Driving vs. Disney Busses

[ericrz]

Hi--

Newbie on these forums. I grew up in Orlando, spent LOTS of time in the parks as a kid. But because we were locals, we didn't stay on property, except for a one-time stay at FW. So the Disney resorts/transportation issue is a new one for me.

We're coming down to visit my folks in April, staying at their place over in St. Pete. But we're surprising my daughter (6) with a two-night stay at WDW as a birthday present. We're booked at All Star Movies, and our itinerary looks something like this:

Day 1: drive over from St. Pete early in the day, hang out at ASM pool for a few hours, then dinner either at DTD or at FW, followed by the Chip & Dale Singalong and movie.

Day 2: DHS, the only park my daughter hasn't been to. (PM EMH).

Day 3: Blizzard Beach during the daytime, then drive back to St. Pete.

So, I'm torn as to transportation for days 1 and 2. Should we drive to DTD/FW and back, and to DHS and back? Or should we rely on Disney transportation? This is the week after Easter, so the busses will be busy, but so will the parking lots. There's also a solid chance that we'll take a mid-day break on Day 2, and come back to the hotel for a couple of hours.

Those of you experienced in staying on property, what would you do? Do you think taking the busses is faster, if only because you get "door to door" service?

 

[skelooch]

IMHO driving is always faster and more convenient., with possibly one exception that being to the MK, but I even drive there more often than not.

 

[MolonLabe]

Staying at POP century, the bus service was quick. Considering you'd have to wait for a tram (depending on where you parked), it was just easier to bus it. I'd say the MK would definitely be a bus destination because of having to deal with boat/monorail.

We drove to DHS because it was our last day. Parking was pretty quick, we were there shortly after RP. Exiting was quick too but somewhat cleared out by then.

 

[crazyfordisney2000]

Hmmm, we like both

If you don't mind driving, then I think driving would be best. When we do a trip with the busses, I get into "taking the busses and don't have to drive but might have to wait a bit" mode. When we have a rental car I get into "haha look at those suckers still waiting for the busses" mode!

 

[richmo]

I figure if you have the car already, you might as well use it.

 

[Beemitchcowski]

Hmmm, we like both

"haha look at those suckers still waiting for the busses" mode!

Ha ha..I kept telling myself the same thing during our last trip (of course we were staying offsite so we had rental car)

So if you take the buses to MK..it drops you off at the Turnstiles...right? and you don't have to take the monorail? See..I think the Monorail and boat can be fun! It adds some "magic"...you know..for those people who don't get it because they are staying offsite (I'm being sarcastic..joking here!)

 

[jlewisinsyr]

A car will almost always be quicker than using Disney Transportation, with the exception of MK which can go either way depending on if you have to wait for a bus and/or Monorail/Boat.

 

[WizardLarz]

Drive to DTD, the busses go around the block (a very Big block, THV & SSR) and stop first at the Marketplace and then Pleasure Island, which is closer to most of the Resturants

If you decide dinner at FW and campfire & movie then take the busses, as evev if you drive to FW you will then ride the internal Busses to the Dinner and the campfire.

Some of the other Resorts, Pop Century and Y&B Club that I know of, also offer a outdoor Movie showings

DHS is a toss-up, time wise, but since you may take a break driving will save sometime waiting for those afternoon busses.

 

[ericrz]

Thanks all for the advice. Sounds like it's a toss-up, hard to go wrong either way. My thoughts are that we'll drive to FW -- I know you still have to take the internal bus system, but I dislike the idea of taking one bus to another bus.

For the DHS day, I'm still conflicted. Maybe we'll walk out to the bus stop in the AM and see what it looks like -- if crowds are nuts, we'll drive.

The Blizzard Beach day, we're checking out of ASMo and driving back to St. Pete afterwards, so we'll just take the car. So maybe, just maybe, I'll let Disney do the driving on the DHS day, just to give myself a break.

Thanks again.

 

[MrsMcIB]

Trying to get to 10

 

[Ed J]

What does 10 get you?

Busses are fun if your not Ina rush or when drinking.

 

[disneysteve]

IMHO driving is always faster and more convenient.

I totally agree. No matter where we stay, we never use the Disney buses.

 

[ericrz]

Just to complete this thread, here's what we did and how it worked out:

Arrival day: drove to the Fort Wilderness parking lot, then FW internal bus to the campfire site. Walked down to the beach to see the Electrical Light Parade and the MK Fireworks. Bus from the marina/beach back to the front parking lot, and drove back to ASMo.

Day 2: Bus in the morning to DHS. Waited in line about 10 minutes for the bus. Rode it back around 3PM for a nap/pool break.

Left ASMo about 6PM to head back to DHS. We were planning to take the bus. However, we were on a tight schedule, trying to get back for the 7PM Beauty & the Beast show, the last one of the day. When we got out to the loading area, there were 50+ people in the DHS line. It was by far the longest line out there.

Since I wasn't sure if that meant there had been a bus breakdown or something, and since our car was right there in the front parking lot, we decided to drive. This of course meant we were parked way back in the DHS lot when we arrived (Stage 47) and we were one of the last cars in the parking lot at 1AM!!

Day 3: Drove to Typhoon (decided to go there instead of Blizzard) and then drove back to St. Pete afterwards.

 

[OKW Lover]

As you'll see in this thread, driving vs bus is kind of an individual decision. The pro-bus people will rave about how much they appreciate not having to navigate the roads and deal with other cars. The pro-driving people will rave about not being stuck waiting for the bus or stopping elsewhere before getting to their destination.

Our vote?

 

[kydisneyfans]

Drivers here too. The bus waits are just too long. We also don't like standing after a long day at the parks. Relaxation is sitting down, flipping on the A/C, and cruising back to the hotel listening to some tunes.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As you'll see in this thread, driving vs bus is kind of an individual decision. The pro-bus people will rave about how much they appreciate not having to navigate the roads and deal with other cars. The pro-driving people will rave about not being stuck waiting for the bus or stopping elsewhere before getting to their destination.

Our vote?

And as the OP discovered, each mode worked in some situations.

 

[ToddyLu]

Well I have to wait in lines once in the park...a few at a bus stop isn't a problem...and sometimes the ride can be a thrill...hearing people talk about their plans for the day and DH and I knowning it will/or will not happen...so I guess we are bus people.

My Mom and Dad went to HDDR last Oct and rode the boat there from MK and the bus back...on the way back to AKV we saw SoG, Poly, All three AllStars and then our resort. We were the last three people on the bus....oh wait we stopped at POFQ, too...anyway the bus driver was aswesome and very chatty. It was a fun last night. I guess my cup is half full when it comes to buses.

 

[ericrz]

As you'll see in this thread, driving vs bus is kind of an individual decision. The pro-bus people will rave about how much they appreciate not having to navigate the roads and deal with other cars. The pro-driving people will rave about not being stuck waiting for the bus or stopping elsewhere before getting to their destination.

Our vote?

Yeah. And time-wise, it's basically a toss-up, which is what every guest and CM I asked told me. So it's personal preference.