How do YOU get around the parks?

[gillenkl]

We love the disney transportation - bus, boats - all of it! It's free and we find it relaxing! It's a part of our trip we look forward to.

 

[2Monkeys]

Driving has its own challenges - getting to TTC, the tram, remembering where you parked, etc. I have had BAD experiences with the tram - way worse than the buses!!

We went 4 years ago, our kids were 8 & 5, then again 2 years ago when they were 10 & 7 - we started walking to 'train' for Disney about 2-3 months before our trip. We had them wear the shoes they planned to wear in the parks and had them walking up to 2 or 3 miles by the time we went. Then we didn't need to bother with a stroller. When they got tired, we took a break & got a drink or a snack or just people watched.

 

[anl]

I had always used the busses and really didn't think that much about it. This year though, we had 3 kids, a double stroller and our little one was a very active 1 year old! We used the bus the first day...waited a long time...hassle with stroller and baby...So we decided to drive. We LOVED it! I can't believe we were scared to drive. We get to the park for rope drop so we were able to park up close. Now one day I took my oldest two with no stroller and we rode the bus and it was no biggie...So yes, your needs will change as your family does. But don't be scared to try it! It was super easy and I would say faster!

 

[eeyore81]

We started driving to the parks about 3 trips ago and will never ride the bus again (ok that might be an exaggeration, but we like to drive). It so nice to just get in your car and go when you want instead of waiting in line for the bus to get there, waiting for everyone to get on and off, etc.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I've stayed at the Poly, WL, POR, AKV Kidani, and CSR. When staying at the Poly or WL we take the boat to MK most of the time, it may take longer but it's much more peaceful to us than people crammed in standing all around like in a bus or monorail. We do take the monorail to Epcot from the TT&C when staying at the Poly. Usually that's a lot less crowded.

I despise the bus system at POR. My parents, on the other hand, have never had a problem with it. When I stay there I always drive to the parks but do take the boat to DTD.

I went for a solo trip to AKV Kidani last October. I rode the bus about 50% of the time. Everything was fine except when I left MK two nights at midnight there were verbal major fights between guests and on the other night between the guest and the bus driver.

The thing that bothers me the most about buses is I don't want to end my wonderful, fun filled day at a park waiting for a bus in a line full of tired, cranky people for 30 minutes or more and then crammed in like sardines and standing for another 30-45 minutes or more. I don't mind taking the bus to a park as we don't usually get going until 11 a.m. and most people are already gone by then. It's the coming back I hate the most.

I absolutely LOVE driving to a park that has EMH, though. Leaving the park is so quiet and peaceful. Most of the time we get a space close to the front as we get there late in the afternoon and people have left. When we leave the park it's just a short walk to the 95% empty parking lot, we get to sit in the quiet, air conditioned or heated car, and just wind down on the short drive back on the empty roads.

 

[mrodgers]

We drove a couple days and the busses the rest of the week. Waiting for the bus is negated by the fact that you wait for the tram in the parking lot. Either way, it was no more than 15 minutes car or bus from Pop Century to any of the parks I think. Because of the wait and travel on the trams, there was no time difference at all.

From what I saw of others, it was far easier/comfortable to get a stroller onto a bus than it was a tram. You couldn't sit the stroller beside you on the tram, that was a seat for another person.

Actually, I think the tram was longer because of the amount of people, we never caught the first tram, or even the 2nd on some occasions. We only missed 1 bus the whole week of which another pulled up as soon as the first left.

We were on some full crowded busses complete with wheel chairs and many strollers and it was just fine. I saw no one with a stroller have trouble.

 

[linnell]

We stayed at the Boardwalk last year and I loved being able to walk to Epcot and DHS, but taking the bus to DAK and MK was horrible. We had 8am reservations (before the park opened) at DAK and we were at the bus stop at 7am. The bus didn't come until 7:50 and we didn't get dropped off until after our reservation. In the end, it didn't matter, we were able to get a table, but that was a lot of waiting for my little guys and stress for me. I don't like being late.

Then going to the MK for the halloween party, we waited for 45 minutes again. Not to mention the stroller and waiting at the end of the party... we'll be renting a car from now on.

 

[ccgirl]

I debated which board to put this one - but since I am coming from a budget perspective I decided to do it here.

We just got back from a fantastic week in Disney World. We loved every single moment of it...except for the buses. It was a LOT of time and work to use the Disney Transportation system. We brought a bigger stroller, for the room and the weight limit for my (LAZY!) older kids, so that was part of it. We were 2 adults traveling with 3 kids, ages 8, 6, and 8 months. The people on the buses were generally fantastic. The waits were long. We had a few ADRs at other resorts (Ohana, Boma) that took a lot of work to get to. Our BIGGEST problem, however, was getting back to the airport. The bus that came did not have enough room for us, and the hotel ended paying a very bad cab driver to take us to the airport.

So...in planning our next trip (probably 2 years out), we are looking at options. I love that the Disney Transportation is free. However, I am wondering if a few hundred dollars to rent a car would be worth it to save hassles. Is the traffic bad going from the resorts to the parks? I know I don't pay to park at the parks if we stay onsite.

You will get varying opinions. We always rent a car. To us, our time is money too. I will admit it, I am impatient, and don't like waiting for things. The last thing my children want to do after waiting in lines for rides is to wait in line to ride the bus. I like being on my own schedule and being guaranteed a seat. It is great when you have a stroller too. When factoring wait time and the fact the buses are shared between resorts, we always get to a park quicker when taking a car vs. the buses. Having said that, we are going to WDW in October, just my DH and myself for the F&W and we will NOT be getting a car because we are staying at BC and going to Epcot so we will walk. The bus to the airport is different, that is Magical Express. I use that about half the time.

I am always surprised about the people that mention it is a hassle remembering where you park. I really just don't get that, I don't find that difficult. If you are afraid you won't remember, take a picture using your cell phone or write it down. We have AAA Diamond parking so no trams for us. We just have to wait for the monorail to take us to the TTC center but we find that quicker than the buses. I refuse to stand on the bus with my children. It is just not safe to me. I find WDW very easy to navigate. With a sleeping child, that is great. We push his stroller into the monorail, or right to the car then directly into his carseat. We leave the stroller in the trunk so we don't have to lug it to the hotel. Plus, we love the freedom of being able to go offsite for food or other activities.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[ljcraw555]

Let me say upfront...I have control issues!

We have always had a car! We tried the buses a couple of times (even though we had a car) to see what it was like...hated it! LOL But again like I said...I have control issues!

But I will tell you we have never paid over $150 total for a car for the week. Last time we had a Dodge Charger. My DH was thrilled!

 

[alyssa810]

Another car renter here! We did one on-site trip without a car, and close to 30 on-site trips since then, we've had a car. While some might argue the expense of renting a car isn't worth it when WDW transportation is free, I beg to differ. Time is money, and the amount of time spent waiting for ME, the buses between resort and park, and (don't even get me started) the buses from DTD back to the resorts is just time wasted. We've had amazing luck getting awesome prices on rentals at the airport with the major companies like Alamo that even for my notoriously cheap DH, paying for a rental car is better than free WDW transportation.

We have a GPS. We make sure to have toll money if needed. Around WDW, there are signs everywhere so getting lost isn't an issue. We're staying on-site and have APs so we're not paying to park.

Don't get me wrong about some of the transportation though- we enjoy taking the monorail to MK and Epcot. The boat ride from OKW to DTD is lovely, as well as the boats to Epcot and DHS. It's those darn buses that have put a sour taste in our family's mouth!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

The only park you have to wait for a monorail or a boat is MK. There are 6 other places to go by bus that you just park in a parking lot. Depending on when you go you may or may not be close enough to walk into the park without boarding the parking lot tram (which if we're only one pick up away we just keep walking as it's often faster than riding the tram and we enjoy walking anyways). We usually take the bus/boat to MK and drive to the other parks.

 

[eliza61]

I loathe, hate and despise the buses but that's pretty general for me, not just at disney. LOL.

I'm telling you, remembering park closings and the mad rush for crowded resort buses is enough to make me suffer from post traumatic stress.

we never go without a car now. ever!

 

[LaDonna]

I'm curious to what it is like leaving the parks if you stay until close when using a car, how long does it take to get out of the parking lot?

 

[Mickey527]

Another one for renting a car.
i took a trip last Oct and had planned on staying with a friend. Last minute emergency and I had to find myself a hotel and car. I couldn't get the car for 4 days and couldn't find a DVC hotel so I stayed at the Orlando Vista (pinapple hotel). i walked to DTD and took the buses to Swan(first stop) to walk to Studios or Epcot, Contemporary to walk to MK. It took forever to get from DTD to the resorts. I didn't mind the walking.
the next 4 days I stayed at OKW and had a car and drove directly to the parks and drove back to my room at night. I know it saved my time and the frustration of waiting at the busses. I have a handicap plackart and park in the handicap areas when I visit the parks, which also saves some time.
One thing I absolutly hate is when you are waiting for the bus with others and a group walks up, and I am not talking about the wheelchair groups, and push their way onto the bus ahead and the people who have been waiting wind up standing. And it happens all the time even when they are told that others have been waiting. I did confront a group myself once and got shot down by remarks. It is not worth the trouble to be called some of the names i was called.

 

[eliza61]

I'm curious to what it is like leaving the parks if you stay until close when using a car, how long does it take to get out of the parking lot?

Not long at all because most times they now have all the lanes going in the "out" direction. Now I don't know about leaving the ttt center because we usually are at the wl and mk is the one park we don't have to drive to.

 

[ceecee]

We haven't had any issues at all. DD has walked since she was 5 and before that we had a compact umbrella stroller. I really hate getting behind people with these massive strollers that don't think to fold them until it's their turn to get on the bus. I have had two fall on me while sitting on the bus. Probably you would do better without the big stroller and next time you will only need one for the youngest. My bil thought taking his car would be faster and really it wasn't, we actually had to wait on a tram to get to the HOT car!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Not long at all because most times they now have all the lanes going in the "out" direction. Now I don't know about leaving the ttt center because we usually are at the wl and mk is the one park we don't have to drive to.

I agree with this. I can't speak for the Magic Kingdom as we use the boat or bus, depending on where we are staying, but we have absolutely no problem leaving the other three parks after closing in our rental car. We find this by far to be more pleasant then waiting in a long line for a bus that is loaded with people standing up!

To the OP, we have done both, rent a car, and use Disney transportation on various trips. We like to have a car. We are often there for two weeks and spend 3-4 days at the water parks. I LOVE having a car to get into after a day at Blizzard Beach/Typhoon Lagoon! We also like to visit the other resorts and occasionaly dine at them and it takes a fraction of the time to drive yourself to a resort as opposed to using the WDW transportation. I do have to say though, that I think that Disney does a great job with the transportation and we have never had any problems over the years. That being said, time is money and if your staying at the Boardwalk and want to visit the gameroom at the Contemporary, you can drive there in about ten minutes, while the transporation is going to average an hour. I think it comes down to how you want to spend your time on vacation.

 

[momto2girls]

We always rent a car. I hate dealing with the buses. I find renting a car worth every penny.

 

[cinnamon-sugah]

We drive so we always have a car available. Once we arrive, however, that car is parked and I let Disney do the driving. The first time we took my DS, he was 11 months old and the bus was his favorite thing! Every time the bus would pull up, he would yell, "BUS!" My husband and I joked that he was like the kid with the expensive toy who only played with the box!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

There are only 2 of us, but sometimes we drive our van and sometimes we ride the buses. In the summer heat, it is nice to hop on an already cooled bus to head back to the resort, even when it is packed to the gills.

With us, it just all depends on what the plans are for the day and what the bus line looks like when we head out in the morning. But, for the most part, we do ride the bus.

Suzanne