Park Transportation question

[brumley5]

I am busy preparing for our 1st trip to WDW in May and had some questions about it's transportation system.

My question is do you think it's better to rent a car to drive to WDW from the airport (& take advantage of the free parking for DVC members) or depend on the Disney Transportation & maybe taxis to get around?

I've been seeing suggestions to take taxis to the different parks & Downtown Disney because buses make far too many stops between your desired destination? I thought the resort buses just went to that resort and whatever park is on it's marquee.

Just a bug to work out before we come home!
Tammy

 

[jaysue]

This in some part turns on the resort you are staying at and also your need for groceries beyond the 30 minute stop you can request when you use certain towncar services

thanks
jaysue

 

[tjkraz]

I agree with jaysue--it would be much easier to advise if you post the resort you will be staying at.

BCV and BWV bus service has a pretty bad rap. But these two resorts are also walking distance from two of the four theme parks.

I've stayed at OKW a couple of times and found the outbound service to be pretty good. Return service can be another matter. Let's just say that if you ever "just miss" a bus during non-peak times (mid-day), you're probably better off walking.

Generally speaking, busses do travel from one resort to one theme park. But there are situations where busses will double-up for convenience sake. It's not uncommon for a Downtown Disney bus to also service Typhoon Lagoon. The entrance to TL is right across the street from DD.

You'll never hear any objections from me about having a car available. It can be a great convenience. But the rental will cost you money, and at times traveling by car can actually take LONGER than a bus. For example, when traveling to the Magic Kingdom, cars are required to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center. You must then take the monorail or boat up to the MK, and then you can enter the park. Busses, on the other hand, will drop you just outside the park.

 

[Caskbill]

tj pretty much said it, but you might want to consider one more thing. If you plan on park hopping, then busses can make a lot of sense. All the parks have busses that go directly to the other parks.

If you take your car and want to park hop, you generally have to leave the park, get back to your car, drive to the other park, park the car, and take the tram(etc) to get to the front gate.

Busses travel directly from front gate to front gate.

We always drive to Florida so always have a car, but still use the bus/monorails if we plan to go to 2 or more parks for the day. (Or are going to MK, since there the parking is a 2-stage process anyway). We'll use the car if going to a single park or one of the water parks for the day, or we plan on going to DD when a park closes. (There is no bus service directly between DD and the parks. This is because otherwise too many people would park at DD and then take a bus to a park in order to save the parking fee).

When we stay at BWV or BCV, we'll just walk if going to Epcot or MGM.

 

[riopooh]

It also depends on who is traveling and the ages. Our last trip we stayed on site but my early bird husband would move the car in the morning ( then jog to catch a bus back to the WL. ) It was wonderful to park/pool hop and then close the day at MGM or Epcot. We would load our 3yr old into the carseat rather than trying to deal with the crowds, buses and strollers. Then we drove around until she was completely asleep (not long) and transferred her right into bed!

 

[brumley5]

I'm sorry, I did leave out that we are staying at BWV May 9th - 16th, 4 people (2 kids ages 13 & 11).
I read a post about someone's recent stay during Easter that was horrendous, 6 stops to get from one park to their resort - seems that Disney would be better prepared at a peak time.

I will have to pay either way to get to WDW.

Roundtrip cost of a shuttle/private taxi service from the airport with tip (& a few taxis while in the WDW area to get somewhere quick for dinner or such)
(cost about $120ish for shuttle service + a couple of taxi trips (price unknown)

vs.

Renting and taking advantage of the free parking for DVC members. (approx. $165.00)

Good to know about MK parking though, and we are within walking distance of 2 parks, still for the cost it might be better for us to rent a car and have it available whenever as well as peace of mind that our car will be ready for our return trip to the airport!

 

[tjkraz]

Given that the cost difference isn't significant, it may be worthwhile to rent a car. But keep this in mind:

Epcot and MGM are walking distance with boat service also available.

MK is the toughest park to which you would drive. During a busy period, I think it could easily take 45-60 minutes from the time you exit your hotel room to arrival at the turnstiles. Most of the Epcot area resorts do share busses, but others have pointed out that when staying at BWV, you are actually better of disembarking at the Dolphin or Swan and walking to your hotel.

That leaves AK and Downtown Disney. DD doesn't have the biggest parking lot, so you may have problems parking there in the evenings.

So, there's your reality check. We almost always have a car, so you're not going to get any arguments from me on the rental. For $40, it's probably worth it to have immediate access--particularly if there is anything else in Orlando you want to see.

 

[VanHouten]

We always rent a car. With two kids under the age of 8, it is so much easier to pack up the car and go to a park. Since parking is free for on-site guests, it is even more worth it. After a long day at a park, we'd prefer not to wait for a bus with two tired kids. We usually do take the bus to MK since it drops you right by the front door and you don't have to deal with the transportation center.

It also comes in handy when we travel up to Universal.

At the end of the trip it is nice to jump into the car and go straight to the airport.

For us, renting a car takes away so much stress. There is enough waiting in lines and enough things to add stress that a rental car really makes sense for us.

 

[lisareniff]

We had the same decision when we went for the first time in the fall. We rented. We found the following advantages from our stay at the BCV:

- We went to the grocery store to get supplies the next day and had the ability to make another trip if we forgot something. (due to late arrival we couldn't do a limo stop)
- Going to other resorts for dinner (AKL, Poly)
- Travel to golf course. (yes, they will set you up with a cab for free)
- Made an emergency trip to store for medicine late at night.
- DH peace of mind. (He needs his wheels)
- Transportation to MK (and AK if we had gone).

We actually thought driving to MK was easier then the bus for the times we went. We drove there twice and rode the bus once. The first day we had an early PS at the Crystal Palace at 8:30. We thought we would be cutting it too close trying to use the bus. It was so quick. The roads and parkinglot was empty. We were parked in the first row, so we didn't need to ride the tram. Walked onto a empty monorail for a first magical ride to MK. The next day was EMH and we decided to drive as well and arrived 10min before the gates opened. We had the a very similar experience to the first with the exception that the more passengers got on the monorail at the poly and GF. The third day my DH and DD(7) took the bus. It was crowded but OK, and didn't have to wait. On the way back there were a couple resort stops. My DD did enjoy the bus drivers bad jokes. Oh yea, we did drive back one evening for Spectro and Wishes. That wasn't quite as easy. The parking lot was more crowded and we had to walk and use the tram. On the way back after Wishes the line for the monorail was terrible. Perhaps, the bus is better later in the day.

 

[CarolMN]

We are BWV owners - if we are spending part of our vacation off site, we always rent a car. When we have a car at BWV, we always drive to Downtown Diseny and AK. If we have plans to visit one of the waterparks, minigolf, or one of the non-EPCOT deluxe resorts, we drive to those as well. We bus to the MK and either walk or boat to MGM & EPCOT.

Keep in mind that self-parking at BWV/BWI can be a challenge. Unfortunately, there are many who park there to go to EPCOT. It can be nearly impossible to find a spot in the late afternoon until after Illuminations. Of course, since you are DVC members, you can use the valet service for no charge except a tip.

We have spent several trips at BWV without a car. Transportation was always acceptable. Yes, sometimes we had to wait a bit longer than we would have liked (surprisingly, that was rare, though), but it's vacation and we didn't let it upset us. Sometimes, we just altered our plans a bit - there is almost always at least 3 ways to get to where you want to go. Sometimes we take a longer route so that we can get a seat rather than stand. In any event, I would not ever hesitate to stay at BWV without a car. It's all in your attitude!!

Best wishes -

 

[jaysue]

With the ages of your group and given the cost differential being small, I would lean towards a rental

As posted by others, when we stay at BCV/BWV, we walk to Epcot, sometimes walk or take the boat to MGM, drive to AK or BB or TL or DTD and take the Bus to MK

We find the car rental gives us flexibility

Having said that taking a town car/limo and using Disney transport does make it feel more like a vacation

thanks
jaysue

 

[bom_noite]

My personal opinion is that I would not take on a WDW vacation without a car. On my first stay at a WDW property (Caribbean Beach Resort), I waited 35 minutes for a bus - that was it. Never again.

After 10 years of shunning the transportation system I tried it again last year. I had to wait 25 minutes to get a bus from MK to OKW. Again I said - forget it!

We use the car (not the bus) to go the parks and then sneak back to the room for lunch and a quick nap before heading back to the park in the mid-afternoon. This saves the kids, our feet and everyones nerves. It is never fun to go on vacation and then having everyone irritated at one another due to heat and fatigue!

If you want to go to Boma (at AK Lodge) or visit the other DVC resorts for pool hopping, then, the transportation is slow. THis is because you will have to transfer bus's somewhere along the way. That will add a ton of time to your travel time.

Regardless, I agree with everyone else's comments. If you are staying at Boardwalk or Beach Club, then, you can probably make it without a car for a few days.

I recommended to a friend going for 7 days to get a car for 4 of those days. He did and said that is what he plans to do in the future.

The last thing to consider is the time you are going. May is not traditionally a busy time at WDW or Orlando. I travel extensively and find that Orlando is always one of the cheapest US cities for rental cars. If you shop around I am certain you can get a compact to mid-size for no more then $25.00 per day.

Others may disagree, but, that is always what has worked for us.

Good luck and have a good time.

 

[DebbieB]

We always rent a car, it's just easier to pickup and go. I have a reservation with National for May 2 to 8 for $133 incl tax, that's for an intermediate with Emerald Aisle, which will probably be upgraded to a full size. That's not much more than a towncar service roundtrip and you have transportation the entire time. I don't have the patience for crowded busses.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We stay at BWV and always rent a car. We use the car to shop for groceries, eat off-site, go to Downtown Disney, and to resort hop for some dinners. Last trip, I also drove to AK. Even though we have the car, we have always been pretty fortunate in taking buses to and from the MK, although I have left the return bus at the Swan and walked the rest of the way to BWV. My DW always rides the bus all the way around (of course, she usually takes the boats to and from MGM; when I'm going there by myself, I always walk both ways).

Given the relatively small premium to have a rental car, you can have the best of both worlds: use the car when you want to or need to and take Disney transporatation otherwise.

Ralph

 

[Ksp]

IMHO, we really like having a car with us. Sometimes we rent, other times we make the trek in our own car. I guess we've been lucky so far...it has never taken us very long to get into the parking area of the different parks. The real bonus comes at the end of the long day when you can sit in your own car and not have to wait for a bus/monorail seat. . (Yes, the line to exit the parking lot can be long....we either rush to beat the crowd, or make sure we dawdle and let everyone else fight to be first out of the park. )
We also keep sweater/extra clothes - sometimes extra drinks/snacks - in the car, depending on what time of year we're visiting. It saves carrying things in the park as well as paying for a locker.
For quick trips into the park, you can't beat taking Disney transport, or walking from BCV.
When we're there for the whole day/evening, it's nice to have "stuff" we can get to in the car.
If we park hop, it's just a judgement call whether we leave the car at park#1, go Disney transport to park#2...have fun, then Disney transport back to park#1 and drive home

 

[czy4dis]

We always rent a car (be prepared for tolls on the highway from the airport - $2). It's great for those late night runs out to get medicine(hopefully you won't needed it for that - when my dd was 7 months, old she got the chicken pox there!)

If you or a friend belong to AAA, they have parking passes that allow you to park just behind the disabled parking area at the parks.