When to drive your car to the parks vs taking the Disney bus?

[Disneyonmymind]

Hello DIS folks,
We are planning to stay at POR-FQ this summer and will have our car to use for transportation if we want. When is it advisable to use the car versus taking the Disney buses?

We are planning on touring the parks beginning at opening and returning most days to our hotel for a mid-day pool break/rest and then returning to the parks for the evening. We really want to make sure that we are there before the parks scheduled opening times.

Two evenings we are planning to have dinner at other resorts (Ohanas and Whispering Canyon) so it seems like those nights we should drive to the resorts(?). Can we leave our car at the resort and take the monorail/bus/boat from the resorts to the parks? Would that be the best plan?

Thanks for any advice (Don't want to spend extra time on transportation)
Jackie

 

[ErinInCT]

You may want to post this over on the transportation thread.
I recommend using your own car for every park except MK. At MK it is more of a pain to park & take the tram. I think it is more time consuming then the bus (which drops you off at the entrance) as well.
As I recall you are only allowed 3 hrs to park at the resorts which is specifically for the restaurants (I guess to prevent people from using the lots to park & go into the parks) so I don't think you can park & go to the parks. But again, the transportation board should really help you out.
We always take a car & find it way more convenient then buses (except for MK) so have a great time!

 

[Micca]

I think for resort to park transportation use the Disney buses. To go anywhere else, take your car.

 

[jaysue]

Drive to the resorts for dinner

Drive to AK assuming that you want to go back to resort afterwards

The rest are a tossup

As another poster noted, generally you want to take Disney transport to the MK - bus brings you almost to the gate as do the monorail and ferry - if you park, you must go to the TTC first and then get monorail or ferry

We always find taking the bus to MK works best if we are not at an MK resort

Cheers
jaysue

 

[DVC Jen]

Since we drive 99% of the time when we go to WDW we always have our car with us. We drive to all the parks with the exception of the MK. As Erin said.. it is a PAIN to drive to the MK and then have to take the ferry or monorail to the actual park.

I am not a fan of WDW buses, that is why we drive most of the time.

 

[Mich Mouse]

We drive to all of the parks and resorts. Over numerous trips, we have found it much faster and more convenient to drive ourselves. This is especially true when planning to return to your resort mid day. In your car it just takes minutes, with Disney transportarion, it can take so much longer. It is not unheard of to spend an hour getting back to a resort.

If you do not mind driving...(Some people feel part of the vacation is not having to drive)...You will be able to travel more quickly and efficiently around WDW.

Have Fun Planning!

 

[jckdisneybound]

We also either drive to the park, Resort PS's or the TTC. Very rarely will we take the bus. I just like the convenience of going when I want to go. But we are there first thing in the morning, so parking is never an issue.

 

[*Fantasia*]

We usually use the car to do our park hop or eat at a different resort. We also use it to go to DD. If you're going to stay out late at the park, I would suggest for you to use your own car. The line and wait can be very loooong! We use the Disney bus cause we are usually out of the park right before the fireworks end, so we are not in the crowds waiting in line for the bus.

Last month, we didn't have the rental car. It would have cost me about $500 to rent it for 7 nights...but it doesn't matter, they were sold out anyways. But there is no way no how I would do that. So I called FLTour to pick us up from the airport and back. It only cost me $110.

 

[Pocahontas1]

We always drive to FL, so we always have the car. We drive everywhere unless we stay at WL. Then we take the boat to MK. We've always driven to MK from other hotels, but maybe we should try the bus so we don't have to wait on the ferry, monorail, etc. I just hate to have to wait on a bus to get back to the hotel. We're staying at PO-R on the MK day. I guess I'll see how far away we are from a stop, but my guess is we'll drive anyway. Personally, I like taking the ferry or the monorail in the morning.

Also, I have a big, double stroller and it is a pain to try and get that thing on the bus.

 

[DonnaNOLA]

We drove to WDW for the first time in December -- other trips we flew. As everyone else has said, it's FAR quicker in most cases to take your car rather than WDW transportation to every park except MK.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you really do not want to wait for transportation, drive everywhere, even the MK, unless you're going to have some wine with dinner.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I guess we are in the minority. We also drive to WDW, but once we are there, I don't want to drive at all. That's what I love about staying on property, not having to think about driving, getting lost, looking for signs. Every time we have tried to drive somewhere we end up getting lost, because the signs are terrible. I swear I think Disney does this on purpose so people will get so frustrated with trying to find there way around that they will just give up and stay on property and use Diney Transportation. It worked on us.

 

[cricket429]

Okay, we will have our car as we are driving from NY to WDW. If we decide to drive to the parks (except MK) how are the parking lots? Do you have to walk a mile to the park entrance?

 

[Micca]

You will park and catch a shuttle to the park entrance at Epcot, MGM, and AK. At MK you will catch a shuttle to the TTC, where you will take a monorail or ferry ot the park. There is less walking if you take Disney transport, but you may have to wait (at park closing) to catch the shuttle back to your car.

 

[BabkaGal]

Hi!

I agree with Crazy Kanga...Disney is a vacation, and I don't want to drive while I'm on vacation! The buses run pretty regularly, and as long as you leave enough time to catch the buses, it is a relaxing trip and a good way to unwind.

Also, Florida drivers are AWFUL, and out-of-state drivers can be even worse! I don't want to risk any accidents or near-accidents to start or end my day!

BTW, there is a boat from DTD to POFQ, which you may find useful. Good luck!

--Babka Gal

 

[MargaretF]

We always drive to Florida and then rarely use our car after that. The convenience of stepping right up to an air conditioned bus, sitting back and letting someone else drive is worth the few extra minutes is takes to get places using the bus. It's a matter of preference. I spend about an hour a day commuting to work and the WDW transportation is what I like best about staying at WDW. Having said that, if you are going to drive, take the bus to MK, the drop off points are right at the entrance.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We never drive to MK; it's more convenient to take the bus. If you drive to AK and you are going for the EMH in the AM, take the bus. The parking lot entrance doesn't open in time to take advantage of the hour. We always drive to the water parks since we are hauling towels and other stuff. And when we want to leave, we want to leave and get home right away. Epcot and Disney Studios are toss ups. Sometimes we drive, sometimes we ride the bus. If we are staying at the Epcot/Disney Studios Resorts, we'll walk to Epcot and DS.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like we will take the bus to MK, for sure, and probably to the other parks, too. It may be the best plan to drive to the waterparks and to WL and Poly for dinner.

The only troubling thing is someone mentioned that we wouldn't be allowed to leave our car at the resort to allow us to go directly to MK. So we would have to drive back to the POR-FQ and take the bus. In this case, do you think it's still better to drive to the WL/Poly and back to POR-FQ, or to just take the bus to the WL/Poly for dinner (don't even know how to do that) and then directly to MK (by bus, boat, monorail, whatever).

Thanks,
Jackie

 

[fireplug]

We always use WDW transportation. It may be slower on some days and you may have to wait at a bus stop or too but we aint in no hurry, its vacation. relax and let someone else drive you around.
Having said that go ahead and drive to the WL and Poly but park in the MK parking and take the Monorail to the Poly. The WL is not very far from the main MK parking lot so you can go there after dinner without having to go all the way back to POFQ.


Steve

 

[DrTomorrow]

Facts: We fly from AZ to WDW, and always rent a car. We drive to water parks and (usually) bus to theme parks. DW and I lived in Detroit (Motor City) until last year, and mass transit is so scarce that riding a bus at WDW is like another ride! That said, however, if you need to be somewhere ASAP, then a car is usually - but not always - the faster option (I've waited for a parking tram for waaay to long once or twice).

As to your 'Ohana (great choice, BTW) and WC dinners, I'm not sure which order you're doing things in (going to eat, then want to go to MK afterward, or going to MK all day, then eating & going home) but in either case, here's what to do: Park at the MK lot (free, as a POFQ guest). You can take the monorail / ferry to MK - when it's time to eat, take the boat to WL / monorail to Polynesian, then back to MK/TTC to get your car. (Reverse as needed).

Be well!