Driving to the parks or rely on Disney transportation

[FamilyFirstTime]

We will be going do Disney for our first time at the end of June. We will have a 1 and a 2 1/2 year old as well as a double stroller. We will be going to AK the first day then 2 days at MK. We have a rented car and were possibly thinking of taking midday breaks and going back to the hotel. Would it be better to drive our rental car to the parks or take the buses? We are looking for the shortest commute and wait time if possible. Thanks so much for any advise!

 

[Robo]

Very frequently asked and discussed question.
You'll find many posters on both sides of the issue.

Many don't drive specifically to MK, due to the added steps (monorail or boat) needed to get to/from that park.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Welcome to the dis, FFT.

AK may be well served with your car. However, MK is a bit unique with having to contact with the TTC and then either boat or monorail to get the park, and obviously the reverse to get back. I would suggest using the bus for MK.

My daughter had a double stroller for several of our visits, she did just fine on the bus with it.

And get ready to make many of those first time, life long memories.

 

[Mikie]

We will be going do Disney for our first time at the end of June. We will have a 1 and a 2 1/2 year old as well as a double stroller. We will be going to AK the first day then 2 days at MK. We have a rented car and were possibly thinking of taking midday breaks and going back to the hotel. Would it be better to drive our rental car to the parks or take the buses? We are looking for the shortest commute and wait time if possible. Thanks so much for any advise!

I usually rely exclusively on Disney transportation, but with kids as small as yours, I'm assuming you'll also have a bag or two, need to hold the youngest and at least some assistance with the toddler while one parent holds the stroller. Lots of people do it on the buses, but I'd recommend as the PPs have said and bus to MK but car to the rest just for convenience. If another adult is going along (helpful grandparent?) I might be swayed to all buses - I just really like not driving on vacation

 

[Megara5115]

We drove to every park but Magic Kingdom and it was great!

 

[mindeola]

We drive to WDW but only use resort transportation. It is just part of the Disney bubble that I like. However, we are think about driving to AK this time and then heading to Disney Springs when the park closes. Seems easier with our car.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

We will be going do Disney for our first time at the end of June. We will have a 1 and a 2 1/2 year old as well as a double stroller. We will be going to AK the first day then 2 days at MK. We have a rented car and were possibly thinking of taking midday breaks and going back to the hotel. Would it be better to drive our rental car to the parks or take the buses? We are looking for the shortest commute and wait time if possible. Thanks so much for any advise!

On both our MK days, we drove to the park - took bus back to Pop Century for mid-day break, bussed back to park, then monorail to car at the end of the day.

AK - we drove, stayed til about 3pm and were done for the day, drove out into town for some provisions then back to park.

HS - we bussed to and from the park, were there from open to close.

I had no complaints about parking, waits or distance - we wanted to try all the different options and they all worked fine.

We also drove to Wilderness Lodge & Ft Wilderness for meals on 2 different nights - again no problems.

 

[MariMama]

We will be going do Disney for our first time at the end of June. We will have a 1 and a 2 1/2 year old as well as a double stroller. We will be going to AK the first day then 2 days at MK. We have a rented car and were possibly thinking of taking midday breaks and going back to the hotel. Would it be better to drive our rental car to the parks or take the buses? We are looking for the shortest commute and wait time if possible. Thanks so much for any advise!

How many adults will there be in your party? If three or more, taking the bus would be fine. Two people to hold the babies and one to hold the stroller. If it is just you and your husband, drive your car.

 

[tlmadden73]

What resort are you staying in?

For me it depends on what you want.
While there is definite TIME issues when dealing with Disney Transportation (waiting for buses, buses take awhile to get to the parks, etc.) and dealing with folding up a stroller, I find it is worth it as I don't want to drive once I check in. It is relaxing to just hop on and off a bus then zone out for 10-15 minutes after a busy day.

I'd find driving inconvenient UNLESS you wanted to go back to the car for something (lunch, change of clothes, etc.)

 

[TAK]

Lots of great advice above. For the record, our experience --

We rented a car and used it exclusively. (I have a couple health issues that make me more comfortable with having my own vehicle on hand.)

Epcot, AK, HS, all very easy with the car.

I got a lot of advice about not taking the car to MK because of just what described above -- you have to park at the Transportation Center and then still take either the monorail or the ferry to Magic Kingdom itself. But we took the car anyhow, and I ended up being glad we did because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ferry. There's just something magical, for me, about floating up to the park on it, and floating away at night. It's a bit of a walk from the parking, but for me that was fine. The ferry never had a wait (other than waiting for the ferry to pull up, it might be on the other side of the lake or on its way) and it's huge, and I found it a fun and now-essential part of my MK visits. I'm not sure which solution would be best for you in your circumstances, but for the record it can be an enjoyable way to get there.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I think which resort you are staying at is a factor. My parents winter in FL so we had cars with us. We used the bus transportation for all parks, even at the end of the night it wasn't a long wait but we were at POFQ which is a small resort. We only used the cars when we went from our resort to another resort for dinner.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I don't bother getting a car. Don't need one. But I am used to public transportation. If you have issues with waiting, standing on transportation, or crowds, get a car. For you, two kids in strollers and wanting to go back to the resort during the day, I'd say drive to all parks except MK.

 

[Parker Clan]

We have never used Disney transportation! We always drive down. We don't want to waste an hour or more waiting for their buses, we like being on our own time! Plus we always go in August and it is far too hot to stand out there waiting!! We do the mid day break as well so it's nice to just hop in the car and get right back to the resort

 

[FamilyFirstTime]

I think which resort you are staying at is a factor. My parents winter in FL so we had cars with us. We used the bus transportation for all parks, even at the end of the night it wasn't a long wait but we were at POFQ which is a small resort. We only used the cars when we went from our resort to another resort for dinner.

That is where we will be staying...thanks for the advice!

 

[aaarcher86]

I majorly dislike the busses. We did one bus trip, never again.

We drive. Even to MK. The amount of time it takes me to drive to the TTC and monorail over to MK is still less than it takes me to get to the bus stop early, wait, get to the park, etc.

Plus, I hate having to wait for the bus at the end of the night. I just want to go. And I don't like standing after a long day. I'd rather just walk to my car for a few extra minutes and have a seat with AC every time.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

To any park other than MK, you will get back and forth much faster by car. We have done many trips both ways. If you choose to drive to the parks, think about getting a room near the parking lots rather than the main hub of your resort of choice.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

For AK and DHS, I usually drive.

For MK I always take the buses - but I see you have 2 littles and a double stroller so I would drive in that case too. You'll need to park at the TTC and either take the monorail or ferry over to MK but I think you'll be happier doing that than dealing with 2 sleepy kids and a stroller and all the bags at the end of the night. With the monorail and ferry, you can leave them in the stroller until you reach your car.

 

[Robo]

For AK and DHS, I usually drive.

For MK I always take the buses - but I see you have 2 littles and a double stroller so I would drive in that case too. You'll need to park at the TTC and either take the monorail or ferry over to MK but I think you'll be happier doing that than dealing with 2 sleepy kids and a stroller and all the bags at the end of the night. With the monorail and ferry, you can leave them in the stroller until you reach your car.

Unless you need to take a parking lot tram to the car.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

at MK I would think twice about driving to there. with a double stroller I would look at the ferry rather than monorail as there is steep ramp up to monorail. there can be a line there esp at night and it could be hard starting up the ramp then stopping part way and having to start again. plus when you leave for your resort break you will loose you closer parking spot so at end of night you would need to fold stroller to get on tram. another thing to think about is when you get back to resort at end of the day you might not be able to get a parking place close to room as parking places are not assigned. June is in the rainy season so you could be looking ferry closed because of weather which will increase monorail line. shortest commute or shortest wait are not the only things to think about with transportation issues

 

[FamilyFirstTime]

I think which resort you are staying at is a factor. My parents winter in FL so we had cars with us. We used the bus transportation for all parks, even at the end of the night it wasn't a long wait but we were at POFQ which is a small resort. We only used the cars when we went from our resort to another resort for dinner.

We are staying at POFQ as well so if it wasn't long of a wait maybe we will try the Disney Transportation then! Thanks!