First time using Disney transportation

[ahill004]

This is our first trip stay on site. We are trying to decide if we Rent-A-Car like we have in the past or just use Disney transportation. We are staying at the yacht club so I believe access to Epcot and Hollywood studios is walking or boats. How are the buses from YC to MK and AK and water parks? And how would we get to AKL for dinner or breakfast reservations? Is the Disney Springs area worth the visit and easy to get to? If we had a car would we need to pay for parking? I'm trying to figure out how much of a headache it will be trying to figure out which bus to take where and if we do need to take another bus somewhere else.

 

[rwdavis2]

To AKL you will either have to take the bus from the Epcot main entrance or a taxi/Uber. The resort buses only go to the parks or Disney Springs. There are park to park buses but no resort to resort buses.

I would just rent the car, we always do and never regretted it. Disney Springs parking is free.

If you look at my signature, in all those visits we have ridden a Disney bus 1 time.

 

[joelkfla]

From YC, you'll want to walk to Epcot; it's very close to the IG entrance which takes you into World Showcase. There is no transportation available to the front gate of Epcot.

You'll probably take the boat to DHS, as it's about a mile walk.

There are direct buses to MK, AK, & DS. Buses to MK or AK may make one more stop at BC; buses to DS may make 1 or 2 additional stops. There's no problem figuring out which bus to take; all buses are clearly marked with the destination. If you plan to visit a waterpark, they share the AK or DS bus, and will be clearly marked. When returning to the resort, there will be a well-marked location to wait for the bus to your resort, and you will board a bus with your resort on the marquee.

You only need to take 2 buses, or boat + bus, when traveling between resorts. You just need to go to any park or DS, and then board a bus to your destination resort. This can take some time; Disney recommends allowing 90 minutes. So many Guests prefer to use taxis or Uber/Lyft between resorts.

Any children under 6 must use a car seat or booster in FL. Many taxis at WDW have a child seat available. If you use Uber, you can request a car seat for an additional $10.

If you rent a car, parking at theme parks is free for Disney resort guests. Parking is free for everyone at DS & water parks.

 

[loves to dive]

The buses are the buses are the buses. You are going to get a million different opinions as to whether you should use Disney transportation or rent a car. None are right or wrong, they are all just personal preferences. YC is one of the easiest resorts to navigate transportation from, maybe with the exception of AKL, which has to bus everywhere so it's super easy, just go to the bus stop and hop on the bus going to where you want to go. From YC, it can really depend on where your room is located as to whether it's easier to boat or walk to HS. If you are on the side way over by the bridge between BW/YC/Swan/Dolphin, it's almost as easy to walk as to ride the boat. That's a preference for us, other's think it's too long of a walk but just about every time we've done it, we've beaten the boat and that is not walking fast. The only time the boat beats us is if it's a perfect world and we and the boat arrive at the dock at the same time. I've never ridden the boat to Epcot, even when staying at the Swan, we walk. If you have park hoppers, you can walk through Epcot and catch the monorail to MK but it's a long walk all the way through the park up to the entrance in FW and frankly, unless you just happen to be in the park and at the front, probably not worth it. The bus is pretty quick, you will stop at BC and it can get crowded but since YC is the first stop, there is a better than average chance you will get a seat. Is Disney Springs worth it? That, again, is a matter of opinion. My opinion is no, it's not. It is a big shopping/eating outside mall. Most locals enjoy it now that most of the construction is done, taking the bus there is a long ride. Personally, we drive down, park our car and never use it again. We use Disney transportation for everything. But, we rarely make reservations at any of the resorts that we aren't staying at, there are just too many good places to eat in the parks for us or where we are staying. It is a pain to get to other resorts, you have to use Disney transportation to go to the nearest park then take a bus from there or taxi/Uber it.

 

[tobikaye]

I normally prefer to have a car available, but if you are staying at YC, I would probably consider not renting unless you have a lot of reservations at resorts. If you only have one or two reservations where you would be leaving or returning to YC, then you could just use a cab or use DHS as a hub to and from those resorts. (I would use DHS over Epcot so you would not have to walk through the park.)

If you only have one or two days that you could see needing a car, you could look into a 1 or 2 day rental through the rental company at the Car Care Center by TTC or from the rental company at the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[ahill004]

All great info. I'm leaning toward not renting except for possible meals at AKL. We LOVE BOMA and eat both a bfast and dinner at some point. Hate to uber twice over and back. Maybe we can tie in a meal after our AK day and just take one taxi ride.

 

[TiggerManiac]

We always drive down, but very rarely use our car. Usually only on our reset-hopping and Disney Springs day. We just use the buses and monorails.