How bad are

[princessesx2]

the busses from resorts to parks...really? We are going at one of the busiest times of year ..that I am prepared for but I am concerned with getting back and forth to POR for naps mid day w/ a 2yo and 7yo. I have heard it can take up to an hour (on other sites)
Should we rent a car to have piece of mind or is it not as bad as others make it out to be.

 

[a1tinkfans]

If your biggest concern is getting back mid day, I'd say NOT to rent a car. The buses are busy at POR (as are most ALL resort transport) at start of day and end of day at closing.
I think having a car is honestly a waste of money better spent elsewhere. By the time you get in, strap up, drive over, park, get the "ride" to/from get in/out of the park, you'd have already been gone by the bus already.
As an aside, if you're looking for a bit of respite while at MK, jump on the monorail, let your little ones have a nap in a stroller (or even on the seat between you) relaxing (and cool). You can always make a pit stop at Poly, Contemp, etc, have a cool drink, relax a bit while your little one sleeps away....there's always a little game room at all the resorts too......just another advantage to staying on site.

People on the boards talk about the buses all the time and I really must say that in ALL our trips (and if you look below you'll see the number of visits) I really had a "long" time maybe twice. We plan and avoid the "mad rush" am/pm, have no issues and POR is an amazing resort.
Whatever you choose, have a great time!

 

[Jack&Ryan'smom]

That was our debate. We went in Sept....boys were 6.5 & 2.5. We decided to rent a car and my DH says we will do this always! So much easier!! We got places MUCH quicker! My DS is not one who will nap in his stroller so we went back eachh day for a nap for the younger DS and so big brother could swim. It worked out GREAT! We did stay at POR and I think we would have waiting for buses forever and lost lots of time. One day Ds fell asleep in car on the way back to POR so DH drove around while other DS & myself walked around DTD...I loved that!
DH says he will never go back without renting a car...he thinks with a toddler it is a necessity!

 

[bkelly65us]

Don't forget the ferry from downtown disney.

 

[holden]

We usually stay on the monorail at the Poly and do not rent a car. However, we did stay at OKW once and used the bus transportation. Never again! We wasted so much time on those buses. If we wanted to be at MK by 9am, we had to leave our room at 8am to be sure we'd have enough time to get there.

We also stayed off site at Windsor Palms and rented a car. The time to get from there to the parks was about the same as when we used the buses from OKW. Some people don't mind it, but we did. It really limited our flexibility (taking midday breaks, for example). For us, its a monorail restort (as we spend most of our time in MK or EP) or a rental car.

To each his own.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We have never rented a car. I have never had a huge problem with the buses. We actually think they are kind of fun! We stayed at POR once, and the key for the morning is to go to the first bus stop. It is the one up towards the front of the resort. Sometimes that first stop gets filled so the people at stop 2,3, and 4 get passed.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

To answer the OP's question...yes it can take an hour to get around. But that's not going to change driving a rental. Disney is a lot bigger than people think. For instance from POP to MK (which is probably two of the farthest) points is a good 25 minute drive w/o traffic. I would not waste $$$ on a rental car. If we have to get somewhere fast, we take a cab (maybe once or twice during the week). Otherwise, we budget time to get places. We always budget an hour to get around the property. The biggest bus lines you are going to run into will be first thing in the morning and after the fireworks. During the day, the lines for the buses aren't too bad.

 

[Alesia]

To answer the OP's question...yes it can take an hour to get around. But that's not going to change driving a rental. Disney is a lot bigger than people think. For instance from POP to MK (which is probably two of the farthest) points is a good 25 minute drive w/o traffic. I would not waste $$$ on a rental car. If we have to get somewhere fast, we take a cab (maybe once or twice during the week). Otherwise, we budget time to get places. We always budget an hour to get around the property. The biggest bus lines you are going to run into will be first thing in the morning and after the fireworks. During the day, the lines for the buses aren't too bad.

Exactly.

Keep in mind that WDW is twice the size of Manhattan. Getting somewhere quickly is sort of relative.

 

[mom2my2gr8kids]

We have used the buses everytime we have gone and I wouldn't do it any other way! My kids LOVE riding the buses (they don't take a school bus) and I find them convienent. I have never really waited except for one time when we stayed all the way through Wishes and it still didn't take that long.

 

[cjhinch]

I have to agree, using the busses just seems like it is easier! My kids usually napped on the bus, then they were ready to swim when we got to the hotel!

 

[kelma]

While I have never been there at the busiest times, given the ages of your kids, I think you'd be fine with the busses. When we took our then 7 and 5 year olds, we always used the busses at POP and LOVED it!! It was so easy!

Then, last year, the number of kids in our family doubled and we took our 8, 6, 2 and 8 month olds and we took the bus one time from POR and decided to use the van for the rest of the week. It was just too stressful for us with 4 kids (two of them very small) and a double stroller.

Honestly, when we did take the bus, it was one of my 5 year old's favorite rides