Driving To Parks From Resort vs. Disney Transportation

[Scrubba2]

A rental car is NOT needed! It is nice to have, however. We only get one if the price is right. Usually we travel to WDW during value season and car deals are easier to find. We are traveling to WDW this spring break and have yet to find a deal that we are willing to pay. So in this case we may have to deal with the bus. We have had lots of easy/ good experiences with the buses in the past and then we have had a great deal of waiting at other times. For us, at least on this trip, the waiting will be worth the $250. (Unless my priceline bid comes through-which looks bleak!)

We can take a taxi from DTD to the Premium Outlets for about 10 bucks. And if the bus line at park closing to our resort is abnoxious, we'll grab a taxi then too. Still saves us $200, right? I doubt our taxi needs will exceed what a rental will cost... just MHO!

 

[Galls]

We have chosen to live someplace where we do not need a car. So why would I go to DW and stay at an all inclusive resort only to subject myself to such a stress-er as an automobile? Disney World has the second or third best public transportation in the country.

 

[Fall1]

We always stay on property and rent a car and drive to parks. If I was staying on the monorail, I'd take that, but otherwise we love having our car.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We drive everywhere, as well. It's a fallacy that the bus is always faster to MK. If you add in the time waiting for the bus to arrive, a car is just as fast if not faster. We've proved this through testing on 3 separate occasions. Only once did the bus passenger arrive first, and that was by 40 seconds.

I believe you - but the fairer way to compare the timing would have been to pull out of the parking space at the same time the bus left - because someone who gets to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling in would get to the park faster overall than someone who'd just missed the last bus.

The Unofficial Guide has a comparison chart - Disney transportation vs. one's own vehicle. It provides a shortest-to-longest time range for each mode, and an explanation of how the times were determined. It really doesn't change, so any recent issue borrowed from the library would offer the same information.

 

[Disneylvr]

For our first 10 years of WDW trips we used Disney transportation. For the last 9 years we have rented a car and will never go back to using the buses. While we enjoy the monorail, the ferry, the boat to Downtown Disney.... the buses were rarely an enjoyable experience. Just my opinion.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Well, that's the real beauty of renting a car. It's ready the minute you are.

We timed our trips from the moment we walked out of our room. That's the only fair way to compare. If one waits until the bus pulls out you've not accurately represented the possible wait time involved with the bus schedule and lines of passengers ahead of you. That's the REAL 'bus' time. By the same token, we don't time the return trip from the time the driver actually opens the rental car door... we time it from the exit of the magic kingdom. Again, the REAL 'car' time. Fair is fair.

I believe you - but the fairer way to compare the timing would have been to pull out of the parking space at the same time the bus left - because someone who gets to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling in would get to the park faster overall than someone who'd just missed the last bus.

 

[VIVIAN1113]

Saves $300-500 per trip to be used on other things. Also, the buses are easy to use, are not hot like a car is when you get to it, and quicker to the parks. At MK, you save a 1/2 hour getting into the park by having the buses drop you off closer to the gates. Also, at HS, they drop you off right in front. We used to rent cars but not anymore, it's not worth the lost time, extra $$$ or the hassle of it.

I agree. If you have to rent a car it is not worth it. Disney Transportation is great. It is just whats most comfortable for you and your family! However, I am planning a trip to Disney in a few months and i am staying at the CR because of the monorail, easy access to MK! I think it's the easiest if you have toddlers. I am not crazy about the buses either to travel back and forth to the hotel. If you do decide to take the bus and you have a toddler, HAVE A STROLLER HANDY!!

 

[redrosesix]

My answer is...it depends.

Bus service where there are alternate transportation methods such as monorail is not as good as resorts where bus is the only option. And it also depends which parks you're visiting. We always have a car, but we prefer to take bus to MK because we go most nights -- the whole parking tram/monorail marathon gets very old very fast. Sure it's fun if you only do it 2 or 3 times, but for 7 nights it's a bit much.

And at some parks if you arrive early enough you can walk right into the park, such as AK -- but if I was planning to arrive after noon I'd take a bus. 5 minutes from our resort to the front gate.

We're also city people, so we don't mind taking the bus -- even waiting 10 minutes for a bus still feels like fast service. But we've never had to wait longer than that. Having said that, for DTD or the water parks, or to go to another resort, definitely we would take the car.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have only rented cars while at WDW in order to continue on with my vacation at the end of my stay at WDW...cruising or heading to Tampa to visit my ds.
I have never had an issue with the buses. BUT....I do know that I have had some longish waits for buses in the past few years. Enough that it made me wonder why I hadn't rented a car. Then I would think that I just didn't feel comfortable driving around WDW, without fully knowing where I was going.
Well...then I spent a day riding to and fro with another DISer wave2, and quite honestly, it was wonderful!!! Yes, I find the parking lots to be a bit weird and convoluted when exiting, but I think I can figure that out.
My dh is there now, as we speak. He is on a business trip, staying at the YC. But, the broker he is with always rents a car...every time he goes to WDW (which is quite a bit). From what I hear, it was quite nice just grabbing the bags and then hopping into the rental car and heading out to YC.
And I have a feeling that when dh gets home, he is going to want to start renting a car when we go....and that will be this summer!!


It's truly up to each person. What works for one family isn't going to work for another one. But I have to say...I was stunned when I drove to DTD, from BW, and found how close it really is. Certainly closer than the bus ride would make you believe!!!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

She's waving at me, by the way....

 

[goofy4tink]

She's waving at me, by the way....

It's so nice to have a personal driver!!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We prefer to drive. Why wait for a bus. If we want to go to from Epcot to the Animal kingdom we don't have to wait for an Epcot bus to arrive go to a resort to transfer to the Animal Kingdom bus.
Plus many times we have gotten on a bus with kids who are sick and coughing and not covering the mouths. So the last thing I want is to come home sick.

 

[Goofy_Dad_24]

We've done both multiple times, and anyone saying that taking a bus is quicker is absolutely insane. Having a car is so much more convenient, and saves at least 30 minutes on average per day. Spread that across a week where you have paid $x,xxx for a nice family vacation, and it is clearly worth paying $2xx for a rental car. If you pay more than that, you are not doing it right unless you have a big family.

 

[Goofy_Dad_24]

I believe you - but the fairer way to compare the timing would have been to pull out of the parking space at the same time the bus left - because someone who gets to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling in would get to the park faster overall than someone who'd just missed the last bus.

How on earth is this the "fairer" way to compare? Time spent waiting for the bus still counts as time. It's not like you can pause the earth's orbit while you are waiting.

 

[Joie]

We did have to pay at the parks.

Why did you pay to park? if you stay on property you have free parking

 

[HHSTigerFan]

We always take the bus to MK because its quicker and we always take the car to the water parks because we have so much stuff, the 3 other parks it sort of depends on how we fell.. On the hot days we do tend to take the bus as I hate getting into a car thats been sitting in 90 degree sun all day..

 

[BilltM]

Stayed at the POP December 10th-15th and rented a car. Used the car almost exclusively getting around property and to the parks. Couple times my sense of direction was off and ended up having to back track. No biggie. Parking was free as a resort guest, except when I went to the Swan/Dolphin for a conference, it was $10 to park.

As mentioned, the MK might be the one park to consider the busses. One day I was meeting a DISer at the MK. She was staying at the Swan/Dolphin. I left for the MK first, but it was a morning with dense fog. I made it to the TTC but the ferry was not running b/c of the weather. The line for the monorail was backed up to the point where castmembers starting building a queue. I ended up taking the resort monorail since there wasn't a line. I made it to the MK well after my friend who took the resort bus.

Your mileage may vary depending on your on-site resort, family/group preferences, and the time of year (crowd levels).