Since we will have our car should we drive or use Disney transportation to get around

[My2Qtz0205]

Thank you for asking this question! It has been on my mind, as well. We are staying on-site for the first time, staying at POP. Since you suggest riding the bus to MK, do ou suggest that for Epcot, also, since you can get on the monorail at MK (so bus to MK then monorail to EP?)

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Definitely a personal preference type thing. I love sitting back and letting someone else drive me. Ex-H on the other hand, wanted to be in control, so he preferred driving to the parks whenever there wasn't easy transportation (monorail). I never felt that driving ourselves was much faster. By the time you drive, navigate the huge parking lot, and get to the park, the bus you would have taken is probably arriving.

 

[Tramp68]

If you intend to Park Hop (except between MK and EPCOT) you will definately want to drive.

I am an adamant bus rider recently converted to driving. I want to leave when I am ready and the sometimes 20-30 minute wait for buses gets to me. I know many have great experiences but I always seem to have the same luck I have at a store. I always find the "dilemma line" You know the one where the person wants to write a check but realizes they dont have any left or can't find their ID. Or the credit card is declined and they argue for 30 minutes that there is nothing wrong with the card and they have to take it. Or they can't afford all the groceries and remove 1 item at a time until they come up with $40 worth of groceries to take off their $300 cart. I always seem to find the resort/park combination where every other resort has seen 3 buses come through and I am still waiting.

Personally, I know find the leave together and use Disney transoprtation if anyone in the group wants to leave early or stay later than the rest. I think it just adds to the overall flexibility. But you also have to be comfortable with Disney roads, some are not very intuitive and can be very confusing. After a long day in the parks you may just not want to put in the effort to drive back.

Be flexible. Mix things up and do a combination of both. Have fun!

 

[Simba77]

Thank you for asking this question! It has been on my mind, as well. We are staying on-site for the first time, staying at POP. Since you suggest riding the bus to MK, do ou suggest that for Epcot, also, since you can get on the monorail at MK (so bus to MK then monorail to EP?)

You can take the bus to MK and then the monorail to Epcot, if you're just looking to take a trip on the monorail, but if you're intending to go to Epcot, just take the bus to Epcot.

If you wanted to park hop from MK straight to Epcot, your only option is to take the monorail to the TTC, then TTC to Epcot.

Unless you have a car, the most efficient way to go from POP to any of the parks is just to take the direct bus there.

Now, if you have your own car, and you want to go to Epcot, you'd be best off just driving straight to Epcot if you didn't want to take the bus. Going to MK first (for any reason other than actually visiting MK) would be out of the way and take much longer.

 

[MaleficentRN]

Thank you for asking this question! It has been on my mind, as well. We are staying on-site for the first time, staying at POP. Since you suggest riding the bus to MK, do ou suggest that for Epcot, also, since you can get on the monorail at MK (so bus to MK then monorail to EP?)

I'd drive to EPCOT as you can basically walk into the park from the parking lot.

 

[scdak]

Drive. Valet at CR and walk to MK. Much faster than the monorail. We were going to take the monorail back from MK for fun one day and it was a 20 minute wait. No thanks!! You are there in minutes walking. I actually would valet at the resort closest to the park you are going to everyday and walk. Have fun

AMEN!!!!! Best thing I learned in my last trip, and yes, I know parking is free at the parks when you stay onsite, and you have to pay to valet park plus a tip...........BEST money I could have spent to have the A/C running, a polite person opening the doors for us, wishing us a safe journey, asking if we needed directions and most importantly not having to walk to the far end of the parking lot, which is always where we ended up

 

[got2lovedisney]

One year our car crapped out and we had to drive up in a rental. It sat in the parking lot for 4 days. We parked the car at the resort and didn't move it until we left. (If I ever have to rent again, I'll turn the car in and rent another to drive back) For me, I think driving to the parks is more hassel than it's worth when you factor in gas, traffic, the walk from the car to the tram and back, the masses all trying to leave with you at the end of the night, forgetting where you parked, getting lost on the way to the park/resort...no thanks!

 

[scdak]

Valet = $15/day. Just to point that out. For some, that's a significant factor. Not to mention it is suggested you tip ($1-$2). Some even say that you should tip both the person who takes your car and the one who retrieves it.

And when you drive up to a resort, they'll ask you at the gate why you're there, and you're going to have to lie. Because "I'm going to the Magic Kingdom" isn't going to get you access to the parking lot. So you have to lie and say you're just checking out the hotel, or that you have dining reservations, or that you're staying there. And if they decide to check and see if you actually do have reservations and/or if you actually are staying there, you're stuck.

So basically, to use Contemporary as a MK parking lot, you have to 1) Pay $15+$1, and 2) lie.

Unless I missed something. I could be wrong.

Also, the walk from Contemporary to MK is not short. I'm not exactly sure of the location of the valet pickup/drop, but it's probably a 10 minute walk.

Sorry, but there was no lying involved at all, we told the gate guard that we were parking valet every time and did not lie saying we were dining at any particular resort, although many of our visits also including dining later in the day. After we self - parked at the GF for a dinner reservation our first night we were talking with some CM's before that long trek to the parking lot about valet parking, it was the night before the prices were being increased at the end of October and they told us about the price increase, and that valet parking was good for the entire day at all deluxe resorts, they even told us what the basic tipping amount was (not suggested by them but what most guests tipped). They encouraged us to use the valet parking any time we wanted to , be it for resort dining, resort exploring or simply to go to a park. We had never valet parked at Disney and was curious about the whole process, we thought it was just for guests staying at the deluxe resorts.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.

 

[Disneyholic]

We always have our car and after the first few trips, rarely see it until it is time to go home. There were times it would have saved us time and there were times we arrived faster by bus. If you plan on leaving the parks right at closing, then I would suggest driving because that is when the crowds are horrible. We do not leave at that time, if we are staying til the end we will do a little shopping or sit and have a snack while watching the hoard of people rushing by

I think the crowds are horrible, especially at MK because of the boat or monorail to the lot, for getting back to your car and then you have the traffic jam getting out of the lot. I remember doing this years ago and being in traffic for about 2 hours just to get where we were going after closing. I would rather wait for an AC bus and relax on the way back than fight for my space in the line of traffic. JMHO. I've never waited 2 hours for a bus, even at closing.

We usually have our car because we either drive or take the auto train. The one time we rented a car we were offsite so needed to use it to get to WDW and hated all the driving. After you have driven from Pennsylvania the last thing you want to see is your car again til it's time to go home.

 

[nugov2]

AMEN!!!!! Best thing I learned in my last trip, and yes, I know parking is free at the parks when you stay onsite, and you have to pay to valet park plus a tip...........BEST money I could have spent to have the A/C running, a polite person opening the doors for us, wishing us a safe journey, asking if we needed directions and most importantly not having to walk to the far end of the parking lot, which is always where we ended up

Someone here gave us that advice before our trip and it was the best advice!!! It was so easy and after spending 14 hours at a park taking the short walk to the valet stand at CR was the best!!. Waiting in the crowds of people to get onto transportation would have been awful with tired kids.

When my brother left midday with his twins, my mom and my 2 yr old during a monster rain storm the valets brought towels to dry them off and were very helpful. They knew they were there only to go to MK...they also reminded him to come back there when they decided to come back because the parking was for the entire day. They came back later and had no problems dropping the car back off. Yes it is a extra cost, but if it is something you can pay, it is worth it. I think if you approached most tired people waiting in those transportation lines at the end of the night if they would give you $16 to board the bus and go straight to their resort with no stops....the majority would gladly do it

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

We are at all star music

Drive

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[Disth2000]

Does anyone know if you're allowed to valet park at GF or CR (even if you're not a guest at the hotel), then monorail/walk to MK? Can you do that?

 

[Alexander]

Does anyone know if you're allowed to valet park at GF or CR (even if you're not a guest at the hotel), then monorail/walk to MK? Can you do that?

 

[Alexander]

Does anyone know if you're allowed to valet park at GF or CR (even if you're not a guest at the hotel), then monorail/walk to MK? Can you do that?

^^^^sorry about that^^^

You are not supposed to. It is highly frowned upon, however....people do and this thread is going to go south fast!

 

[nugov2]

Does anyone know if you're allowed to valet park at GF or CR (even if you're not a guest at the hotel), then monorail/walk to MK? Can you do that?

Yes, that is what I posted we did. The valets had no problem with it and knew that was why we were there. You will get some who say it is wrong, but you are paying the $16 dollars. I specifically called the valet at CR and asked and they told me it was absolutely fine! It was the best thing we did. It made getting in and out of MK a breeze!!!

 

[KrazeeK120]

Does anyone know if you're allowed to valet park at GF or CR (even if you're not a guest at the hotel), then monorail/walk to MK? Can you do that?

Absolutely! You can pay to valet park at any hotel and leave your car there all day if you want.

That being said...I'm not sure why you would do that unless you needed to be at the resort for some reason (meal, etc.). You can park at the TTC and take the monorail from there to the MK.

To answer the OP...I'd drive. It's almost always faster, you're guaranteed a seat, and you don't have to deal with other people's grumpy children (or grumpy parents!).

 

[mrsmomo]

Don't forget that if you're parking in the parking lots, you can still have a long hike to get to the park entrance, or you have to take a tram from the lot to the entrance. This defeats some of the self-driving advantage.

And for MK, you have to take transportation (water ferry or monorail) from the parking lot to the entrance, so that again nearly defeats the entire purpose of driving yourself.

Personally I would hate to drive and park myself. It seems like unnecessary extra "work." The beauty of Disney, for me, is that you're not forced to do "real world" things yourself. Driving and parking in parking lots are "real world" hassles to me. I do them every day. It's not fun. Worrying about traffic, finding a parking spot... things I'd rather not deal with. Let me hop on the bus, sit back and relax, then magically arrive at the park without a care (where did we park? will there be traffic? Will the hotel lot be packed and we'll have to park farther away from our building?)

The only negatives about the buses is that occasionally the bus stops are full and you have only standing room left on the bus (this is usually only after park closing). Standing for 20+ minutes on the bus at the end of a long day is horrible. If a bus is standing room only you could always wait for the next one, but that does mean you'll have to wait a little.

But ultimately I prefer having Disney take care of me, not having to "think": where I'm going, what turns to take, writing down where I parked the car, waiting for traffic, paying attention to the road, being a diligent driver in traffic. And if you want to take a mid day break, you have to pile into a hot car, wait for the AC to kick in... then go through that same process when you want to go back to the parks.

Just let me get on the bus. Let them take me there.

Point being is that it's not always cut and dry about which is "better." If you'd rather not wait for a seat on a crowded bus, driving yourself might be for you. And you might get to some parks a little quicker by not having to wait for a bus. But the mental rest of not having to drive, park, drive, park, etc is worth a few extra minutes of waiting for me. Being mentally fatigued is just as bad as being physically fatigued, and driving at the end of a long, tiring day isn't fun when you'd rather get on the bus, let them turn off the lights, and lean back and close your eyes while they take care of you.

This

 

[Bullseye]

Drive everywhere including the Magic Kingdom. It's no big deal getting from MK parking lot to park like everyone makes it out to be. Driving is pleasurable in WDW. Everything is well marked and easy to navigate. Have fun and drive everywhere....everywhere!