How long does it take.....to get from place to place?

[bkerney]

First time in WDW...staying at All Star Movies. Considered moving up to Moderate, but as of now, staying in the Value because of my kids. They like the guady cartoon themed decorations!!

My question is this. How long will it take to get from my resort to:

-MK?
-Epcot?
-DTD?
-MGM?
-AK?

Would it benefit me to drive since I'll have my car there?

 

[goofy4tink]

It is not an advantage to have a car at MK. You have to park in a parking lot at the TTC, then take either the ferry or the monorail to MK. It's much faster to use the resort bus.
As for the others, AK was pretty close....maybe 8-10 minutes if I remember correctly. Epcot/MGM are maybe a 10-15 minute bus ride. Both these parks you are in a parking lot that the bus enters as well. There are those who like to use their cars for all parks other than MK.
I can't be bothered driving in WDW. I've never had an issue with the bus system. But, it's a personal pref.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I also never rent a car while at WDW. Disney transportation does a great job in moving a lot of people daily. As noted, you cannot park at the MK anyway. Only Disney buses will leave you off at the MK entrance. My tip is if you stay until park closing (any park) don't try to leave immediately at closing. Disney runs extra buses for peak times but at closing there are just too many people trying to get out at the same time. Last year at the MK we watched Wishes and then just sat on a bench near the castle. After 15-20 minutes we slowly walked over to the bus station. The mob scene was gone and it was peaceful. Right after Wishes it was a sight watching the throngs of people storm down Main Street to the exit. Take your time and you will be fine using Disney transportation. Personally, I cannot see it being any easier to run to your car and try to drive out with hundreds of others at park closing.
Relax, you are on vacation. Too much rushing around today. WDW is such a great experience. I find using Disney tranportation a part of the wonderful magic of WDW.

 

[cutekitty714]

I just bought the Unofficial Guide to WDW 2006 by Bob Sehlinger. Even though I have been to WDW more times than I can count (it's my 8 month old's 3rd time to WDW and we live in NY) it was so helpful. It lists the estimated traveling times from WDW resorts to parks. We usually stay at AS Music, but staying at Movies in April.

(As per the book) From ASR to:
MK - car 37-47 mins; Dis System - 29-39
Epcot - 18-23; 36-47
MGM - 16-20; 30-40
AK - 11-12; 32-44
TL - 12-13; 27-35
DD - 13-14; 37-49
BB - 6-7; 35-46

Note: Driving time vs. time on DTS. Driving times inc time in your car, stops to pay tolls, time to park, and transfers on Disney trams and monorails where applicable.

I personally found that if staying on Disney property, it was easier for us to take advantage of the DTS rather than car, unless we did alot of things outside WDW like Universal or Seaworld.

Hope that helped!

Good luck!

 

[Donnask8pro]

I rented a car in Nov/Dec from ASM and it was QUICK..I mean like minutes. I am not a bus person. 11 yr old son is in a wheelchair so we rent a car. I enjoyed driving and yes no perk for MK. No cost to park the car. I also am renting in 2 weeks when I go back. I guess it depend on the cost of renting.

 

[lentesta]

Thanks for quoting from the book, cutekitty714, and thanks for reading it. A quick note: those times represent the average and worst-case scenarios for transportation. We didn't include a best-case scenario this year because we didn't think anyone would use it for planning. So the first number's the ballpark of what you can expect most of the time. But if you really, really want to get to where you're going by a certain time, say for dining, use the second number.

Hope this helps!

Len Testa