Driving to parks

[johnsgrl]

When we lived in NH we would fly down and rent a car, and drive to all of the parks. Now that we live in NC we will drive down for our trips and still drive to the parks. If I can avoid it without taking a bus I will use other transportation to MK, (like going to Epcot and parking there, and taking the monorail to MK if we won't be staying till park close).
There is nothing like walking out of a park after the fireworks and seeing the long lines for the bus while we stroll (ok, I scoot on my ecv) to our car and are on our way before some buses even arrive to pick up the first load of guests.
I like to drive, and I prefer to be in control of when I can leave,

 

[Gehrig1B]

No driving for me... And I have never been disappointed by Disney transportation. Having said that, when I am on holiday I relax and enjoy the experience. Waiting 15-20 minutes for a bus does not bother me. Being on a strictly timed schedule is not our way of visiting either. Everyone is different.

 

[heather13]

This will be our first time driving into the resort instead of taking Disney transportation (staying off property) and I'm actually looking forward to it. With the exception of travel to the MK (by boat or by monorail from our hotels) it has generally been a challenge taking Disney transportation. I'm not complaining - it's a great service and I know everyone has good and bad days, and when we're all exhausted at the end of the night it's nice just to close my eyes and let someone else do the driving. But inevitably in the mornings we end up just missing a bus, or the bus is full, or the monorail is broken. So for once to have most of that in our own control will be nice. I always have tried to get my family moving out the door an hour before parks open, and only twice were we actually there before people were allowed inside.

 

[bcrook]

As someone else said, you are going to get varied opinions on this one. I live in FL so drive to WDW and once I am there my car stays parked in the parking lot. I rely on Disney transportation to parks and Uber or taxi to resorts for dinner. We like to have drinks so in every park except for MK and at dinner we have been drinking so no driving for us. This is the nice thing about vacations at Disney.

This worked well for me in June. Also used Uber from Disney Springs.

 

[TheBigErn]

I agree with others. Don't drive to MK because you still need to tram or walk to a boat or monorail then take that. The bus skips the lake.

 

[RangerPooh]

We drive from Tennessee so we have a car with us. Having a car has spoiled us, we rarely use bus transportation these days. It's often more convenient for us. I've found the buses to be hit or miss. Personally I'd prefer to avoid the crowded buses and drive my own vehicle. But, staying on site does allow your party the freedom to stay as long as they want and take a bus back to the resort should their park time vary from yours.

 

[Klayfish]

Don't drive to MK because you still need to tram or walk to a boat or monorail then take that. The bus skips the lake.

That comes down to a matter of how you see the tram, monorail or ferry. If you hate that and just want to get right to the park, then it's an inconvenience. For us, we love it. It's part of the journey and a ton of fun. The tram is probably the least fun, but it's still OK. The monorail and ferry are family favorites for us. I can't imagine MK without them.

 

[Micca]

Always have a car, drive all over the resort.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We'll be doing a mix of driving, busing and walking. We have to drive from Uni to WDW and I am nervous about it. We've never done this before!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When we have driven we park the car and never use it again. The kids were younger and our meals were always in the park or on the monorail so we would just bus it to the parks. Now that they are older I'm more inclined to make ADR's at other resorts. If we had a car I would drive to another resort for dinner but still not drive to the parks.

 

[FastPasser.]

You will find a lot of varied answers here, because this is truly a matter of personal choice. You couldn't pay me to rely on a WDW bus. No way. There are people who would say you couldn't pay them to drive. We'd both be right, as it's what works for us.

 

[Flamingeaux]

I have never driven to any park but have considered it many times. How bad is it getting out of the parking lot if you leave right after Fantasmic?

 

[pucknasty]

HELLO FROM ONE HOOSIER TO ANOTHER!

We've made this trip SEVERAL times. It's kind of a toss up for us if we rely upon Disney transportation. If we take a bus, we always give ourselves quite enough time to get to each location and maybe kill time if we are early. BUT...having your own transportation is also nice because you're in control of times and such. The only thing I could think of is just being tired of cooped up in that car after a while and wanting to get out to have room LOL

Like many others have said, it's also a control issue. If you have a late park night, sometimes it's better to have your own vehicle to drive so you don't have to wait for a bus.

 

[tomlinson]

Parking is free at all theme parks and resorts for guests staying on Disney Property, however you won't be allowed to park at the CR unless staying there or if you have an ADR at any of their restaurants. Even then it's for only three hours.

Is the three hour rule posted anywhere? Every time we've gone to MK we have made breakfast ADR at the Contemporary, taken the monorail over to MK (purposefully to let our food digest some!), spent the day at MK and then returned to the Contemporary at night. We've never had any issues. Though perhaps we've just been lucky.

 

[jkh36619]

We drive. Its too easy not to for us.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Is the three hour rule posted anywhere? Every time we've gone to MK we have made breakfast ADR at the Contemporary, taken the monorail over to MK (purposefully to let our food digest some!), spent the day at MK and then returned to the Contemporary at night. We've never had any issues. Though perhaps we've just been lucky.

You have just been lucky.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I drive to AK, HS and Epcot if I'm not drinking. Much more efficient usually. MK I use Disney buses.

 

[PixieT78]

We rent a car and drive. I might see about bussing to MK this time, at least for the RD mornings. My thing is more about when I want to leave, I want to just go, not wait who knows how long for a bus. But as other's have said, that's just my personal preference. If I stayed at a monorail resort I'd consider not having a car and just doing Uber on the days I wanted to go somewhere else.

 

[DisneyDeb83]

We drive everywhere, even to MK, though after reading posts here I may take a bus to that park. What I really hate about the bus is standing and waiting for them. I can walk all day for miles thru the parks, with sit down breaks, of course, but standing in place without moving is painful, especially in the September heat. That's why I also won't wait more than 30 minutes for any attraction, unless there is a stoop to rest on for a minute or two!

 

[Mousekakrazy]

Thank you all so much for your input and suggestions. I really do like the idea of being able to come and go without waiting on buses. We are RD people with several PPO ADRs in the park we are visiting that day so I think driving really will work out the best for us. Is there a board on here that shows where handicap parking is for each park? We will have my mom with us and she will need to park closer.