Driving to parks even though staying onsite

[cruisingkat]

We drive to all parks except MK. We don't drive to MK because you have to take a tram from the parking lot and then take the boat or monorail to the park while the bus takes you right to the park We do like driving to the parks because when you leave, you can just get in your car and go - no crowded buses etc. We usually stay at POP and they usually have one of the furthest bus stops at the parks which is not great when you are sore and tired.
We also take the bus to Disney Springs due to the parking lot construction and traffic tie-up.
However, driving to a park depends on what is going on at Disney when you are going. When we went in mid December as we were driving to our resort on arrival, we noticed that the parking lot for Hollywood Studios was closed (full) at 1pm and they were sending people to park at Epcot and take the bus over. Hollywood Studios was extremely crowded due to it being the last year of the Osborne Lights. We had a Osborne light dessert party booked for the next night and weren't planning on going to the park until late afternoon. So we decided to drive our car over there in the morning, park, take the bus back to the resort and rest up, and then take the bus back to HS for the dessert party. When the party was over, as the park closed, we leisurely strolled out of the park, caught the tram to our car, and drove back to the resort.
Taking the bus back and forth in the middle of the day isn't bad - but early morning and at night - especially at park close, you may have to wait in line for a couple of buses to load before it is your turn to board. Which is why at MK when we leave we usually stop and sit and rest several times as we make our way out of the park. We end up being among the last to leave, but there usually isn't a huge line for the bus.

 

[Dis703]

We had our car a couple years ago when we stayed at BC and after the first day we never drove it to the parks again. For me I found it far more of a hassle to go back to a car in mid afternoon that was burning hot from the sun (to the point you couldn't touch the buckles on the carseat or seat belts) and get the kids in and out of carseats. Strollers on the tram were also more of a pain than on the buses. So for us we prefer to just use the bus. We might use it if we had a resort dining reservation to get to, but the majority of the time and for parks alone we prefer the bus. At MK the bus also goes directly to the park while if driving you have to park, take a tram to TTC, and then a boat or monorail to MK.