Rental Car or WDW Buses to Get Around WDW?

[EWL]

Hi,
We'll have a rental car with us for the 4 days we're at POP and WDW before we drive to Port Canaveral for our DCL cruise. Is it faster/easier to get to the parks using our car rather than waiting for the WDW buses? We'll probably want to go back to the hotel for a break each day; is that doable with the buses? There is one day that we'll plan to be at MGM during the day but we have an ADR at Boma for dinner at AKL so figured it would be easier to drive there from POP. But trying to figure out whether to make the car our primary means of getting around or whether to rely on the buses. Thanks for any ideas!

 

[mareed]

I think you'll find the consensus here is that driving will be quicker to get to everywhere except MK because you have the extra transportation from the TTC if you drive. Some people don't want the "stress" of driving at WDW and prefer to use WDW transportation. Others are more stressed by waiting for a bus and then possibly having to stand on a bus.

So, I'd say it's faster to drive yourself. As to whether it's easier or not really depends on the individual. We prefer driving and think that it's quite easy to navigate around WDW. We like the control of being able to leave right when we want as opposed to waiting for a bus and possibly just missing one. We also prefer to know that we'll have a ride sitting down as opposed to standing on a bus. We almost always arrive prior to park opening so are parked close enough to walk and not have to take the parking lot tram. We've also always had a stroller, and I just don't think it looks very fun to have to carry your own stroller on the bus - much prefer just loading it in the trunk of the car. YMMV!

 

[EWL]

Thanks, that is very good to know!

I was thinking that since we'll have the car, why not use it-- but I was afraid that maybe everyone would think I was nuts since the WDW bus system can be pretty decent (at least it was last time I was there... but that was 6 or 7 years ago!).

 

[SFLTIGGER]

Hey there EWL!

Saw this post and just had to put my 2 cents in. We are just the opposite. Yes, sometimes you have to wait for a bus and sometimes they are crowded.

But, for us, I love just parking the car when we get there and leaving the keys in the room until we are ready to leave. It is part of my escape from the traffic of south Florida. We rent strollers at the parks so we don't have to worry about carrying them on the busses.

To each their own

 

[maui2k5]

I am wondering the same thing related to renting vs. using Magical Express & Disney Transportation...

My wife and I will be heading to WDW Sept 22-30 (free dining!) for another trip. We have been to Disney many times, but have never used Magical Express. Typically we park hop every day and are easily able to see everything over our 8 day period we would like to see. What I have never done is rent a car while there to get to the parks, other resorts or to Downtown Disney from our home resort. This will be our first time at Pop Century so I am not sure how efficient their transportation is in general.

On 4 of the 8 days we are in WDW, we will be eating at restaraunts that do not have direct transportaton from Pop Century. Dinner @ Spoodles, Dinner @ O'Hana, Dinner @ Boma and lunch at Trails End in Fort Wilderness (for nostalgia purposes).

Being that there are 4 days that we would have to either take an indirect route to our destinations or Taxi, what do you all think about renting a car from MCO for the entire week? The cost of an intermediate car is roughly $160 with unlimited miles from Budget. Taxi's would seem to add up quickly (~$15 each way) and indirect Busses can seem to take up a lof of time (i.e. Bus to MGM from Pop Century then catch a boat to the Boardwalk to get to Spoodles for example)

I have also read that Magical Express now picks you up 4 hours before your flight. Our flight is at 8 PM on our last day. If we were driving I would likely head back to MCO around 5:30 or so.

Thoughts?

 

[DonnaL]

We ALWAYS rent a car when at WDW and always drive everywhere.......everything is very well marked and if by chance you do make a wrong turn it's usually very easy to correct in a few minutes or check your WDW transportation map and simply take a different route to get where you're going! We always do carry a transportation map with us in the car for this purpose (I don't think they even hand them out anymore, but, you can print one online......just Google Walt Disney Transportation map and you'll have your choice of where to print from). On our last trip we did decide to take the bus one day.......big mistake.....took us well over an hour what should have been about 10 minutes by car. DH said "NOW I remember why we never use Disney buses to get anywhere"!! However, that said, we may decide to pass on our car rental in January if the prices don't come down at least a little bit. We need a minivan for this trip because there will be six of us and I cannot find anything for under $400......I did reserve one from Budget for $400, but, it's killing me to pay that (last year we got one for about $260).......so we may just use ME and the buses/boats/monorail yet!!!