Using own car at parks?

[goNsoon2WDW]

You have to figure out what works for you. Here's my opinion...

Pros of driving a personal car: (basically control)

• free parking at all Disney parks
• no crowded bus stops
• flexibility of going whenever, wherever you want
• cup holders for your morning coffee (or Diet Coke)
• no crying children (or yelling adults) on the way back to the resort when you are ready for quiet
• no frustration from buses that are already full and having to wait for the next
• no stress of finding the right bus (If you get on the wrong bus, it's not easy to get to the right place -- TAKE A CAB)
• basically, you have CONTROL!

Pros of using the Disney bus system: (

• no stress of trying to navigate -- take in the views as you sit back and let Disney do the driving
• drops you right at the gate
• people in your group can come and go without having to coordinate arrival and departure times
• some friendly,humorous drivers

I'm not sure if it shows, but we are a drive-our-own-car kind of people. Personally, having a car is ssssooooooo worth it. One of my most frustrating experiences at Disney was riding the buses to and from the resort. In the morning I want to start my day bursting with all of the excitement that comes wit being at Disney with my large cup of Diet Coke and singing my favorite tunes loud and proud, not impatiently waiting (yes, I'm impatient) at the bus stop for what seems like forever just to see a full bus (or two) pass by and then sitting (or standing) shoulder-to-shoulder with others "excited" people. And waiting for the bus at the end of my night is even worse. I want to get home and unwind to get to bed quickly and stress-free (this might also involve some belting out some more of my favorite tunes. It does not include joining a herd feeling squeezed and bumped waiting for a bus with the others in the herd... with many of them screaming (some kids, some adults) and leaving the magic at the parks.

 

[GPC0321]

What are the parking lots like after fireworks/park closing? I envision a lot of congestion similar to leaving a concert or sporting event? Or is it better than that?
We'll have our car there this Easter. I'm assuming busses and parking lots will both be pretty packed. Our instinct is to leave the car at the resort and take the bus. I just don't want my 70+ year old parents to have to stand the entire time. I'd rather drive them to the parks myself.

 

[stormer]

The parking lots are not bad after closing. We always drive and have never been stuck in traffic leaving. I think the busses have greatly helped with that. I still remember the traffic to leave the parking lot when I was a kid 30+ years ago. It used to be packed. It is nothing like that anymore.

 

[Bluegrrl]

We do 1/2. Since we stay at Shades, we walk to the Polynesian and mono from there. Then we drive everywhere else. One time we took a bus was to dtd/Ds because we didn't want to deal with parking.

 

[missnic]

I think it also depends on where you're staying. We drive, so we always have a car. However, when we stay at Pop, we usually drive everywhere. When we stay at CR or Poly, the car usually stays parked. We don't mind the buses, but sometimes the peace, quiet, comfort and zero line of your own car at the end of the day is the best thing ever.

 

[CandiceF]

If we plan to be at a park until closing we usually drive. Trying to juggle 3 sleepy kids and a stroller between my husband and myself is hard. Sometimes there is only one seat for all of us. I've had to stand carrying two sleeping toddlers while my husband balances a stroller and another sleepy child. If we leave before the fireworks it's easier to get a seat.

 

[kmb584]

Unless we're staying at a monorail resort we drive to the parks, and even then only utilize the monorail to get to/from MK. We fly down, but my aunt lives in Palm Beach Gardens and drives up to meet us so it's her SUV that we use. I find it to be MUCH easier than relying on bus transportation. We were always the ones who just missed the bus and had to wait for the next one, or got on but with no seats available. I think it's also much faster driving to the parks as well.

 

[donaldsgal]

I'm one of the people who likes both options for different reasons:

Buses:

• When we fly to Orlando (we're from Ohio), we usually don't rent a car just to save on expenses (see below).
• The buses are nostalgic for me; our first several trips were spent carless at Disney, so we spent lots of time on the buses.
  • Love the music, people-watching, have met kind people and drivers, and even like experiencing the different seating configurations!
• Sometimes quicker after leaving the park - i.e., sometimes the bus stop is closer than where you would have parked.

Car:

• When we drive from Ohio, we use our car for most things, except we might take the bus to MK because, as someone else mentioned, you end up taking transportation anyway, even if you drive to the MK lot.
  
• I like driving on the Disney roadways. No particular reason - I just do!
• Shaves time off of the morning commute to the park.
  • If we take a bus, we try to get to the bus stop an hour or so before we want to arrive (i.e., 9 AM park opening means being at the bus stop by 7:30-7:45 AM to account for waiting up to 20-30 minutes for a bus and making the drive, with the goal of being at the entrance about 30 minutes before arrival).
  • With our car, we leave between 8 and 8:15 for a 9 AM arrival. As a non-morning person, I like that!
• I like knowing my niece and mother will have a dedicated place to sit on the way to/from the parks.
• Resort-to-resort transportation is usually a much simpler, more straightforward experience with your own car.

Special consideration: ECV usage
We're going in 38 days, and though we're flying, we're renting a car this time because my mother is joining us and needs an ECV. We don't like using those on the buses. In our experience, it adds to an increased wait to board (only 1-2 ECVs accommodated per bus), it takes longer to load for everyone (for our party AND the many other parties trying to board), and my mother gets nervous when a crowd is watching her try to navigate the ECV into a tight space. So we rent an ECV off-site (one that can be taken apart for loading into a vehicle), put it in the storage part of an SUV we're renting, and then drive to the parks. It feels vastly more convenient for all of us that way!

 

[Baklava]

agreed, it's a personal choice.
But imagine being in the park all day, you are tired and just want to get back to your room and leave after Wishes or Fantasmic! or Illuminations, chances are you will have to wait for a bus and then board that bus that will probably be packed with fellow guests who are also cranky and tired.

And on the other hand, in that moment the last thing I want is to have to drive in the traffic of a crowded parking lot. On the bus, I am not responsible for everyone's safety.

 

[siskaren]

And EPCOT my family is weird and we always take a bus to the TTC and then take the monorail to EPCOT because they like going in on the monorail.

I thought resort buses don't go to the TTC.

We stayed at WL last time and we did use the bus for MK only because the time for the bus to get to MK was about the same time as it would take me to drive to TTC.

I would've taken the boat.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I thought resort buses don't go to the TTC.

They don't, I meant we go to MK, then take the monorail to Epcot, sorry I miswrote. And trust me it is a slow way to go but my kids love taking the monorail into epcot.

 

[kelmcg]

We used to take the buses everywhere. We rented a car once and we were hooked. We like to park hop and we like to eat at restaurants at other hotels. With a car it makes all of this so much easier.

We take a backpack into the parks with us. Rain Ponchos, snacks, water bottles.........jackets tied around our waist, etc........ With a car we would leave jackets, snacks, some water bottles and other items in the car and just get them when we hopped to our next park. These were items we wouldn't need until later in the day but by taking a bus from the resorts we would have to carry it all with us all day long.

 

[rlovew]

We live in Florida so we drive to WDW. My DH does all the driving when we are together and normally our car stays parked until the day we are leaving. Generally that day we will drive to a theme park after checking out and then drive home later in the day.

We are also not park commandos- we generally go first thing in the morning but go back after lunch and then maybe go into another park after dinner. If we stay for fireworks in a park then we stay afterwards for a half hour or more in stores and then the bus crowds are generally gone.In over 60 days the longest wait we have ever had for a bus was 30 min (and that has been 1 time only)- generally we find the wait is 15 minutes or less for us- I don't know if we have exceptional luck or if many people who share about buses share their bad experiences. In that time I think I have only needed to stand on buses back from the parks about 1 out of every 10 times (granted we rarely are leaving at the most crowded times of the day).

 

[aaarcher86]

I much rather parking my butt in my own car seat after a long day in minor traffic than standing in line/on the bus.

I dislike crowds. I'll take some extra time out of my day for the comfort factor.

 

[ohdddear]

We stayed at POR last October and loved driving our car to the parks. Our car was parked right outside our Royal Room and was just so easy to jump into and head to park instead of walking to the bus stop and waiting for the bus. Wait and see where your room is at check in and decide then. If you are close to a bus stop you may want to try the busses but we found that waiting around and then you have several stops around the resort seemed to take longer. Parking is free since you are on property and it is very easy to navigate to every park. Enjoy POR - it has become one of our favorites!

 

[GillianP1301]

I would've taken the boat.

Yep, that too. We usually did the bus to MK in the morning and the boat back at night.

 

[BrianL]

People always like to take the bus to MK because it bypasses the TTC, however, in my opinion, if it's your first time especially, I kinda love the staging of arriving at the TTC, then riding the monorail, as it rounds that corner and the castle comes into view for the first time. It's a magical moment. It's way more magical than the drainage area in front of the contemporary that the bus goes through! The ferry offers a similar feeling. While us seasoned veterans just wanna get there, I've always liked that aspect.