Yah or Nah to only using Disney transportation

[immagicfan]

Wow seems to be a 50/50 split. I think we will just go with Disney buses and eat at the parks or our own resort. SOunds like it is only a pain to get to the resorts. The only one I wouldn't mind seeing would be Animal Kingdom Lodge...

This place is the best...Thanks for all the advice

H

 

[karibritt01]

Wow seems to be a 50/50 split. I think we will just go with Disney buses and eat at the parks or our own resort. SOunds like it is only a pain to get to the resorts. The only one I wouldn't mind seeing would be Animal Kingdom Lodge...

This place is the best...Thanks for all the advice

H

It really isn't hard to eat at the resorts and use the buses if you have a plan of attack. We like to do character breakfasts at the resorts. So for Chef Mickey's we will take the bus to MK, then hop the monorail to CR. (25 min traveling time tops.) After breakfast, we will either catch the monorail to Epcot or MK, but we could just as easily go to the bus stop and catch a bus to HS or AK. Just plan your resort ADRs to be convenient travel to and from the park you are in for the day. The main thing that is a pain is to go from one resort to another, since you have to go through a park to change buses.

 

[Taja]

I've done both and enjoyed both! LOL

When traveling with my BFF and travel buddy, we rent a car. She does not like to take WDW transportation, except for the monorail!

On solo trips, I've rented a car twice and it spent most of the time in the car park at the resort. It was prior to DME and was about $10 more expensive than a RT towncar plus gratuities.

Other solo trips I've used a towncar service so I could have a grocery stop (have to have some fresh fruit & veggies--plus a few things not so healthy!) and on one trip used DME for the return to the airport only.

It really depends on your needs. I have a fairly long daily commute, so I enjoy not driving while on holiday.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Car. I don't like waiting around for a bus, then standing on a bus, then waiting while the bus makes stops at multiple resort hotels and then finally getting to a park. The car is much more convenient and I always get a seat.

Oh, well, THAT'S easy. Just don't stay at a resort where the bus stops at more than one hotel

Of course, with the opening of Kidani Village, this restricts Guests to Pop Century...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Walt Disney World transportation. I even had a car the last time I went (time before that maybe? I forget). Anyway, I needed the car ONLY to get back to the airport after lunch, and Magical Express wouldn't have 'worked' despite booking the latest-at-the-time departure (drat JetBlue for THEN adding a later flight, but I digress). To rent the car for one 24 hour period - a car rental day - would have cost me $56. To rent it for EIGHT days cost me $74!!!! Go figure!

I used it three times: once to go food shopping, once to buy cigarettes, once to get to lunch and then on to the airport. WDW transportation worked PERFECTLY, including from resort-to-resort (okay, fine, I spent most of my time at Epcot ).

 

[buzz5985]

We drive our own car to WDW, but we do not use it the entire time we are there. We find WDW buses to be extremely convenient. We love to be picked up and dropped off right by our room or the park gates. We will only use our car for DTD (bus service out of there sucks!)

I agree, last time we were at OKW our car sat in it's parking spot all week.

 

[simzac]

As long as Disney transportation is free, we will use it.

 

[NHdisneylover]

We are another family that prefers to always use the WDW system. When the kids were little (1-6 or so) we drove down 3-4 times a year. Even then, with sleeping little ones and (sometimes) a stroller to juggle on the bus we much prefered using the system and left our car parked at the resort.

 

[dburg30]

WDW, or cabs. For normal day to day operations, I just use the buses. It can be crowded at park close / opening, but it's not like I have anywhere to be . I will sometimes use cabs for resort to resort dining options. I'm one of the ones that WDW is one of my true vacations. Once I go thru security at my home airport, I consider myself on vacation. I let others handle my travel needs til I land again and have to get the car to head home.

 

[blanq]

I vote for Disney transportation. Let them take care of all the driving! We've never had a problem with it and it's nice just to forget about the car for a week.

ITA! In the 10 trips my family has made to WDW and stayed on property, we have never rented a car. I think that Disney's transportation is excellent! We have never taken ME to/from the airport though, so cannot comment on that; we always do a towncar transfer.

 

[NMAmy]

About the only times DH and I argue is when we're driving in an unfamiliar place. So, WDW is the perfect vacation for us. We leave the car at the airport and don't drive again until we get home. We haven't had a problem with Disney transportation at all.

 

[TheWog]

Wow seems to be a 50/50 split. I think we will just go with Disney buses and eat at the parks or our own resort. SOunds like it is only a pain to get to the resorts. The only one I wouldn't mind seeing would be Animal Kingdom Lodge...

This place is the best...Thanks for all the advice

H

On your AK park day you could take the bus over to AKL. It is less than 5 mins and you could then get back quickly to AK to get to your resort or to DTD or something. Make a day of it.

 

[linzbear]

I prefer car, but that's because I love driving, and vacation without driving around wouldn't really be vacation to me (yes, I'm weird!)

There was also an incident a few years back where the bus ran out of gas on a 90+degree day, and they refused to open the doors to let any air in, so I had a bit of a panic attack. I tend to avoid them now.

Then there's the New England impatience...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Then there's the New England impatience...

Disagree. I'm impatient in Boston-area traffic. When some public transit person is doing the driving, not so much. You know, that whole "... grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." and all that

 

[funcinderella]

ITA! In the 10 trips my family has made to WDW and stayed on property, we have never rented a car. I think that Disney's transportation is excellent! We have never taken ME to/from the airport though, so cannot comment on that; we always do a towncar transfer.

By the time you pay for a towncar, you could probably rent a car. WE got a week rental over emmorial day weekend for mid-size for 121 including taxes. Can't beat it! We're staying at the Poly, so we may not even use it much, but its nice to have for when we do want it, and for getting back and forth to the airport. Tries Magical express once, and it wasn't a good experience. Bus was full, we had to wait for another one, some people just barely made their flight, and you ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE LIKE 3 HOURS AHEAD OF YOUR FLIGHT TIME. cAR SAVES YOU ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, AND YOU know YOU'RE GETTING A SEAT! tHAT SAID, IF THE CAR WAS LIKE $400 I might rethink it....

 

[TheWog]

By the time you pay for a towncar, you could probably rent a car. WE got a week rental over emmorial day weekend for mid-size for 121 including taxes. Can't beat it! We're staying at the Poly, so we may not even use it much, but its nice to have for when we do want it, and for getting back and forth to the airport. Tries Magical express once, and it wasn't a good experience. Bus was full, we had to wait for another one, some people just barely made their flight, and you ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE LIKE 3 HOURS AHEAD OF YOUR FLIGHT TIME. cAR SAVES YOU ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, AND YOU know YOU'RE GETTING A SEAT! tHAT SAID, IF THE CAR WAS LIKE $400 I might rethink it....

For the same price the town car will drop you at the door of both resort and airport and help you with the bags. No going to rental counters, garages, etc.

 

[funcinderella]

By the time you pay for a towncar, you could probably rent a car. WE got a week rental over emmorial day weekend for mid-size for 121 including taxes. Can't beat it! We're staying at the Poly, so we may not even use it much, but its nice to have for when we do want it, and for getting back and forth to the airport. Tries Magical express once, and it wasn't a good experience. Bus was full, we had to wait for another one, some people just barely made their flight, and you ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE LIKE 3 HOURS AHEAD OF YOUR FLIGHT TIME. cAR SAVES YOU ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, AND YOU know YOU'RE GETTING A SEAT! tHAT SAID, IF THE CAR WAS LIKE $400 I might rethink it....

Oops, sorry about the caps, I wasn't yelling, that was an accident

 

[lathamary]

Here's another vote for Disney Transportation all the way! We've never had a problem with it. Disney's Magical Express is fantastic - they deliver your luggage to your room. We've never had to wait long for the buses to/from the parks. We don't mind waiting, anyway; it's good family time. Some of the best memories of our trips are the conversations we had while waiting in line.

 

[saintstickets]

I keep reading horror stories about wait times for the WDW bus but we did not experience that at all when we were there 2 1/2 years ago at OKW. We never waited more than a few minutes for a bus and the bus rides were always 15 minutes or less. Things may have changed since then but we were there for Thanksgiving week that trip and did not use our vehicle one time for our entire stay. In fact, I wish we would have because DW left a latte in the vehicle when we parked and it did not smell too good 5 days later!!! We are going back in May, 2010 to OKW and will use the WDW transportation system.

 

[dacky041208]

If you were to do it over again is it better with a rental car or better to use DIsney transport all week??

We're happy with Disney transportation. It isn't always perfect, but it does it's job well (as far as we're concerned) and we love not worrying about driving at all after we park at our home airport.