Do you drive or take the Disney bus to parks?

[Pooh Lover]

We fly in and totally rely on Disney transportation but the difference between waiting for a bus at POR and WL is so great, I changed our reservation to the WL. The thought of starting every morning waiting for a bus that shows up standing room only was enough to make me change. DH has no interest in renting a car and driving.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thanks. That's a very good study in the times. Since it was done over a period of time, rather than for just one visit, the accuracy should be good.

There's another factor that makes the Disney transportation better to me than trying to drive your own car. Using Disney transportion seems to keep you in the 'magic' whereas arriving in your own car subjects you to seeing the back side of things like parking lot entrances. IMHO.

At best I would call it a fair study as there are always X factors that can mess things up on both sides of the equation. It was also only at 4 separate resorts (PORS, AKL, POP and AS sports) Sometimes buses just flat out don't show up or you catch one just as they are leaving. That will always add time to the trip. On the flip side you take a single wrong turn or encounter a minor fender bender your drive time can increase as well. One thing I will say is that driving tends to be more consistent than the buses, even if it is longer at times. This is simply because more of the trip is under your control. For this reason we tend to drive a bit more than taking the bus. The only exception would be in the case of breaking our group up or a drinking around the world excursion.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Always drive. We have a RentaCar, why not use it?

 

[RiversideBunny]

Actually, those of us who like using the Disney buses should be telling everyone on here how great it is to drive your own car.
That way the bus lines will be shorter.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

I ALWAYS drive. I love Disney World but their bus system leaves a lot to be desired. It's above average for a free service, but if you can afford a rental, by all means do that instead.

 

[aeillill]

We take the bus, from the moment we land at MCO, to the moment we depart we rely on Disney transportation. It's not the best system sometimes I'll admit but it's better then dealing with the hassle of driving . When I was younger we'd rent a car, but we'd barely use it and relied on Disney transportation half the time anyway so we decided it was a great way to just cut costs. Now if we need to go off property for whatever reason we'll rent a car for a day. There's a company right on property that will pick you up at your resort and bring you to the rental company. Prices were average when we used it 2 years ago.

 

[Scooter]

We take Disney buses.
Hate to drive in unfamiliar areas.
Plus...it's part of the magic to us.
We've met some really nice people on the buses.
Some adorable children as well.
Disney buses are a people watchers smorgasbord.

 

[Main Street USA]

I also think the busses leave a bit to be desired. I can get irritated waiting up to a half an hour at a bus stop while my vacation time is wasting away. In a few rare cases, I've had to wait longer than that.

Driving always takes less time in my book, but I know my way around the property very well. Following the signs doesn't always take you the best route. That's simply the way they want the majority of traffic to flow.

Anyway, it truly depends on the type of person you are. Do you want to be in control, or do you want to let someone else have control?

 

[DisneyJoe]

In comparison to my local public transit buses, which I take daily for work and pay for, Disney transportation is a DREAM.

 

[happymom52003]

We've done it both ways, and prefer driving our car.

Before we had kids, we always used the buses, even if we had a car with us. We also used the buses on our first trip with kids since we did not rent a car.

On our second trip with the kids, we had a car, so we drove to the parks (with the exception of MK since we always stay at a MK area resort....and we do not drive to Epcot when we stay at the Poly).

For us, it was like night and day. Taking our own car was so much easier and less time consuming. Sure, Disney transportation can be fun and magical at times...but not at 10:00 at night when you have two cranky kids that you have to hold while standing in a bus aisle AND you have to hold the two strollers in addition to the children!

As for trams, maybe we just have good luck, but in the last 5 trips where we have had a car, we've never had to wait more than a minute or two for a tram...in most cases, we have had zero wait. And putting the strollers on the tram is so much easier than putting them on the buses. We've also lucked out lots of times and were able to park close enough that we just walked to the entrance rather than taking the tram.

I really think it depends on your situation...if you do not have kids, or if your kids are older and past the stroller age, there might not be a huge difference. But for us, at this point in our lives, driving our own car is so much easier. And honestly, I can't stand being smushed up with a bunch of sweaty, stinky people at the end of the day on the buses!! I prefer getting in our air conditioned car, putting on some music and having a nice relaxing drive back to the resort!

 

[C&D]

We drive to get to WDW (so we have a car at our disposal) but one of my goals is to park it and not have to fire it up again until it is time to leave to (go home). Disney transportation is part of the experience for us; bus, boat, monorail, walk.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Our March family reunion is when we stay off-site at a time share. We drive because we have to bring so much stuff to entertain everyone. (board games, movies, sports stuff, etc.) So we drive to any parks we visit then.

When just DH & I go, we stay on property & rely completely on Disney transportation. There's benefits to both things, I'm happy either way.

 

[maggiegrace1]

We drive there and we never take Disney buses...we know Disney property very well it is easier then waiting on a crowded slow bus..

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The only cons I can think of is that our minivan is not as "magical" or as fun as the Disney buses and that we might get lost especially at night.

There's very little magic on those buses, as far as I'm concerned. Cramped seating (if any), a few DVC ads along the walls and a driver who ignores you has been my experience.

You could get a more "Disney" experience by driving your minivan with some parks music blaring. :lol:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

There's very little magic on those buses, as far as I'm concerned. Cramped seating (if any), a few DVC ads along the walls and a driver who ignores you has been my experience.

You could get a more "Disney" experience by driving your minivan with some parks music blaring. :lol:

There's nothing better than driving under the purple gates, seeing the Earful Tower in the distance and blasting MSEP. That's been a tradition for quite a while.

 

[jaspurr]

We do a mixture of both depending upon when we are heading back to the accomodation. If it is very late and the parks are emptying then the car is often the easiest, besides, we love the tram lines and the banter of the crews. Next stop for Mickey. As for getting lost the directions are quite simple but if you have a sat nav just put your accomodation in and no matter where you are in the park, day or night, you get back without too many detours.

WDW Florida 1989
Disneyland California 1990
WDW Florida 1992
Disneyland Paris 1997
WDW Florida 2001
WDW Florida 2004
Disneyland Paris 2005
Disneyland Paris 2006
WDW Florida 2007 (POFQ) Christmas
Disneyland Paris August 2008
WDW Florida 2010 (POFQ) Easter tick, tick, tick

 

[Tigger103]

drive its so much easier and also with the annual pass free parking even better!

 

[nepalostparks]

We generally stay on Disney property for the whole vacation, but prefer the freedom of having our own rental car to drive to and from the airport, and come and go as we please while we are in Disney.

We've stayed at Port Orleans (Riverside and FQ) and usually drive ourselves to the parks. We will sometimes take the bus to Magic Kingdom, and always take the boat down to Downtown Disney.

Although we've never had more than a 15 minute wait at the resort to get on a bus, we've stood in long lines waiting for the bus back from Magic Kingdom.

Since we usually go in May or September, rental cars usually are pretty inexpensive (especially since we only need an ecomony size). The slight extra expense for us is well worth the freedom of coming and going to the parks when we please.

 

[Foolish Mortal]

WDW Transportation all the way. No matter what resort I'm staying at. With 26 trips behind me and 2 rapidly coming up, I have never gone off property and don't have any plans to go off property. I do enough driving during my work week and don't want the hassle off driving, parking, remembering where I parked while on vacation. Yes, sometimes waiting for a bus can be frustrating but overall I think WDW transportation does a very good job. If you hang around the parks after closing and do some shopping/browsing or check out the architecture most times you can find empty or near empty buses waiting Never once have I even considered getting a car.

 

[FBullock]

We take Disney buses.
Hate to drive in unfamiliar areas.
Plus...it's part of the magic to us.
We've met some really nice people on the buses.
Some adorable children as well.
Disney buses are a people watchers smorgasbord.

I agree with Scooter. I love to listen to the kidos talk about what they've seen or done that day or what they are going to do. Brings back the magic of when mine where younger.

Yes, the buses have lines & yes sometimes you have to wait, but know that most people leave MK asap the fireworks are over, we stick around & shop (unless we are totally worn out or have a real early morning) and walk thru the shops, set on a bench and people watch & kill 30/45 minutes & a majority of the people are out & gone.

If you're not into crowds or willing to talk to others, then Disney transportation may not be for you. Life is all about OPTIONS. Pick yours and move on.