Driving to parks even though staying onsite

[TTFNTigger]

I need to be educated on why/why not and the ins/outs to driving to parks rather than taking Disney transportation.

We have always just used Disney transportation once arriving to WDW but this trip we will have multiple families and two children in strollers. I have seen posts where others are being advised to drive to the parks rather than take the buses when you have a young child that needs to return to the resort for a nap.

So please fill me in on how this works and why it's a better option.

Thanks!

PS- we will be staying at OKW

 

[uandmfan]

We drove last year. You get free parking if you're staying on site. Just show your pass at the parking gates. It's very easy, just drive to the park, not where you leave the car and go in.

For the MK you go to the TTC and take the monorail or boat over.

If you go at rope drop you'll always lark close to the entrance.

You need to fold up strollers on the bus. We found that to be a huge pain...especially if you have lots of stuff in there.

 

[mummabear]

I hate dealing with the crush of people waiting for the buses so we drive, we have 3 kids and a stroller and hate folding it up so we just walk from the carpark to the entrance (except at MK where we have to Monorail or boat)
It also makes it way easier to get to the waterparks then a park, ADR's at other resorts then back to yours, mini putt and Disney Springs than trying to use transportation

 

[Cinderella2004]

We always rent a car when we go too. I always try to get my family to take the bus to MK though. I think that waiting for the buses is better than waiting for the trams and monorail/boat. I don't always win though.

 

[ArielSRL]

We will most likely drive to all parks except MK rope drop. We are a group of 5: my mom, my dad, my two boys (2 yrs and 4.5 yrs), and myself. We will have either 2 strollers or a double stroller and all the stuff that comes with. We will take midday breaks almost every day. My boys may fall asleep on the ride back to the resort, which will be better in the car, and we can pull up closer to our room in the car (we are at SSR) than being dropped off at bus stop. We like the convenience of having the car.

Full disclosure: my dad has a handicap placard so we get to park up front at the parks.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

We plan to drive to each park.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

I find it easier to drive to the parks, except for MK and possibly Disney Springs, haven't been since they built the parking garages. I think it's a pain to park at MK with all the different transfers. I also enjoy resort hopping and doing some things off site, as well as mini golfing.

 

[Minniesgal]

It is much quicker and more efficient to drive to the parks

For us it also allows us to visit other resorts for a meal on the way back to the resort

 

[Day-Day]

We drive to MK at least as often as we ride the bus. We drive to all the other parks in lieu of riding a bus. We usually have a cooler with drinks in the car so we are comfortable as soon as we get in the car. The bus can be crowded and we often stand so the ride can be a pain.

 

[missnic]

We don't have kids and still find it easier to drive to the parks. It's convenient, and you don't have to wait on what could be several buses at the end of the day. We often park at the TTC, monorail over to Epcot for a few hours, then go back to MK for the evening.

 

[shoney]

Our last stay was our first onsite. As we were crushing onto buses my husband turned around and asked "why didn't we rent a car?" My response was "why? we'd miss out on all the magic "
Our kids were older at the time, I wouldn't even dream of not driving if I had little ones with me.

 

[goofy4tink]

OKW is one of the resorts that I recommend using a car at! You are able to park very close to your villa. And it's a lot faster to drive to the parks than taking buses. It's a very spread out resort.
The only park I don't recommend driving to is MK. But....if you don't mind taking the tram and then either the ferry or the monorail, then drive there too!

 

[2binak]

We started renting a car after our first trip with DD (she was an infant at the time). Twice during that trip we had to wait for nearly an hour for a park bus at our resort. Also, there were times at park close that we opted to wait for another bus because the one we could have gotten on was standing room only & we didn't want to stand while holding a baby. We've rented a car for all of our trips since then & it makes our trips less stressful.

 

[guilderlandmouse]

I guess I will be the oddball. My family actually prefers the buses. We find the convenience of just walking to the bus stop easy and stress free. Yes, sometimes you can be waiting for a bus when you could have been on your way in a car. However, we use the time to talk about what we are excited to do or what experience we had that day. Like most families with younger children, we find ourselves endlessly shuffling kids in and out of cars as part of our daily lives. So for us, it's a relief to let someone else do the driving.

That said, we stayed at OKW twice and rented a car. But other than using it to get groceries and maybe a quick trip to the hospitality house, it stayed parked. We stayed in building 32 (2-bdr) on Old Turtle Pond Rd. Bus stop right across the parking area. Easy. Never really waited long for buses either. We had grandparents, little ones, stroller....no problems with buses at all.

Since then we have stayed at AKL, POLY, BW, and AoA. For us, it's DME and all Disney provided transportation.

Just thought I would bring a different view. Good luck.

 

[TTFNTigger]

Thanks All!

I will relay all of this information to the other families in my party and they can make the best decision for their own family group.

I think it really all comes down to personal preference. There was actually another thread today about a to drive or ride the buses that did not include young children in strollers and the majority of the advice on that thread was to use the buses. I saw it after I posted mine.

Thanks again!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I guess I will be the oddball. My family actually prefers the buses. We find the convenience of just walking to the bus stop easy and stress free.

I'm with you. We prefer to take the buses.

But we don't have little kids. And I use an scooter. With a bus, I don't have to break it down, then put it back together. I can simply drive it onto the bus.

Also, we drive to the World. Once we get there, we park and never use the car again. Unless we have to.

 

[leebee]

We hate the buses and almost always rent a car. At the end of a long day, I want to be resting, not standing on my poor tired feet. My sister and I have timed it in tandem (one on the bus, one in our car), park gate to room doorway, for both Epcot and DHS, and the person driving the car was always in the room before the person riding the bus. I hate the waiting in line after a long day in the parks, I hate being squashed into the mass of sweating humanity that is on the bus with me, I hate standing on the bus for 15-30 minutes during the ride, and I also hate how the bus always is freezing cold. We drive to ALL the parks, even MK; we find riding the monorail or ferry boat part of the fun!!

If I had little kids, there's no doubt that I'd rent a car. You have to fold up the stroller to get on the bus, seats are few and far between, and you can't assume someone will give you their seat. Think about hauling a sleeping toddler out of the stroller, folding the stroller, balancing stroller on the bus while holding a sleeping child and standing on the bus for the ride back to the hotel... nothing magical here.

 

[Gracie09]

We like the buses. Even when we had a car we took buses. We packed relatively light (one back pack for both our kids) and would just take a couple minutes while on line to get it all together. The girls hopped out close to the front and away we went. We were not mid day break people. We typically rope drop go through dinner then back to the hotel for swim and bed. When the girls were younger they would nap. We sometimes stay a bit later but it really depends on how they are doing.
Dh and I both have longish commute so not having to drive is great

 

[bumbershoot]

My sister and I have timed it in tandem (one on the bus, one in our car), park gate to room doorway, for both Epcot and DHS, and the person driving the car was always in the room before the person riding the bus.

Same.

Driving to MK feels annoying.

Having the car at night to go back to the hotel, though, is heaven. Worth the slight annoyance in the morning to drive instead of bus-it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Frankly we never go near the car. Disney Transportation has rarely ever been a issue for us and we enjoy the trips. The short additional time is out shadowed by the enjoyment of the various trips. No looking for parking spaces, waiting for the trams or possible long walks to the gates etc!