WDW without a car - How reliable are the buses?

[ScubaTrek]

Our family of 3 is going to Orlando for 2 weeks this summer, one week of Disney and one week of Universal. Since we're staying at Saratoga Springs for our Disney week, my wife wants to skip the rental car and depend on the WDW transportation or that week. That makes me nervous since I've never been without a personal vehicle on a trip like this. Also, we're traveling at near peak season (last week of July) and I'm worried about bus delays due to crowds. Any advice would be helpful. Should I be worried about this, or is the Disney transportation reliable enough? We're planning to be at each park at rope drop and probably stay until closing.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

Our family of 3 is going to Orlando for 2 weeks this summer, one week of Disney and one week of Universal. Since we're staying at Saratoga Springs for our Disney week, my wife wants to skip the rental car and depend on the WDW transportation or that week. That makes me nervous since I've never been without a personal vehicle on a trip like this. Also, we're traveling at near peak season (last week of July) and I'm worried about bus delays due to crowds. Any advice would be helpful. Should I be worried about this, or is the Disney transportation reliable enough? We're planning to be at each park at rope drop and probably stay until closing.

We frequently travel to WDW at that time of year and never have a rental car. Yes, the crowds are heavy but in my opinion the transportation is completely reliable. That said, you absolutely have to plan additional travel time into your schedule and stick to it. If you want to be at a park for rope drop (and you won't be the only ones!), be at your bus stop well in advance of when the first bus is scheduled. As for after park closing, be prepared to wait in (long) lines for your bus back to the resort. It can be slow, and you likely won't get on the first (or even second) bus you see, but they do add buses as needed to keep things moving during peak times.

We fly into Orlando and solely use Disney transportation during our entire stay and have never felt the need for a car. For us, Disney transportation is so convenient and a car would be an unnecessary expense. As long as that week you are staying entirely on site, I don't know what the benefit to having one would be. I'm sure others will have different experiences to share, but I can attest that a car is not essential and to me, would be a waste. If you plan to eat off property or leave property for other reasons, that would be good reason to consider having one, of course.

 

[BillPA]

Don't over look the masses trying to leave the parks at closing, you will be in grid lock with a car most times unless you bailout early. You will be stuck with many tired and grumpy drivers trying to get 'home', I would rather let the bus drivers handle that mess and relax, holding on the rail as you inch back to you unit.

 

[CarolMN]

We rarely get a car - haven't for many years. Buses will get you where you need to go. Just plan on crowds and adjust your attitudes. Really, if you spend 5 or 10 extra minutes waiting, does it really matter?

Agree with both DisneyFan3260 and BillPA. IMO, the advantages of using a car on site is mostly "perception". Also, with Disney's new security procedures, wouldn't it be nice to go through security at the resort and skip it at the park? If you drive to the MK, you're stuck taking the tram and going through security before you board the ferry or monorail and after security, there's the wait for one of those to show up.

For those few occasions when you really have to get somewhere in a hurry, take a cab or use UBER. If you will have the ability to park hop, check out Disney's new express bus service. Might be worth it for you!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Another vote for Disney Buses. Driving around Disney Property can be a little confusing. Even for my Disney veteran family we still make a mistake at least once a trip. Knowing your bus driver knows the way and you don't have to navigate anywhere is a big plus and a big stress reliever for me.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Also wanted to add that at SSR there are signs at each bus stop that tell you exactly when the next bus for each park will arrive. This makes the whole bus riding situation sooooo much better because you know exactly how long you will need to wait. It's the unknown that I find most frustrating, but the electronic signs have nicely eliminated that.

 

[Spartan86]

We are DME/Bus users exclusively as well (with the occasional Uber). We have stayed with a car twice in the past, but we really enjoy not having the car now for many of the reasons stated above. We also particularly like departing property on DME and grabbing a relaxing respite en route to MCO.

Specifically for SSR, you might consider your location request. If memory serves, the bus route from the parks is Grandstand, Carousel, Paddock, Congress Park, The Springs(main) and off to the parks again. We stayed at Congress Park (now DVC "preferred" catagory) in Early Dec. of '16. We had a couple of occasions (mornings) of buses not stopping at Congress Park as they were already full. I assume therefore they did not stop at The Springs either. It was a minimal issue but it can exist at the later stops.

Additionally, note that if coming from Disney Springs, the bus will come into the resort near Congress Park, but make its first stop at The Springs, then proceed to Grandstand and on around as it serves as the internal resort bus as well. Again Dec '16 data.

Have fun. We just add the transportation in as part of the adventure. I think especially for MK and AK it is much nicer to be able to jump on and off just outside the gate than to have to mess with a car. YMMV

 

[skyywalker]

We like having a vehicle so we can play mini golf, go to Sea World/Universal, and also for those days we don't feel like dealing with over crowded buses. Just a personal preference.

 

[biogirl5579]

I like having the option of a car..sometimes the quiet of your own car at the end of a long day is nice. That and it takes less time to get in and out of park (in my experience), so I can do more and plan less.

Also, there are so many rental companies at the Orlando airport, I don't spend more than $150 for a week with a standard or midsize car.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We always drive to Florida in our personal vehicle. But when we head to the parks, especially MK, we take the buses. They are convenient even if you have to wait for a second bus to get back to the resort. We'll use the car to make grocery store runs or visit our son or eat off site with our son.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

In our 15 trips to WDW (including August only trips since 2008), we have never used a car.
Not having to drive is one of my favorite things about vacationing at WDW.

 

[tjkraz]

IMO, the advantages of using a car on site is mostly "perception".

Agree with this. Speaking as someone who had a car for 10 years of WDW trips--and has more recently relied on Disney buses--the buses work just great the majority of the time.

The biggest downside to Disney buses is that you have to stick to their routes. With a car you can travel from Point A to Point B to Point C at will. Disney transportation may require a little more planning. However, we are living in the Uber age. If you have some difficult trip to make--say grocery store visit or going from one Disney resort to another--Uber is probably cheaper than paying for a rental the entire week.

As for buses, you may have one or two odd trips where the wait times seem longer than you expect. Disney bus stops now have video screens with anticipated arrival times. For the most part, we find our waits to be no more than 5-10 minutes on average. (Consider the fact that even if you do drive, you'll spend time waiting at parking lot toll booths plus that walk / tram ride from your vehicle to the park entrance. Buses tend to breeze right thru and drop you right near the entrance.)

 

[BillPA]

We always get a car. Not so much for going to the parks, but to leave WDW to get groceries, visit friends that live near by and to get a few freshly made meals instead of Disney's microwaved 'generic' meals.

 

[longboard55]

We use to get a car but not anymore, by the time you add the time spent waiting for parking lot trams, the busses are quicker, especially at the magic kingdom. We use to stop and get supplies but we did not seem to ever use them, so now I use my rental car money for drinks at the pool bar

 

[Bullseye]

After a couple years of buses we gave up on them years ago. We drive everywhere in WDW including MK. Having a car allows you to go where you want, when you want. Everybody gets a seat and you only have to deal with your own family. With buses you will be stuck with many tired and grumpy passengers trying to get 'home' after a long day in park. Not to mention you may have to wait for multiple buses before you get on. Trams at the park run regularly especially at the start/end of the day. Navigating WDW is easy, everything is well marked. Plus you can use your car to shop off-property for room provisions at regular store prices.

 

[Tigger's ally]

We just returned from OKW and the buses were very reliable. The only three times we had to wait very long were all because we walked up just as the bus going where we were going left (twice leaving Mk and once going to AK). It sucks when that happens, but it isn't their fault at all. And, the next bus was 20 minutes away. The rest of the time we maybe waited 5-10 minutes. It took us a day to figure out the route cause OKW is kind of different, but once we did, it was easy peasy. Also, I don't know if it were just the luck of the draw or what, but six days of multiple bus rides and only 3 had any wheelchair/EV riders. And even then, the drivers were great at getting them aboard in a timely manner. Loved riding the bus as we got to listen to a family from London, one from Australia and one from Germany and all their accents and little ones. Besides, I am usually in no shape to drive at the end of the night. Love the busses.

EDIT- The one thing I did have a negative comment on though was the screens at the resort stops and their "estimated" arrival times. They were never reliable at all. They jumped all over. One time when we were going to MK, it said about 8:30 when we got there then it went to 8:49, back to 8:35 then back to 8:52. All before the bus showed up at 8:25?????

 

[disneynutz]

Buses can be a mixed bag. Disney schedules more buses in the morning and at park close. In between time you may end up waiting longer. 20 to 40 minuets can happen and sometimes the posted wait time can be incorrect. Just plan for longer than expected travel times so you won't be late for pending appointments or dinner and you will be all right.

Bill

 

[Murron]

Rental car = freedom. I think Disney transportation is a great option to have, but you have to have the right mind set for it. I will freely admit I don't. I go when I want to go (and if we stay too long.....well ok yeah we wait to get out... but that doesn't happen too often). Plus as others have pointed out, we do visit friends, get groceries, and visit other restaurants & attractions in the area. That being said....I LOVE Magical Express. We use it frequently, and rent our car at the Dolphin.

 

[Dean]

Our family of 3 is going to Orlando for 2 weeks this summer, one week of Disney and one week of Universal. Since we're staying at Saratoga Springs for our Disney week, my wife wants to skip the rental car and depend on the WDW transportation or that week. That makes me nervous since I've never been without a personal vehicle on a trip like this. Also, we're traveling at near peak season (last week of July) and I'm worried about bus delays due to crowds. Any advice would be helpful. Should I be worried about this, or is the Disney transportation reliable enough? We're planning to be at each park at rope drop and probably stay until closing.

I prefer a car but I likely would just do the buses unless you are trying to get from resort to resort which is more difficult with the transportation system. We do drive everywhere except to MK. I'd look at the price difference (we never get the extra ripoff insurance) and see what the real difference is and it sounds like you will want to get the car to get to universal anyway.

 

[goofy kc]

Bus, boat and monorail all work for us. Sometimes we get a car but the issues with cars are about the same as WDW transportation issues. Don't forget, once you park your car there is still a tram to deal with.
The one bonus I have found for a car is the ability to store gear and squeeze an extra day out of the trip. We have been able to get 10 hours at the parks and still make the last flight out!