Driving to parks

[Mousekakrazy]

We have decided to rent a car and drive from Indiana to WDW. 5 adults in a van woo hoo lol. Anyway, my question is should we use the van to drive to the parks or should we rely on Disney Transportation? We have a couple breakfasts out of the parks but most of our dining reservations are in park.

Also would it be a good idea on MK days to drive to contemporary and monorail to MK? Is parking free at all resorts or just the resort that you're staying at?

 

[bnhonest]

If you have the luxury to be able to drive to the parks, by all means, do. You will save on travel time and the headache of having to fight for room on a bus.

This holds true with the exception of magic kingdom.

You can not park at CR unless you are staying there or having a meal there. You will have to park out in the main TTC parking lot, and then take the ferry or monorail, both which are going to be slower than taking the bus from your resort.

 

[3kidsdad]

By your comment "should we rely on Disney Transportation" I am assuming you are staying at a Disney Hotel. With that, once I get there I solely rely on Disney Transportation. When on vacation I don't want to drive anywhere. I enjoy knowing if I want a drink or two at dinner or even lunch for that matter (why not you're on vacation) I can still get anywhere on property without having to drive.

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.

 

[ucfknight]

You didn't specify which resort you are staying in, but the general rule of thumb is:
Bus to MK.
Drive everywhere else.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

Yes...I would drive to EPCOT, HS, & AK. I would take the Bus to MK. We have consistently found it was very convenient having our car in the park parking lot in case we wanted to stop by a real store or go to an off-site restaurant. You never know when that hankering for Mickey D's might kick in.

 

[Klayfish]

You will find a lot of varied answers here, because this is truly a matter of personal choice. If I were in a monorail resort, sure, I'd use that to get to MK. But with that one exception, I would use my car each and every time. 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.

 

[Mousekakrazy]

Sorry I forgot to mention we are staying at AoA in Lion King Suite.

As a resort guest is parking at the theme parks free? I was under the impression that it was $20 to park whether you are a guest or not.

 

[srwarden1928]

I always drive. I always stay on property. I always drive to the parks--love the free parking. I ESPECIALLY drive to MK. IMO, the ride on the monorail from TTC to MK is my first ride. It has been that way for me since my first trip in 1972. I know there are plenty of people who prefer to ride the bus. I don't see that as an advantage over that monorail ride, but to each his own.

 

[ucfknight]

Sorry I forgot to mention we are staying at AoA in Lion King Suite.
As a resort guest is parking at the theme parks free? I was under the impression that it was $20 to park whether you are a guest or not.

Yes. You get free standard parking at the parks if you are staying at a Disney resort.

 

[Mousekakrazy]

Well then thats even better. We have several PPO breakfast ADR we are wanting to do (Garden Grill, Crystal Palace, Tusker) so we would want to get there early for sure. Our other breakfast ADR include 1900 Park Fare (MK day) and The Wave (Epcot day and day we leave). Would those be easy to do with driving or would buses be better?

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We always drive to the resort and we never drive to the parks.

 

[Monima]

I always drive. I always stay on property. I always drive to the parks--love the free parking. I ESPECIALLY drive to MK. IMO, the ride on the monorail from TTC to MK is my first ride. It has been that way for me since my first trip in 1972. I know there are plenty of people who prefer to ride the bus. I don't see that as an advantage over that monorail ride, but to each his own.

How much time do you allow from when you park at MK to jump on the monorail to get to the gate, please ?

 

[DisDreaming4116]

We only use the buses. Like others have said, I like being on vacation for a week and not getting behind the wheel the entire time. Yes, the buses can be crowded (especially at night after nighttime entertainment) but we enjoy talking with other guests or just sleeping on way back to the resort.

 

[Mousekakrazy]

I do not mind driving. I actually enjoy it. I was our driver in NYC and it was like an exciting challenge for me lol I also do like that aspect of control driving gives you. I was just wondering about if it is actually a smart thing to do for us

 

[bryanb]

I always drive. I always stay on property. I always drive to the parks--love the free parking. I ESPECIALLY drive to MK. IMO, the ride on the monorail from TTC to MK is my first ride. It has been that way for me since my first trip in 1972. I know there are plenty of people who prefer to ride the bus. I don't see that as an advantage over that monorail ride, but to each his own.

I'm a huge fan of the ride from the TTC to MK too. Whether it be on the monorail or on the ferry boats. I know this sounds cheesy, but crossing a body of water with the gleaming castle off in the distance is a perfect storybook touch to kick off a visit to the MK. I think it's because I grew up on the California parks, where the division between the "real world" and the theme parks is much more abrupt.

Driving in on a bus is more efficient, but I like the storybook opening at least once per trip.

I do not mind driving. I actually enjoy it. I was our driver in NYC and it was like an exciting challenge for me lol I also do like that aspect of control driving gives you. I was just wondering about if it is actually a smart thing to do for us

Absolutely nothing wrong with driving if you're okay with it. Different choices for different vacation preferences. Having a car and driving at least some of the time can save you a lot of time waiting around for buses... especially at the end of the night when everyone is tired. I personally don't mind the waits for Disney transportation. Every day in my job is the rush of commuting and pressure of efficiency, but on vacation I don't stress about waiting for the next bus.

 

[ucfknight]

I'm a huge fan of the ride from the TTC to MK too. Whether it be on the monorail or on the ferry boats. I know this sounds cheesy, but crossing a body of water with the gleaming castle off in the distance is a perfect storybook touch to kick off a visit to the MK. I think it's because I grew up on the California parks, where the division between the "real world" and the theme parks is much more abrupt.

That's funny. I grew up in Orlando and hate the 40 minutes it takes to get from my car to the front gate at MK.
When we went out to California I was in love with the ease of park access and the 120 step park hop between parks without having to go through security again.

 

[DVC4US]

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.

 

[Mousekakrazy]

There are 2 people on the trip who do enjoy drinking. I am not one of them lol never have been able to find a drink I like. If I can even taste a hint of alcohol it's a no go lol the other 2 are 19 & 20 so we will always have at least 3 sober drivers lol

 

[Robo]

How much time do you allow from when you park at MK to jump on the monorail to get to the gate, please ?

20-45 minutes, depending on, well, EVERYTHING.

 

[loves to dive]

We are another family that drive down from Georgia, park the car and don't get in it again until we leave. In over 30 years of going we have driven to the parks twice, both times it was AK and both times it was move day during a split stay. We like refreshing adult beverages so we either have to not have one or not drive. I really don't mind the disney transportation, I'm never in that big of a hurry that the wait for the bus bothers me.