Something I did NOT budget for...

[PrncesKMW]

Just got back from a wonderful 8 day trip with free dining. Don't know what I was thinking, but staying at POFQ, I made dinner reservations at Boma, Contemporary, Grand Floridian Cafe, and Yachtsman - all restaurants at other resorts, rather than at the parks. We did not budget for cabs, but we should have!

I told myself before this trip that DBF and I are patient people and don't mind leaving early. After riding a packed bus to Downtown Disney, then transferring to another packed bus to get to AKL for our Boma reservation, we did make it on time - because we left at 5:30 for a 7:50 reservation, and yes, we were on buses the ENTIRE time. We were so soured from this experience we took a cab home.

We again were faced with the cab or bus situation after a lovely dinner at California Grill and watching HalloWishes. If you are attempting to have a romantic evening, especially at CA Grill, the LAST thing you want to do is brave the crowed exiting the parks after the fireworks to get a bus. We again took a cab home even though the MK bus depot was just a 5 minute walk. For our reservations at Grand Floridian (watched fireworks again) and at Yachtsman (went to Jellyrolls at Boardwalk afterwards), we didn't even attempt the bus and took cabs.

Bottom line - we should have budgeted $100 for cab rides. This is with taking the monorail or buses to most places and taking a cab back to the resort. We actually wish we would have had a little more extra cash to justify taking a cab TO a lot of the places too. If you are trying to have a romantic evening, riding the buses with bunch of tired park goers and crying children won't help the mood!

 

[SM101]

I completely understand...I'm not the most tolerant person of a bus situation, so I'm debating if I'll be putting enough money out for cabs to warrant just renting a car for the 10 days my daugher and I will be here.

I'm seriously leaning towards just renting a car. At this point in the trip planning stage, what's another $200 LOL

 

[brucerob62]

so glad Im driving this xmas...It will save some time..I was at ASMUSIC last year..and the busses were very crowded after park closing..had to wait 2 or 3 buses many times to get one...SO even though its a long trip 23 hrs..I am driving and saving some money with a fam of 4 ..gas is not bad now..so hopefully will stay that way when we leave for CSR dec 20...cant wait!!

 

[PrncesKMW]

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.

 

[ElizabethB]

We took the bus once last month -- from BC to MK. It was so noisy, crowded, and awful that it will be my last WDW bus ride ever.

We always rent a car but thought the bus made more sense going to MK. Well, from now on, it's a car or nothing.

Going to another resort takes 5-10 minutes by car, versus at least 1.5 hours by bus.

 

[Silver Queen]

I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience. At this point we've been pretty lucky with bus transportation and have never experience 1.5 hr. rides to any of our dinners. If it gets to that point we may consider renting a car, but right now we like the fact that we don't have to think about driving, navigating, parking, etc. We sit back and let Disney do all that for us. We've also met some great people on the buses. Maybe we've just been lucky.

 

[dixonsontour]

we're hiring a car the whole time this trip.

No complaints with buses to the parks but it is so much easier to dine at the different resorts with a car.

 

[linnell]

Did you ever take the boat to DD from POFQ? That was one of my favorite parts of staying at that resort.

I totally understand though. It took us a little more than an hour to get from BWV to the Contemporary to go the Chef Mickeys our first night. I had made reservations at Boma and planned to go there after our AK day. Well, my two kids and myself were not going to make it a whole day there, it was hot, the love bugs were swarming and we basically ran out of things to do at 3pm. So we went back to our hotel and I canceled our ressie and we ate at a restaurant on the Boardwalk instead.

Next time, I'm driving too.

 

[Pumbaa_]

resort to resort is the hardest. and using DTD as a connector is the pits!

 

[Quin]

resort to resort is the hardest. and using DTD as a connector is the pits!

So don't do it. Several guides list the travel time from each resort to each park. I used Passporter and found them to be accurate. Figure out the shortest total drive time: your resort to ANY park, then that park to the resort you want. DTD is usually NOT the quickest transfer point.

DTD might be your only option for the ride home if you are dining after all the parks have closed, but otherwise you can save a lot of time by just using the bus system to your advantage. And you're not going into the parks so you don't need Hoppers; you're just using the bus stops out front.

 

[evaready51]

I agree we have had great experiences w/the buses from SSR to wherever. Would never think of renting a car, it would just put us over our budget. We are on vacation so we just allow for more time

 

[basketlacey]

I am hoping we will be able to figure out the bus system on our upcoming trip. We do have a few resort meals booked (Chef Mickey's and WCC) but we will be either coming from a park or heading to a park afterwards. I don't want to feel rushed on my vacation. I am hoping we can make the most of our time on the bus just enjoying each other's company. I priced renting a car but really don't want to mess with driving around.

 

[Stephanie84]

So don't do it. Several guides list the travel time from each resort to each park. I used Passporter and found them to be accurate. Figure out the shortest total drive time: your resort to ANY park, then that park to the resort you want. DTD is usually NOT the quickest transfer point.

DTD might be your only option for the ride home if you are dining after all the parks have closed, but otherwise you can save a lot of time by just using the bus system to your advantage. And you're not going into the parks so you don't need Hoppers; you're just using the bus stops out front.

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.

 

[Stephanie84]

I am hoping we will be able to figure out the bus system on our upcoming trip. We do have a few resort meals booked (Chef Mickey's and WCC) but we will be either coming from a park or heading to a park afterwards. I don't want to feel rushed on my vacation. I am hoping we can make the most of our time on the bus just enjoying each other's company. I priced renting a car but really don't want to mess with driving around.

Hey, I'm sure anyone here wouldn't mind giving you advice about the best busing options for your trip! Don't stress about it. You don't need a car but some ppl can't live without the freedom it gives you. To me... having a car is annoying and a hassle becuz I don't want to drive ANYWHERE lol. If you have questions about your bus options to your dinners... don't hesitate to ask.

 

[padawans]

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.

 

[MrsLS]

Yea, thats why we take cabs to the other resorts, but only for the dinner reservations. It was a pain and a really long ride one morning (and then back) going from GF to get to breakfast for Cape May at BC.

 

[Quin]

It was a pain and a really long ride one morning (and then back) going from GF to get to breakfast for Cape May at BC.

Really? Oh, that's too bad. Unless it was a super-early breakfast, I'd have guessed you'd have been fine to take the monorail or boat from GF to MK, then the bus from MK directly to BC. The busses are running a good hour before MK opens (remember, they're bringing people from BC to MK for THEIR early breakfast at CRT or CP!). After breakfast, take a bus or boat from BC to any park. Or just walk to Epcot.

 

[ccgirl]

OP - thank you for posting that. I can see how that can add up and may not be something others think to add to their budget. We only stay on site with a rental car at this point. I just don't want to deal with take a monorail here then switch to a bus. Take a boat then a monorail. Or, wait 15 minutes for a bus, it fills to capacity. Wait 15 minutes for another bus, have it go to other resorts and have it take you 1 hour to get to a park, or back to the resort. It's obvious there are plenty of people that enjoy the transportation. I would much rather just go to the rental car and be there in 10 minutes. No standing with sleeping children or trying to hold on to the stroller. To each their own.

 

[rusty4]

DS and I were going to check out AK Lodge in the morning. We were staying at POR. Getting to AK was easy. Getting a bus from AK to AKL took over 45 minutes! Guessing because it was the morning and they are not expecting people wanting to go back to the lodge yet. It has soured me on trying to go to AKL for a meal though. I would love to try Boma but not enough to try to get there again from another resort.

 

[cdtommie]

This is exactly why we always rent a car...even with 11 nights at BWV coming up for F&W...if you want to get to the resort restaurants without a car it can be pretty miserable.