and we do not have a park ticket for that day. So we can park there for free, as long as we have a reservation?

Yes, you'll be allowed to park for free at the resort for the duration of your meal.

 

[ThistleMae]

Yes, you'll be allowed to park for free at the resort for the duration of your meal.

Thank you, this helps a lot. It's really different trying to figure things out when you drive. I am staying offsite for the first time, and as complicated as coordinating dining and fast passes can be....using your own vehicle adds another layer of planning!