Why do people choose to rely on Disney transportation?

[PeachesDoesHair]

We don't want to drive. And, $150-200 is a lot to us, so we would rather use the free transportation and buy something to take home with us.

 

[elwise1966]

Here are my reasons:

1) I'm on vacation...Let someone else drive for a change.
2) That extra $150-$200 can be spent on more important things (like Mickey Bars and Dole Whips)
3) I can't afford the speeding tickets I would get trying to get to the parks to get my fix
4) Falling asleep at the wheel after a long day at the parks is not fun. I don't want to spend my vacation dead.
5) I can always count on the bus drivers for a few wisecracks...Priceless!

 

[CharityLynn]

We just started driving to Disney this year (20 hour trip give or take) so we totally use Disney transportation, I mean after that many hours behind the wheel its nice to just sit. Also when we have left MK at the end of the day the line for the monorail scares me..so does the bus line but eh..I'd rather not drive when I'm that tired.

 

[seashoreCM]

The buses are carefree.

But I sometimes still rent a car because:
1. I often go offsite for dinner (okay, go ahead and call me a Disney traitor)
2. I can get all ready for the water park up in my room, no having to lug stuff.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think that Disney does a GREAT job with their signs and we've never had a problem getting around on property.

When you leave Epcot, and follow the signs for Downtown Disney, as you approach a certain intersection there's a sign that says "Downtown Disney Next Left". I tried three nights in a row to 'interpret' that sign - I got lost three nights in a row (differently each night). I found out later, the "next left" that I was taking literally? It's a Cast Member road and Disney doesn't count it when it comes to that signage!

See, here is where the control freak takes over for me again. I would rather be driving in the bad traffic than someone else driving me in the bad traffic. I trust my driving more than I do someone else's.

Well... if you say so... but I figure, that someone else drives in and around that area at least several days a week. I'm there twice, maybe three times a year. I mean, do YOU want to drive around Boston traffic, or would you rather have me drive - keeping in mind, I've been doing it almost every weekday for the last three years.


Now, my take. If I'm going to spend the entire trip at Walt Disney World, I won't rent a car. I'm on vacation, I'm relaxing (yeah, even at WDW), so if it takes fifteen or twenty minutes for a bus to show up, I'll live. If I needed to be somewhere at a specific time, I should have started early enough to get there.
On the other hand, if I'm visiting two or three of the Orlando-area parks, yeah, I'll rent a car. I started a trip offsite a couple (has it been that long?) of years ago, and moved over to OKW on Sunday. I also had an ECV. Once I got to the resort, I didn't touch the car again until Thursday, and then only because I felt guilty about having it and not using it!

 

[Fafolguy]

I haven't decided if we'lldepend on the busses or not just yet. We're driving the 9 hours from Birmingham, and will have the car available. Might see how it goes and take the bus to the park in the am, then drive back after our afternoon break.

 

[TAKitty]

We love Disney transportation. My Dh and I drive an hour each day just to go to work. Yes, that is another hour back home. Not to have to drive at Disney is wonderful!

 

[mom*to*2*princesses]

Part of the reason we love WDW so much is that we don't have to deal with many of the stresses of every day life, especially dealing with a car. We love not having to drive in a strange city full of tourists, park in huge parking lots, or find our car at the end of a long day!

 

[robinb]

We *always* used to rent a car, but we found that when we go over NYE it's impossible to park so our car would end up sitting at the resort. Now that Magical Express is FREE (yay!) we can get to WDW and not worry about finding parking. We took ME on our last trip in August to save $$ and we ended up taking a cab twice: once to AKL. We shared the cabs with my sister's family so it cost us $20 total. A car would have cost almost $200.

 

[Poohbear123]

Don't own a Drivers License, so I rely on ME and on site busses/trams/monorails etc.

 

[jimmiej]

I've never rented a car at WDW, and I never want to. When I go to WDW, I have absolutely no interest in leaving Disney property. No offense to Central Floridians, but I just don't need to go out among you in your native habitat. I'm sure we're very much alike, except that I own more sweaters, and you have a better knowledge of really big bugs.

I enjoy being in what I call the "Disney cocoon." I LOVE the fact that my car is at my home airport, and that my car key is in my room safe for an entire week. I've gotta drive every day of my life, so I truly relish a week when I don't have to drive.

That's just me. I love it that after a long hot day at the parks I can get onto an air conditioned bus that hasn't been baking in the sun all day, and get off my feet and turn off my brain for a few minutes.

The only time I don't like the buses is after Wishes or some other event like that when the equivalent of the population of Kansas City leaves the park all at the same time and tries to squeeze into 15 buses. However, I'd STILL rather do that than rent a car.

The money-saving aspect is nice, too. But for me the main thing is voluntarily GIVING UP control and, literally and figuratively, letting someone else drive for a few days. I have to be so tightly in-control during the rest of my life, but at WDW I can let go and r-e-l-a-x.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Violet Crayon]

Poor college students (using holiday money to travel) = relying on free transportation

I also use the bus system, here, to get to school and work so I am used to it all. In fact, I expect to see the system at WDW as more efficient and timely, ha.

 

[TDC Nala]

Wine with dinner. Drinks at PI. Rose & Crown. Et cetera.

 

[mwehttam]

When we are there this coming July we will have our car since we will be driving down or taking the autotrain. It will be DW, DS (6 weeks old now; will be 8 months on trip) and myself. Though we will have our car, I plan at leaving it at SSR and not move it once unless we need something for the baby. As many have said previous, the busses are part of the magic. One poster hit the nail on the head about your car baking in the sun all day. I want to avid my car sitting in the July heat and will like the AC'd bus.

-Matt

 

[blestmom]

The first two times I went to Disney with 5 kids by myself, and stayed in the FW cabins. It was off-season and the busses were easy. We didn't have the extra expense of a car, and we enjoyed the busses. The last time, and the next time we go, we are staying off-site, so a car will be easier. We've done it both ways. Just depends.

 

[brightspark]

Coming from the UK it's a big thing to hire a car... wrong side of the road driving, new road laws etc, and we'll get a taxi if we really need one to go outside of WDW (although having said that my sis and I did use the public buses.... hope you're impressed) when we were there!

This coming trip we are hiring a car though to get us to Vero Beach and back so wish us luck!!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

I tend to be directionaly challenged & when I'm on vacation, I don't want or need the stress. The one time we drove , we never used our car to get around. As perplexed as you are by us bus riders, I'm equally perplexed by those who drive. To me & DW, the Disney transportation is part of the magic. The % of time we've waited over 10 minutes for a bus, monorail, or boat is miniscule.

As the next poster stated, we're on vacation, love doing Disney ,not driving anywhere plus the wasted money on renting a car when transportation is provided for free with very little wait. We do not go during the summer months and part of our magic is walking down to the boat or bus and taking the ride to our next fun place, same on returning, its no big issue waiting for a bus or boat. On property you're going to stand and wait for something, why take your money and rent a car when other things require a wait. Life is too short to be worried about 10 minutes here or there, relax, enjoy the sights and leave the driving to Ddisney.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I usually stay off site once a yr & on site once a yr... last visit I stayed at POP, first time in 3 yrs I flew down and didn't have a car..at first I was absolutely freaked hearing all the horror RUMORS about WDW transportation well to anyone who ever posted anything negative about the transportation I say

I arrived at MCO and had my first experience of letting Disney take care of me completely.... "Magical Express" what a pleasure! My vacation started the minute they swept me up. I have been going to WDW since the early 80's and usually don't use Disney's transportation at all, not the monorails, the buses, nothing...only the ferry over to MK..well let me tell you I LOVED it!

I even took the boat over to Ft Wilderness for horseback riding & Mickey's Backyard B-B-Q and I felt like I was seeing WDW for the first time in a long time.....and I had the best seat in the house when the boat returning to MK from Ft Wilderness was in the right place at the right time for WISHES fireworks and the Capt just let the boat drift while we all were Oooohs! & Aaaahs!

I only needed to have a car once to go food shopping as I had arranged to be part of a fridge swap at POP for my long stay so I got a cab..w/tip about $30 R/T

If staying on site why not use Disney transportation ? I've been silly for decades not using it

 

[MomofCKJ]

I've never rented a car at WDW, and I never want to. When I go to WDW, I have absolutely no interest in leaving Disney property. No offense to Central Floridians, but I just don't need to go out among you in your native habitat. I'm sure we're very much alike, except that I own more sweaters, and you have a better knowledge of really big bugs.

This cracked me up!

We are using Sunray to get from the airport to hotel today and then back next week. I didn't want to use ME and have to get to the airport soooo early on our return. That plus the grocery stop made it worth the $100.

No rental car though. Didn't want to spend more $$$$, didn't want to drive in FL (used to go to college there, sorry Floridians but you guys are nuts on the road, mostly the tourists and snowbirds) and if we have a wine with dinner all will be well as we board our bus. We even budgeted some cash for cab rides should the bus lines be too long for us some nights.

Allyson

 

[simzac]

The reason we don't drive is that we are on vacation, and the last thing I want to do is drive around in an area I am unfamiliar with along with many other people in the same position. Very stressful to me. We are never in a hurry to go anywhere when at WDW, so the transportation works fine for us. I'm just the opposite of the OP, I will never understand why someone would want to drive while at WDW. JMO