How is PARKING at the parks???? scared of busses!

[nurseypoo5]

I'm seriously thinking of renting a compact car and letting DE take my bags (i'm assuming they will do this since we have ressies right, or my hubby can rent and i'll go with the kids on the bus) because of horror stories of bussing issues, esp at POR.

How is parking at MK, Epcot, and MGM? I'm not as concerned with AK as i heard those busses arent as crowded.

Do the parks have additional cost preferred parking? We like to leave and come back during the day...is it best to leave the car there and bus it back during non prime times?

I can rent a compact car for about 100- 125 for the week. I had already planned on taking a cab to two restaurants for a price of about 50.00 total for ride and tip.

Can you give me insight? thanks!

 

[CarolA]

At least one of you must get on the bus with the luggage or Disney may not deliver it.

I do not drive to MK. Parking is a LONG way from the park. You have to take the boat or the monorail and then the tram. It's not user friendly. I am not a bus person and I take the bus to the MK.

Parking is free if you stay on sight and there is no additional fee preferred parking.

I have not read the bus stories so I no clue what is being posted. However, I have learned to divide a lot of what I read in half. I once got on a bus with a man who chewed out the bus driver because "I waited over half an hour" That was interesting. I had waited 20 mintues and the man arrived AFTER I did.....

 

[tmt martins]

Well lets start with ME yes you can take the Kids and get your baggage taken care of while DH takes the rental ( We did this on last trip).

Buses really not that bad when you think of it .when you add the time you get to car drive ,walk across lot or tram your right about the same and you still have to do the driving.Now we rent of offsight trips and mid-day waterpark trips but mostly do buses.

If the price is right and a compact works then get it if you don't use it all the time no big lost .

What we are doing now is ME then renting at a DTD hotel location or the CCC.Unless MCO price is way different then we will keep doing it this way.

 

[mochabean]

Parking at all the parks is going to be a long walk or tram ride unless you get there very early. MK is the worst since you have a long walk or tram ride followed by a monorail or ferryboat ride. There is no additional-cost preferred parking.

Going back and forth during the day will not be as bad since the busses won't be as crowded. Leaving at park closing will be bad no matter if you take a bus or have to take a tram to your car.

Really, with the exception of MK, it's a toss-up as to which is faster. Sometimes you just make the bus, sometimes you just miss it. Average it all out and the waits for the busses are usually reasonable. I think many of the horror stories reported on here are exaggerated. There are horror stories that are real, but the chance of that happening to you is slim, when you consider all the bus trips Disney busses make, relative to how many of those trips you are on. And don't forget the horror stories of driving, like accidents, getting lost if you're not paying attention, etc. The Disney road signs are terrible in my opinion.

All that being said, I prefer driving to the parks, because I like driving at Disney. It may sound crazy, but I like it. I have done it enough in recent years that I don't ever have to look at the road signs. I even like to drive to the MK but that's because I like taking the monorail, even if it takes longer to get to the park than a bus.

 

[dudspizza]

I guess I am one of those that doesn't understand all of the complaints about the buses. Yes, they are crowded and you do wait at times, but you don't have to worry about finding your car and navigating around. I enjoy letting Disney drive for me. In fact, we have always rented a car and have never driven to any of the parks... only to DTD.

Instead of going by what others say, try the bus transportation yourself and make your own conclusions.....

Duds

 

[CarolA]

I wanted to point out one other thing.

I drove this summer to Epcot. Getting out of there after Illuminations was a NIGHTMARE. Traffic reminded me of Atlanta at rush hour with a few twists..

Twist 1. In Atlanta you aren't driving in a parking lot where people think it's fine for thier kids to run wild and pretend they are on the playground

Twist 2. In Atlanta MOST of us know where we are going. I cannot tell you how many death defying lane crossing I saw. (If you are in the far LEFT lane and suddenlty see your exit on the right it is NOT acceptable to cut off two-four lanes of traffic so that YOU won't have to turn around. Contrary to myth, turning around is not a sin!)

 

[kaw1218]

I have stayed at POR a few times in the past.....I haven't found any problems with the buses. People make it seam like you are on the bus forever because there are 5 stops. I think the longest it ever took to go though all those stops was 15 minutes(and the bus was full, and there were 4 strollers and I wheelchair)
We prefer the buses,because like someone else said....most parking lots take a while to get out of if you leave at park closing....and it takes FOREVER to cool the car off after it has been sitting in the sun(which will add quite a few minutes to your travel time)

 

[goofy4tink]

I would try to rent a car from one of the places at WDW....then you can take the DME, let them handle your bags. You can rent at the Car Care Center,over by MK, at the Dolphin over by Epcot, or in DTD...depends on which company you want to use.
I think you will find that driving to MK defeats the purpose of having a car. You are so far away from MK when you drive. Much better to take a bus that drops you right outside the park. As for the other parks, it can be a total zoo leaving at park closing. I watch those cars, from the safety of my bus seat, and it looks like a demolition derby going on out there!!! Kids running around, people driving every which way....it's crazy.
But, to each his own.

 

[PortieOwner]

I stay on site and always have a rental car. Makes trips to AK, MGM, and Epcot easier. Still use the bus for MK but this trip since we are having meals at some of the monorail resorts I may valet park there. Parking is always up close for us since we are always there for rope drop in the AM and don't return to the parks until late afternoon when there is usually empty space up front. This year we will also have a AAA parking pass along. Time is $$$ at WDW.

 

[mochabean]

This year we will also have a AAA parking pass along.

Does AAA still give out those Diamond Parking certificates? I have one from years ago I never used. I wonder if they'll still accept it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Your parking pass probably expired.

 

[georgina]

We usually drive to all the parks, even MK. We tend to stay for the extra magic hours in the evening, so don't have a crush of cars leaving at the end that way. If you are leaving the parks and going back, I would drive then too. You will probably get a closer space when you return.

 

[DebbieB]

I always rent and car and almost always drive to the parks, except when we stay at BWV, we boat or walk to MGM & Epcot. In June, I timed our drive to MK. We left BW at 8:25am, we were at the front gates of MK for the opening at 9:00. That was with parking, taking the tram to TTC and the express monorail. I don't know that the bus would have been faster. You have to wait for it, it stops at the Swan & Dolphin and then to MK.

 

[Donald - my hero]

One more vote for rental car here for 3 reasons

# 1 dad has 2 bum knees and can not stand for any length of time waiting for Bus (also since we will have handicap window thing we get close to front of lot)

# 2 If you have to do anything off Site Taxi cost will run you as close to the price of renting a car!

#3 If you have a ressie at another resort remember buses are really set up for resort to park. Add going to another resort and you could be on bus for close to an Hour

 

[SueM in MN]

One more vote for rental car here for 3 reasons

# 1 dad has 2 bum knees and can not stand for any length of time waiting for Bus (also since we will have handicap window thing we get close to front of lot)

I just wanted to mention that taking the bus to MK might be preferable to taking a car. The bus leaves you off close to the entrance (or at least no farther than the boat or monorail).
Parking at MK requires using the boat or monorail to get from the TTC center to the park entrance. There is a long, steep ramp to get to/from ground level up to the monorail station at 2nd floor level at TTC and at MK.
The handicapped parking at MK is not that close to either the monorail or the boat. There is no parking lot tram from the handicapped parking to the TTC. There is a tram from the regular parking area, and WDW's Guidebook for Guests with disabilities suggests that guests with mobility impairments should ask to park in an area close to the tram in the regular lot if they don't have a wheelchair or ECV and are able to step up to the tram.
There are a mimited number of 'shuttle' wheelchairs in the handicapped parking lots that can be used to get from handicapped parking to the wheelchair/ECV rental area, but there is no guarantee that one will be available.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

All that being said, I prefer driving to the parks, because I like driving at Disney. It may sound crazy, but I like it. I have done it enough in recent years that I don't ever have to look at the road signs. I even like to drive to the MK but that's because I like taking the monorail, even if it takes longer to get to the park than a bus.

I agree. I don't think driving to MK is a big deal at all. CM's direct you right into your parking space and it's a very short walk to the tram which comes about every 2 minutes, not exaggerating at all. We've taken the ferry and monorail and find them both fun.
As far as the so called difficulty in finding your car at the end of the night, the lots are named and each aisle is numbered, like Minnie 31. It's really easy if you take a digital photo of the end of the aisle that says the name & number before entering the park. Just scroll thru your photos to find your spot.
I've never gone during busy season/holidays but usually the traffic exiting isn't that bad either. Then again, I can stand the Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway so maybe it's me! Yes, the car gets hot while parked but we like to get a convertible so just pop the roof down and heat is gone in 2 secs. Still way faster than when we sat waiting for what felt like forever for busses to come.