Should we use the bus or our rented car to get to parks?

[dejavugirl]

I'm just curious...We'll be staying onsite for the first time, and is it best to use the buses, or should we just use the car we're renting to get to and from the parks? We're staying at the Carribean Beach Resort, so I know it's a bit of a ways from Magic Kingdom. Also we have a breakfast at the Polynesian one morning....again...bus or car?

Which will save us time?

 

[aurorae]

In general, drive to all the parks except MK. Unless you want to take the monorail or the boat from the TTC to the MK for some reason.

For the Poly, you have lots of options. That time I might drive to the TTC, monorail to the Poly, then monorail to either MK or Epcot leaving the car at TTC.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Welcome to the DIS, dejavugirl.

I always have a rental car, stay on site. I use bus, boat, monorail for generally everything but Downtown Disney, resort visits. Disney transportation works very well. Enjoy.

 

[shafke]

When we stayed at the CBR we used the car about 1/2 the time. Since we were also in Trinidad South I would use the car to go to the food court to get breakfast to bring back to the room so we could eat while we got ready.

 

[pixarmom]

In part, I think it depends if you are traveling with kids and whether you're in a hurry. We have three boys and part of the vacation experience for me is not having to get them in and out of the car. (They are very slow getting into the car - if we say the Disney bus/boat/monorail is coming, watch how fast they can go!!!)

Even before kids, we used the Disney bus (including our stay at CBR.) I'm not sure it's always faster, but we liked not having to deal with the car, parking, etc. and Disney transportation always brings you right up to the gates.

Finally, we're never really in a hurry. We're at rope drop each day, but we always arrive at bus stop/boat dock/monorail/start walking to the park we're going to an hour before park opening. And we never have breakfast ADRs. So that makes it easy for us, even when we don't know exactly when the bus/boat/monorail will arrive and how long it will take to get to the park.

 

[carol-lamb]

We have always rented a car when visiting WDW. I just returned yesterday from a senior spring break trip with my daughter and her friend. Prices to rent a car were pretty high for the week because of it being Easter (and I was a little nervous about having to do all the driving myself around WDW) so we decided to just skip the rental car and use Disney transportation (and magical express to and from the airport) for the whole week. I was really nervous that it would be a big hassle, especially with the extra crowds because of Easter, and almost rented a car at the last minute. Well, let me tell you that I'm glad I didn't because I loved using the buses. The longest we probably waited was 15 minutes (at the Aruba bus stop at CBR) and that was only once the whole week. Most waits were about 5 or 10 minutes and sometimes even less than that - both from CBR and all of the parks and Downtown Disney.

We usually visit in the summer when it is so horribly hot and humid and I told my daughter that we will use the buses then too because it sure was nice to step into an air conditioned bus after leaving the parks. There is nothing worse in the summer than walking through the hot parking lots and then opening your car after it has been parked for hours and it feels like a sauna inside. I loved the buses.

 

[jrsmom]

I'm just curious...We'll be staying onsite for the first time, and is it best to use the buses, or should we just use the car we're renting to get to and from the parks? We're staying at the Carribean Beach Resort, so I know it's a bit of a ways from Magic Kingdom. Also we have a breakfast at the Polynesian one morning....again...bus or car?

Which will save us time?

For your early ADR, there are resort busses that start very very early for folks who have early adr's. We have always used the resort bus for this, if you tell the driver that you are going to the poly, they will mosr likely drop you off at teh hotel. We have never had a problem getting to our early adr's. Check at your hotel to see what time the first bus will be there and make sure that you are out there a few minutes before .

 

[IslandAdventure4]

We have always taken the Magicial Express from the airport right to our hotel. To me that is one of the great things about Disney, I dont have to drive anywhere!!!! We always stay on Property and never have a reason to have a car. I guess in future trips if we decide to take a trip over to Sea World, or Universal a car would come in handy, but until we do, I really enjoy having someone else do the driving

 

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

Another thing to consider when you are taking a rented car vs. the Disney bus, unless you have someone in your party with an annual passparking is $14 a day when you take your car and nothing when you ride the bus. Don't know if that would be a factor for you, but something I thought might be worth considering.

We always take our car everywhere on Disney property, but we are also all FL annual passholders. When we stay on property we never use the bus jjust because you can never gauge the wait when you are wanting to leave a park.

Good luck! Have a great trip!

 

[luvindis]

One of the greatest things we like about Disney is that when we get to our hotel and unload the car we don't see it again until the day we leave. I sell cars for a living and my dh is a police officer so he is in one for 12 hour shifts.
Its a GREAT break for us

 

[itchin2go]

Another thing to consider when you are taking a rented car vs. the Disney bus, unless you have someone in your party with an annual passparking is $14 a day when you take your car and nothing when you ride the bus. Don't know if that would be a factor for you, but something I thought might be worth considering.

We always take our car everywhere on Disney property, but we are also all FL annual passholders. When we stay on property we never use the bus jjust because you can never gauge the wait when you are wanting to leave a park.

Good luck! Have a great trip!

They're staying on property, so parking would be free.

OP - Some people like to take the car everywhere. They don't have to wait for busses, and they make their own schedule. Even these folks like to point out that the MK is a different beast because of the TTC.

Some people like to kick back and let Disney do the driving. They don't have to worry about directions. Just get on the right bus/monorail/boat in plenty of time, and relax.

Some people do a mix of both. This is what we did on our last trip. Disney transportation to and from the parks. Drive to/from resorts or DTD.

Have a great trip!

 

[candielips]

I think many of us do the same thing. Drive to every park except MK.
We find driving ourselves much quicker and w/ little kiddies time makes all of the difference. Plus I HATE folding up our stroller and trying to make them wait in yet another line.
Once you learn your way around the entire WDW "compound" it really isn't that far away. You'll do great!

 

[PrincesCJM]

I have rented a car and always drive it to the parks. On our most recent trip, we took the bus back to POFQ for a mid-day break two times. We arrive for rope drop and wanted the car to be as close to the entrance as possible when we left at night. At mid-day, the bus was nearly empty. I personally have a hard time being dependent upon someone else - like bus transportation, and I don't think that I would enjoy a crowded bus ride.

 

[Planogirl]

This would be a matter of personal preference. We prefer to drive most of the time but others enjoy not having to fool with a car. You could try the Disney transportation and stick with it if you enjoy it or switch to a car if you don't.

 

[DisneyLover940]

Definitely drive!! I hate being in a crowded bus packed in like cattle. Driving is quick and easy. You can go and leave whenever you want to without having to worry about how long you will be waiting for the bus. Everyone is right on here though it truly depends on the kind of people you are. My family is a get up and go go dont like to wait so driving is great. However if people dont want to drive in Disney they use the buses. We just got back from being there this past week April 1-9 and we did drive to MK we always do. But after this time I think we might take the bus from now on. We are early risers and MK opened at 7AM on April 3. We parked and wanted to take the monorail and we had to take the resort monorail and not the MK express one because it was not open yet. Was not a happy camper. So after that I think we will take the bus to MK but still drive to the three other parks.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

This subject gets lots of opinions both ways. I live about 2 hours away so we have our own car but once we park it at the resort it usually stays there. I don't want to have to worry about finding a parking spot, jumping on a tram, and having to rememeber where I parked when it's time to go. Oh I forgot to mention after a day at the parks we really don't want to get in our car and fight traffic to get to our room. People complain about the transportation system I've never had a problem with it. I don't know if it's because they have to wait or what but I look at it like this: People wait and hour to ride space mountain but can't wait 30 minutes to catch a bus to get them to their resort.

 

[tndisneyfan]

We've been to WDW several times and always used the busses to get to the parks. I had read on the boards about people staying onsite but driving to the parks and I always thought they were crazy, why drive when you can have someone else drive you. In March we stayed offsite for the first time and of course had to drive to the parks. DH and I both really liked it. If you have an ADR or want to get to the parks for rope drop, I think driving is much easier. You don't have to waste time waiting for the bus. I've read about traffic nightmares but I didn't see any. The week we were there was very busy and we didn't have any problems. In think at TTC one morning we had two or three cars in front of us, that was it. It was the same at EP and DHS, we didn't do AK. At all the parks we didn't wait more than a couple of minutes for the tram to and from the parks. We are staying at CSR in June, and I will use WDW transportation some, but will probably drive more.

If you get there later in the day, everything could be different. For example, if you hit the parks at 11:00 a.m., you may experience all the problems I've read about on the boards.

 

[savvy?71]

This is our 1st trip NOT renting a car (staying on prop at Wilderness Lodge Villas). I figured lets really immerse ourselves and see how it is. Rather a huge leap for me being somewhat of a control freak, and who always loves having the rental (Chik-Fil-A to go/Super Target trips!) Ah well.

I am a bit nervous having never used the buses, but reviews/consistency seem pretty good. I have 2 rope drops and an early morning EMH planned. One AK day, one DHS day (which may be a half day). Most time will be Epcot and MK this trip, which I think makes things easier not having a car.

My husband still asks me (11 days before we leave) 'I can still get a car if you want!'. But I am determined to try the system . We are early risers and the other key is to budget time wisely (know where we want/need to go, time to get there, and which route to take).

 

[Disney71]

We have done both, no rental car while staying at CBR and rental car at WL. There are benefits to using the disney buses and having your own transportation, but for us we will always rent a car. We did not have very good "timing" at CBR and had very very long wait times (over 30 mins) for buses which made for a cranky start to the day. We found that having our own car allowed us not to worry about missing buses and allowed us to relax more. We also believe that driving was a faster option in general (seems like those buses take some funky routes to the parks, lol). We did enjoy using the boats at WL to MK, but we don't mind driving to MK. Driving to MK brings back all kinds of childhood memories - love the ferry or monorail over to the MK from TTC!!

 

[disnut8]

It will depend on each situation as well as exactly where you room is located at the Caribbean Beach. If your closest bus stop is one of the first to be picked up, that means you will have to sit through all the rest of the Caribbean internal bus stops until you actually leave the grounds. That's not going to save you that much time. However, if your closest bus stop is one of the last to be picked up, you will leave for the park almost immediately. Of course, if you are one of the first to be picked up, you will probably get a seat but if you are one of the last to be picked up, you will probably have to stand. That should factor into your decision especially if you have a problem with anyone in your party standing on a bus. Never assume you will get a seat because you are small, or have a medical condition. Life on Disney buses will be a lot easier for you that way.

If you drive, unless you get to the park fairly early, you will have to take a tram to the front of the park. That means more time spent in the parking lot waiting for the tram (they are usually fairly quick though) and then going to the front. If you decide to walk, count in that walk time. And then reverse everything when leaving the park. And don't forget about having to stop at the parking booths so they can see your resort pass for free parking. If the park is a popular one that day, that will cost you time as you wait for each car to get recognized.

If you drive, you will have to know your way around Disney property so study the maps before you set out. Disney World is huge and if you've never driven before, give yourself some extra time in case you get lost.

There are tons of different ways to get around Disney World. We use a variety of transportation options. Car, bus, boat, monorail, foot. We get creative and have had some of our best moments using odd combinations to get around.