Important Disney Transportation Lesson Learned

[lurkernj]

Haven't even considered renting a car at WDW. I love using ME, and I love that I don't have to worry about driving or directions or trying to remember where my car is at the end of the day, it makes me really feel like I'm on vacation. I also love listening to the announcers on the bus, gives me that warm fuzzy disney feel.

We usually get to the bus stop around 45 min before rope drop and have never missed it. This includes POR two trips and POP once. Getting from resort to resort and to DTD (except boat from POR) can definitely provide some challenges, I honestly try to minimize those trips or plan to go right from a park.

 

[HelenParr]

Like several PPs, I very much enjoy hearing other DISers first hand perspectives. So thanks OP! We love the bus system, and use it 99% of the time. (I like to take the car to the waterparks -- just something about wet bathing suit, wet hair, etc. and the bus that I don't like.)

But I have often observed folks at a resort bus stop who look like they feel trapped, as if the lack of control over the environment is making them deeply frustrated. While it never bothers me, it sure looks like a genuine, very unhappy emotion, and it seems common. Avoiding the bus is probably the right choice for those folks.

 

[VAN]

I TOTALLY agree with the original poster. We now always rent a car when we visit WDW ... takes so much of the stress out of things.

 

[goofy4tink]

There are always going to be those people that really want to have 100% control over their trips..and for them, a rental car is a must. And that's fine. But there are also those who come here and report outrageous wait times at the bus stops. I have actually stood there, while a guest informed a bus driver that he had been waiting at that bus stop for close to an hour!! Um, no, he hadn't. I was there before he was and I had only waited 20 mins...and I got to the bus stop as the bus (to the park I wanted) was just pulling away. So, it was only 20 mins between buses. But, man, was that guy outraged!!!

Yes, there are times a car is a good thing. I, for one, was truly surprised and shocked when I drove from BW to DTD!! Now, when taking the bus, it is usually a 45 min proposition. In my car??? From the bus stop area (just across from the parking lot) to the DTD parking lot, took me 10 mins!! Who knew it was so close by car!!! However, the DTD parking lot in the late afternoon, or evening, is no place I want to be in my car. It's like a demolition derby in there!!! Very scary.

So, truly??? There are many reasons for taking your car vs taking the buses. But, for the most part, the buses run frequently, with few long wait times. If you leave a park, at park closing, well of course you are going to have to expect long lines for buses. Either leave prior to closing, or grab a Mickey Bar and take a seat and people watch for about 25/30 mins. The bus lines will be much shorter at that time.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

The busses drives me bonkers. At the values the busses are decent but everywhere else forgettaboutit. Still I prefer to drive even at values.

Once you drive you realize how fast it is to get around. I use a AAA parking pass so I don't worry about the trams. Driving is soooooo much faster.

At park closing I have never had to wait a long time to get out of a parking lot. I am back at my resort while some folks are still in the busline. Even if I did have to wait in traffic (which I don't) I'd rather wait seated in my car where my daughter can pass out than standing in a bus line. The waits for the ferry or the resort monorail don't come close to those bus waits at MK closing.

It also peeves me that the deluxes have such miserable bus service esp. when one of the perks of staying deluxe is supposed to be better transportation options.

 

[joelkfla]

To those folks who don't like standing on the way home:

Remember, you're always welcome to step aside and be among the first onto the next bus. (But try to do it inside the queue, so you don't have to cram back into the queue before the buses can move out and in.)

 

[ccgirl]

We recently vacationed at Disney (7/29-8/9) and stayed at the WL. We had been to Disney 8 times in the past 6 years and the only Disney transportation we ever used was the monorail and boat service. We had never used the bus system as we also wanted to be able to control when we got to the parks. This trip we made a conscience decision to use the bus system.....never again. I admit, the system is easy to use and the destinations are clearly marked. I also admit that if we had extra time to sit back and wait to get to parks and back to our resort I would do it if only to save $25 in gas for the week. The problem, quite frankly, is there is no way to guarantee what time you will arrive at the park. We took the bus the first 2 parks we went to (Animal Kingdom and Epcot) and both times the bus took forever and had to stop at other resorts thus making us 10-40 minutes late for rope drop (respectively). Both times we were at the bus stop 30 minutes before park opening. Understandably if I were to show up 50-60 minutes before rope drop I'd have a good chance of getting there on time but please........

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. Plus you have to stress about getting on the bus without people cutting in line as there is no "official" line but people just line up as the bus comes. I had to walk my wife and kids up and budge in front of 4-5 families who had just shown up at the bus stop and took the liberty to run to the front. I had some polite choice words as I passed them by (in case they questioned what I was doing). Both times we either stopped at GF or Fort Wilderness which soaked up more time.

The bottom line is the bus system is a good idea. It serves its purpose and can help alleviate possible stress of having to rent a car and driving yourself around as well as saving gas money etc. I'm sure (and I've read) there are many great stories from others. I write this not to sway anyone from their position but to those (who like me) were debating whether to use the system. If you don't care what time you get to the park and what time you get back to your resort then the bus system is a no brainer, do it. However, if you want to make rope drop or have a schedule to uphold do yourself a huge favor and drive yourself. You don't have to pay for parking with your resort parking permit and you can control almost down to the minute when you get to the park gate. Or simply wake your tired family up 2 hours before rope drop to make sure you get to the bus stop 50-60 minutes before park opening and hope that everyone is not irrated and annoyed by 11 am.

I absolutely agree with you. I can even get back to my off site timeshare quicker than my friends that were taking the bus and staying at BC. When we stay on site we always get a rental car.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I agree with the sentiment of the original poster!!!

I also find it funny how the use of adjectives to describe your preferred mode of transportation changes depending on your perspective.

We are car people, but after seeing so many posts on this board about how 'relaxing' the buses are, we decided to forego a rental car on a recent trip. HUGE MISTAKE!!!!! We were miserable that trip. So much so that I tried renting a car while on the trip itself, but it was too costly. I think our two biggest mistakes that trip were trying to go from resort-to-resort using Disney buses (90 minutes one way) and visiting DTD two nights (45 minutes one way). But even without those issues, getting to/from the major parks was still painfully slow for us as we knew how much faster a car could be.

On our most recent trip (June 2011), we rented a car and were so happy. It made our trip much more enjoyable and relaxing. It will now just be part of our vacation budget. Thank goodness, rental car prices seem to be going DOWN! We've had some great deals recently on rental cars. They seem to be better the closer you get to your vacation.

I don't think you can stereotype anyone as to whether or not they will prefer buses or cars. I commute to work everyday in heavy traffic, yet I still prefer to drive on vacation. WDW traffic is nothing compared to rush hour. Plus, I love those purple signs with Mickey Ears that say "Magic Kingdom Next Left", etc.

We don't find that we have to be in "100% control", but instead look at a car as "freedom" to move about as we please.

We find that the roads around WDW are well-marked and easy to get around.

We have never experienced traffic congestion at WDW. It is very easy to get in and out of the parking lots. Parking lot trams are very frequent and quick for those days we arrived at the parks too late to get a spot up front.

Travel time is significantly shorter driving versus buses even after factoring in the parking lot tram. The only exception is driving to the MK, but when we are not staying at BLT, we prefer to enter the MK via monorail/ferry the way the imagineers intended. Plus, exiting the MK at night is often a toss-up on time between a car and the buses.

Disney buses tend to travel slower than car traffic. We always pass right by lots of buses heading to our destinations.

When driving, there is no extra waiting for the buses to load ECVs or make multiple stops before getting to your final destination.

When driving, you don't have to worry about other guests being rude (cutting in line, getting on the bus through the back doors after they load an ECV even after the bus driver has yelled to stop it several times, etc.).

When driving, there are no issues with getting a seat which is nice after walking and standing in line all day. The last thing I want to do is stand in line longer for the buses than I did for Splash Mountain.

After such horrible bus experiences, we know we are truly car people. I'm glad there are so many bus people though as it helps keep rental car prices low (i.e. lower demand) and it keeps the roads less crowded around WDW. So for those on the buses, keep riding them!! But for us, we will always be using our car.


YMMV

 

[goofy4tink]

The busses drives me bonkers. At the values the busses are decent but everywhere else forgettaboutit. Still I prefer to drive even at values.

Once you drive you realize how fast it is to get around. I use a AAA parking pass so I don't worry about the trams. Driving is soooooo much faster.

At park closing I have never had to wait a long time to get out of a parking lot. I am back at my resort while some folks are still in the busline. Even if I did have to wait in traffic (which I don't) I'd rather wait seated in my car where my daughter can pass out than standing in a bus line. The waits for the ferry or the resort monorail don't come close to those bus waits at MK closing.

It also peeves me that the deluxes have such miserable bus service esp. when one of the perks of staying deluxe is supposed to be better transportation options.

Okay, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have no issue with that. But, I do take exception to the bolded part of this statement. Staying at a deluxe never means getting better transportation options. It does mean that there are alternative transportation options to at least one park other than a bus. It does not mean that in addition to boats to both Epcot and DHS as well as the ability to walk to either park, you will get better bus service to MK and AK..just isn't the case. You are paying for those addtl modes of transport, not better bus service. I really do wish this way of thinking would go away. It leads to a ton of disappointment.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

To those folks who don't like standing on the way home:

Remember, you're always welcome to step aside and be among the first onto the next bus. (But try to do it inside the queue, so you don't have to cram back into the queue before the buses can move out and in.)

Or just rent a car!

Stepping aside for the next bus doesn't always work in the mornings. If you are staying at a resort that shares buses with another resort, all seats may already be taken before the bus even gets to your resort. This happened to us at the All-Star Music in 2009. By the time the bus got to our resort in the morning, there were no seats available. If we waited for the next bus, we most likely would have been rewarded for waiting another 20 minutes with standing yet again.

I agree that waiting for the next bus at night works, but who really wants to do that after you've been standing for a very long time anyway? I know there are some that don't mind it, but it was never a practical solution for our family. We just got on and stood. We just realized that standing was part of the overall miserable bus experience.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Okay, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have no issue with that. But, I do take exception to the bolded part of this statement. Staying at a deluxe never means getting better transportation options. It does mean that there are alternative transportation options to at least one park other than a bus. It does not mean that in addition to boats to both Epcot and DHS as well as the ability to walk to either park, you will get better bus service to MK and AK..just isn't the case. You are paying for those addtl modes of transport, not better bus service. I really do wish this way of thinking would go away. It leads to a ton of disappointment.

I agree with your overall comment, but only because I know that's just how it is. I don't think you can include the AKL in your overall summary of Deluxe transportation though.

I do think that those staying at Deluxe resorts should have better transportation, but they don't. I don't know how you can ever change that perception/expectation. Regardless, we just rent a car anymore as we know that whether we're staying at BLT or the All-Stars, the bus service will be mediocre at best. Parking at the BLT is awesome BTW.

 

[PHXscuba]

We've chosen to brave the Disney bus system this trip, with the full knowledge that it could take a long time or be jammed at peak times (like other options). I think much of visitors' transportation grumpiness comes from unrealistic expectations. We are making the "journey" part of the fun (but I can see how parents of younger children might not think this as much). We will be repeating our "hakuna matata" conversation with the kids about "enjoying the ride" and not stressing over waiting or standing.

From the $700 I save not renting a minivan that will hold the 6 of us, I am setting aside some taxi money. Even if we take four $25 taxis -- leaving a crowded park at the end of the day or to DTD -- I will still save a lot of $$.

To each their own -- imagine how crowded the buses would be if there weren't any rental cars, or the reverse -- if there were no buses and everyone needed a car!

PHXscuba

 

[Anal Annie]

Call me tight. Call me poor or call me cheap. I don't much care. We always use DME to get from the airport to our DVC resort and then we rely on Disney transportation for the remainder of our stay. It's just part of how we're able to afford to go more often. I don't want to have to budget in for a rental car on top of our AP's and flights. Since we own DVC we often go 2x (sometimes 3x) per year so I guess we have the transportation system down. We know by now that we need to allow an hour to get somewhere - but what would driving save us? By the time you take a tram to/from the parking lot etc....about 30 minutes? It's VACATION. Hopefully I got that much time to spare. I will agree tho that going "home" at night at park closing is a wait we don't like much. But hey, it's FREEEEE.

FWIW OUR worst bus experience was at OKW. We just don't stay there any more.

 

[bumbershoot]

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.

Because my husband and aunt had an even longer wait to get home (DHS to OKW), I cannot discount the 90 minutes. It did include wait time in line, when they were the first there in line. There were simply NO buses going to OKW for *at least* an hour (but I say it was much much longer b/c hubby waited a good long time to start calling transportation people, and he had the opportunity to call more than twice while waiting for a bus), and they finally had to wrangle an SSR bus. People who had come after them and had given themselves PLENTY of time missed their very last ADR of the trip at Olivia's; the restaurant was entirely closed by the time they even got ON the bus. The bus went to all the SSR stops first and then finally went on to OKW (not complaining about that, but it did add to the time).

It was just awful, and while no one thinks it's standard in our group, it was a really lousy experience, and of all the adults in our group they were the worst that it could happen to; my cousin, her husband, and I would have been a far better group to deal with it, but alas we took the cars back home while they tried to race us (actually, my aunt simply couldn't walk anymore, not even to our close-by car, so you can imagine what all that standing did to her poor knees).

They had just, apparently, changed the bus system over, so they waited until there was a good line going, and unfortunately there were only ever something like 6 people waiting, which is why, they said, a bus was never properly dispatched for them.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We stayed at Kidani last month and REALLY wanted to keep the SUV parked for the entire week. I drive 800+ miles a week for work and wanted a break.

By Wednesday we were back to driving to the parks, the bus waits were ridiulous. Tuesday morning we left at 8:00 for DHS opening at 9-we arrived at 9:15. Meanwhile, 4 MK busses were in line waiting at the same time for a spot to load.

We used the DT Disney bus twice and had 45 minute waits each time. Enough is enough, I'll drive my own vehicle.

 

[goofy4tink]

I agree with your overall comment, but only because I know that's just how it is. I don't think you can include the AKL in your overall summary of Deluxe transportation though.

I do think that those staying at Deluxe resorts should have better transportation, but they don't. I don't know how you can ever change that perception/expectation. Regardless, we just rent a car anymore as we know that whether we're staying at BLT or the All-Stars, the bus service will be mediocre at best. Parking at the BLT is awesome BTW.

I don't think I ever mentioned AKL...I mentioned AK, the park. AKL isn't truly a deluxe, same with WL. They are mini-deluxes due to the transportation situations.

Because my husband and aunt had an even longer wait to get home (DHS to OKW), I cannot discount the 90 minutes. It did include wait time in line, when they were the first there in line. There were simply NO buses going to OKW for *at least* an hour (but I say it was much much longer b/c hubby waited a good long time to start calling transportation people, and he had the opportunity to call more than twice while waiting for a bus), and they finally had to wrangle an SSR bus. People who had come after them and had given themselves PLENTY of time missed their very last ADR of the trip at Olivia's; the restaurant was entirely closed by the time they even got ON the bus. The bus went to all the SSR stops first and then finally went on to OKW (not complaining about that, but it did add to the time).

It was just awful, and while no one thinks it's standard in our group, it was a really lousy experience, and of all the adults in our group they were the worst that it could happen to; my cousin, her husband, and I would have been a far better group to deal with it, but alas we took the cars back home while they tried to race us (actually, my aunt simply couldn't walk anymore, not even to our close-by car, so you can imagine what all that standing did to her poor knees).

They had just, apparently, changed the bus system over, so they waited until there was a good line going, and unfortunately there were only ever something like 6 people waiting, which is why, they said, a bus was never properly dispatched for them.

I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it isn't commonplace.

 

[Lewisc]

Both times we were at the bus stop 30 minutes before park opening. Understandably if I were to show up 50-60 minutes before rope drop I'd have a good chance of getting there on time but please........

You can wait 20-30 minutes for a bus. Many resorts share a bus. Showing up at a bus stop 30 minutes before parking opening isn't early enough to make rope drop.

Buses don't work for everyone.

I don't think I ever mentioned AKL...I mentioned AK, the park. AKL isn't truly a deluxe, same with WL. They are mini-deluxes due to the transportation situations.

WL has boat transportation to the MK. The standard rooms in WL and AKL are smaller then the standard rooms in the other deluxe resorts. The larger (deluxe) rooms in the AKL and WL are about the same size as the standard sized rooms in the other deluxe resorts. For a long time the deluxe rooms in the AKL and WL cost about the same as the standard rooms in the other deluxe resorts.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I love renting a car at MCO and embarking on (as my kids used to say) Ms. Toad's Wild Ride.

My daily commutes involve a car, a plane, a train, a shuttle, a bus and, on occasion, a boat. When in cities where parking or its cost can be an issue, I prefer public transportation, otherwise the convenience and comfort of a rental car can't be beat.

When we visit WDW we're all over the place. Park to park, resort to resort, outlet malls, Harry Potter World, Tropicana Field (if the Red Sox are in town), Kennedy Space Center. You get the idea. I like being able to use the trunk of the rental car to hold extra sandals and clothing, bottles of water, sunscreen, towels and suits for unscheduled stops at the water park, etc. All those 'just in case' items you want handy yet you don't really have space for in your park bag.

 

[NancyIL]

I'd rather not drive around WDW if I don't have to. I'm also not a big fan of taking the buses, especially at the end of the day. Since I end most of my park days at Epcot, I almost always stay at the Swan or Dolphin. I did a split stay between AKL and WL one December, and as lovely as the resorts were - I really missed being able to walk back to my Epcot resort at the end of the park day.

 

[jcwedit]

I think i may be in the minority here, I use the Taxis. I have found them convenient and fast. A bunch of them are minivans and that works great with all the kid gear we have to carry. Getting on and off the bus with kids and gear is no fun at all. Plus i don't like to drive.