Important Disney Transportation Lesson Learned

[mishkamushka]

I would rather wait an hour in line (if I have to) than rent a car.

I get lost in my neighborhood (not kidding) and the thought of having to find my rental car in a packed parking lot after a full day at the park is not appealing. Combine that with having to find my way back to a resort -- or to another park. No way Jose!

My husband agrees -- he doesn't like to drive while on vacation and to us the bus is one less thing we have to worry about.

 

[stitch34]

We always allow an hour for wherever we want to go...never know if will walk out front resort and bus is just pulling up, or wait up to 25 minutes for a bus.

I prefer how at values, and at the parks, there is an actual LINE for the buses. Hate at mods and deluxes where everyone can group together and wait and then bus pulls up... and we've been waiting there 20, 25 minutes and family that just walked up walks right on. Hate that!
Waited 40 minutes for a DTD bus from WL one time.... WE waited 40 minutes, but there were others there even before us. Of course, those there before us, and us, never got a seat - big family came out as bus pulled up and walked right on.

And for what people pay for deluxes.... really, can't get their own bus? Stopping at multiple deluxe resorts is crazy!

We've never rented a car. Have had local family join us and they've driven us to parks with them... and honestly, I hate that more than the buses! Hate takign the tram and dealing with my stroller on it. Hate how last trip leaving DHS am standing with kids and stroller and am first to get on next tram - or so I thought..... another family pushed through from line next to me and grabbed my whole row... leaving me standing there with kids - and my local relatives with car were in another row and DID get on.....we got the next tram and I ended up roaming the parking lot... not knowing what section... heck, didn't even know what kind of car they had, just that it was a tan SUV!

 

[Zeppelin]

We never had an issue with buses either, made it to rope drop no problems. Maybe took 10/15 mins more than hopping in your car and driving yourself.

i was there from 8/25-8/29 and stayed at the CR...the bus service was stellar- we never waited for a bus as the bus was always seemingly waiting for us...

the problem the poster had with the bus service seems similar to the one we had with the resort monorail...

 

[mhconley]

We used buses during our late August 2008 stay at WL and I agree 100% with OP. This time I will be very happy to have a car for RD at HS and AKL and to take to BB, TL and DD. The only Disney transportation we will use is the Monorail, boats and our feet. I refuse to step foot on a Disney bus this trip. Trying to get around WDW by bus is worse than trying to get around LA by bus.

Martin

 

[lync]

We drive to Florida. We used to do the buses, but now drive to all of the parks except MK. We are ok with using the buses to get to our destination. Our biggest gripe with th buses is leaving the parks. It is NO fun waiting in line with a mob of people to get on a mobbed bus when you are exhausted and your kids are even more exhaisted. We always seem to time it so we have to wait AND we are at the last few to get on the bus, which leaves us standing.

So, for us, we drive in the comfort of our own car where we ALL have a seat!!

 

[KBoopaloo]

It is always interesting to me to read other people's WDW preferences on the boards and see how everyone really experiences WDW in their own way.

One of the biggest advantages of a WDW vacation for us is that we never have to drive anywhere - not even to the airport! When the cab shows up outside our house, we know we are in for a week of having someone else drive us around. Have we had some long waits for buses? Sure we have. But overall, we've always found the WDW transportation system works really well for us.

I commute via public transportation everyday at home and I can tell you that I will take a 45 minute wait for a WDW bus anyday over the usual delays and overcrowding of my everyday commute!

 

[tony609]

Always take the bus, driving to much work and not very vacation like, to me. I want to be driven, have never had a bus take that long staying value.

 

[kokotg]

It IS interesting, hearing different people's preferences! Hearing so many people say they look forward to a week without driving makes me wonder if we'd feel differently if our commuting situation at home were different. DH drives 6 easy, rural miles to work every day, and I homeschool the kids, so, while I drive a good bit, it's not a long, traffic-filled commute to work kind of thing. I can see that we might be much more into the buses if we spent more of our "real lives" in the car!

 

[bwilcox]

Who wants to wake up and get out of your room an hour before the park opens (7-8 am) and to immediately begin to "wait" for things. P

Those people who don't want the hassle of having to drive while on vacation. It's all a matter of priorities.
The problem here is unrealistic expectations. You can't show up at the bus stop 30 minutes before rope drop and expect to be on time. Disney transportation works for some people; not for others. C'est La Vie.

 

[larryz]

Disney dining now tells people 1-1.5 hours I think for using Disney transport.

It is free.

Actually, like "free dining," it isn't free. You're paying for it as part of your park admission, your resort hotel room, and the ridiculous prices you're paying for everything else while you're there.

I have a ticket from 1992 that even states, in B&W, that a small transportation charge is included in the ticket price, and is collected on behalf of WDW transportation...

 

[rbenn81]

I don't mind using the buses at all. Like previous posters have pointed out, I spend enough time driving back and forth from work, driving while at work, and driving to WDW. SO the last thing I want to do is have to drive. Are the buses the quickest transportation option, no, but it beats me having to drive.

Plus when I leave the park for a break in the afternoon, the bus isn't 120 degrees inside like my car would be parked in the parking lot baking in the Florida sun. The main thing for me is, I'm at WDW on vacation and I'm going to enjoy my time there.

 

[seashoreCM]

another family pushed through from line next to me and grabbed my whole row... leaving me standing there with kids - and my local relatives with car were in another row and DID get on.....we got the next tram and I ended up roaming the parking lot... not knowing what section... heck, didn't even know what kind of car they had, just that it was a tan SUV!

Your relatives messed up, they should have been on the lookout for you. Waited at the tram lane for the next tram and called your name out if applicable. You would have told them to wait up for you at the correct drop off spot before the tram left.

Or yoru relatives should have gotten off to stay with you and take the next tram also.

Vocabulary: Ping (a verb)

 

[kirasaurus]

I use buses almost daily, so it's really not a big deal for me.
We tried driving once and ended up waiting <20 mins to get into DHS in the afternoon.
That's way too long to be sitting in a car wasting gasoline.

The way I see it, the bus is going where I'm going whether I'm on it or not, so I'd rather not waste the already-paid-for trip. I guess I'll just be miserable and give up half an hour of my beauty sleep

 

[sewingmolly]

We like Disney transportation, because we can enjoy the adult beverages knowing that we have a designated driver.
Also we really like having a vacation from driving. Not driving is a break from real life.
We always budget for several taxis during our stay for when we are running late, making a difficult connection or just tired and ready to be back at the hotel.

 

[Prolif1k]

Of course it's going to be faster to drive yourself to the parks, but it's not as fun or convenient really. Sure, you can get to the park faster, but then you have to factor in waiting for the tram if you're far away (unless you walk of course) and then the tram back to your car. If you're leaving the park with everybody else (especially at T&TC), you'll be waiting a while. As much peace of mind as you may get from having your own car, there is also peace of mind in just bringing yourself to the park with no extra vehicle.

Really, the gripes about having to wake up early sound kind of childish to me. If you want to make rope drop, then yes, of course you have to get up early. Isn't that kind of obvious? If you want to be at the parks at rope drop, you have to be the kind of people who don't mind getting up extra early in the morning. You have to know how to use the bus system, and being ready for the bus an hour before rope drop is a pretty sensible thing to do.

 

[bumbershoot]

We rented a car and we also tried the buses. We had some decent bus experiences, and my aunt and husband had one just rotten bus experience, and we all had some "meh" experiences.

We had all GOOD experiences with the car.

Car it is!

I get lost in my neighborhood (not kidding) and the thought of having to find my rental car in a packed parking lot after a full day at the park is not appealing. Combine that with having to find my way back to a resort -- or to another park. No way Jose!

FWIW, we found the lots to be well marked (and I always carry paper and pen with me, or at least my phone, to jot down where we parked), and driving around WDW was extremely well marked! After about 3 days we noticed a shortcut or two, but even without that shortcut the signs worked well and we never got lost *simply* by following the signs. (our GPS was awful and we didn't get a good map for about a week)

 

[Pacha]

And yet I can't imagine getting up and worrying about driving ourselves around all day. I just don't like driving and don't want to do it on my vacation unless there's absolutely no other option. When on business, I also will take light rail whenever possible instead of using cabs or renting a car.

So, there are plenty of different strokes for different folks.

I do rope drop every trip and I have NEVER gone to a bus stop at 6 :30 a.m...I usually get to the bus stop by 8 to 8"15 and have had no problem making rope drop froim either the CBR or the WL.

We never had an issue with buses either, made it to rope drop no problems. Maybe took 10/15 mins more than hopping in your car and driving yourself.

Agree with the above. We ahve always done the buses and have never had any problems.

 

[MissStitch626]

It's definitely not for everyone.

For us, the buses are just another part of the whole WDW experience. We stayed at POR and if we were aiming for rope drop we were normally at the bus stop about an hour before but made it to the park in plenty of time. I understand the OPs point about immediately having to wait, but I like this time to look around and do some people watching, especially if I'm waiting outside the MK.

I also like the Disney Transportation voice telling me we'll be there soon. It's one of my favourite parts of the trip!

True, the buses are crowded, and sometimes it feels like they take forever to get anywhere, but like waiting in the parks I like to use this time to look around, especially when we stop at other resorts!

Plus, air conditioning

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our transportation board.

 

[goofy4tink]

Seriously??? 90 mins??? It has never taken me 90 mins to get from point A to point B at WDW. When going from a resort to a park, it is very straightforward....go to the bus stop, wait 10 mins (average), get on the bus, drive to the park (average time of 15 mins), get off at the park. Now, if you want to be there for rope drop, all bets are off. Everyone wants to be there then, so you will need to take an earlier bus.
Park closing? Sure, it's going to be a wait in line for the bus. But, if you're at MK, it's going to be a wait for either the boat or the monorail.
I guess if you like the flexibility of a car, then fine. But, all this talk of it taking 90 mins to get to your destination is silly. Even when going to the Polynesian from my resort it has never taken me that long.