How much trouble is it to leave parks and return if staying off property?

[tink9702]

We stayed off site in November near Animal Kingdom, so opposite direction from DTD and found the traffic very manageable. About 10-15 minutes driving to get to Epcot & HS. AK was even closer.

But like one other poster mentioned, my kids will NOT relax/nap when we are on vacation so going back to the house mid-day would have been useless for us. Just be prepared for anything if this is your first trip or if you kids are older than they were the last time you went. So I can't speak to mid-day traffic, just morning traffic & 7 pm traffic, neither of which were any issue at all for us.

Laketravis - I'd say that it took about 10 minutes to get from the parking lot and through security at Animal, Epcot & HS when we arrived before rope drop. We never did leave mid-day but I'd assume longer since you'd be parked much further away when you return to the park in most cases unless you get lucky or your return is to a park like AK that is closing earlier and enough people have left. In all three cases we were parked quite close to the entrance because of our arrival time and we did not utilize the trams. A big part of your answer is how far away you're parked in the parking lot.

For MK it took us a complete hour to get in - 15 minutes driving, parking at TTC, waiting for monorail (we just missed one), monorail trip, walking from monorail to security & getting through security. That's leaving the house at 7:40 am or so.

 

[tink9702]

If we stay off-site again I'm definitely going to valet park at the Contemporary instead of the TTC/monorail to get to MK. That's a wonderful idea!

 

[dayvewc]

Most of my trips I've stayed off-site. I actually find it pretty convenient. I generally stay just south or west of AK, so I come in on Sherbeth Road and miss most of the traffic at the main entrance. I can make it from the MK parking lot to my resort in about 15 minutes most days, EP/HS in about the same, and AK in less than 5 minutes, and the last year took advantage of that fact to go back and nap most afternoons when it got too hot.

 

[robinb]

Some days we will try that but some days we've made FP's for midday or evening times.

Rope drop at the MK will be the worst, the other parks are pretty easy-peasy. At the MK the front parking is filled first and there is no tram so you'll have to walk to the TTC. Offsite guests are held at the TTC at the gates behind the ticket booths. The express monorail is not running and everyone has to take the ferry. The ferry takes about 10 minutes to load and another 10-15 to get to the MK and unload. Add another 10 to get through the gates. If you want to fully utilize the "rope drop" advantage you will need to be at the TTC 30-45 mins early and queue up in front of the gate closest to the ferry (on your left). If you are late or if you queue up too far to the right you will miss the first and possibly the second ferry and you won't get to the gate until a good 30 minutes into the park opening. I see from your other thread that you are staying up near Sea World. I don't know how it will be when you are there, but over Christmas I-4 East from WDW was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. It took me an hour (no joke) to drive from BWV up to the YMCA off I-Drive and Sand Lake Road at around 4:00. My DD is on swim team and needed to practice while on vacation. You may want to check your traffic link on other days with crowd levels close to yours to get an idea of how long it will take.

ETA: If you return to the MK you will be allowed to "free park", that is grab any open space. By that time the express monorail should be running.

ETA2: Make sure you know which exit to take to get to where you are going. The signs on I-4 westbound to the MK will direct you all the way south of 192 and up World Drive.

 

[Laketravis]

Rope drop at the MK will be the worst, the other parks are pretty easy-peasy. At the MK the offsite guests are held at the TTC at the gates behind the ticket booths. The express monorail is not running and everyone has to take the ferry. The ferry takes about 10 minutes to load and another 10-15 to get to the MK and unload. Add another 10 to get through the gates. If you want to fully utilize the "rope drop" advantage you will need to be at the TTC 30-45 mins early and queue up in front of the gate closest to the ferry (on your left). If you are late or if you queue up too far to the right you will miss the first and possibly the second ferry and you won't get to the gate until a good 30 minutes into the park opening. I see from your other thread that you are staying up near Sea World. I don't know how it will be when you are there, but over Christmas I-4 East from WDW was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. It took me an hour (no joke) to drive from BWV up to the YMCA off I-Drive and Sand Lake Road at around 4:00. My DD is on swim team and needed to practice while on vacation. you may want to check your traffic link on other days with crowd levels close to yours.

Great info, thank you! We are going next month and then again in June, between the two visits we are actually staying at four different off-site venues! They range in distance from right outside the gate to slightly southeast of Kissimmee.

 

[ZellyB]

Most of my trips I've stayed off-site. I actually find it pretty convenient. I generally stay just south or west of AK, so I come in on Sherbeth Road and miss most of the traffic at the main entrance. I can make it from the MK parking lot to my resort in about 15 minutes most days, EP/HS in about the same, and AK in less than 5 minutes, and the last year took advantage of that fact to go back and nap most afternoons when it got too hot.

I second this. We've stayed at Windsor Hills once and Emerald Island twice. We use Sherbeth Road as well and can be at AK in about 5 minutes. As others have said, if you rope drop, then parking at AK, DHS and EP are very quick and easy. We've always been close enough in the parking lot to just walk to the entrance although you can wait to ride the tram as well. MK does take a bit longer, but not that much. We got to MK in about 15 minutes from our condo. We were there early for a breakfast ADR, so in the first row of the first parking lot. So, quick walk to TTC and we rode the resort monorail around to MK. That took maybe another 10 minutes or so.

On-site we've only ever stayed at Shades of Green and their bus service isn't that great in my opinion, so we've always found driving from off-site to be much faster. Other resorts may be better, but I really hated the buses.

I'd also second the person who talked about the ease of getting out of the parking lots. The traffic actually flows pretty quickly and we never found that it took us long to get out of the parking lots. Getting out of MK after Wishes, the delays were in just getting out and then waiting for a monorail or ferry, but once we got to the car we were out and back to the house in a flash.

192 during the summer and spring break could get really backed up with traffic, but that's where using the Sherbeth road route was such an advantage.

 

[robinb]

Great info, thank you! We are going next month and then again in June, between the two visits we are actually staying at four different off-site venues! They range in distance from right outside the gate to slightly southeast of Kissimmee.

I stayed at Windsor Hills and in Formosa Gardens and my traffic on 192 and especially Sherbeth Road was minimal even over Spring Break and christmas week.

 

[bumbershoot]

I find leaving and going back to be a pain any way you do it. I don't even like doing it at disneyland with a walking distance resort. So I wouldn't say that bussing to an onsite resort is less of a pain than driving offsite.

 

[wisblue]

In our multiple visits starting from 1983, we have only stayed offsite twice, once in 1983 and once in 2005. On those trips, we intended to spend several days doing things other than WDW (Sea World, spring training baseball games, Universal, etc.). Now that we are DVC owners it doesn't make much financial sense for us to stay offsite.

But, I did get a taste of driving around WDW when one of our daughters did a couple of stints on the DCP and had some jobs down there. Even though we were staying onsite, we rented cars to assist with moving her in and out and around and to facilitate doing things together. So, we did it both ways, sometimes leaving the car in the lot at our resort and taking the bus, and other times taking the car to the parks (other than MK).

My general reaction is that getting in and out of the parking lots (other than MK) is not so bad, but driving on the roads around the resort, especially 192 and the one just past DTD (535?) got really old really fast. I can see how staying south and west of DAK would be a lot better.

Our touring style was probably developed and affected by the several trips we took from 1993 until 2002 when we stayed at the Poynesian. From there it was so easy to take the monorail to the MK or Epcot in the morning, return to the hotel in the afternoon for some rest and pool time, and then go to a park in the evening if we wanted feeling much more refreshed. We learned the value of those midday breaks with the kids, and now my wife and I are the ones who most want the breaks from the parks. In those days before DME we always rented a car from the airport if only to get back and forth and make occasional short treks around the resort. But, more often than not, we left the car in the Poly lot.

This is obviously a classic matter of personal choice and preference. Personally, even if the amount of time spent is comparable, I would rather take a bus and let someone else worry about the traffic and the drivers who don't know where they're going. And, when we stay at places like BLT, BCV, and the Boardwalk, those breaks are that much more convenient. Plus, unless we have somewhere we want to go off property, we can save the expense of a rental car and enjoy the convenience of DME and resort check in for flights.

 

[dayvewc]

I second this. We've stayed at Windsor Hills once and Emerald Island twice. We use Sherbeth Road as well and can be at AK in about 5 minutes. As others have said, if you rope drop, then parking at AK, DHS and EP are very quick and easy. We've always been close enough in the parking lot to just walk to the entrance although you can wait to ride the tram as well. MK does take a bit longer, but not that much. We got to MK in about 15 minutes from our condo. We were there early for a breakfast ADR, so in the first row of the first parking lot. So, quick walk to TTC and we rode the resort monorail around to MK. That took maybe another 10 minutes or so.

On-site we've only ever stayed at Shades of Green and their bus service isn't that great in my opinion, so we've always found driving from off-site to be much faster. Other resorts may be better, but I really hated the buses.

I'd also second the person who talked about the ease of getting out of the parking lots. The traffic actually flows pretty quickly and we never found that it took us long to get out of the parking lots. Getting out of MK after Wishes, the delays were in just getting out and then waiting for a monorail or ferry, but once we got to the car we were out and back to the house in a flash.

192 during the summer and spring break could get really backed up with traffic, but that's where using the Sherbeth road route was such an advantage.

My last stay was at Silver Lake. Talk about close!! I think I was actually closer to AK than the AKL!!

And you are right, the biggest time sink leaving any of the parks is leaving MK and getting to the parking lot.

 

[kaceyo]

We must be the only people who stay offsite without a car. We are staying at Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista again in March and we get to and from the parks by shuttle or public bus. We are two adults so we go commando most days open to close. We don't take midday breaks. The shuttle from the Clarion to MK is quicker than the shuttle from AllStars Music when we stayed there.

 

[jenniferyawn]

Y'all are so full of great infomation! I had no idea about Valet parking at Contemporary! Does anyone know if that's free if you have an annual pass? I know park parking is free, but can you park at the resorts free with an AP? Hmm? Hadn't thought of that!

 

[MrInfinity]

We have always stayed on Disney property, but I'm thinking of staying OP this time. We will have a 2 year old and would like to travel back to the hotel by car in the middle of the day. How much will I miss the luxury of Disney transportation back to the resort during the day? Is it a lot of trouble to get back to your car, leave, and then go back to the parks for the evening?

You'll miss it.

One day on our last trip we drove to HS just because we wanted to get there early, and not be dependent on the bus... getting home was awful. The wait for the tram to get to your car was a mob scene at closing -- chaotic and unstructured. Earlier in the day, probly not as bad. But we waited longer there than we did for any bus on the other days. There was as much pushing and jockeying for spots as in a parade. If the tram lines are long, walk to your car. Even if it's a good walk.

Compare... walking out your hotel room, over to the bus stop, where you sit down and wait a bit and people watch or talk to the others... then get dropped off at the front gate... to... going out to a parking lot, where you may have had a good spot or a far spot, and gazing out across the concrete to the back side of the not-so-magical supermarket that backs up to your property... packing up the car, buckling carseats, commuting in a sea of cars also trying to get into Disney World, going thru the gates, parking, walking or taking a tram, etc. Then repeat 4 times a day...

The biggest pro to doing the drive is a car is more... controllable. Busses can be 0-15 min, or sometimes seem like 20 and you're scratching your head wondering if you should go talk to someone about it -- asking the people next to you if they know where the bus is, and, of course they don't. At the same time you know if you ask the girl at the front desk if she knows, she won't either... and the bus will come the minute you leave the stop.

I would go for on property in a heartbeat. If you plan to go to and fro more than once/day, the benefit multiplies.

 

[Laketravis]

Consider Valet parking at Contemporary rather than the MK lot. It's $20 for Valet and you can come and go as many times as necessary in that one day. It's a short walk from Contemp to MK.

There are also a lot of couches and quiet areas on the 4th floor of Contemp where you can take a nice, quiet break from MK without having to return to your off-site accommodations.

That is an awesome piece of advise! Does it violate any sort of rule, though? Is valet parking intended just for CR guests? How long can the parking period be?


.

 

[cakebaker]

Y'all are so full of great infomation! I had no idea about Valet parking at Contemporary! Does anyone know if that's free if you have an annual pass? I know park parking is free, but can you park at the resorts free with an AP? Hmm? Hadn't thought of that!

AP's do not get free valet. The only free valet I know of is if you have a handicap sticker.

 

[Candleshoe]

Compare... walking out your hotel room, over to the bus stop, where you sit down and wait a bit and people watch or talk to the others... then get dropped off at the front gate... to... going out to a parking lot, where you may have had a good spot or a far spot, and gazing out across the concrete to the back side of the not-so-magical supermarket that backs up to your property... packing up the car, buckling carseats, commuting in a sea of cars also trying to get into Disney World, going thru the gates, parking, walking or taking a tram, etc. Then repeat 4 times a day...

That's not my personal experience.
Compare:
A) walking out your hotel room, which is often a long way to the bus stop. Standing in line for the bus. Waiting and waiting. Excited as finally a bus comes but wait, it's not going to your park. Is it August? You're dripping sweat now. Bus comes, you get on only to have to stand hanging on to the bar and trying to pretend someone else's face isn't in your butt or belly. Get dropped off near the front gate, or not, depending on your resort or park.
Leaving the park? Waiting in long lines (except the middle of the day, in which case you're lucky if you get a bus in less than 20 minutes) and herded like cattle onto the busses after long waits. Kids with you? They're tired and you have to stand, tired, waiting your turn to get herded on to a bus. Where you will probably get jabbed a couple of times by someone else's "folded up" stroller
B) Walking out of your house to your car in the drive way. Or out of your condo to your nearby car. (or OKW my favorite because it's the best of both worlds!, car is right outside the DVC building) In the morning you are on your way right away! Park, and walk to the end of your row to the tram which is speedier than the busses. Dropped off closer than the bus does. Except at MK where you take a boat or a bus. Or you pay to valet park and take a monorail over.
End of the night walk to your car and skip the lines, or wait in a tram line. Taken right to your house or condo! No waiting for multiple stops in the resort of choice, or another resort as happens to some of them.

Yea, I have done it both ways. Even when I stay on site I rent a car. Last time I didn't I ended up grabbing a taxi multiple times because of Bus Frustration Syndrome.

No thanks!

 

[Candleshoe]

AP's do not get free valet. The only free valet I know of is if you have a handicap sticker.

I do have a handicap sticker but I still paid on our last trip. That was at the Poly though.

 

[cakebaker]

[QUOT

I do have a handicap sticker but I still paid on our last trip. That was at the Poly though.

Up until now, we haven't had one so I've never experienced it, but everywhere I read, it says it free- I wonder if it's changed?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/parking.htm

Valet Parking is offered at all of the Disney Deluxe Resorts. The cost is $20 per car. Once you've paid for valet parking, you are allowed to use it at any deluxe resort that day by showing your receipt.

Valet Parking is FREE for the following:

• Tables in Wonderland cardholders with an Advance Dining Reservation at the resort where they are valet parking
• All guests who have a current handicap license plate/tag

 

[Candleshoe]

[QUOT


Up until now, we haven't had one so I've never experienced it, but everywhere I read, it says it free- I wonder if it's changed?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/parking.htm

Valet Parking is offered at all of the Disney Deluxe Resorts. The cost is $20 per car. Once you've paid for valet parking, you are allowed to use it at any deluxe resort that day by showing your receipt.

Valet Parking is FREE for the following:

• Tables in Wonderland cardholders with an Advance Dining Reservation at the resort where they are valet parking
• All guests who have a current handicap license plate/tag

Thanks! Good to know! I've only had one trip with it, in 2012. I'll eventually have my knees replaced and not need it. (ha ha). Hopefully by our next trip! But if not, it's good to know.

 

[dayvewc]

Do you having a disabled license plate, or just the hanging tag? If it's just the rear view mirror hanging tag, you have to show it to the parking attendants. Cause if you're like me, you don't have it hanging while driving, and don't think about putting it back up until you're in your spot.