Parking vs Buses the walking factor

[moonpie85]

Okay so we've always relied on Disney transportation and honestly have been pretty happy with it. We are considering renting a car this trip for the first time because we have a baby now. The thought of waiting for a bus with a screaming baby doesn't sound too fun. Not to mention dealing with the stroller, etc.

My question is: How much more walking is involved when you park? I know thats an odd question but at the end of the day we're exhausted and sometimes just getting to the bus stop seems like too much. So is there an extreme amount of walking involved with parking? I just have this huge out of control parking lot pictured in my head

 

[dudspizza]

Okay so we've always relied on Disney transportation and honestly have been pretty happy with it. We are considering renting a car this trip for the first time because we have a baby now. The thought of waiting for a bus with a screaming baby doesn't sound too fun. Not to mention dealing with the stroller, etc.

My question is: How much more walking is involved when you park? I know thats an odd question but at the end of the day we're exhausted and sometimes just getting to the bus stop seems like too much. So is there an extreme amount of walking involved with parking? I just have this huge out of control parking lot pictured in my head

Well, at MK you will have to park at the TTC and walk to the tram spot. You will then have to fold the stroller and ride the tram. Unfold the stroller and get to the monorail or ferry. Ride to park and then you are finally there.

The other parks are a it easier. Walk from your car (we always seem to get unlucky) and sent to the end of the row). Fold the stroller and ride the tram.

It is up to you. We find riding Disney transport easier, but not everyone does.

Duds

 

[Marshel]

Besides the MK, the tram pickup/drop off locations are closer to the park entrances than the bus stops. The tram will pick you up at the end of the row where you park when they pick you up from the parking lot on your way in. If you drive to a park later in the day and they are not directing you to a space you can park in any available space towards the near end of the row to minimize the amount of walking.

 

[goofy4tink]

It all depends on where you end up parking. At Epcot, it's not too bad unless you get there after 9:30am. DHS has the tram, but if you end up further out, the tram ride can add time. With MK, it's the same, but once you are off the tram, you have to either monorail or ferry over to MK.
AK has the tram as well, but we usually just get a spot close enough to walk from.
Is it going to be less walking when driving vs busing??? Probably not. But, if you want to avoid bus lines, with a tired baby and a stroller, then a car is going to make more sense for you.

 

[Brian Noble]

Over the course of an entire vacation, the extra walking is probably about a push. For self-parking, you generally only walk to the trams and then from the tram to your car. The tram stop is usually closer than the bus stop (except at MK, as noted). You might park very close to the tram, or a little farther, depending on luck of the draw.

Depending on your resort, you can usually park closer to your room than the bus stop, though there are exceptions. Deluxes often have parking farther away. Values and Mods often have parking closer. OKW is my favorite for self-driving, as you park right outside your door.

Ultimately, there is no pixie dust in transportation. It stinks to get from one place to the other, no matter how you do it. I think the car is a little more pleasant, but it is not without its drawbacks.

 

[SoccerDad]

If you are visiting a park when crowds are low (which may be the case in October 2011?) then there is the possibility that you will park close enough that the tram won't run to/from your section. Instead you just need to hoof it from your car directly to/from the gate.

Personally we always prefer that to waiting for the tram ride to/from the gate, especially a few years back when we had a stroller with us. Depending upon when you exit the park the tram line wait can be a little while, plus there is the hassle of collapsing the stroller to load it on the tram.

 

[grimley1968]

I think renting a vehicle with a baby is wise. It's so much nicer to stroll a sleeping baby out of the parks at night than to have to get said baby out of the stroller, risk waking the baby up and/or having the baby cry at the bus stop, where you may have to wait in a line and maybe even wait on a second bus depending on crowds. If you ride the tram you have to fold down a stroller, but we don't normally ride the trams at the other parking lots.

Yes, it's always going to be more walking to get to the parking lots than to the bus stops, but to me it's usually worth it.

As others have said, though, the big exception is MK, because of the necessity of riding the monorail or ferry to the TTC, and then walking to the TTC parking lot, and then catching a tram. Getting to your car is a much longer process here, so we always rely on Disney transportation to/from MK.

We often drive to the other parks, since we normally drive down to WDW anyway, unless we have non-bus access to other parks.

 

[cel_disney]

We didnt rent a car until we had 2 kids to lug around...with 1 kid (we went when he was 11 months, and then for his 2nd and 3rd bdays), we found disney transportation to be great...

Folding up the stroller and holding my sleeping kid on teh bus was way less disruptive than putting him in his carseat in a hot car!!

And we spent alot of time at MK and disney transport is by far better there than parking because of the trip to TTC...

For what its worth - we traveled with our Inglesina Zippy stroller...and we always went back to the room for a mid day break...and we always stayed at POFQ (I think this is a factor - as if we had multiple bus stops etc, it might not have been as easy)