Question about busses vs. driving yourself

[shafke]

Actually, it's quite simple to get to Fort Wilderness from the Poly.

Just take the monorail from the Poly to Magic Kingdom.

Get off at the Magic Kingdom and take the direct boat to Ft. Wilderness. From there it is a short walk to the restaurants.

If you take a cab to Ft. Wilderness, then the cab will leave the Poly, have to pass the Grand Floridian and drive all the way around the Magic Kingdom parking lot, then come back up World Drive and back through the Magic Kingdom toll booth then turn down the road to Ft. Wilderness. You will be dropped at the front desk of Ft. Wilderness. From there you will then need to walk over to the bus stop and take a Yellow, Orange, or Purple bus to get to the Settlement area. (Yellow is the quickest, then Purple, then Orange). From the Settlement bus stop is a slightly longer walk to the restaurants than from the Marina.

Actually the more direct route from the Poly to FW by car/cab is to make a left out of the main entrance. Go past TTC and make a right at the traffic light (going straight would take you to WL). Just before the MK tolls you will make a left (you have no choice since that is the way the road goes) and this road will bring you to FW. You then need to park/be dropped off at the visitor lot and take the internal FW bus to the settlement depot. Total time for this is about 45 minutes.

It would be about the same to take either the monorail or the boat to the MK and then boat to FW.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We wouldn't be w/o a car at WDW. We use it to go everywhere on property.

 

[Michael623]

I don't know if it's relevant in your case but Annual Pass holders get free parking too and only 1 person in your party needs an AP. This driving vs parking debate is one of the most polarizing on these boards. I am on the 100% driving team (always stay on-site) and appreciate the car the most at the end of a long theme park day.

 

[WillCAD]

And this describes to a T the crowds I have seen lined up at the TTC waiting for a parking tram, FWIW.

Those are the inexperienced self-drivers who don't know any better.

Those of us with more experience plan our day better. We either leave earlier and beat the crowd to the lot, or we leave later and get to the lot after the crowd has dissipated. MK is also the only lot where I routinely take the parking lot tram, since the lot is so large and it's difficult for a late riser like me to get there early enough to be within walking distance. But at the other three parks, I rarely need the tram; I simply walk from my car to the gates in the morning, and walk back in the evening. If I'm tired and the tram is not full, I will sometimes take the tram in the evening.

Self-driving, like any other aspect of a WDW vacation, is better is you know what to expect ahead of time and have a plan to deal with it.

BTW: At the same time that you see those exhausted folks leaning on the rails at the parking lot tram station, there are also exhausted folks leaning against the rails at all of the park bus stops, waiting as bus after bus fills up and leaves without them. The crush of people flooding out of the parks at closing time makes any mode of transportation crowded and exhausting, which is why I plan my evening to avoid that mass exodus whenever possible.

 

[DebbieB]

And this describes to a T the crowds I have seen lined up at the TTC waiting for a parking tram, FWIW.

I used several trams last week with no problems (I did go at park opening but not at park closing). Little waits, got a seat with no problem. I've never waited for a tram longer than 5 minutes, a typical bus wait can be 15 or 20 minutes. And I've never had to stand.

 

[Jestocost]

Those are the inexperienced self-drivers who don't know any better.

And many of the Disney transport problems that get cited (NOT the OP's, so don't go there) are from inexperienced travelers who don't know any better.

I used several trams last week with no problems (I did go at park opening but not at park closing). Little waits, got a seat with no problem. I've never waited for a tram longer than 5 minutes, a typical bus wait can be 15 or 20 minutes. And I've never had to stand.

And I used Disney transport exclusively on our trip in May/June and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.

I guess none of us wins the debate, huh? But that's never been my point. My point is that by and large the Disney transportation system is an efficient form of public transportation. If you know how to use it and have reasonable expectations, you will be satisfied the vast majority of the time. That doesn't mean that Disney transport is better and that everyone will be happy with it even when it is running efficiently. Many people prefer to drive for a variety of reasons, but that in and of itself doesn't make driving "better" than using Disney transport.

Disney transport can have its problems and doesn't always work the way it should, as the OP's situation clearly demonstrates. But driving is far from perfect , however, as cars break down, traffic develops, people who don't know exactly where they are going get lost and confused, etc.

In the end, it comes down mostly to a matter of personal preference. I prefer to use Disney transport. You may prefer to drive. There's really no debate that can be "won" or "lost" there.

 

[charissemp]

We were just there in early June, and we only used our car about 3 out of the 12 days. We were at WL and just thought the boats and busses worked pretty well.
We decided that with rental fees on the rise, we'll just forego the expense of renting a car next time.

 

[WillCAD]

And many of the Disney transport problems that get cited (NOT the OP's, so don't go there) are from inexperienced travelers who don't know any better.



And I used Disney transport exclusively on our trip in May/June and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.

I guess none of us wins the debate, huh? But that's never been my point. My point is that by and large the Disney transportation system is an efficient form of public transportation. If you know how to use it and have reasonable expectations, you will be satisfied the vast majority of the time. That doesn't mean that Disney transport is better and that everyone will be happy with it even when it is running efficiently. Many people prefer to drive for a variety of reasons, but that in and of itself doesn't make driving "better" than using Disney transport.

Disney transport can have its problems and doesn't always work the way it should, as the OP's situation clearly demonstrates. But driving is far from perfect , however, as cars break down, traffic develops, people who don't know exactly where they are going get lost and confused, etc.

In the end, it comes down mostly to a matter of personal preference. I prefer to use Disney transport. You may prefer to drive. There's really no debate that can be "won" or "lost" there.

I guess it comes down to how you define "efficient". In most ways, the WDW transportation system is very efficient; it moves lots of people from lots of places to lots of places on a daily basis. It's fairly easy to understand, and will take you anyplace you want to go on WDW property.

But when you add the time factor in, the efficiency goes down somewhat. Don't get me wrong - I still think that WDW transport compares favorably with any major city's transit system, particularly when it comes to cleanliness of the equipment and operator relations. But it's still slow; when it takes you 50 minutes to get from Pop to Pleasure Island by bus - including waiting, loading, and additional stops - yet it only takes 15 minutes by car, I consider that slow. And if you're going from one resort to another, travel times can exceed 90 minutes - yet there is no place on WDW property that is more than 20 minutes from any other place by car, except MK, since the lot is on the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon.

That's why I choose to self-drive instead of using WDW transport, most of the time. Self-driving saves me as much as an hour per day, depending on my itinerary, and on days when I have a meal at another resort, it can save me as much as two hours.

An hour per day doesn't sound like much, but after an 8-day trip, that 8 hours equals a whole extra park day.

 

[goofy4tink]

Those are the inexperienced self-drivers who don't know any better.

Those of us with more experience plan our day better. We either leave earlier and beat the crowd to the lot, or we leave later and get to the lot after the crowd has dissipated. MK is also the only lot where I routinely take the parking lot tram, since the lot is so large and it's difficult for a late riser like me to get there early enough to be within walking distance. But at the other three parks, I rarely need the tram; I simply walk from my car to the gates in the morning, and walk back in the evening. If I'm tired and the tram is not full, I will sometimes take the tram in the evening.

Self-driving, like any other aspect of a WDW vacation, is better is you know what to expect ahead of time and have a plan to deal with it.

BTW: At the same time that you see those exhausted folks leaning on the rails at the parking lot tram station, there are also exhausted folks leaning against the rails at all of the park bus stops, waiting as bus after bus fills up and leaves without them. The crush of people flooding out of the parks at closing time makes any mode of transportation crowded and exhausting, which is why I plan my evening to avoid that mass exodus whenever possible.

Ahhh, but that same 'experience' works for those using the buses as well. I seldom leave the park at closing with the huge crowd...it's an incredible moving mass of humanity...moving toward the buses. Instead, I either leave the park about 30 mins before closing, or wait until about 30 mins after it closes...just sit and enjoy a Mickey bar or a last Dole Whip..whatever. I have been able to avoid standing on the bus, or waiting more than 20 mins for the bus to get there, that way.

Are the buses perfect? Heck no. Let's keep in mind that it is public transportation for all intents and purposes. It is not a service that allows only 50 people on a bus, everyone in a seat. It does not always provide direct access to your final destination. And yes, it sometimes slows down in order to allow those who have mobility issues to board safely. It is no different than any bus you will find in the majority of our cities. A large number of people have no issues what-so-ever with the buses. They don't mind that they may be shoulder to shoulder with others, or that it may not get them to their destination as quickly as a car would.
On the other hand, there are those guests who wouldn't think of being without a car. I've had a car onsite before. And will probably do it again. But for me, it's just nice to not have to worry about getting from point A to point B...I just let the purple panted wonders get me there. Even my dh, who would never be seen on public transit at home, has no issue with the buses...go figure.

It's up to each person to decide for themselves what is going to work the best for their family. The one statement I will take issue with is the one that says that the value resort bus stops are always the furthest from the park entrance. Not so. At DHS, POP is the first stop you come to. At DTD, again, the first one in the row. Yes. at MK and Epcot the stop for POP is waaaaay down the line, the last one in both cases. At AK, it's not that big a deal.

 

[tkldisney]

I prefer to have a car in WDW. In my experience it's almost always quicker to drive yourself than use the buses.

I totally agree!! The only Disney transportation we use is the monorail or boat from the TC to MK and back. Every once in a while ride the parking lot trams. Have diamond pass, so that makes it easy for us.

 

[MinnieMommy07]

I really love that Disney is gracious enough to provide it's guests with free transportation. Imagine how much money that they spend on their guests just for THAT! Many people truly believe that they have it made in the shade because they don't have to drive to and from wherever they need to go... and that is good for them!

On the other hand, many other people like their own transportation (like my family). The one thing that REALLY had me set on driving ourselves was getting into the car and being able to have a normal conversation with my family. I know this is such a small thing that we normally take for granted, but when you are in theme park after theme park and booked at a hotel without a vacancy, this truly is one of the only times where you will be alone with your family- besides sleeping!