Getting around in WDW by car or bus?

yaya74

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
1,491
Which method of transportation is easier inside of the WDW property? By car or bus?? We will have our car with us and we will stay onsite. I also read on WDW official website that those who stay on site can park for free at the theme parks... right?! TIA
 
Yes, you get to park free...nice perk of staying onsite. Most people will suggest that driving to the parks isn't a bad idea. But, parking at MK isn't a great idea. You have to park, possibly take the tram, unless you get a front spot or don't mind the walk, to the monorail or ferry. Take one of those to MK. Versus taking the bus that will drop you a very short walk to the park entrance.
I've had a car at WDW...and it's stayed in the parking spot at my resort almost the entire time. I just don't mind the buses. I enjoy talking to people and being on the bus lets me do that. I'm usually not in a huge rush to get to the park.
But many others dislike the buses, and love having their cars.
 
We drive whenever we can. The sole exception is the MK where parking requires a tram to monorail/ferry to MK, making this much longer time-wise than catching the bus. When going from resort to resort (unless its the monorail resorts or the Epcot resorts around Cresent Lake) a car will make the trip much faster.
 

For my family, it depends on where we are going. We prefer to drive if we're going to to AK or DTD, but we take the bus to MK, Epcot, and DHS. We also drive if we're visiting a resort because there are no resort-to-resort buses in most cases.
 
Depends. On all our trips (6 as a family) we always had a car and rode a bus 1 time and used the boar from WL to MK. The car is great for making a grocery stop. Driving to DHS and AK is, IMHO, is quick. MK can be a wash since you have to take the monoral or boat.
 
Have taken a car a couple of times. Used it once to go to dinner at Contemporary, used it to travel off property to shops a couple of times. The rest has alwasy been buses. Yes there is sometimes a wait and sometimes there isn't. We just build that into the experience. The buses are usually well air-conditioned ( at times nicely frigid). It is just convienent. I definietely would not drive in to the MK as others have mentioned. When we go to a resort for a meal we give ourselves about 1.5 hours head start and enjoy looking around there until our ADR is ready.
 
We take the car EVERYWHERE, even MK. I am not a big fan of crowded transportation full of smelly, cranky, overtired people. YMMV.

I actually was going to take the bus to MK on my most recent trip. Rope Drop was at 6 AM and I got to the bus stop at 5:40 AM, only to find a large group of people there, some who had been waiting since 5 AM. Since we had no idea if or when a bus would come, we opted to drive instead.
 
We have had a car that was parked at the resort the entire stay. Now we just fly and use DME and Disney transportation. Not driving is part of the vacation for us. We build in transit time to our plans and don't stress. Crowded buses don't bother us, although in my experience often other than right at open and close the buses aren't that crowded. We budget - over many months - for several taxis for resort to resort ADR's. Much cheaper than a rental car we would barely use.
It is a very personal decision and folks have very strong opinions one way or the other
Good Luck
 
Have taken a car a couple of times. Used it once to go to dinner at Contemporary, used it to travel off property to shops a couple of times. The rest has alwasy been buses. Yes there is sometimes a wait and sometimes there isn't. We just build that into the experience. The buses are usually well air-conditioned ( at times nicely frigid). It is just convienent. I definietely would not drive in to the MK as others have mentioned. When we go to a resort for a meal we give ourselves about 1.5 hours head start and enjoy looking around there until our ADR is ready.

ToddyLu.... 1.5 hours!!?? that's by bus or driving??
 
I usually drive if I have a car with me at WDW. It usually only takes me 10-30 minutes to get anywhere on property. MK is the one place that is about 50/50 on if I take a bus or drive as I love taking the ferry from TTC to MK.
 
A car is a God-send when traveling with toddlers - with strollers! - and/or seniors. If you need to leave a park in mid-afternoon, it's usually quicker than waiting for a bus because they don't run quite as often. I love the break from driving otherwise.
 
ToddyLu.... 1.5 hours!!?? that's by bus or driving??

My guess is that that'd be by bus. It takes a huge amount of time to go from hotel to hotel because buses don't run between the resort hotels. You have to take a bus to a theme park, then a bus (or monorail) to your destination hotel. Same to get back to your hotel. One year for our anniversary dinner, we left 1.5 hours to go from POFQ to Ohana, changing from bus to monorail at MK. BIG mistake... we were 20 minutes late for our ADR (but this was actually a PS, not an ADR, so no fees attached and they seated us anyhow). We like to have TS meals at the resort hotels, but it takes too long to do all the bus-swapping; yet another reason to drive.

(There's another, similar thread currently active on the Transportation board if you want more opinions on this.)
 
Yes bus. We are DVC and always stay at AKV. If I am trying to get to Trails End buffet at FW then we take bus to AK park, get on FW bus to resort then everyone has to take the internal bus to the restaurant. Another way would be to bus to MK, take lovely boat ride to FW and you are droped off very close to the restaurant and walk to it. So yes, 1.5 hours but I build in the enjoyment of a boat ride and strolling around the views and nature that is FW. It is what you make it after all. DH and I are DVC and we just don't rush any more.

I do have to admit taking taxis if eating at the Dolphin and Contemporary a couple of times. I was just so dang full...best 20-25$ spent that while trip. Just don't forget your ID or Magicband or whatever they are asking for when the taxi drops you off. Also make sure you have all your belongings...left a great pair of sunglasses in the back seat once.

Just remember you can't drive your own car up to a place like Trails End...once at FW you have to get on a bus like everyone else. Just like you have to park your car and bus or boat or monorail to the MK gate. It boggles my mind how they feed and transport so many people everyday.
 






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