Use car or bus to go from OKW to parks

[Bos2FL+PDX]

My family and I may make our first trip ever to WDW and stay in OKW March 21 - 23, 2005. We will have 3 cars with us and the biggest complaint I have noted about OKW in trip reports/reviews/threads is the bus service from OKW. Any opinions on whether we should use Disney's bus service or drive our cars to travel between OKW and the parks?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[HumphreytheBear]

In my personal opinion regardless of hotel... I would drive to all EXCEPT Magic Kingdom, for that I would take the resort transportation (but that's just me). It is easy to park and get into MGM, Epcot and AK and as long as you show your resort ID card (or have the parking permit in the window) there is no charge for parking at the theme parks. MK is just easier by bus in my opinion, simply because if you drive you have to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center, get on the tram from the parking lot to the TTC, and then take the monorail or Ferry Boat over to MK. If you take the bus from the hotel it will drop you off at the front of MK directly.

OKW bus system is getting better. The only thing is based on your room location you might spend quite sometime riding aroung OKW before you head out. The buses go from Peninsular to Southpoint to Turtle Pond to Miller Rd then to the Hospitality House and then they leave OKW for their destination. If you are at the Peninsular bus stop you will be sightseeing OKW for a bit...

 

[DrTomorrow]

You might want to post this over on the DVC forum; lot's of folks there with both bus and driving experience.

 

[ilovediznee]

Hi! I have always used Disney transportation that way you don't have to worry about your car. Some people say they have to wait for a bus, but by the time you drive, then find a spot and then walk, and it can be a good long walk, the bus has probably already picked up people at OKW and delivered them.

There is nothing like leaving a park exhausted and having someone else drive!!!

 

[lovethattink]

I have to agree with Humphrey Bear. Drive to the parks except for MK. If you chose to drive to MK, you will have to park your car, then take a tram, then take either a monorail or ferry boat to MK. If you take Disney's transportation, you will be dropped off at the "door." Also use Disney transportation for DTD at night. Sometimes it can be a big challenge to find parking at DTD at night, usually no problem parking in daytime.

 

[Chuck S]

Personally, I have done both bus and drive from OKW. I don't think Disney transport is any better or worse at OKW than at any other Disney hotel.

I also prefer to drive to the parks, but would do that no matter where I was staying...unless it was a monorail resort.

 

[DebbieB]

We usually drive when we stay at OKW. The only exception is if we go to MK at night. When everyone is coming out after Wishes or Spectromagic, it's easier to just hop the bus. If we go to MK in the morning, we drive. I once timed it from our OKW front door to the MK front, it was about 25-30 minutes (including using the monorail). Considering the wait time for the bus and all the stops around OKW, I don't think you lose much time.

For DTD, it's easier to find a spot over by McDonalds or close to Pleasure Island.

 

[CajunGirl2]

We were scheduled to stay at FW cabins for our Sept. 25, 2004 trip. But Hurricane Jeanne caused a changed of plans and we were relocated to OKW. We took the bus transportation to all parks. We never had to wait very long for a bus. We were always the last stop at pick-up and the last stop on drop-off. What that means is that when we were eager to get to the parks in the morning we weren't riding on the bus around the resort but in the afternoon/evening when we were tired and weary, we were. But it wasn't bad and I'd do it again! The only time we used our vehicle was to go to the grocery store one night and to visit with family staying at AKL another night.

 

[NCRedding]

We stayed at OKW for a week in June. I never drove to any of the parks, just to DTD. I thought the bus transportation was great. The only time we waited for a bus was if one had just passed our stop. I relaxed and enjoyed going to each of the other bus stops (ours was one of the first). We never did a park closing show (ie Fantasmic, etc.) so the buses were never crowded. We were lucky because our room was very close to the bus stop.

 

[spiceycat]

the bus service at OKW has greatly improved the last couple of years - the buses should be fine.

I only drive to Epcot.

 

[LibertyBelle]

Personally, I hate driving when I'm at Disney, but from the 1 time I stayed at OKW, I think I would chose to do so. The bus service was lousy.

We waited at times, up to 20 minutes for a bus to a park, and 30 minutes for a bus back to the hotel.

Bus service at ANY WDW hotel is about every 20 to 30 minutes... Yes they do come sooner than that most times, but if you read the literature and the signs at the bus stop they state buses run every 30 minutes. This is not an OKW issue...

As Humphrey stated bus service at OKW really depends on where your room is located. You could be the last stop and on your way, you could end up sight seeing OKW...

I also agree driving is the easiest except for MK (for all the same reasons)... For DTD you have your option of the bus and/or the boat... The boat picks up at the Marina by the Hopitality House between 11am and 4pm it leaves OKW on the hour (and DTD on the half hour for the return)... from 4pm-10pm they have 2 boats so it leaves OKW on the hour and the half hour (and likewise from DTD). The buses run regular 20-30 minutes between buses from 9:00am-2am for DTD/PI.

 

[sue1013]

I've stayed at quite a few of the resorts and never had a bus issue. But I think that depends on the individual. When I'm on vacation its vacation, not rushing every moment. Some people will be driven crazy if they have to wait 5 min. for a bus. If you are a commando type drive yourself. I enjoy having someone drive me around gives me a vacation from my car that I spend too much time in on a normal day.

 

[LibertyBelle]

Also on the OKW Bus issue, OKW is the only resort (that I know of) that still tracks and monitors the buses for consistancy. Every morning from 7am until 11:30am you will see a CM at the bus stop at the hospitality house with a clipboard. That CM is writing down what bus arrived, what time, and the bus number. If the buses are to far apart they will call and find out why. All the info is then passed to Bus operations for further review. All resorts used to do this, but OKW continues to every AM to make sure that they are on time. Buses can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes apart depending on how many are running for a certain location, whether or not they are loading wheelchairs/ECV's and the traffic in between.

 

[beccasmom]

OKW has been my home DVC resort for over 10 years. We are there at least once a year for a week to 10-day stay. We always use the buses and rarely have a problem. What I have noticed is that bus service slows down in the middle of the afternoon. That can be a painful wait if the weather is hot.

But I drive enough in my "real life" and appreciate the chance to let someone else take over for awhile. We are never in that much of a hurry.

I will say that if you are eating at one of the resorts, a car is great. Otherwise, at least one bus change is needed and that can be quite tedious. Otherwise, buses are fine for most trips that are not under a time constraint.