ME/Bus service vs. renting a car

[ChrisMouse]

I asked this question over on the strategies board, too, and then it dawned on me that DVC'ers would have good feedback regarding the specifics of my questions.

Just need some feedback on our decision. We're trying to decide if we should rent a car or if we should take the ME and use resort bus service to/from the parks, etc.

We are staying at OKW, and have two kids 5 & 7, who both still use a booster seat. One plus of using the bus services is they don't need boosters, whereas if we rent a car we will have to lug our boosters along.

My main question is for those of you who have tried BOTH methods of getting around. I'm guessing parking is never close. Do you find it's easier to have your own transportation? Are the lines for the busses and the waits really long? Which method is faster/easier with kids?

What about after Wishes or other nighttime events? Is it hard to wait for busses with kids? Would we be better off with our own car?

Also, we are doing a "date night" and are going to try to park hop to do some of the thrill rides that we can't do with the kids during this time, then end up at DTD for a late dinner. Would having our own car make this easier?

Thanks for any help you can provide!!

Chris

 

[Cruelladeville]

You don't say when you are taking your trip, but, in general, having a car is ALWAYS easier, although I can deal with a little wait time if my car rental price is $500 per week!! So we usually take the bus. Taking ME is also free, and relieves you of having to worry about your luggage. Then, we go over to the Swan(Dolphin?) and rent a car for a day if we want to go somewhere special. $65 is a lot better than $500--now, if I could get a car for $189 for the week I am down there, I have to give it more thought.

 

[Duane]

This topic was also asked over on the camping board as well. Each time we have traveled to WDW, we either have our personal vehicle or we rent a car if we fly down.

For me personally, I like to travel on my time schedule and not someone else's. We have found in the past whenever we used the buses, that it can be hit or miss. Depending on the time you ride, there may be one or two folks on the bus, or it may be packed to standing room only. This usually happens at park closing times.

If you rent a car, I assume the rental companies still provide boosters if you request them.

What time of the year are you wanting to travel? If its in the summer, picture this in your mind. Its park closing time at MK, its 90 degrees, 100% humidity. The kids are tired, you are tired. You have to stand in line and wait for the bus back to the resort. The bus shows up and there's 1000 folks behind you in line holding on to their tired and fussy kids. The bus pulls up, you get on, and are lucky enough to find a seat. The people keeping coming and coming. All of the seats are now taken, and the folks still continue to pile on. Now they are standing in the aisles. You are seated looking at some person's rear end the entire trip back to the resort. You're trying to hold on to one child while your spouse is trying to hold on to the other..... I won't go on, but I think you get the picture.....

If at all possible, I would rent a car and travel on my time and conditions.

Duane

 

[Diznut84]

We go a minimum of twice a year. When we fly, we always use Magical Express and only use Disney busses. When we drive, we still park the car and use the busses exclusively to/from the parks. My kids (now 10 and 13) insist on it. To them, it is part of the magic!

So I'd spend that money on a great Disney experience!

 

[minniekissedme]

We've never rented a car...the additional expense of renting has never lead us in that direction. And I can't ever remember having said something like, "gee, I wish we had a car!" Having said that...

ME is super to get you to the hotel...no dragging luggage, it "magically" shows up at your room.
My kids (10/8/6) don't mind the buses...it's something they are now accustom to doing when we're there (the last four years in Jan/Feb). Other than the school bus, they don't ride public transportation so it's part of the fun.
When the buses are crowded it is a PITA and can be uncomfortable but it's not like you're riding to Atlanta...for the 10/15 minute ride, to us at least it's tolerable. If you don't close the parks, you can easily manage.

Now if your kids fall asleep and don't appreciate being awakened to walk back to the room...

Personally, I'm on vacation. I want someone else to do the work for me.

 

[DaveH]

It is all a personal thing. Some folks can tolerate waits up to 30 mins for busses others don't. A car to MK is a pain. Park car at TTC and then ferry or monorail. Other parks are easier. The buses are most crowded after parades are done and closing times. That means buses are packed standing folks everywhere. Tired adults and kids. In hot weather not too much fun. In hot weather going to car other than MK not as bad. In hot car until air cools off car. Buses can be hot but like oven your will be for a while. Disney signs are getting better to get where you want to go by car. On date night if drive one adult should not have many adult beverages, busses can enjoy. Travel times to plan by bus from one park to another is 1 hour. Can be much less or that long. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. It really does depend on your way of thinking. If the date night is the reason you may want a car, check out a 1 or 2 day rental instead.

 

[todd222222]

During our two recent trips we used ME and used Disney's buses. We are of the thinking that the buses are park of the trip. During our last trip my whole family got sick so we rented a car for 2 days so we could go to the doctor and pharmacy. Well after we were better we still had the car and went to MK and frankly it felt different, stupid I know, but it was different.

Now with that said, I get tired of the Disney food and so on our next trip I'm hoping to find a great deal (already have something booked for $300 for 8 days) so that we can get off property for a few meals throughout the week.

But I think we will continue to use the buses to the parks and use the car to go to DTD and food off property. AKV to DTD is a long ride in a bus.

 

[JimMIA]

We are staying at OKW, and have two kids 5 & 7, who both still use a booster seat. One plus of using the bus services is they don't need boosters, whereas if we rent a car we will have to lug our boosters along.

No you won't. The rental car companies have car seats for all size kids.

My main question is for those of you who have tried BOTH methods of getting around. I'm guessing parking is never close. Do you find it's easier to have your own transportation? Are the lines for the busses and the waits really long? Which method is faster/easier with kids?

What about after Wishes or other nighttime events? Is it hard to wait for busses with kids? Would we be better off with our own car?

I don't think there is any question that having a car is more convenient, and we use a car almost exclusively. (Of course, we're driving up to WDW anyway, so we don't have any additional expense.)

Parking is sometimes close, depending on what time of day you go to the park, and how well you know your way around. If it's not close, you just tram. If you have a kid in a stroller, tramming is a pain, but otherwise, it's okay. I think the only place the bus is really "better" is MK, because it takes you right to MK, rather than TTC. However, we consider either the monorail or the ferry enough fun that we really don't mind them.

The thing that really makes driving such a convenience for us is the back and forth trips, and the end of the day. We like to come back to the resort midday for a little nap/pool time most days. We usually plan on 45-60 minutes to bus somewhere -- 75-90 minutes if we HAVE to be somewhere like a dinner reservation. Now that we know our way around pretty well, we can drive anywhere onsite in 10 minutes, and except for MK, we are IN the park in 20 minutes. Same timing on the return trip, except after Wishes which takes a while no matter how you do it. The car really reduces our travel time when we make multiple trips...which is normal for us.

Long lines -- after Wishes or IllumiNations, you're going to have long lines no matter how you're traveling. You will have long lines for buses, and long lines for the monorail, ferry, and trams. I think it's probably a tossup when you are traveling at the heaviest surge in traffic. The good thing about driving is, once you get in your car, you are much more comfortable than you would be packed into a bus with 9,000 of your closest friends.

One other thing you didn't mention is that having a car really opens up a LOT of other options -- other theme parks, eating offsite, trips to shopping and grocery stores, etc. Without a car, you are not only locked into Disney transportation, you are a captive audience for every aspect of your trip -- which is exactly why they offer transportation, DME, DDP, etc, etc.

Also, we are doing a "date night" and are going to try to park hop to do some of the thrill rides that we can't do with the kids during this time, then end up at DTD for a late dinner. Would having our own car make this easier?

No question that a date night would be easier with a car. The parking would be better, too!

 

[jimmacmn]

We have found that the buses and ME work very well for us. If we have a dinner reservation at one of the resorts and don't want to wait for two or more buses to get from one resort to the other, we just catch a cab. You can buy a lot of cab rides at WDW for the price of a rental car.

 

[ChrisMouse]

Thank you all SO MUCH for weighing in. I really appreciate all of the different perspectives on this subject. My husband and I will re-read all of the responses and try to figure out what is best for us.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it!!

Chris

 

[BroganMc]

No question that a date night would be easier with a car. The parking would be better, too!

I disagree with that. Have you tried parking at DTD any time after 10am? That lot is always packed and you spend 30 minutes driving in circles trying to find a spot. It's MUCH easier using a bus [from a park to SSR] for that.

The one thing that is easier with a car is resort hopping. If you have an early breakfast at Cape May, for instance, you can sleep in an extra hour and just drive to the Beach Club from OKW 15-20 min before your ressie. The drive is very short (5 min).

As for park hopping, it's a crap shoot. I get to park in the handicapped lots so I'm always much closer than others. But for regular parking you either need to walk or wait for a tram to pick you up. Not to mention you'll have to go through the parking gates everytime and can get in that traffic.

When I was there last October, I had a day of racing a bus to EPCOT from SSR. While the bus was loading passengers, I hopped in my van. I left the resort before the bus but got held up at the parking gates. By the time we parked, we were walking into the gates with fellow bus passengers we'd met. (And they took longer than regular passengers because they had tie-downs for the scooters and a bus lift.)

In summary, if you plan to visit a lot of resorts, rent a car. If you're just going to the parks, you won't be gaining time, just convenience.

 

[SSRJen]

We always rent a car when we go on WDW. It makes going to dinner at different resorts so much easier and I feel much safer in a car. I did not like having to stand up on a bus at all. We can usually rent a compact for about $100 total for a week using discount codes. Keep in mind, once I know the dates, I am checking daily.

 

[JimMIA]

I disagree with that. Have you tried parking at DTD any time after 10am? That lot is always packed and you spend 30 minutes driving in circles trying to find a spot. It's MUCH easier using a bus [from a park to SSR] for that.

Ummm...I was actually talking about PARKING on "date night!"

I feel fairly confident that particular type of parking would be much more comfortable in a car than in a Disney bus full of other guests!

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I think it is simpler and easier taking ME and busses. I like being dropped off right at the park entrance rather than parking the car, then taking a shuttle (or ferry or monorail) to the gate... The last time we rented a car we never used it except for to and from the airport- so we decided that was an easy expense to cut from our trip budget.

 

[GEB@okw]

Use ME, it's a free and and wonderful service. It would be really nice to see a Disney resort daily parking charge of say $10 a day to eliminate all the uneeded vehicles on Disney roads!

 

[DebbieB]

I always rent a car. I'm usually able to get a car with National Emerald Aisle for around $100 total for the week. If it was more expensive I might change my mind but I prefer the car to waiting for the crowded busses anyday.

 

[mrsfascinating]

We have done both over the past 10 years and I prefer to rent a car. I currently have a midsize SUV on reserve from alamo for $207 which includes tax and fees. I guess I am a bit of a control freak because I like to get in the car and go rather then wait 20-30 for a bus. We have never had a problem finding a close parking space and I like that we can go off property when ever. My daughter is still in a stroller so it's nice throwing it in the back rather then struggling with not knocking someone else out with it on the bus. Especially at park closing when buses get packed. SO it all depends on your personally situation.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

What about after Wishes or other nighttime events? Is it hard to wait for busses with kids? Would we be better off with our own car?

With a car, after Wishes you will have to wait for a monorail or boat to take you back to the lot- and then you might need to wait in another line for a tram. I find these lines far more crowded than the bus lines. Right at park closing all the lines are bad, whether you are waiting for a bus, or a tram, or whatever... I find the bus lines to be easiest and quickest option.

Also, I like not worrying about finding my way around. I can just turn that part of my brain off while at WDW. One more perk, you can indulge in some wine or drinks on your date night and not worry about driving.

 

[JimMIA]

It would be really nice to see a Disney resort daily parking charge of say $10 a day to eliminate all the uneeded vehicles on Disney roads!

If you think about this for about 10 seconds, you'll see what a really silly idea it is.

 

[jarestel]

As others have said, it's really a personal matter of balancing the tradeoff between the cost, the time, and the convenience. Pick the option that's suits your particular family best and then go with it. As you probably already know from reading these boards, there is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to DVC matters.

We prefer having a car for airport transportation, resort to resort trips, and off site shopping & dining. However, we don't mind using Disney transportation for traveling to/from the parks.