Rent a car or take buses at POP Century??

[Cmbar]

I posted this on the resort boards but think maybe the transportation people might have some more input



Well this will be our first trip to POP Century in the peak of the summer. We are going the week of 4th of July. We are considering whether we should rent a car this time. We always use the Disney buses (and ME) so this would be a first for us. DH and I went on a quick trip this past March to All Star Sports and we did notice one thing about the buses: They were always crowded and we did have to walk far for the bus stops at the parks.

But my question is whether having a car rental would be any more convenient, mostly because I don't understand how you would go about driving to the parks. Is it difficult to drive to the parks? (we will have a TomTom) and what about parking? Can we park for free if we are resort guests? Do you have to walk far from the parking lots?? Just wondering if the car would be more or less convenient during a crowded week at Disney.

I don't relish sitting out in the hot sun in an uncovered bus stop at POP, but I also don't want to take forever to park and then have to figure out how to get to the front gate.

Any suggestions?

 

[goofy4tink]

Many people feel that it is best to drive their own cars to and from the parks. I'm not as big a fan of driving though. When you drive to the MK, you have to park in the TTC lot and then, in most cases, take the tram over to the TTC itself. Then you have to take either the ferry or the monorail to MK...much better to take the bus. But, MK is one of those parks where the POP bus stop is as far away as humanly possible!!
At DHS, the POP bus stop is one of the closest ones to the park entrance area. And again, if you park further out, you take the tram to the entrance.
At AK...the bus stop for POP is again a bit further out there. At Epcot it's about as far away as you can get.

You just have to weigh the differences. Once you get to the parking lots, it's pretty easy to find the park entrance.
And there is no charge for parking as long as you have the parking permit on your dashboard. You will get one of those when you check in at POP.

 

[mjones73]

Driving to the parks is pretty easy, there are signs everywhere. Parking is free for resort guests, they will give you a paper at the resort you just show at the parks. Each park has trams that will drive you in from the lots if you're parked too far back to walk.

I would prefer driving to all of the parks except MK, with MK you need to park, walk/take the tram to the TTC then take the ferry or monorail to MK where with the bus it drops you near the gate.

 

[princessjane]

If I have a car, I still take the bus to MK, Epcot and DHS (I drive to DTD and AK and Waterparks) unless it's the holidays. then I drive because the buses are usually packed with giant SUV sized Strollers! . I will always take a bus or boat to MK, it's just logistically easier. If I was going July 4th week, I'd take my car or a cab. I'm claustrophobic, crowded buses make me uncomfortable.

 

[OKW Lover]

We usually have a car and prefer to take it to just about any WDW destination. The sole exception is the MK. Going there by car requires parking in the main lot and taking the tram to the Monorail/Ferry before actually getting to the turnstiles, whereas the bus will drop you off right there.

 

[VAN]

I was at ASSp last September without a car. My DH and I really got frustrated with the bus situation and talked about renting a car in future. In the past we have driven down from Michigan with a camper (Ft. Wilderness) so always had a car before. From there we would drive to the parks with the exception of MK which was just a boat-ride away.

Anyway, we went again in March (ASMu) and rented a car. Granted, most of the stuff we did was off-site for that trip; however, I cannot tell you how much less stressful it was to have our own car!!

We are going again in September (POP) and will again have a car. We are taking DME to our resort and then will get a shuttle to the WDW Car Car Center to rent a car from National. Returning it to the airport upon departure.

It is extremely easy to navigate WDW property ESPECIALLY because the back of your resort map will have a map of the property. Signage is very good at WDW, however, you can get a bit discombobulated with directions. That's where the map comes in handy.

When you check in at your resort, they will ask if you need a parking pass. Say YES. It is just a piece of paper that shows your resort and arrival/departure dates. When entering/exiting guardhouse stations and/or parking toll booths, just show the paper and your resort ID and they'll wave you through. You will be able to drive directly from your resort to another resort, which is great!

I think the worst bus service is that for DTD ... always a mess, regardless of which resort you are staying at -- so the car, especially, makes it nice to visit DTD.

If a car rental does not fit into your budget, however, you'll be fine with WDW transportation ... just be prepared for some waits and being smashed in with other hot/sweaty bodies.

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If driving to a park, there will be lots of parking attendants to direct you to a spot. Make sure you take note of the parking area (they are all identified with a name/number) you are in. If you are way out, there will be a tram to take you up front. In any case, just follow the crowd!!! People coming and going all through the day, so there is absolutely no chance of you not knowing where to go once parked!! LOL.

If you took the tram to the front, upon exiting, get on another tram and they will call out the various parking sections. Just ride along, until they announce your stop.

 

[Resseda]

We generally stay at Pop, and either have our own car or rent one. I am not by any means an adventurous driver, and I love the freedom of having a car. We generally drive to the parks except MK, unless we are planning on leaving at closing time. After a long day in the parks, yes, it might be the same amount of time or a little longer to get to our car versus getting a bus, but our car has seating, bag space and AC for all! In the past, I found the bus from Pop to DTD felt like it drove through half the property, and from Pop, it is literally I think 2 turns. The signage is very clear, and we find that we do go offsite enough that it's worthwhile-2% milk, batteries, film, a Walmart or Winn Dixie trip...we find it worth the car.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

We always use a car, even to MK. Yes, you have to park in the main lot... but it takes less time to actually get into the park when you factor in the wait time for the buses, especially during peak times of the year. We've tested it twice and the car was faster both times. We don't mind parking and walking and the kids consider the monorail another WDW ride. Go figure.

We keep a cooler in the trunk and ice cold bottles of water are a real treat on a hot afternoon. We also keep a change of clothes, shoes and light sweaters in the trunk just in case. Eliminates the need to head back to the room when park hopping or venturing to the Atlantic.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We have stayed at Pop on numerous occasions and always rent a car. It's very easy to drive to the parks and for us just more convenient, especially at park closing time. We've also done the buses and can confirm that on average, having a car takes less time to get back to your resort. Plus you're not having to stand and wait for a bus after spending a long day walking in the park, and possibly having to stand on the bus on the way back to the resort.