Park exit strategies - what is the fastest way out?

[Klayfish]

We drive to all parks, even MK. It is much, much faster and easier to drive to EP, HS, and AK. Even at closing, we've not ever been stuck in traffic.

Epcot and AK are easy to get out of. HS, not so much. The first time we saw the Star Wars fireworks, we were right by the theatre. So we had to walk out with the massive wave of people leaving. Our car was parked in the very front, right near where the buses and taxis are. We thought that was perfect, a super short walk to the car. Well...that plan was full of fail. Since the aisles are one direction and it leads to one exit that's one lane, at a traffic light, we got stuck. We were stuck not too far from where we parked. All the aisles of cars were trying to merge onto the single lane roadway toward the exit. It was worst for the people like us in the front rows, because the back rows are closest to the actual exit and they were all leaving, causing the front cars to be stuck. We sat an honest 20-25 minutes. Learned our lesson. Next time we stayed, we parked several rows back.

 

[cruisingtwins]

I have never experienced traffic leaving any park. Once we tun on the A/c at full blast the kids are asleep immediately and we get a quite drive to wherever we are going. I'm a big fan of personal space so I hated everything second of the buses at busy times.

 

[harrowgirl]

We drive to ALL parks, except MK. We take the resort transportation (bus, boat, monorail, walk) whenever visiting MK.

This.

 

[harrowgirl]

Didn't read the whole thread. We stay off-site but when going to MK, we valet park at The Contemporary. It is a short 10 to 15 minute walk from MK to there. There is a fee for that though but since we stay off-site, we have to pay to park anyway. Our family is the same way. We can't stand the waiting for buses or trams. All the other parks, we get there early enough to park near the front and just walk.

And this was my second point.

 

[kj2mom]

I go to disney a lot and I could not agree with this poster more. stay a little while if you do not want to people watch go shopping pick up some last minute things, pin tread ( if you are in to this) I find even staying at the all stars ( witch normally have the longest lines) waiting another 30 minutes in the park dose help but even when I do right after park closing the lines move fast since they have a lot of busses one time 4 busses was waiting so earn one pulled out another pulled right in a minute latter.

I went with a friend one day and we wanted to se what was faster we both left MK at the same time I took the buss she too the ferry I got back to the hotel about 20 minutes before she even got there she said she had to wait for 2 carry to show up then she had to walk to the car ( we got there at rope drop she we parked close) then she said the traffic getting out was horrible that she almost pulled over ( and se dose not mind driving in traffic she is from orlando and live in atlanta and NYC and spent about 3 month in LA )so for her to say traffic was bad meant it was bad not sure this happens a lot but this is what happened when we decided to try this.

I did a similar experiment last week from MK to CBR. We were all walking out, one family in my group had a car and I was going to drive back with them. There would have been 5 of us in a little car so it was a tight squeeze but we had done it before okay. When I saw the lines for the monorail and the ferry (I think the monorail said 20 minutes) I said, I'll take the bus and we will see who gets back first (I was sharing a room with them). I got to the bus area, was the 3rd person in line, a bus came within a few minutes and I had time to get back to the room, get cleaned up and ready for bed before they got back. I was laying in bed catching up on social media when they returned which worked out perfectly because I was out of their way so they could get ready for bed as well.

 

[Travis B]

When we stayed at POR we always took the bus and had no trouble - some nights we would take the bus to POFQ instead and just walk the few minutes to POR since the POFQ bus was always emptier and seemed to get there first.

We always use Disney transportation, even when we have our own vehicle there.

This is a great tip - when we stayed at POR there were MANY times where we got on a POFQ bus when we would have had to wait for a second POR bus. The walk is not too bad and you get home faster. If OP is bussing, definitely keep this in mind.

 

[Laura's Dad]

We stay at PO-FQ or PO-R just about every time we go. We always drive to the AK as a time saver vs. waiting for a bus. We always ride the bus to the MK as it delivers us straight to the park entrance and avoids the time spent waiting for a ferry or monorail. Epcot is an either or. However, getting our after Illuminations can result in a long line depending on park attendance.
You may want to check out the transportation page at www.portorleans.org

 

[tlmadden73]

Agree .. take the bus. yes .. it will be crowded and it will be packed, but guess what .. you can just stand/sit waiting for it .. and then have a nice 15-20 minute ride in a bus without having to worry about traffic. If you don't want to deal with the crowds . .then you really only have two options (leave early or leave later).

The key to any large gathering of people (Theme park, sporting event, concert, fireworks, etc.) and leaving:

1) Leave when others are not (that means leave early or just sit around and wait for others to leave).

2) Go where others are NOT.

I've always been dumbfounded why people want to rush to get to their car after a big crowded event to then just have to sit there in traffic as thousands of people are all leaving at the exact same time. Relax, take your time, chat with your friends/family about the event.
I've discovered that whether you are sitting in your car in traffic or if you simply leisurely wait for traffic to die down before you get in your car .. the time to get to your final destination is generally the same .. or at the least just less headache.

 

[Day-Day]

At least going by car eliminates the wait at the resort. Comparing the rest is hit-or-miss. If going to MK early, I would drive the car. We may bus to MK if leaving the resort in the afternoon but not always. We keep a cooler with drinks in the car which makes it much more comfortable than a packed bus (already more comfortable without the drinks).

 

[jlee003]

Do resorts play into this? Some have their own buses and fewer people. We are staying at AKL and it is our first time there. However, last year while we were at AoA, we noticed how packed the lines were for the AoA bus, and how short the lines for AKL were.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If you don't like waiting for transportation, POR might not be your favorite resort.POR has multiple stops, so it can take a while to get back via bus.

Forgive me, but your question kind of reads, "I want to work 9-5 sans rush hour traffic." The only way to avoid the traffic of rush hour, is to avoid rush hour. In other words, the BEST way to avoid the rope drop rush, is to avoid a rope drop park arrival. Either arrive at the gate well before 9am (not for me!) or arrive slightly after 9am.

WDW has very clear cut rush hours. If you want to avoid rush hour traffic, then avoid rush hour.

You'll avoid the post fireworks rush if you either leave before the fireworks (end), or stay well past the end of the fireworks. The same goes for parades and park closing. Avoid leaving the park with the masses. Touring is all about priorities.

Now to answer your other question, if we want to be fast, we usually drive everywhere- except when we can walk or take one monorail. From POR, those aren't options.

We even drive to MK, BUT we are brisk walkers. For us, walking back to our car is faster than taking the tram 90% of the time. If you'd be inclined to wait for the tram, then the bus may be better. Specific to POR, we found our fastest option was to use the main bus stop instead of the secondary ones. If avoiding crowds is more important, then the slower secondary bus stops will be less crowded, but they won't be faster.

Mobility devices (including strollers), car seats, alcohol, and navigation skills are still more factors to consider.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Do resorts play into this? Some have their own buses and fewer people. We are staying at AKL and it is our first time there. However, last year while we were at AoA, we noticed how packed the lines were for the AoA bus, and how short the lines for AKL were.

More or less, all the buses have their own buses. There are also times when WDW uses shared buses. Magic Express buses stop at multiple resorts. The MK resort monorail stops at all three monorail resorts: CR/Poly/GF. Some shuttle boats are direct, others make multiple stops.

Truth be told, I've only taken the bus a few times in the past three years. Sometimes we use the shuttle boats.

When running, the monorail almost always beats the ferry boat between TTC and MK. If the monorail is down, buses are a toss up over taking the boats.

For AKL, I think I've heard conflicting reports. I think rush hour buses go directly from AKL Kidani/AKL DVC to the parks, but they might stop at both resorts. (esp non-rush hours)

One more factor at POR is your room location. You might have a first floor room facing the parking lot, or you might have a room that is on one of the upper floors on one of the buildings that don't abut parking.

Room location will be a factor at AKL as well, but maybe less of an issue. At AKL, the parking is on one side of the hotel. If you stay out late, then you'll probably get an less than ideal parking spot. Otherwise, parking there is pretty relaxed and easy.

 

[HatboxHaint]

Didn't read the whole thread. We stay off-site but when going to MK, we valet park at The Contemporary. It is a short 10 to 15 minute walk from MK to there. There is a fee for that though but since we stay off-site, we have to pay to park anyway. Our family is the same way. We can't stand the waiting for buses or trams. All the other parks, we get there early enough to park near the front and just walk.

What is the valet like in reverse say right after Wishes....????

 

[Baklava]

For me, part of being on vacation is not having to drive. I would stick with buses or Uber.

 

[HatboxHaint]

That's what I was afraid of about MK. Which sucks the least?

Let me break it down for you
1. Boat to Poly
2. Several Pina Coladas
3. Get a Taxi

 

[Accident]

Just a note I saw the biggest mess this week at MK when 11pm hit (monday night, closing time).. I have never seen that many people waiting for the ferry before (and I was at mk july 4th weekend), no monorails. buses were clear but you had to get past the ferry people first.. So many people went to contemporary that they started to run TTC buses (and it was just as large of line waiting for those buses as the ferry and people started to walk back for the ferry...

Moral of the story, there is just times there is no good wait to avoid crowds but mk makes it rougher with not much of a parking lot near the park itself so walking isn't usually an option.

Good plan b for MK if your in the TTC, 1 monorail car on the resort loop is left empty for people at resorts to be able to get on when there is a huge exit of people using it. walk to contemporary and get on the empty car from there and it'll take you to the ttc. (if it's running)

 

[Yusani]

This is my first trip since 2001. I went in 2000 also. I don't remember having to take a ferry to MK from the car park. Has it always been this way?

 

[harrowgirl]

This is my first trip since 2001. I went in 2000 also. I don't remember having to take a ferry to MK from the car park. Has it always been this way?

Yes! I had forgotten too (ferry or monorail)....I guess we block it out haha

 

[Yusani]

Okay, so I do remember riding on the monorail, but I don't remember where we rode it to. Does that mean that there are actually 3 ways into MK: bus, monorail, and ferry?

When we went in 2000 and 2001 we came by car and did not stay at the resort. We never rode a ferry... How did we get in? Park (where?) and then ride the monorail?

 

[harrowgirl]

Okay, so I do remember riding on the monorail, but I don't remember where we rode it to. Does that mean that there are actually 3 ways into MK: bus, monorail, and ferry?

Yes 3 ways. 4 if you count walking from contemporary. You probably parked at TTC and monorail to mk