Should we drive around Disney?

[DaveRH]

Hi All,

My wife an I went on our honeymoon to Disney, and we absolutely loved it, and we're in the process of planning an anniversary trip there next year.

One thing that really stuck out in both our minds was how much time seemed to be wasted waiting for bus transportation from our resort to the parks etc.

We're thinking about Renting a car this time and driving ourselves around... what are the pros / cons of transporting yourself rather than using the bus system?

Thanks!

 

[Cherinva]

I've done both and IMHO I will use the Disney buses when I stay on property. It seems like a lot of time, but it's just as long when you drive...you have to park, then take a tram to the entrance. Also, at closing it can take a considerable amount of time to exit the parking lots.

You will probably get various thoughts on this. It is nice to have your own car to be able to leave property if you want to, but for us, we enjoy not having to drive anymore. You could try it on your next trip, and see for yourself if it's for you or not.

 

[CourtneyL]

We've done both, and for us, renting a car is the way to go. We usually visit at slower times of the year and find that the buses are less frequent or are shared between resorts. It took up a lot of time for us. When we rent a car we usually make one stop at Target for stuff on the way to Disney and usually don't leave property once we are there.
On one of our trips we stayed at carribean beach and usually drove to the parks. It would take us maybe 10 or 15 minutes to get to the gate at HS. When we used the buses, it would be closer to 45 minutes since we had to wait for the bus, then the bus would stop at other sections of the resort before finally going to the park.

I think as long as you don't mind driving while on vacation then having a car can be very useful.

 

[Pembo]

We love having our car at Disney. It is a time saver and parking is not that difficult. There is nothing better than quickly getting in your car after a long day at the park as opposed to waiting with hundreds at the bus stop.

 

[DaveRH]

Thanks for the input guys, we aren't planning on going at peak season, (but not the slowest time either... early May)

This is exactly the experience we had, where many times the bus didn't come for much longer than 40 minutes.

Even if it's not much faster, we'd still like it more if we were talking for most of the time, rather than sitting and waiting for a ride.

We're also planning on going off site a few days, so we'll need a car for at least part of the trip, just trying to decide if it will be fore the whole trip.

Also, do you have to pay for parking if you are staying at a Disney property?

Thanks again!

 

[jakenjess]

We always have a car, and we pretty much take it everywhere except the MK. Doesn't really save time there, as you still have to take a tram and then the monorail or ferry. The only other times we use the bus is in the evenings if DH and I are going to DTD or Epcot and may have a couple drinks -- then it's great to know you have a designated driver back to the resort ;-)

 

[jakenjess]

Also, do you have to pay for parking if you are staying at a Disney property?

Thanks again!

You do not have to pay for parking. You'll have a resort parking pass in your windshield, and they'll just wave you through at the park entrance.

 

[Butterbunkins]

I’m a fan of Disney transportation and in the past used it the majority of the time. However, now that I’m married to a non-flyer we drive to Disney and have the car anyway so we use it (most of the time, still board buses on some occasions). As long as we have the car I find it more convenient to use it, but if I ever find myself flying to Disney for some reason, I will use their transportation exclusively.

It’s true that it can take a while to get out of the parking lot at the end of the day, but the same can be said for boarding the buses.

Weigh the costs if that is a factor and if it isn’t do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Really depends..

MK ALWAYS, ALWAYS take Disney transport. Getting to that parking lot is not fun.... Boat/or monorail, tram etc.... Especially at park closing! Or opening. (those people getting off the buses have a good head start on you!)

AK- I drive
MGM - I go so rarely who knows

Epcot Depends.. if I am having some "adult" beverages Disney drives. If not, I drive

 

[tazlikesrobots]

Done it both ways, but I prefer to leave the driving to someone else while at WDW

 

[figment_jii]

My family likes to rent a car now, but we still use the buses/boats/monorail on occasion. As others have said, it's much easier to use Disney transportation to MK. Other than that, the car is pretty easy. We stay at the Epcot area resorts, so it's easier to drive to AK and DTD (especially DTD because the two times we did the bus back it was horrible - long lines, crowded buses, etc.). My family also likes to eat different resorts, so it's easier to drive than to try and catch buses and transfer.

 

[jerseygirl81]

We always rent a car. Before doing the dining plan we ate outside of the parks and would occasionally use the disney transportation. I don't like standing in a bus line after park closing and then possibly standing on a bus or waiting for the next bus. We have never waited in traffic to get out of the parking lots must be our timing and the parking trams are constantly running one after another so we've had a minimal wait if any. We like to eat at the other resorts as well as the parks and we would'nt do that if we had to take conncecting buses. I find our vacation time valuable and don't like to waste it waiting for a bus. I'm sure many will disagree with me but I think its something you have to experience for yourself and unless you've tried both ways you wont know whats best for you. There are great discounts to be found on the transportation boards and well as Mousesavers. We always get a great rate since discovering them. Linda

 

[pigletto]

Thanks for the input guys, we aren't planning on going at peak season, (but not the slowest time either... early May)

This is exactly the experience we had, where many times the bus didn't come for much longer than 40 minutes.

Even if it's not much faster, we'd still like it more if we were talking for most of the time, rather than sitting and waiting for a ride.

We're also planning on going off site a few days, so we'll need a car for at least part of the trip, just trying to decide if it will be fore the whole trip.

Also, do you have to pay for parking if you are staying at a Disney property?

Thanks again!

We went the first week of May this year and rented a car for the first time. I never really minded the buses before but now I don't think I ever want to go without a car. It was so nice to come and go as we pleased!
We also were able to really cut down on the travel time to our ADR's. We used to have to leave so early in case there were any problems with the buses.

Honestly, the only park that I would still take a bus to is the Magic Kingdom because you still have to rely on a ferry or monorail to get you from the TTC to the park after you've parked so the convenience wasn't really there.
But the rest of the trip I just loved having the car. I can assure you that it significantly cut down on our travel time.

And no, you won't have to pay for parking if you are staying on property.

 

[Southernswthrt]

...we rented a car for first time in 2007 and never took DT again...try it!