Disney Transportation or my own?

[JennSmith]

We will be driving down and staying at Art of Animation 9/18-9/26. I am not 100% sure how we should get around each day - bus or our own car. There are some days when we plan on doing multiple parks but only for meals and at parks that aren't open all day, (water park and AK). This is what's planned so far...
9/18 - Arrival day...DD for dinner @ 8:00
9/19 - MK...all day - I would like to be here for rope drop this day
9/20 - Epcot...all day
9/21 - Blizzard Beach and then HS for dinner @ 7:45
9/22 - Ohana @ 7:30 then MK...all day including MNSSHP
9/23 - AK and then Epcot for dinner @ 6:45
9/24 - HS...all day
9/25 - Who knows/free day and then Chef Mickey's @ 7:05
9/26 - Hang our heads in sorrow as we drive home crying most, if not all of the time thinking of how just one week prior we were just starting our vacay and time flies way too fast when you're at Disney
I'm not sure if we will be staying at MK on 9/19 and 9/22 the ENTIRE time...they are open until 1am and then midnight for those days...maybe we will need a break? I'm sure at least one of us will, (cough cough side eye my husband and my mother lol ).
So what do you guys think...any suggestions as to what is the best way to get back and forth each day? Maybe different forms of transport each day? Any advice is helpful - this is our first time staying at a Disney resort so we've never had to wonder about using their transportation.

 

[Figgy1]

I think seeing you'll have free parking staying at AoA, I'd use the car for any days that involve hopping or the waterparks. BTW I'm not a fan of the busses. But that's just my opinion

 

[JennSmith]

I think seeing you'll have free parking staying at AoA, I'd use the car for any days that involve hopping or the waterparks. BTW I'm not a fan of the busses. But that's just my opinion

Ok - thanks for the advice. I was seriously at a loss as to what to take/drive

 

[Monty]

I've never had trouble with Disney transportation, except when I want to travel resort to resort.

 

[Figgy1]

Ok - thanks for the advice. I was seriously at a loss as to what to take/drive

Also if you take the car in the am it will be a bit easier for mom and dh to go back for a break. IMHO

 

[JennSmith]

Also if you take the car in the am it will be a bit easier for mom and dh to go back for a break. IMHO

Yes, this is very true!

 

[Tuvalu]

Use the bus when you go to MK. It saves time and effort, since the bus depot is right outside the MK entrance. Otherwise, you have to park at the TTC and take a monorail or ferry over to MK. Exception: drive to Poly for your O'hana breakfast. When you are finished, have one member move the car to the TTC (or drive back to AoA and take bus over to MK) while the rest of your party takes the monorail to MK.

Drive your car to Blizzard Beach. Parking is convenient and it is better to get into your own car wet and tired than onto a crowded bus.

Downtown Disney area is a mess. Ride the bus...it may not get you there any faster than your car, but you won't have the stress of trying to drive and figure out where you're going and where to park.

Drive to DHS. The parking/tram situation is easy and beats waiting for a bus at the end of the day.

Bus to AK, the bus depot is closer than the parking lot and the tram service can be spotty.

Epcot is personal preference. There is a hefty walk from both the bus stop and parking lot, since trams don't always run first thing in the morning.

 

[JennSmith]

Use the bus when you go to MK. It saves time and effort, since the bus depot is right outside the MK entrance. Otherwise, you have to park at the TTC and take a monorail or ferry over to MK. Exception: drive to Poly for your O'hana breakfast. When you are finished, have one member move the car to the TTC (or drive back to AoA and take bus over to MK) while the rest of your party takes the monorail to MK.

Drive your car to Blizzard Beach. Parking is convenient and it is better to get into your own car wet and tired than onto a crowded bus.

Downtown Disney area is a mess. Ride the bus...it may not get you there any faster than your car, but you won't have the stress of trying to drive and figure out where you're going and where to park.

Drive to DHS. The parking/tram situation is easy and beats waiting for a bus at the end of the day.

Bus to AK, the bus depot is closer than the parking lot and the tram service can be spotty.

Epcot is personal preference. There is a hefty walk from both the bus stop and parking lot, since trams don't always run first thing in the morning.

This is good info - thank you!
I heard there is a boat from Poly to MK. If this is true is it terrible? It sounds fun...just for the experience...

 

[Tuvalu]

This is good info - thank you!
I heard there is a boat from Poly to MK. If this is true is it terrible? It sounds fun...just for the experience...

You're welcome! Yes, there is a boat from Poly to MK. When it arrives, it will have guests on it already from the GF but it will go straight to the MK. It is a fun ride.

 

[JennSmith]

You're welcome! Yes, there is a boat from Poly to MK. When it arrives, it will have guests on it already from the GF but it will go straight to the MK. It is a fun ride.

Sweet - I may try this. I kind of like the ferry ride to MK from TTC. I mean the build up was always kind of awesome...seeing the castle in the distance. #goosebumps

 

[yensid67]

My personal thoughts if it were me...

Since I would be staying on property, I WOULD use my car each day. The bus system is nice to utilize as long as you don't mind wasting more time on the bus than it would take in your own car. And resort guests do not pay for parking anyways!(unless they changed this) So I would most definitely use my car. There are 2 Speedway gas stations on property, one across from Disney Springs and the other is near AK.

 

[JennSmith]

My personal thoughts if it were me...

Since I would be staying on property, I WOULD use my car each day. The bus system is nice to utilize as long as you don't mind wasting more time on the bus than it would take in your own car. And resort guests do not pay for parking anyways!(unless they changed this) So I would most definitely use my car. There are 2 Speedway gas stations on property, one across from Disney Springs and the other is near AK.

Thank you for the advice. I think this is probably the route we will take!

 

[SAV]

Even when we fly down, we rent a car. I prefer to drive and be on my own schedule than on a bus schedule. I like going to my own space after a long day than being on a bus with strangers. I can control the temperature, volume, etc.

While it is more convenient to take the bus to MK, you get dropped off in front which means no Monorail ride. Can't have that. That's part of the MK visit for me.

You can always send Hubby and Mom back on the bus if they really need to take a break.

 

[JennSmith]

Even when we fly down, we rent a car. I prefer to drive and be on my own schedule than on a bus schedule. I like going to my own space after a long day than being on a bus with strangers. I can control the temperature, volume, etc.

While it is more convenient to take the bus to MK, you get dropped off in front which means no Monorail ride. Can't have that. That's part of the MK visit for me.

You can always send Hubby and Mom back on the bus if they really need to take a break.

I agree with all of this - especially because of the ferry ride to the MK...I LOVE that part!!! I was just really unsure because you hear so many people that are really PRO WDW transportation, so I thought maybe I should try it. Plus this is the first time we will be on property so it was never an option before

 

[Britrepeater]

We are just finishing our first on site stay. Caribbean beach. The buses are atrocious we had a car. And every time we have given the busses a try we are either left waiting or busses are crammed. 40 minutes + on some occasions. It's also been very wet and the bus drop offs seem at lot further away than they should be. Played havoc with fast pass and dinner reservations. We drove to MK early for reservation and they then bussed us from TTC to the park. The uncertainty has been too stressful and ruins what should be a magical start to a visit.

 

[WillCAD]

This issue inspires very strong feelings on both sides.

Some folks absolutely hate driving themselves around WDW. For a combination of reasons such as disliking driving because they do it for a living, being nervous about getting lost, being tired of driving after a multi-day drive to get to WDW, and wishing to save the expense of a rental car, and the widely-held belief that self-driving takes significantly longer than WDW transportation, many choose to rely exclusively on WDW transportation.

I am personally of the other mindset. For me, driving is like breathing; if I can't do it for myself, I turn blue and pass out. I prefer to drive myself almost everywhere at WDW, and rent a car whenever I fly there, whether I'm staying on-site or off-site.

Though I have gotten lost at WDW a few times, I've been there enough that it doesn't happen any more (though I do sometimes miss a turn or take a wrong turn), and I have no apprehension about driving around Orlando, from MCO to WDW to Universal or anywhere else. Map and talking GPS apps in my smart phone make it that much easier for me to navigate.

Rental car expenses, and parking fees when I'm staying off-site, are certainly a concern, but I shop around to get the best bargain I can, and budget the car and parking into my trip planning at an early stage.

Time is the biggest factor in my preference to self-drive. I save as much as an hour a day, sometimes two, by driving myself from my resort to various WDW destinations. That's precious vacation time that I'd otherwise be spending sitting (or standing) at bus stops. I'm not in a rush, but I just can't stomach wasting large amounts of my limited time in Orlando waiting for transportation.

Many people dispute my time-savings (though I watch the clock and can verify that self-driving is almost always a significant savings over WDW transportation). They will cite the fact that WDW buses drop you off right at the MK entrance, while self-drivers have to take the tram to TTC, then take the monorail or ferryboat, to get from the parking lot to the gate, as a time-savings that negates any advantage to self-driving.

But I see it differently. First of all, this delay only applies to MK, while at the other three parks and DTD there is no delay; by arriving early, I usually get a parking spot close enough to the gates that I have no need of the parking lot tram (and I never use it at Epcot in any case, no matter how far away I park, it just doesn't seem that far to me). MK, of course, is different. At MK, my Disney Day starts the moment I get on the ferryboat in the morning, and doesn't end until I step off of the monorail in the evening. The monorail and ferry are not simply transportation to me, they're attractions - some of my favorites - and if I take a bus to MK, I miss them.

I likewise enjoy taking the watercraft around Bay Lake, the Seven Seas Lagoon, and Crescent Lake (the Epcot resorts area). The Friendship Launches in Crescent Lake are relaxing, enjoyable craft (though if I'm in a hurry, I sometimes walk, which is actually faster than the boat). The resort launches from MK to the monorail resorts, WL, and FW, are also a lot of fun, especially the very small motor launches that run between WL and Contemporary. Watching Wishes from one of those boats is a great experience, and the trip provides a unique perspective on some familiar places.

So I drive for transportation, but I also take the boats and monorails just for fun.

 

[Figgy1]

This issue inspires very strong feelings on both sides.

Some folks absolutely hate driving themselves around WDW. For a combination of reasons such as disliking driving because they do it for a living, being nervous about getting lost, being tired of driving after a multi-day drive to get to WDW, and wishing to save the expense of a rental car, and the widely-held belief that self-driving takes significantly longer than WDW transportation, many choose to rely exclusively on WDW transportation.

I am personally of the other mindset. For me, driving is like breathing; if I can't do it for myself, I turn blue and pass out. I prefer to drive myself almost everywhere at WDW, and rent a car whenever I fly there, whether I'm staying on-site or off-site.

Though I have gotten lost at WDW a few times, I've been there enough that it doesn't happen any more (though I do sometimes miss a turn or take a wrong turn), and I have no apprehension about driving around Orlando, from MCO to WDW to Universal or anywhere else. Map and talking GPS apps in my smart phone make it that much easier for me to navigate.

Rental car expenses, and parking fees when I'm staying off-site, are certainly a concern, but I shop around to get the best bargain I can, and budget the car and parking into my trip planning at an early stage.

Time is the biggest factor in my preference to self-drive. I save as much as an hour a day, sometimes two, by driving myself from my resort to various WDW destinations. That's precious vacation time that I'd otherwise be spending sitting (or standing) at bus stops. I'm not in a rush, but I just can't stomach wasting large amounts of my limited time in Orlando waiting for transportation.

Many people dispute my time-savings (though I watch the clock and can verify that self-driving is almost always a significant savings over WDW transportation). They will cite the fact that WDW buses drop you off right at the MK entrance, while self-drivers have to take the tram to TTC, then take the monorail or ferryboat, to get from the parking lot to the gate, as a time-savings that negates any advantage to self-driving.

But I see it differently. First of all, this delay only applies to MK, while at the other three parks and DTD there is no delay; by arriving early, I usually get a parking spot close enough to the gates that I have no need of the parking lot tram (and I never use it at Epcot in any case, no matter how far away I park, it just doesn't seem that far to me). MK, of course, is different. At MK, my Disney Day starts the moment I get on the ferryboat in the morning, and doesn't end until I step off of the monorail in the evening. The monorail and ferry are not simply transportation to me, they're attractions - some of my favorites - and if I take a bus to MK, I miss them.

I likewise enjoy taking the watercraft around Bay Lake, the Seven Seas Lagoon, and Crescent Lake (the Epcot resorts area). The Friendship Launches in Crescent Lake are relaxing, enjoyable craft (though if I'm in a hurry, I sometimes walk, which is actually faster than the boat). The resort launches from MK to the monorail resorts, WL, and FW, are also a lot of fun, especially the very small motor launches that run between WL and Contemporary. Watching Wishes from one of those boats is a great experience, and the trip provides a unique perspective on some familiar places.

So I drive for transportation, but I also take the boats and monorails just for fun.

Welcome aboard!

 

[JennSmith]

The monorail and ferry are not simply transportation to me, they're attractions - some of my favorites - and if I take a bus to MK, I miss them.

I agree with this!

 

[bpadair32]

I really like the convenience of the WDW transportation. Is there some waiting, crowding, other issues? Yes. But I am willing to deal with it for the convenience of not having to worry about driving. Also, I like to have a few drinks when I am on vacation, and do not want to have to worry about trying to drive after having a few drinks or planning for someone else to drive.

 

[Ben_since_1971]

My .02 - I get a rental car, but use the busses for park and DTD transportation. We travel to other resorts for dinners, and we do venture off property for some shopping, plus I like the freedom of knowing I could use the car when I needed it. BUT - I like the convenience of not having to worry about traversing a parking lot, and a tram just to get to the parks. BUT - I can see if I had kids, and I was park hopping, a car would be more beneficial.