Parking

[Tinkerbell Wilson]

I have a question about parking. This will be my DH & I's first time staying off property and renting a car. We will be staying near downtown disney. I was wondering if we could park at downtown disney and catch a bus (through a resort) from there in the morning to the parks or are we best off going to the TTC and parking there? We are annual passholders so the fee to park is not the issue. We are trying to avoid having to sit in traffic once we leave for the evening. Also, does anyone know how early and late the buses run from downtown disney to the resorts?
If anyone has any ideas it would be greatly appreciated.

Tammy

 

[maxiesmom]

You would be better off parking at the TTC. Parking at DownTown Disney, then catching a bus to a resort, than catching a park bus from that resort will eat up a lot of time. Way to much time, imho.

 

[Tinkerbell Wilson]

Thanks for the response. Thats what we thought, but does anyone know how early and late buses run between downtown disney and the resort hotels.

Tammy

 

[drew64]

I would not do it. Buses to/from DTD are the slowest one sat WDW and eat up a lot of time.

 

[Hannathy]

Actually the traffic leaving in the evening is crowded but runs pretty smoothly and steadily. Remember everyone has to exit the park out of one gate (except EPCOT) But not everyone is driving, and everyone gets into their cars and gets going at slightly different times. Traffic getting out of DTD at night is also very crowded and I think more of a hassle to maneuver in than the theme park traffic.

 

[MICKEEP]

Traffic is never really an issue on WDW property except after closing on New Years and on the 4th of July.

 

[CarolMN]

Buses to and from Downtown Disney generally do not start until just before Downtown Disney opens for the day (9 or 10 depending on the season).

You can't count on getting a bus to a resort from Downtown Disney for the first hour or so that it is open. That's because Disney assumes there won't be any resort guests who need to return to their resort so quickly. So just because a bus delivers guests from the Contemporary to DD (for example), doesn't mean it will be returning to the CR. Bus dispatch is probably going to send it elsewhere.

FWIW, Disney does not want guests parking at Downtown Disney to go to the parks. They used to have buses between DD and the parks, but too many people were parking there (probably to avoid the parking fee) and the stores at DD complained that their customers did not have a place to park. That's why those buses are no longer operating.

You can give your plan a try and see what you think. Personally, I think the time you spend doing it that way will far exceed the time you might spend in traffic leaving a park at the end of the day. The buses to the resorts are usually crowded, too, and then you willlikely have to wait quite a while for the DD bus. Most of the buses are serving the parks at closing time.

When we drive and stay to the closing, we really take our time leaving the park. Shop a little, sit a little, watch the people and then stroll out slowly. By then the lots have cleared some and we get back about the same time (or a bit later) without the stress of traffic congestion.

Buses run between DD and the resorts until at least 1 am (when PI closes) and often up to an hour later.

 

[goofy4tink]

Way too time consuming. The buses, to resorts from DTD, don't start until about the same time the park are opening. And you will find that they just don't run that frequently...at least not until it gets closer to 9:30 or so. There just aren't that many people heading to DTD that early.
If you got there and parked, then headed off to the bus stops, at say 8:30, a bus to a resort might not get there until close to 9. Then you have to ride to the resort, then change over to a park bus....you could very easily be looking at 90 mins to get to a park.
It really is a much better idea to park at the TTC, pay the $12, and head to parks from there. You an access all parks from that area.

 

[CarolMN]

OP said that they have APs so the parking fee isn't the issue.

 

[goofy4tink]

OP said that they have APs so the parking fee isn't the issue.

Well...there ya go....park at the TTC. Much easier.
As for traffic at night....man, I've never seen traffic like the traffic at DTD at night. That's the one place at WDW that I don't want to have to drive...at night anyway.

 

[dioxide45]

I dee no benefit to doing what the OP suggests. They have APs. Traffic leaving in the evenings is a non-issue. The bottle neck leaving the parks is at the tram, or monorail/ferry at MK. One in your car, traffic is not an issue and flows quite quickly.

Parking at DTD and using the bus system is just plain silly if you have APs. Even parking at the TTC and taking busses from there to other parks is not good, just drive to the other parkds, even Epcot.

 

[Tinkerbell Wilson]

Thanks you so much for all of the helpful advice. I think we will just try our luck parking at the TTC. I think that will be the best place and hopefully like others have said the traffic really wont be to much of an issue!

Tammy

 

[Minniemama350]

Another reason to park at the TTC: We were there at peak capacity and told not to move our car because we could likely end up with no where to park. Parking at TTC made it so we could get where we wanted to go without needing to move our car. We tried the bus thing. It is a little tricky and you could end up calling a cab. Driving really wasn't that bad and it definitely was less time consuming!

 

[Hannathy]

Thanks you so much for all of the helpful advice. I think we will just try our luck parking at the TTC. I think that will be the best place and hopefully like others have said the traffic really wont be to much of an issue!

Tammy

If traffic is your main concern avoid DTD completely! The parking is a zoo and very congested, filled with impatient tourists who don't know where they are going but want to go fast, and stop on a dime to see something or if they see a spot open up, plus tourists and kids walking out from between cars and crossing without looking and it is a disaster! Add darkness and they are in unfamiliar cars(rentals) and it is even worse.