I will never rely solely on Disney Transportation again!

[puffkin]

Just returned Saturday from my 15th visit to WDW. We used to always use Disney Transportation, but the last several trips have rented a car. Money was very tight this trip so we went the free route. NEVER EVER again. I would rather cut back my trips than rely on Disney transportation. I just made a car rental reservation for our April trip at a rate I can live with. Some of my thoughts:

1. DME actually was excellent. No issues there at all. Actually enjoyed the relaxing trip to/from the airport. Considering it is free we don't expect much but had acceptable service

2. We are DVC and usually do a split stay (Friday/Saturday night at value, transfer to DVC for rest of the week). It was a huge pain having them move our luggage. Promised it would be at the resort by 3. At 4:30 it was nowhere in sight and we had to leave for a PS without warmer clothing (the weather shifted in the afternoon). We ended up being 45 minutes late for the ADR due to long waits for busses, loading a scooter, and the monorail being delayed but luckily they still sat us fairly quickly. This is the second time that has happened to us, I would rather move my own luggage!

3. DS came down with a cold. Luckily I had brought some sample sized meds with us. He recovered quickly but if not I would have liked having a car to run to the drugstore.

4. We like to park hop and with a little one we come back a lot for naps in the afternoon. At the end of the trip it felt like we didn't do a lot, and when we added up how much time we were spending on busses or waiting for busses it really was insane.

5. We visit 2x a year and like to try new restaurants and experiences. Having a car makes it so much easier.

6. Leaving the parks at closing is so much easier with a car.

7. I don't think you really save that much "walking" by using the busses. Have you ever walked into Epcot from the farthest bank of resort stops. That is FAR!

8. Scooters. Not looking for a big scooter debate here....just saying that they take a long time to load/unload. And it seems like they have increased exponentially over the last few years. I remember many trips in the early 2000's where we encountered 1 or 2 on the busses the whole vacation. This trip, 75% of the time we had at least one, if not two on the busses.

9. The general rudeness of people. It just adds so much stress that I don't need. After leaving Epcot with an exhausted 3 year old (yes I pushed him a bit, but it happened so fast...he was doing great and then wham it hit him) and standing in a packed line for 20 minutes we finally made it onto a bus. He was screaming that he wanted to sit and I couldn't hold him (50 lbs on a moving bus with nothing to hold onto....I don't think so). Man standing next to us has a small toddler (much smaller than DS) sleeping on the seat next to him. I asked if he could hold his DS so I could let DS and DN share the seat and he said no, he was out cold and didn't want to disturb him Um...aren't you going to disturb him in 15 minutes when you get off the bus at the resort??? After spending the whole week taking up 2 seats for a family of 5 I almost lost it (I held DS, Mom held DN9 and DH stood). Needless to say DS3 screamed the entire ride home.....

I think Disney does an overall great job with their transportation system, but I am done using it exclusively. We will always some type of alternate transportation from now on!

 

[DebbieB]

Which DVC resort were you at? There is a post on the DVC board from someone who stayed at SSR last week and she said busses were bad. I was at BWV last week and only used the busses to MK and luckily it wasn't bad.

 

[puffkin]

Which DVC resort were you at? There is a post on the DVC board from someone who stayed at SSR last week and she said busses were bad. I was at BWV last week and only used the busses to MK and luckily it wasn't bad.

I was at AKV and actually the busses came pretty frequently, it was our timing that stank Seriously everytime we rounded the corner our bus would be pulling out...it became a running joke with us all week. Another bus usually came fairly quickly though, no complaints there. We mainly had issues at park closing with packed busses (again usual I know). I guess after going a few times with a car we forgot how much time the busses actually eat up, especially now with two stops at AKL, even when they are running frequently!

 

[jodifla]

yep! We rely heavily on our car. SO MUCH more convenient, especially going resort to resort.

 

[Missytara]

Which DVC resort were you at? There is a post on the DVC board from someone who stayed at SSR last week and she said busses were bad. I was at BWV last week and only used the busses to MK and luckily it wasn't bad.

I was at SSR for the first time, the week after Thanksgiving and the buses were surprisingly quick. There was always a CM at the busy times of day at the Springs stop, right near the main building, calling for buses if one didn't show after 15 minutes. It rarely happened. The only issue we encountered was that a bus would approach the stop w/o a designation on the sign as to where it was going - they were listening to what bus was needed. When they approached and stopped at the bus stop, they didn't put the sign on for what park they were going to. After about three buses, they got the hang of it.

 

[pooch]

we always rely on WDW transportation exclusively. Sometimes its good, sometimes GREAT, sometimes not so much. We're had very few really bad experiences and I think this is because we are rarely in a huge hurry (and only I get cranky!).

Next trip (DD is getting much more involved in planning now), she has decreed that we get on the first bus that arrives at the resort and then park/resort hop to whereever dinner ressie are and I'm thinking a modified version of this plan might work. We go the week of Labor Day so lower crowds and we don't need to do/see everything since we've finally admitted after 4yrs that we're going every year for the foreseeable future!!!

 

[cranbiz]

If you needed meds, the Turner drug store at CentraCare just outside the gate at DTD will deliver to your resort.

 

[PSUGuy]

Sorry the OP had such a negative experience, but our experiences going at least yearly since 1998 are largely the opposite of this. We've rented a car about 4 times out of every 10 and 2 or 3 times it just sat in the resort lot for the whole week. It seems we lost at least as much time waiting for shuttles to the various lots as we did waiting for a Disney bus, probably more. Your mileage may vary, but we just take Tiffany from MCO to our resort with a grocery stop and Disney transport works fine for us. As for scooters/wheelchairs, we encounter this rarely. This year we did 8 days at BoardWalk in March and 6 at Pop in Oct. and never rode a bus on which the lift was used on either trip. I'm not trying to sell anyone on Disney transportation, the more of you who rent cars, the more room for us on the bus.

Bill From PA

 

[fla4fun]

Even though I drive to Disney, I use the transportation most of the time. If I'm staying at FW, I am more inclined to use the car because I don't have to circle the parking lot looking for a space when I get back late at night (one of my big pet peeves), and I do drive to DTD more often than taking the bus, but to the parks - I prefer to leave the driving to someone else. I agree that timing is everything. I usually try to hit the resort bus stops about five minutes before 20 after, 20 til, and on the hour, and most of the time that works pretty well at the resorts. It's a little harder to predict at the park when they'll arrive, especially if they deliver to more than one park or resort. But for the most part, I don't end up waiting the full 20 minutes they say it could be - it's more like ten. The big exception is DTD - and like I said, I usually drive there. After a day at any resort, it's usually pretty easy to predict the bus timing within a few minutes.

 

[shellybaxter]

Cars have their own problems - getting where you are going without getting lost - Finding a parking place - having a designated driver - getting the parking lot tram - etc - We love Disney transportation - but because I use a scooter we rent a car - its not fun having to inconvenience people and having them get nasty is double not fun.

 

[SnackyStacky]

To each his own, but I'm with you.

I really hate being a slave to Disney's schedule. And that's certainly not a slam on them. I think they run transportation as efficiently as they possible can. (With what they currently have, anyway - but that's a WHOLE different discussion!)

It's a much less stressful experience for me to be able to just get into a car and go where I want to, when I want to and not have to wait for a bus, boat or monorail.

And for me - the Magic Kingdom is the WORST offender. Unless you're staying at the Contemporary, you absolutely MUST rely on Disney transportation. At park closing, it's just a HUGE stressor for my family. I've stayed at the Polynesian a couple of times and even there - at park closing, the wait for the resort monorail loop is just awful. If it were just me, I might feel differently - but with a three year old who becomes a gymnast when she's tired? And REALLY doesn't care for invasion of personal space? Waiting in those lines with 20,000 of your best friends and then cramming onto a crowded monorail is just not a pleasant experience.

Just returned Saturday from my 15th visit to WDW. We used to always use Disney Transportation, but the last several trips have rented a car. Money was very tight this trip so we went the free route. NEVER EVER again. I would rather cut back my trips than rely on Disney transportation. I just made a car rental reservation for our April trip at a rate I can live with. Some of my thoughts:

1. DME actually was excellent. No issues there at all. Actually enjoyed the relaxing trip to/from the airport. Considering it is free we don't expect much but had acceptable service

2. We are DVC and usually do a split stay (Friday/Saturday night at value, transfer to DVC for rest of the week). It was a huge pain having them move our luggage. Promised it would be at the resort by 3. At 4:30 it was nowhere in sight and we had to leave for a PS without warmer clothing (the weather shifted in the afternoon). We ended up being 45 minutes late for the ADR due to long waits for busses, loading a scooter, and the monorail being delayed but luckily they still sat us fairly quickly. This is the second time that has happened to us, I would rather move my own luggage!

3. DS came down with a cold. Luckily I had brought some sample sized meds with us. He recovered quickly but if not I would have liked having a car to run to the drugstore.

4. We like to park hop and with a little one we come back a lot for naps in the afternoon. At the end of the trip it felt like we didn't do a lot, and when we added up how much time we were spending on busses or waiting for busses it really was insane.

5. We visit 2x a year and like to try new restaurants and experiences. Having a car makes it so much easier.

6. Leaving the parks at closing is so much easier with a car.

7. I don't think you really save that much "walking" by using the busses. Have you ever walked into Epcot from the farthest bank of resort stops. That is FAR!

8. Scooters. Not looking for a big scooter debate here....just saying that they take a long time to load/unload. And it seems like they have increased exponentially over the last few years. I remember many trips in the early 2000's where we encountered 1 or 2 on the busses the whole vacation. This trip, 75% of the time we had at least one, if not two on the busses.

9. The general rudeness of people. It just adds so much stress that I don't need. After leaving Epcot with an exhausted 3 year old (yes I pushed him a bit, but it happened so fast...he was doing great and then wham it hit him) and standing in a packed line for 20 minutes we finally made it onto a bus. He was screaming that he wanted to sit and I couldn't hold him (50 lbs on a moving bus with nothing to hold onto....I don't think so). Man standing next to us has a small toddler (much smaller than DS) sleeping on the seat next to him. I asked if he could hold his DS so I could let DS and DN share the seat and he said no, he was out cold and didn't want to disturb him Um...aren't you going to disturb him in 15 minutes when you get off the bus at the resort??? After spending the whole week taking up 2 seats for a family of 5 I almost lost it (I held DS, Mom held DN9 and DH stood). Needless to say DS3 screamed the entire ride home.....

I think Disney does an overall great job with their transportation system, but I am done using it exclusively. We will always some type of alternate transportation from now on!

 

[sotoalf]

My advice is never wait until park closing, especially with children! Leave early. If you stay for a parade, wait 30 minutes to an hour past park closing; transportation is far more bearable then.

 

[dburg30]

I've gone to WDW 4 times now and havent used anything but WDW transport. So I guess I dont know if I would be better off using a car or not. But I've never had an issue with times. I disliked it most from SSR just because everything seemed to take longer from there for some reason. I think it has to do more with the roads around there are more difficult for the buses to get turned onto from the resort and it seemed like you had to wait a long time. But if I was in a car, and behind the bus, I'd still have to wait I have no plans to change on my next trip either. Now I guess if something really bad happened over a few trips I would reconsider, but so far havent even wished I had a car.

But of course this is a VERY personal choice. The transportation could work flawless and that doesnt mean everyone would like it.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Have driven to WDW but left the car in the parking lot. Though we have flown and now use Amtrak, we never rent a car but rely solely on WDW transportation. On the whole, it has been great, we're not in any hurry and one of the reasons we keep going back to WDW is the transportation, 9-12 nights and not having to think about directions, fuel, driving and parking, it's heaven for us. It's part of the Disney experience for us, just like guests staying on the monorail loop, they pay for the convenience but still use buses to the other parks, to us it would be a waste of money to have a rental sitting in the lot. We like to keep our trips economically low to be able to stay longer and a rental is really not needed to see all of WDW.

 

[Disney Ella]

I agree with you OP. We have used Disney transportation twice and rented a car for all other trips. Having a car is much more convenient. A trip from the WL to a dinner reservation at Spoodles took 2 hours. We could have driven there in 15 - 20 minutes. I know that plenty of people say that they are on vacation and not in a hurry, but I really don't want to waste vacation time standing around waiting for buses and then standing on a bus. It's so much nicer to go to the parking lot and get right in my car and go. We don't find it difficult to drive around Orlando and Disney either. Everything is pretty well-marked.

 

[pooch]

I agree with you OP. We have used Disney transportation twice and rented a car for all other trips. Having a car is much more convenient. A trip from the WL to a dinner reservation at Spoodles took 2 hours. We could have driven there in 15 - 20 minutes. I know that plenty of people say that they are on vacation and not in a hurry, but I really don't want to waste vacation time standing around waiting for buses and then standing on a bus. It's so much nicer to go to the parking lot and get right in my car and go. We don't find it difficult to drive around Orlando and Disney either. Everything is pretty well-marked.

that is the big issue people have with WDW transportation - resort to resort. Now, if I had ressies at Spoodles, I'd be either at Epcot or DHS already making the trip easy. I always make our ressies to coincide with a park. For example, we're eating at Boma next trip. We'll be at AK for the day, take the bus to Boma for dinner then bus from Boma to DHS for the evening.

The one time we had to go back to our resort prior to dinner was indeed a nightmare and I do agree resort to resort is much more difficult & time consuming without a car.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Bill: You are welcome to my seat and that of Mrs. U on any Disney bus

As mentioned on a previous bus/drive thread, it's probably good that we have two sets of groups here. Can you imagine if EVERYONE used a Disney bus?
Or if EVERYONE drove?
Mayhem in either case.

 

[jensen]

OP I am totally with you on this... we will always rent a car... same reasons as you. I am a very BUDGET traveler but a car is a must for us from now on... and if you really work at it, you can find good deals on a car rental. Last year we got a midsize for one week from Alamo at MCO for $101... that is money well spent IMHO! I'll forego some souvies for that!

 

[KirstenB]

We always have a car!! We've been DVC'rs since 1993. We like to hit the grocery store, for drinks/snacks/breakfast items. Also, with young kids, I honestly think it's mandatory. I'm impatient on a good day, and throw a young, overtired kid into the mix, and I'm just done!!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

We will rent a car, but usually it's only when we get a really good deal. Even if we do have a car, we ALWAYS use Disney transportation to get to and from the parks. Is it perfect? No, but we prefer it to driving.

If we have a car, it's for going to/from DTD and going off-site for groceries, restaurants, shopping, etc.