To use the buses or not? ?s

[criddopher]

We are driving to WDW. Staying at POFQ. We have one prepark opening ADR at MK. Wouldn't it just be easier to drive over ourselves? We will have our 9 and 5 year old with us. No stroller. One backpack.

I'm really curious how much time we would save if we drive ourselves to the parks everyday. Or if it's totally dumb to bypass the free transportation. Would love to hear what everyone does when they have their car with them.

Thanks.

I Just did this in december, Drove down with my girlfriend. Driving to the magic kingdom was no good, You park in the ticket and transportation center, have to walk or tram to the TTC then take a bus or monorail to the park. Now I'm not sure if the moderate buses are slower than deluxe resort buses. My brother says they are, so I can't really say.. Comparing to AK buses its slower. Comparing to a place like saratoga springs with 3 stops in the resort alone it could be quicker..
A nice trick with driving is go park at one of the resorts close to the park. We had breakfast at a lot of places and they just let us park. One time they said we had to get valet, then the valet guy told us to just go park. My personal problem with driving to all the parks is that it kinda ruins the experience for me. Jumping in the car, dealing with traffic ect, takes away from the magic of disney IMO.

 

[bbjunkie]

On an EMH day, how do they let in cars, how do they figure out who is staying on property? Or do they let everyone in, and just hold them up at the gates?

I think it's so much easier to take a bus. Just get there really early!

This is tricky and important to know ahead of time! The monorail from the TTC won't be running during the EMH until about 10 or 15 minutes before park opening. The resort loop Monorail will be running. So, if you have a pre-opening ADR on an EMH morning, and you decide to drive, you may have to walk to the Poly and hop on the resort monorail to get to MK for your ADR on time. This is how they hold up the non-resort guests during morning EMH. If you take the bus (which I think Disney assumes you will do if you are staying on property and are wanting to take advantage of morning EMH at MK) you bypass all of that because the busses drop you off "near" the entrance.

 

[AJA]

We always use the buses even though we have our car. Driving around Disney can be stressful at rush hour.

 

[DisneyOma]

I Just did this in december, Drove down with my girlfriend. Driving to the magic kingdom was no good, You park in the ticket and transportation center, have to walk or tram to the TTC then take a bus or monorail to the park. Now I'm not sure if the moderate buses are slower than deluxe resort buses. My brother says they are, so I can't really say.. Comparing to AK buses its slower. Comparing to a place like saratoga springs with 3 stops in the resort alone it could be quicker..
A nice trick with driving is go park at one of the resorts close to the park. We had breakfast at a lot of places and they just let us park. One time they said we had to get valet, then the valet guy told us to just go park. My personal problem with driving to all the parks is that it kinda ruins the experience for me. Jumping in the car, dealing with traffic ect, takes away from the magic of disney IMO.

The deluxe resorts on the monorail loop are pretty picky about letting people in without an ADR for the resort though.

 

[Dbktmc]

I find it hard to get my family ready and to the bus stop by 6:30 a.m. When we have ADR at MK prior to park opening we just pay for a taxi that drops us off at the Contemporary. It is only about $20 and it saves us the stress of worrying about missing the bus.

 

[tstidm1]

For Magic Kingdom, Definitely take the Bus. Buses will be the best way to go for this. If I had a car, I would drive to the other parks. POFQ is centrally located, so it is about even bus travel wise.

 

[powellrj]

I always drive. I will forget how much I hate the busses and take one, only to remember how much I hate them!

 

[Bullseye]

OP when you're ready to go anywhere in WDW, don't wait for buses. Just get in your car and go. When you're leaving your hotel room or the park do you want to wait in line 15, 20, 30 minutes for your bus or do you want to just get in your car and split? Driving around WDW is easy and fun
Everything is very well marked. Regarding MK... where else in your life do you get the chance to ride on a speedy monorail or take a leisurely ferry ride? All the while the MK approaches in the distance

Plus your shorties will even enjoy the tram ride from the parking lot.

 

[Jetta8300]

We always drive our car absolutely everywhere and have never had an issue or experienced any traffic. A lot of people don't like driving in general so they take the bus. For us in particular we like the independence of driving. Including the MK. No more than 30 minutes from the minute we step foot out of our room to the entrance of the MK. And like 15 minutes tops for all other parks. We aren't "let's cram into a bus" people. And we wouldn't go without a car. Many people aren't like us and see a car and driving as some sort of burdon. But if you like driving, drive the car.

 

[lubob]

Take the bus and with no stroller that's a plus. Take advantage of the free transportation !!

 

[figmented]

On the trips where my parents drive us we take our van everywhere except the Magic Kingdom! It takes much less time for us to take the bus there.

 

[CounselorX]

I personally love not even looking at a parking lot while I am on vacation, or getting into a burning hot car

 

[Jen731]

While it is nice that the bus takes you to the MK gate, you still have to wait for the bus at your hotel and then wait the 15 minutes for the bus to load. It takes forever for the bus to load. If there is a line at the bus stop then multiply that by 2 or 3 because even though I think it would be way smarter to load the two buses sitting for magic kingdom at the same time, they aren't going to do it that way.

Driving to the other three parks is so easy and quick, we always drove to those. We did magic kingdom by bus one day and drove the other. Sadly, if you drive to the ttc for magic kingdom, you also have to hope the monorail is working. We got busted on that one day as well, pulled up and no monorails were running so the ferry line was a disaster. For us, personally, we have to ride the monorail at least once. It's so great. (When they work!!)

For our pre opening ADR we drove, had no problem on the monorail or for parking. But leave yourself plenty of time! It takes a good 45-60 minutes to get from your hotel through the gate and up to the restaurant. We just barely made ours.

 

[aretha30]

We usually drive in the morning to each park except MK. It is easier to get to MK on the buses any time of day. When we go back after our break it depends on our mood if we take our car or not. Last year for our pre-park open MK ADR we didn't think the buses would be running so we took our car. Now with the new boards that tell you the estimated time of arrival you can check that before deciding to take your car to ensure you get there on time.

 

[ArielSRL]

We usually drive in the morning to each park except MK. It is easier to get to MK on the buses any time of day. When we go back after our break it depends on our mood if we take our car or not. Last year for our pre-park open MK ADR we didn't think the buses would be running so we took our car. Now with the new boards that tell you the estimated time of arrival you can check that before deciding to take your car to ensure you get there on time.

I haven't heard of this. Do they have them at all resorts/bus stops?

 

[Thing 1]

We had been to WDW many times. We have never moved our car once on property. Its my DH's one condition for repeat trips to WDW. We just have the mentality that we are on vacation and that is part of it. We always budget enough for a taxi if we get stuck somewhere but have never used it. Very few times have we had any issues with the buses. We always request and have sometimes paid for rooms closest to the bus stops. When the boys were little, they loved the buses and even considered them another ride.

 

[DisneyOma]

If you choose to drive, be very careful - people do the craziest things down there when they are behind the wheel! We've seen some nasty accidents, had a guy drive over the median grass for a missed exit, and that doesn't even count the idiots who stop on the road to take a picture of a gate sign...

 

[OhioDisneyDad]

If you like being shoulder to shoulder with everyone so you can experience their "aroma" and varying levels of funk then, by all means, take the bus. Nothing better than standing in the hot Florida sun waiting for the bus to arrive. Or enjoying a fun, end-of-the-evening "jam" session as supposedly responsible adults shove children out of their way so they can get on what surely must be the last bus in existence. I've seen and experienced all these fun events.

On the other hand, if you drive, you can come and go as you please. Yes, you can't drive straight to the MK gates but taking the bus bypasses several great Disney experiences. My family and I love taking the ferry and the monorail. Granted you do have to get moving a bit sooner in order to get to the MK but it's still easily doable. In the evening the ferry is a nice way to decompress while you float back to the other side of the lagoon.
At all the other parks, if you're a rope dropper then you'll be within easy walking distance to the main gates. As for the "dangerously" hot car crowd it's easily remedied by opening the car doors and turning on the A/C - magical I know.

What you do miss by driving instead of taking the bus is the unique social interactions so often seen on a bus. Nothing better than an arguing couple having it out in public or a "last nerve" parent going nuclear on an overly tired child. Yes, the classic "I'VE PAID A FORTUNE FOR THIS VACATION AND YOU'RE GOING TO ENJOY" meme is truly a site to behold as it plays out in the confines of a Disney bus. Enjoy!

 

[Jetta8300]

If you like being shoulder to shoulder with everyone so you can experience their "aroma" and varying levels of funk then, by all means, take the bus. Nothing better than standing in the hot Florida sun waiting for the bus to arrive. Or enjoying a fun, end-of-the-evening "jam" session as supposedly responsible adults shove children out of their way so they can get on what surely must be the last bus in existence. I've seen and experienced all these fun events.

On the other hand, if you drive, you can come and go as you please. Yes, you can't drive straight to the MK gates but taking the bus bypasses several great Disney experiences. My family and I love taking the ferry and the monorail. Granted you do have to get moving a bit sooner in order to get to the MK but it's still easily doable. In the evening the ferry is a nice way to decompress while you float back to the other side of the lagoon.
At all the other parks, if you're a rope dropper then you'll be within easy walking distance to the main gates. As for the "dangerously" hot car crowd it's easily remedied by opening the car doors and turning on the A/C - magical I know.

What you do miss by driving instead of taking the bus is the unique social interactions so often seen on a bus. Nothing better than an arguing couple having it out in public or a "last nerve" parent going nuclear on an overly tired child. Yes, the classic "I'VE PAID A FORTUNE FOR THIS VACATION AND YOU'RE GOING TO ENJOY" meme is truly a site to behold as it plays out in the confines of a Disney bus. Enjoy!

. Absolutely hilarious!! This is exactly why we would never even think of taking a bus. But after reading many of these threads, it's clear the some people truly despise driving a car. It's very weird to me personally, but a lot would rather stand shoulder to shoulder on a bus with sweaty people to avoid driving. I know a few people at home like this, hate express ways in particular. I drive all day for work as a sales rep. I love it. And I've never experienced any craziness whatsoever with other drivers in Disney.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I haven't heard of this. Do they have them at all resorts/bus stops?

No, not yet, just at some places, and I have seen that the boards are not always correct either.