Rookie Question - Hopping/Parking

[rsm1963]

We're making our first trip to WDW in June and unfortantely staying off property. Where is the best place to park and do the monorails go from park to park? Should we park @ the park we want to start the day @ and hop from there?? Thanks!

 

[kmccartney]

The monorail will only take you between MK (TTC) & Epcot, not to Studios, and AK. Since you are staying off property you will have to pay to park, however your parking ticket (stub) will allow you to park at any park for that entire day, so if for example you pay your parking at the Epcot lot first, then you drive to Animal Kingdom that day, you only have to show the ticket booth attendant your ticket and you don't pay again. I hope that this help, and have a GREAT trip!

 

[rsm1963]

oh that is good to know the monorail only runs between the 2 parks. I had looked @ google earth and noticed that but thought maybe old satellite image. So they provide shuttle buses between everything else then? Thanks so much! I'm so excited!

 

[rwdavis2]

IMHO, it would probably be faster to drive between parks except for between MK and Epcot. At least, that's been our experience.
Bob

 

[WillCAD]

After 21 trips, I'm a die-hard self-driver!

WDW transportation will take you from anywhere, to anywhere on WDW property, but it is not as quick as self-driving in most cases, particularly when going from one resort to another or when trying to get from a park to Downtown Disney (there is no direct transportation from the parks to DTD or vice versa, to discourage off-site people from parking at DTD to escape the parking fee).

Because of the time factor involved, I drive myself everywhere and save plenty of time.

The best thing you can do to prepare for your trip is to pan around the online maps and get familiar with the road system in and around Disney property. It's a huge area, with lots of numbered roads, and can be confusing if you're not at least somewhat familiar with the basic layout. I use Live.com for my maps, and I love the Bird's Eye view, which is detailed enough to help me navigate just about anywhere and recognize landmarks.
WillCAD's Custom Live.com map of Walt Disney World

 

[chartle]

oh that is good to know the monorail only runs between the 2 parks. I had looked @ google earth and noticed that but thought maybe old satellite image. So they provide shuttle buses between everything else then? Thanks so much! I'm so excited!

Transportation is such a big topic that it has its own forum.

If you post there it would be best to ask a specific questions like how to get from here to here by taking Disney Transportation.

There are a multitude of possibilities and it depends on where you start and end.

But if you have a car it will almost always be best to drive your car to the park you are visiting at that time. Each park has its own parking lot, the Magic Kingdom's parking lot is at the TTC (Ticket & Transportation Center).

Yes you could park at the TTC and take buses or the monorail or in some cases boats to get you to the various parks but its going to take a big chunk of time out of the day.