Driving vs WDW Bus System

[Bonnie36]

What's your opinion on traveling to and from the parks. I have only ever used the bus system, but I've seen others who only use their cars. I'd love to hear the pros/cons and reasons for it all.

We're staying at SSR in a couple weeks for my kids first trip!! I'm so excited. They are only 1 so I'm not sure how much they'll remember it, but I can't wait.

Thanks in advance on your thoughts!!

-Bonnie

 

[CarolMN]

Moved from DVC-Planning Board -

 

[NikitaZee]

I am going over that same question myself. We have three kids - 8, 4 and 2 - and we always drive down, so we have our car on the property. We also bring our own stroller. On the one hand, it's a real pain to take our little one out of the stroller, collapse it and get on the bus with it. On the other hand, I like to 'take a vacation' from our car as well - in and out of car seats, kids falling asleep on the ride back to the resort and waking up cranky, etc. We are staying at the Polynesian and have an ADR for Yachtsman Steakhouse, and I am still trying to decide whether to do car or bus.

 

[rhpools]

Think of it this way. You would still have to take the little one out of the stroller and put them in the car, so that would be the same. But even better, the bus you won't have to look for a parking spot.But I am a WDW Bus rider every trip every day!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Think of it this way. You would still have to take the little one out of the stroller and put them in the car, so that would be the same. But even better, the bus you won't have to look for a parking spot.But I am a WDW Bus rider every trip every day!

We're into 42 trips and never used or rented a car. We go to Disney because a car in not needed, a vacation from driving. Whatever time people say they save by driving is a moot point. We have plenty of time on vacation and bus travel is not a hinderance. We don't travel 20 times a day, the bus or boat picks us up at the resort and drops us off at the front of the park, what could be better, alittle wait, hardly 20 minutes by our trips and most of the time, if luck is with you, as soon as you walk to the bus stop, it's there. Others swear by the auto, to us it's just an unnecessary expense. People stay in the values to save some money but then rent a car. If you must use a car, to be it, for us the bus, boat or monorail suits us just fine and having that extra money from not renting in our pocket, makes us happy vacationeers.

 

[Tara]

We ALWAYS rent a car and use it for virtually all of our transportation. Rarely do we use Disney transportation. I don't think Disney transportation is bad--it's quite good for what it is--it's just not our preference for a number of reasons. Yes, we do like to save time, and no, that isn't a moot point to us. Our vacation time is short and precious and we'd prefer to spend it having fun with each other, or standing in line for a great ride, not a bus. I do the majority of our vacation driving and I don't mind it. In fact, I enjoy it - it feels like driving around our "other hometown." Here are some thoughts on the pros and cons. (Pros are first, in case you can't tell. )

-Everyone always has a seat.
You can't say the same for buses, which are often crowded at park opening and closing times. Yes, if a bus is SRO, a person can choose to wait - but the option of standing and waiting for yet another bus (who knows how long that will take) isn't exactly appealing, either.
(Incidentally, as someone above said, yes you do have to fold your stroller to use your car, too - but in your car, you have somewhere to put the stroller. Not so on the bus.)

-My rental car goes exactly where I want to go.
After leaving Animal Kingdom, my son often wants to stop at McDonald's for a cheeseburger (one of his favorite things). In my own car, I can do that - no so for a Disney bus.

-I come and go on my schedule.
I don't wait for a bus to arrive. I don't wonder how long it's going to take.

-I never worry about making it to my resort restaurant ADRs.
Sorry, but using personal transportation from resort to resort IS a big time savings - a little extra rest time or time to get ready for a nice dinner out, or on the return "home" it means a little more time for an evening swim or our family tradition of playing a game. No leaving 60-90 minutes ahead of time to make it using WDW transportation.

-It's private.
No listening to other people argue or talk loudly on their cell phones. We can have private conversation. Our car can provide a bit of refuge from over-stimulation. This may seem trivial to some, but having a son with Asperger Syndrome, it's a big deal to us.

There are many more IMO- you can go offsite to other attractions, to other restaurants (like Chick-Fil-A, which I can't get at home!) or simply get your own groceries.

Some cons:
-It is an additional expense.
-Some people may not be comfortable with directions or finding their way around.
-You don't get dropped off at the park entrance.
-...

Okay, so I can't think of anymore cons.

 

[wdwrich]

-I never worry about making it to my resort restaurant ADRs.
Sorry, but using personal transportation from resort to resort IS a big time savings - a little extra rest time or time to get ready for a nice dinner out, or on the return "home" it means a little more time for an evening swim or our family tradition of playing a game. No leaving 60-90 minutes ahead of time to make it using WDW transportation.

I agree. This is the most significant reason to have a vehicle. We've done trips in the past relying soley on Disney transportation, but now we always rent a car. Going from resort to resort at night after the parks are closed is a real pain as you have to bus to DTD and wait/transfer on another bus there. It can take well over an hour--- not fun at the end of a long day. Driving yourself gets you back to your resort in a matter of minutes.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We are at 50 plus trips and we always rent a car. I have tried the buses and they really seem to waste a lot of time.

The exception being MK - it is always easier to take a bus there.

After being at a park all day, the only thing we want it to get off our feet and have some quiet. No waiting for buses, quiet car with no screaming kids, no stinky people, no people puking (yes I have seen it twice on buses).

We have timed it - with one of us taking the car, and the other taking the bus - it is faster to take a car.

Plus if I want to pop over and play a little mini golf - I can do that much easier than waiting for a bus!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We usually have park hopper plus the water park option.

We use the car for everything except MK.

Because we usually arrive for rope drop, we get a sweet parking spot right up front each time.

 

[Ice DAncer]

My family has always used the WDW transportation. Most of the time it isn't too bad. I might feel different if my kids were younger though. Once we hit the park everything seems to want to jump to hyper speed, so we don't rush any sooner than we need to.
To be honest we always go in early Dec so it isn't nearly as busy as it could be.
When the boys were old enough to go to the parks without us It was nice to know that they could move through the parks and go where they wanted. They were told that if they abused the privlege they would be back to going everywhere with their parents. Not an appealing idea to 13 and 15 year olds.
Layed back people will love to use it. People that need to hurry for whatever reason may want to use their cars or taxis. Since many buses are over crowded, people with small children may want to seek alternate means as well.