Something I did NOT budget for...

[Joan1]

yep, you're absolutely right. We go to Boma every year and we take a bus to Animal Kingdom and connect to the Lodge that way. It's not a bad ride at all. We NEVER transfer at DTD unless it's on the way home and the parks are closed. From Cali Grill last month we were so full after our meal we didn't feel like walking to the MK buses so we just hopped on the monorail, got off at MK and strolled on over to our resort bus. It might have taken a longer time to get there... but it was super easy, fairly quick, and air-conditioned for most of the time I think the biggest thing about eating at resort restaurants is making sure you know the best route. If you can't handle the buses than yes get a car, but if you can't fit that into your budget... just plan everything in advance and try to avoid transportation questions/decisions being made on the spot. Do your research b4 you get there.

I agree - we never, never, ever transfer at DD it is too much out of the way unless you are staying at maybe Saratoga. We also take a bus to the theme park closest to the restaurant we are going to eat at. For example if we are dining at any of the monorail resorts or Wilderness Lodge we take the bus to Magic Kingdom. If we are dining at the Animal Kingdom Lodge we take the bus to Animal kingdom theme park and transfer to the resort bus.

Another option is just to hop on the first bus that comes to any theme park and then switch buses to the resort you want to go so you aren't waiting around for a bus to a specific theme park.

If we are dining late after the parks close we take a cab back but usually use buses going

 

[SweetSpot]

I'm sorry, I'm still confused. If i want to get from POR to Poly and back I was planning on taking the boat to DD and then getting a bus to Poly and the reverse home. Same with AKL. Should I take a buse from POR to a park first instead of boat to DD and bus to the AKL? Should I be taking a bus to MK and then the monorail and the reverse instead. I have never used the Disney transportation and didn't realize it was so confusing. Thanks for your help.

 

[MHSweb79]

I'm sorry, I'm still confused. If i want to get from POR to Poly and back I was planning on taking the boat to DD and then getting a bus to Poly and the reverse home. Same with AKL. Should I take a buse from POR to a park first instead of boat to DD and bus to the AKL? Should I be taking a bus to MK and then the monorail and the reverse instead. I have never used the Disney transportation and didn't realize it was so confusing. Thanks for your help.

I think the lesson you should be taking from this thread is to AVOID using Downtown Disney as a transfer point, if you can. It's notoriously time-consuming as you can be stuck at DD for a LONG time waiting for that next bus. (One time at POFQ we heard people complaining that they were stuck at DD for 3 hours! Yeah, they were upset!)

We've taken the boat to/ from DD from POFQ many times. It's very quick and scenic. Really a great feature of that resort. I would never take the bus!

For a reservation at the Poly, I would take the bus to MK then either take the boat or monorail to the Poly. The little boat is very quick and I highly recommend it over the big ferry. There are signs down at the boat dock. It would save you at least an hour over taking any transportation to DD and waiting for a Poly bus there.

For AKL, you could take a bus to AK and then board the AKL bus from there. You could actually do this at any park, but why not choose the one that's closest to the resort you're heading to?

 

[aenelson]

I'm sorry, I'm still confused. If i want to get from POR to Poly and back I was planning on taking the boat to DD and then getting a bus to Poly and the reverse home. Same with AKL. Should I take a buse from POR to a park first instead of boat to DD and bus to the AKL? Should I be taking a bus to MK and then the monorail and the reverse instead. I have never used the Disney transportation and didn't realize it was so confusing. Thanks for your help.

POR to Poly- go to MK, then boat or bus to Poly, no need to get DTD included.

POR to AKL- go to Ak, then take the bus to AKL.

Not saying you, but why do others think it is easier to go through DTD?

 

[U2_rocks!]

We used disney transportation to to the parks with no problems. We took cabs to our dining reservations that were not on the monorail. I think its still cheaper to use cabs than rent a car. I don't want to worry about finding my way around plus I like to have an adult beverage or two with dinner. If you don't have a car cab fare is something you definetely need to work into the budget.

Exactly why we cancelled the car reservation - it's so much cheaper to just take cabs on those few occasions that you just don't want to mess with the buses. We can walk or take the boat to Epcot and the Studios, but for AK and MK we will seriously consider cabs.

 

[SweetSpot]

Sorry one more question, if you want to get to the AKL or Poly from POR for an early breakfast can you get a bus to a park? I thought there would be no buses until the park opened. I'm so happy I found this thread. I would have been waiting forever for buses without it.

 

[aenelson]

Sorry one more question, if you want to get to the AKL or Poly from POR for an early breakfast can you get a bus to a park? I thought there would be no buses until the park opened. I'm so happy I found this thread. I would have been waiting forever for buses without it.

How early is the reservation? I was just told my a CM that they still run buses for early dining, but I think it depends on how early. Oh and don't be sorry, questions are a good thing!!

 

[jblrn2b]

Exactly why we cancelled the car reservation - it's so much cheaper to just take cabs on those few occasions that you just don't want to mess with the buses. We can walk or take the boat to Epcot and the Studios, but for AK and MK we will seriously consider cabs.

Ditto! Think Disney Transportation is awesome to get to the parks but like to take cabs to ADRs because I don't like to drive. Renting a car has also become very expensive.

 

[melissac]

We rent a car at all times now. Last car we rented was thru Alamo from Sat-Fri for $98 for a mid-size in Sept. I have never paid more then $300 for a car and that was for 14 days. Most times a mid-size to standard we pay around $150 for the week. That is with all taxes included. Watch for the codes and keep checking. I think last trip when I got that $98 mid size(that was the total) I had changed or made 7 ressies before I caught this deal. Anyway if you are doing resort dining I'd do the rental. Even if you are not it is great to have a car.

 

[Brandi1leigh]

I think it's great that Disney has the public transportation system for those without cars. That being said, people need to be prepared that it is public transportation with all of the inherent problems (you have to adapt to their schedule, they won't adapt to yours--it's crowded, etc). If you can't afford a car or don't drive to Disney, then it's nice that you can get anywhere you need to go. The last time I went to Disney, we were a party of 18. We couldn't have rented one car to get us around. We didn't have any problems (staying at ASM) and made all of our reservations, we never left more than an hour in advance.

The next time I go, we will have a car because my dad insists on driving to Florida. Since the car will be available, I fully intend on taking advantage of it and avoiding the buses. I will still probably ride the monorail some, just because I enjoy it.

I also think its nice of the OP to warn others to consider this when planning their trip. Whatever you decide is best for your situation, it's nice to be prepared. Transportation might not be something everyone thinks about. With a little warning, people can change ADRs to make it easier, plan extra time for traveling or budget for alternative transportation.

 

[jblrn2b]

We rent a car at all times now. Last car we rented was thru Alamo from Sat-Fri for $98 for a mid-size in Sept. I have never paid more then $300 for a car and that was for 14 days. Most times a mid-size to standard we pay around $150 for the week. That is with all taxes included. Watch for the codes and keep checking. I think last trip when I got that $98 mid size(that was the total) I had changed or made 7 ressies before I caught this deal. Anyway if you are doing resort dining I'd do the rental. Even if you are not it is great to have a car.

When we go in Feb - vacation week for those in NE - they jack the prices up. When I went in July it was almost $500. In september you may be able to get better deals.

But mostly, I don't want to drive.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I'm sorry, I'm still confused. If i want to get from POR to Poly and back I was planning on taking the boat to DD and then getting a bus to Poly and the reverse home. Same with AKL. Should I take a buse from POR to a park first instead of boat to DD and bus to the AKL? Should I be taking a bus to MK and then the monorail and the reverse instead. I have never used the Disney transportation and didn't realize it was so confusing. Thanks for your help.

To the Poly: POR to MK to monorail to get to the Poly.
To AKL: POR to DHS or AK then bus to AKL.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I read that a lot of people use the DTD bus to transfers from one hotel to another, and a lot of people give that advice to others. To me that's the worst possible option. It usually goes to Typhoon lagoon and has to make two stops and DTD. We always get on a bus going to a park, whichever one comes first and transfer at the park. I think usually park busses run more often than DTD busses.

I know if you have a late meal you may have to use DTD busses due to parks being closed.

 

[SweetSpot]

To the Poly: POR to MK to monorail to get to the Poly.
To AKL: POR to DHS or AK then bus to AKL.

Thank you!!

 

[U2_rocks!]

We rent a car at all times now. Last car we rented was thru Alamo from Sat-Fri for $98 for a mid-size in Sept. I have never paid more then $300 for a car and that was for 14 days. Most times a mid-size to standard we pay around $150 for the week. That is with all taxes included. Watch for the codes and keep checking. I think last trip when I got that $98 mid size(that was the total) I had changed or made 7 ressies before I caught this deal. Anyway if you are doing resort dining I'd do the rental. Even if you are not it is great to have a car.

I would prefer to have a car, but with 5 of us and luggage it has to be at least full-size. Plus, our insurance does not cover us, so we have to buy CDW and supplemental liability. Well, I do have a credit card that covers CDW, but we choose not to go that route because we don't want to be dealing with any claim from a foreign country. It's worth it to buy the CDW from the rental company so we can just walk away. What that means is our rental car costs are almost double those of someone who does not have to buy those coverages, and suddenly taxis look really good!

 

[Leota]

Getting from resort to resort is a pain. After 20+ trips, we have it pretty well figured out tho. If it's late & all we can do is transfer at DTD, we definately take a cab. DTD transpo is a total nightmare. Like PP, I hate the thought of navigating, parking, driving on vacation. We are pretty spoiled by being picked up at the airport & not driving again til we get home.

I budget for cabs. It's usually less than a car rental for us anywyas.

 

[dadolan]

I have always rented a car as it's the easiest way to get around and more than pays for itself compared to taxis. We just take turns to drive so that one of us can have a drink

 

[sherbet]

Im glad I read this thread. We have a trip planned for December staying at POR. Im a bit worried now because i have character breakfasts booked each day at around 8am. I didnt plan on getting to the bus stop at 5.30am !! Are the taxis expensive? How much was it from Boma? Will they allow 5 people in ths taxi? (we have 3 teenagers) When i get my ressies together i think i will post and ask people on the forum for the quickest way, i know now not to go to Downtown Disney Thanks

 

[jlk806]

You bring up a great point - we considered renting a car our first day, and I actually wish we would have. Going to Downtown Disney from POFQ was a nightmare - it took at least 45 minutes every time, and shared a bus with Typhoon Lagoon. I would definitely recommend that if you are doing more than 2-3 things outside of the theme parks, whether it be the water parks, Downtown Disney, or dining at the resorts, that a car would be WAY worth it!

Not having a car actually kept me from going back to Downtown Disney (probably for the best - I just would have spent more money!) and also kept us from going mini golfing - we didn't feel like doing any more "figuring out" of the transportation system.

Why didnt you just take the boat from POFQ to DD? Isnt that easier?

 

[skier_pete]

I agree going to a resort for a meal is a pain...but it didn't help that you routed through DTD. DTD has super slow bus service because of the multiple stops and the way the buses route around DTD. Never transfer through there if you can help it.

From POR - I would have gotten on the first of EPCOT or DHS bus that showed up...then take a bus from there to AKL. You could even have hoppen an AK bus if they were still running to the parks. Bet you could've done it in under an hour that way.

We DID take the MK bus back to POP from California Grill. Now we didn't go right when the park was letting out (MVMCP was going on at the time) but we found this was super duper easy - and would've never chosen a cab over the bus.

However, you are right that at times it is much easier to take a cab. We did this for Cape May Cafe breakfast in 2008 from POFQ. But I discovered I was less than impressed with the restaurant, and the extra $32 I had to pay to get there and back definitely factored into that.

One last point - if you are budgetting > $100 for taxi fare - might it make more sense to rent a car for a few days?