Help Wanted!

[tbickford]

I have posted this to the Transportation Forum, but no feedback yet. Anyone out there that could give me some insight on their experience and recommendations.

My family of four (myself, dh, ds, dd ((twins almost 4 years old)) will be arriving at the Orlando airport on Friday, Nov. 22. We will be p/u a car at the airport and drive to the BWV resort. Our length of stay will be til Dec. 3rd.

I would like to know from the experience ones what should we do about getting to the theme parks, priority seatings, shows, etc. Should we just drive ourselves to each event daily or should be bus it with Disney? How difficult is it to get around if we drive ourselves? We will be lodged at BWV for the first 7 nights and ending with OKW for 4 nights.

Just to give a quick insite of our shows, priority seatings, etc...

Day 1 - arrive in Florida; shop at DD
Day 2 - 7:15 pm Hoop Dee Doo
Day 3 - 8:15 am Cinderella; 8 pm Fantasy in the Sky
Day 4 - 9:00 am Princess Story Book; 9 pm Illuminations
Day 5 - 5:45 pm Chef Mickey - birthday party for twins (4yrs)
Day 6 - 8:30 am Donald's Breakfastosaurus
Day 7 - 5:50 pm Whispering Canyon Cafe; 8 pm Spectromagic
Day 8 - Sea World
Day 9 - 5:30 pm LeCellier Steakhouse
Day 10 - 7pm to midnight MMCP
Day 11 - 8:30 am 1900 Park Fare; Osborne Light Show
Day 12 - check out

What is our best route for transportation around the world?

Thanks.

 

[RobDoc]

Except for going to Sea World, Disney transportation can get you to all of your onsite plans. It does take some planning and allow for some possible waiting, but the WDW transportation works well. You can ask the Bell Staff at your resort for suggestions or ask any WDW bus driver. They can suggest the most direct means to get around the world.

From BWV, you can easily walk to Epcot and MGM. It's no more that a 15 walk to either from the resort. OKW is little more dependant on transportation, but the buses do run every 20-30 minutes all day.

If you have a time constraint for a reservation or Priority Seating, you can drive your rental car. Since much of your trip will be over the busy Thanksgiving time, be aware that driving will be a little more hectic than at other times and you will have to allow time to park and take a tram or walk to your destination.

With a personal vehicle, you do have some flexibility to get to all of the planned events you mentioned.

Enjoy!

 

[burnsoc]

Hi, I personally find it very easy to drive around DW and prefer it to the transportation system. When staying at an epcot resort I'll take the boats to epcot and MGM, but for the other parks and resorts I've found driving to be more convenient than the busses. Hope this helps!

 

[bres@westernMA]

IMHO - While at BWV, I generally take the bus to MK and drive everywhere else except we walk or boat to Epcot and MGM. When time permits, we like to take our car to either the transportation center or one of the monorail resorts, and then use the monorail to resort hop or stop at MK or Epcot. Drive to all other WDW resorts or venues (especially the Hoop de Doo).
From OKW, I’d drive everywhere except MK. You should take the boat to DD and perhaps return by bus.
Please understand, I hate waiting for a bus. I'd prefer to be stuck in traffic (leaving a park) then standing, waiting for the bus.

 

[mickeys#1fan]

I've always found Disney transportation to be too slow. Often, we've been under the gun to make a PS on time. Having a car is lifesaver then. Really, I guess the ultimate question is, why rent a car if you don't plan to use it?

 

[Laurabearz]

We too prefer taking our van around to the parks.... Mainly because .... for our girls..... it is like we are already home and they often fall asleep and if not, it is a nice down time for them.... unlike the bus which is another ride. Does that make sense?

Plus we find is does save a lot of time..... If you plan on park hopping or plan on heading back to the hotel for a nap I strongly suggest bringing the car...... And since your staying onsite, parking at the parks is free

Have a blast!!!

 

[wdwnut]

hi: another vote for driving the rental. we've been going to wdw since 87 and are fairly familiar with the roads. it seems the signs have gotten much better over the last few years. we usually stay at bwv and walk to both epcot and mgm, but the youngest we have is a teenager. little ones might get too tired if they walked too much. whenever we've tried to use the buses, it doesn't seem that we've timed it correctly and usually wind up waiting. it was a bit of a pain for us, but that's just an opinion.

 

[Dean]

We're usually at OKW and drive everywhere except MK. Since the bus goes directly to MK and we would have to park at TTC, we bus it there. It's not uncommon that we'll drive to one park and take Disney Transportation to another park though or we'll split up and some use the buses coming back to the resort. We find it easy to drive and park and this is most convenient for us.

 

[greenhorn&kate]

We Take Disney Transportation everywhere. When our kids were younger it was a great experience for them to ride buses, boats, trams, whatever... We plotted & planned every which way we could get from one place to another. We live in the country and a car is the only way to get anywhere so we made every day at Disney an adventure. Sometimes when taking a different mode of transportation you unexpected things you might never have seen if you when by car. (Alligators, Armadillos & some very stange & beautiful birds. (Some strange people also) Our kids always thought it was great fun, part of the Disney experience. Our Adorable Grandaughterswho were 9 mths old had a great time last year and next week when we're there again I'm sure they be just as excited to ride all sorts of things they never saw before. Good luck!

 

[crisi]

We also usually depend on Disney transportion. We have had wonderful luck with buses - very few have been overcrowded, we generally haven't had to wait too long. (Leaving the park at closing can make for some overcrowded buses - but also for some traffic jams leaving the parking lot).

For getting to the parks, its hard to tell what would be faster. You might get to the bus stop and wait - you might get to the bus stop just as the bus you need is pulling in. If you are a direct bus ride away, or the last stop, the trip will be quicker than driving. A car is a little more predictable - you may get a long walk, a wait for the tram from the parking lot, or a long line at the lot entrance - you might even get lost (trust me, it happens - you know when you leave Disney property because the lawns no longer look like golf courses). Its also easier to break up the party if everyone uses the buses (although, someone can always take the bus back while the rest of you drive).

Sounds to me like there will be parts of your trip where driving will be easiest - parts where you may want to consider the bus. As much as we love Disney transportation, we like the rental car if we are going to golf.

 

[Tagrel]

We always have a rental, but pick and choose when to use it.

- From Epcot resorts we walk to Epcot, boat to MGM (unless we feel like the 15 minute walk - great after Fantasmic)

- Bus to MK. Parking at TTC is a pain, so bus is the way to go.

- Drive to AK. Easy to park, and you can be fairly close if you arrive early. We don't care for the busses to AK since they are usually VERY crowded and shared with Blizzard beach.

- Drive to TL - parking is easy, and its nice to keep that change of clothes in the car.

- Drive to Downtown Disney - great to have a place to store those packages and the busses seem soooo slow here.

- Drive to other resorts for PSs, or to tour. I don't care to jump multiple busses when trying to get somewhere.

Have a great trip!

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Here's what I would do:

Day 1 - arrive in Florida; shop at DD
Drive from BWV if early - if later in the evening, I would consider taking the bus, since parking may get crowded.

Day 2 - 7:15 pm Hoop Dee Doo
I would drive to ??? (FW)

Day 3 - 8:15 am Cinderella; 8 pm Fantasy in the Sky
Definitely take the bus from BWV - buses start running very early (7am?), ask the front desk for times. One wrong turn in the car and you'll be late, not to mention you can only park at TTC and then still have to monorail/boat over to MK.

Day 4 - 9:00 am Princess Story Book; 9 pm Illuminations
Take the boat or walk.

Day 5 - 5:45 pm Chef Mickey - birthday party for twins (4yrs)
Definitely drive to the Contemporary. Wouldn't want to drag tired, hyper kids through bus transfers to get back to BWV. You could catch the bus at MK if the park was still open - but you would still have to walk to MK and chance waiting with a lot of people exiting the park.

Day 6 - 8:30 am Donald's Breakfastosaurus
Hmmm, tough one... Driving to & parking at AK is usually very easy. But the bus is convenient too especially when you're not so awake in the morning. Bus usually makes a stop at Blizzard Beach - shouldn't be a problem since it's not open so early. I would head to the bus stop at 7:45am, if there's a lot of people waiting or if the wait is longer than 5 to 10 minutes, I would hop in my car. Of course, if you are running late, opt for the car - 20 to 25 minutes, room to park to restaurant if you hustle.

Day 7 - 5:50 pm Whispering Canyon Cafe; 8 pm Spectromagic
Depends on where you are before dinner. I would probably use Disney buses/boats.

Day 8 - Sea World
Drive, of course.

Day 9 - 5:30 pm LeCellier Steakhouse
I would probably drive from OKW.

Day 10 - 7pm to midnight MMCP
Drive.

Day 11 - 8:30 am 1900 Park Fare; Osborne Light Show
Drive.

Day 12 - check out

Have fun!