If you stay on site and have a car...

[msmith07101]

do you drive to the parks or use Disney transportation? We'll be staying at CBR from the 18th-21st and probably be driving, so I am wondering if this time of year if it is quicker to drive to the parks and skip the buses.

 

[Tara922c]

We do both. If the busses seem too crowded, we drive. We also take into consideration the time it takes to catch the monorail, take the tram, and walk back to your car when going to MK so we always took the bus there. I would just play it by ear. If the busses seem to be a hassle, just use your car.

 

[Disney Commando]

Unless you know the highways there I would say take the buses, we had our own car, but always managed to get lost even with a GPS, the roads are really tricky. Found the buses were the way to go. Some parks or DTD were up to 15mins away.

 

[BillyBuckner]

We stayed at Pop (just down the street from CBR) in November. We had a AAA package so had access to AAA diamond parking.

There were some exceptions, but mainly we took the bus to MK, we mixed it up for Epcot (*), and we usually took the car everywhere else.

(*) For Epcot we drove once (got there late for dinner and a couple rides), we took the bus once (got there mid afternoon, and both my wife and I noted how far away the bus stop was) and we 'cheated' once by parking at Boardwalk and going in the back way to go to World Showcase. I'll probably be flamed for parking at Boardwalk, but nobody questioned us at all. (and we did go to ESPN and the Boardwalk area when we left Epcot).

 

[disneylove69]

Drive. It's free parking. The buses are always full in the morning/ night and your feet will appreciate it. If you are going in the heat it's nice not to have to wait in the humidity for the bus.

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

We drive. We wait in line all day for rides. Im not waiting for a bus. especially after the park closes.

 

[JustKryssi]

We've done both. When we arrive later today, we'll be driving to the parks though because we're bringing my 15 month old grandson and I don't want to have to maneuver the stroller everywhere. It'll just be easier to collapse and throw it in the trunk than to heave it up on a bus.

When it's just the two of us, we usually use monorails and boats when we can and use cabs for other things. I'm not a bus person, lol.

 

[ProgressCity]

When I was a kid we always used buses and couldn't ever imagine driving. Now that I've lived there I always vote for driving!

If you do drive, DON'T use GPS, it's worthless on property. Just follow the signs and you'll be fine.

 

[Schmeck]

Drive. It's free parking. The buses are always full in the morning/ night and your feet will appreciate it. If you are going in the heat it's nice not to have to wait in the humidity for the bus.

But the downside of this strategy is that you have to get into a hot, stuffy car. The busses have AC!

 

[OB1]

Tests have shown that it is quicker to drive to all parks except the MK. It can be close, but often the buses are quicker to MK. Of course, all of this depends if you get on the first bus, or the third/fourth bus because it is so busy. What you miss at MK is taking the monorail/ferry to the parking lot, then the tram to your car.

Another question is what is your next stop. It is not easy to get to DTD, and sometimes difficult to move between parks. We just like having our car at the end of the day so we can quickly get back to the hotel and get our feet up & chill. Signs are really good around Disney, but there is always a chance to get turned around.

 

[TheDisneyDad]

We drive. If you take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, you miss the 2 best attractions of the day. The tram ride in the parking lot and the monorail or the ferry ride to the MK.

 

[Silver Queen]

Buses have always worked well for us. We've had very few problems and we've met some great families on the bus. We like not having to drive or navigate around the world. The only time that it might have been nice to have a bus is when we're having dinner at another resort and need to get back to our resort. We've had to get a bit creative about that as it usually means taking a bus, boat or monorail to a park or Downtown Disney and the to our resort. We're tow adults traveling without children so that's not a problem. One interesting note, this past weekend we noticed traffic being stopped at a sobriety checkpoint on the property. First time that we've seen that. We asked a CM and they said this happens from time to time.

 

[HakunaMatata23]

We've always rented a car and driven to and from the parks. I'd rather just have the luxury of coming and going whenever I want as opposed to waiting for a bus. I also like the idea of leaving stuff in the car (jackets, umbrellas, etc.) and being able come out and get if need be.

 

[JennSaint]

Don't drive to MK. It's a pain in the neck and quicker to just take the bus!!

 

[antmaril]

We always use the rental car. In all my many trips to WDW, I've never used Disney transportation.

 

[madalex]

Generally, I use Disney transport to all the parks, except AK when I am staying at an Epcot resort. For some reason, that bus ride seems especially long and the parking lot seems more convenient to the front gate, so I always drive to there.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Drive! Why wait for a bus when you can go on your own time?!? =)

 

[Withacy]

In my 9 trips to WDW, we've been on property for 8 of them, and I drove in all but one of those trips. And I've never driven to the parks. Sitting in traffic, waiting to get in or out of the parking lots would stress me out more than waiting for a bus. Not to mention the fact that, with 4 cousins, an uncle and an aunt killed in 3 different drunk driving related accidents (the uncle & one of the cousins were the ones who had been drinking in two of those accidents), and an older brother who was seriously injured while driving after a few beers, I'm pretty much paranoid about driving at all if I've had ANYTHING to drink, and I don't want to have to worry about that when I go to my ADRs. If I want a glow-tini or a glass of wine, I want to get it!

 

[kaligal]

I'm not a fan of public transportation at home and am sure as heck not going to deal with it on vacation.

 

[winterman]

We ALWAYS rent a car and we ALWAYS drive to all the parks, including MK. I actually love the ride over to MK on the ferry.

We carry a map of WDW with us but mostly we rely on the signs. We have missed a turn or two but never gotten lost.