DON'T USE DISNEY TRANSIT!!....bring your own car?...

[FUNDAD]

Do you agree?

This is our first time to WDW....We are traveling from Canada..... We'll either have to rent a car, or rely on the Monorail/bus/boat system......What have you found with the Disney Transit System (DTS)...If you are staying in a resort, do you use your own car to get around, or the DTS?

Comparing the Disney Transit System (DTS) to car travel times "door to door" in the Unofficial Guide To WDW 2006, it shows having a car can save you a lot of travel time.....For example: We are staying in the Polynesian for four nights, then moving to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.....Travel times to the parks per the guide book are:

Downtown Disney....by car: 22 min, DTS: 51 min.
Typhoon Lagoon......by car: 20 min, DTS: 55 min.
Epcot....................by car: 19 min, DTS: 40 min.
MGM......................by car: 19 min, DTS: 30 min.
Blizzard Beach.........by car: 12 min, DTS: 40 min.

Over a full week that adds up to a lot of time difference!...Time we could be spending in the parks..... Of course to Magic Kingdom, the DTS is about the same as a car....

Would you recommend we rent a car and shave some time off?

Daryl & Connie.

 

[Nut4Disney]

I drive a Jeep Cherokee, and I am waiting til I pay it off to trade it in on something with better fuel economy, but with a 9 month old and a 3 yr old I'm not buying a fishbowl on wheels just because it gets 40 mpg, as there is a safety factor involved too. I would rather not drive a car that crumbles like a coke can if someone would hit it at 30 mph. These are thing to consider as well. We also have a Honda Accord which gets decent gas mileage and has done well in vehicle crash tests. I hardly consider driving a Jeep Cherokee a status symbol,(a hummer maybe) and I've had it since 2001, long before gas prices became so high.

 

[Clark Griswold]

Those times don't look right to me either. I have always used Disney Transport ever since my first trip to the theme parks. I believe it is easier to use and your own car because the Transport buses and monorails bring you right up to the park gates, or it is a very short walk.


"...in the future packages will be sent to distant world through beams of light..."

 

[Dwarful]

We always use Disney transportation. The one time we were there at Christmas 04 my brother's family and my sister's family decided to drive to MK before park opening because the bus lines were bad (at Pop). We rode in the bus and were in the park waiting on Main St. for them..called on cell and found out theywere waiting for a full load on the boat to cross over and drop off. So we rode 2 rides and met them in Fantasyland.
My husband drives all day for a living, he doesn't want to drive and park and drive back tired so we thankfully use the Disney transportation and appreciate it fully. (I wonder if the people who abhor it use public transport. much).

 

[Dagger]

I am renting a car for 2 reasons for my 11-day vacation:

1- I am spending time off-property (i know, i know flame me! :lol
2 - I know my way around property very well since being a castmember and I'm impatient!

If you're not going off-property then don't waste your $$ renting a car

I agree if you're not going off property it's pretty much a waste of money but I am not 100% sure how long busses go for and if you're a night owl, that could be a problem

 

[FUNDAD]

Thanks for the advice!!!...

Thanks very much for all your responses...It looks like there are several pros and cons to us renting a car versus relying on the Disney transit system (DTS).....We might end up using both forms of transport, since the cost is ok for us....

After viewing your responses, I definately feel much better about using DTS than I had when I read those numbers from the Unofficial Guide.....

We will likely go for DTS as our primary mode of getting around, and use the car as a "backup" if we want to go off-property, or go to Downtown Disney at odd times, etc....So we have the best of both worlds:animwink: !!.....Then once our first visit is done, we can judge better for next time how to go.......

Again, thanks for the input and advice!....As first time WDW visitors, we feel much better prepared.....Connie and I really appreciate your help!

Daryl.
Trying to be a FunDad....

 

[SpenceMan01]

For the 'large vehicle owners' out there:

You have every right to buy whatever vehicle you so desire. If you want to buy a big gas guzzling SUV, be my guest. But, in doing so, you forfeit every right to b*tch about high gas prices (though I'm not saying anyone on here is). I just hate it when people do that.

 

[AEfx]

So, people talk on cell-phones to make themselves feel important? *end rant*

Frankly, sometimes, yes. Driving down the road with a cell phone glued to your ear is dangerous, and against the law in many states. They think whatever they have to yak about is more important than their own safety, or more importantly the safety of those who's lives they endanger. There is no excuse not to use an ear piece or a headset, and anyone who doesn't use one while they are driving down the road is doing something extremely dangerous and usually doesn't even acknowledge it (if they MUST use the phone, it's still a distraction in any case). I'd be willing to be very, very few of these calls are essential. Yet when I drive down the road some days the amount of people yakking on them without a headset outnumbers people not talking on them at all.

Pretty much the same thing when someone whips out a phone in a restaurant. McDonalds, fine. But any place with wait staff and non-plastic utensils is just arrogant and rude. Especially when they talk that extra-loud "I'M ON A CELL PHONE" voice, when no one around needs to hear about the milk you need to pick up on the way home, or what he-said that she-said that her brother heard from...

Cell phones are a great convenience, but they aren't an excuse for no manners, hence my comment about how these already selfish people I see every day driving a huge SUV, no passengers, hurling down the road one hand on the cell holding it up, trying to make a turn...those are the people, that, yes, tend to be arrogant people who live inside their world bubble. Sadly most will never even get why they get the dirty looks as they do this, because they are "different", or "special", or believe themselves to be invulnerable to having metal and glass crushed all around their bodies because they barely keep 1/2 a hand on the wheel.

It's just not worth it for "honey bring home some beer", or "ohmygod, you won't guess what so-and-so said at work today..." calls that don't need to be made the very second you are trying to navigate a rotary or some other traffic issue.

*end reply rant* lol

AEfx

 

[FUNDAD]

Our plan - Use DTS AND rental car

We've worked out a itinerary with plans of when to use the car, and when to use Disney Transit. Again, thanks for your help.

Daryl.

 

[FUNDAD]

The Unofficial Guide claims it's numbers are accurate, based on average time waiting for a bus, and arrival right at the door of the destination, and then comparing the same for using a car, average parking distance in the parking lot, arriving at the exact same spot...could some of the confusion be that you are thinking these times are only for the bus ride itself, and that the car times are for arrival and not park/walking time?

Thanks again.
Daryl.

 

[shmmrname]

Disney Transportation is very convenient, reliable, and fairly timely. I suggest it very, very highly over another shuttle/bus service.

As we drive down to FL (from IL), we don't really need to make the decision whether or not to bring our car. With that being said, we have only run into a couple occasions where it becomes necessary.
First, if for any reason you want to go off-site, it becomes a burden if you don't have your own transportation. This doesn't really affect us, but I guess it all depends on your group.
Second, the Disney Transportation can become a little tiresome when trying to bounce from WDW Resort to WDW Resort. The system really just isn't meant for that kind of a trip, so we tend to drive in our car for those needs. However, with planning, it's an easily fixed problem.

 

[tikiman]

I did not rent a car once and I was able to get around using the Disney Transportation but after that I rented a car and it opened up a whole new world for us. We stay at the Polynesian so transportation is great using the monorail to MK or Epcot and sometimes the bus to MGM but we use the car to get to all other destinations.

The biggest bonus is being able to go from one destination to another (like MGM mini golf or Downtown Disney). Busses won’t do this. Also we eat at other resorts so we drive from our resort to another.

Besides those bonuses we can go off site and we can carry things in the car that we might need for the day but don’t want to carry in the parks all day. I hate to carry anything so I take it in the car and if I really need it I go to the car. Try and see how long it takes you to get a change of clothes or a camera back at your room compared to walking back to the car.

I think you can get around WDW without a car but having a car makes it so much nicer that we don’t even consider going without one.

Now to save on a rental you can shuttle to your hotel and than get a car from an onsite rental agency and they will pick you up at the resort (might be deluxe resorts only, not sure) and bring you back. You save on not paying the airport fees.

 

[Dwarful]

nope we did that car rental on property staying at All Stars. The family wanted to go to Cocoa Beach area for a day and we just rented a van for a day. Cheap, cause we only paid for the day we used it.

However, I have decided its to my benefit to badmouth disney bus service, then no one will want to use it much and my wait time will be minimum esp. at night when parks close!

 

[4friends4ever]

Last July we stayed at POR and took the bus to the Magic Kingdom at about 3pm. No problem getting the bus and it was a short trip over. We went on a couple of rides and about 5pm we wanted to get back to our hotel to shower for a nice relaxing dinner. When we stood at our bus stop we were the second people waiting, so we must of just missed the bus. Other buses for other resorts came and went, and we waited and waited, after a half hour finally a bus came for our resort. That was the last time we took the bus, from then on we took our car. I know it can be convenient not to have to drive, but when it is hot and you want to get somewhere fast you can't beat your own transportation. I know we have been told we have no patience!

 

[WDFAN1977]

Even if the transportation is slow I hate the idea of going out to my car, driving to the parks, and then walking/shuttle up to the main gate to get in. It just sounds like more work than it is worth I am on vacation, lazy, and hate driving.

 

[ingo]

This year I will visit WDW for the first time and we decided not to rent a car!
We are from Europe and we don`t know the rules of driving there.
We are staying at the Disney resort so we can use the busses. I was begining a bit nervus abouth the transportation with reading this topic, but I think it will be all okay!
We also like to visit Universal studios and a wall mart in kissimee.
What should I do, take a cab or public bus from Lynx or rent a car and get all the local people on me because my driving is diffrent!!??:veryconfu

 

[MouseMadness]

I skipped page 2, so I am not sure what I missed :lol: :lookaroun but here's what we've started doing (by we, I mean my in law's who fund our trips and have the impatience and cash to do this :lol:! ) Since we stay at the Poly, transportation to MK and Epcot is obviously not a problem, but we've started taking a taxi to the other parks or DTD, but using the Disney transportation to come back. And I'm sure we're the only family out of the tens of thousands on this website who do this. :lol: *shrug*

But if it were me, and my more limited means, I would just make everybody stand there and wait for the bus LOL :lookaroun

 

[Theresonly1]

I have never had any problems using Disney Transportation...I will tell you the year I went with my aunt and uncle, stayed offsite, Going home at night from MK was horrible!!! wait in huge line to ride boat or monorail to get across to parking lot, then wait in another huge line to get on a tram to go to car.....I absolutely love walking out gate, going to bus, then straight to hotel. iI will NEVER stay offsite and go through that again. But I do like having a car there if you do want to go offsite for whatever reason.

 

[Computer Magic]

I skipped page 2, so I am not sure what I missed :lol: :lookaroun but here's what we've started doing (by we, I mean my in law's who fund our trips and have the impatience and cash to do this :lol:! ) Since we stay at the Poly, transportation to MK and Epcot is obviously not a problem, but we've started taking a taxi to the other parks or DTD, but using the Disney transportation to come back. And I'm sure we're the only family out of the tens of thousands on this website who do this. :lol: *shrug*

But if it were me, and my more limited means, I would just make everybody stand there and wait for the bus LOL :lookaroun

If I had a large family and lots to carry I would do the same....:wave:

 

[JimboJones123]

I have never had any problems using Disney Transportation...I will tell you the year I went with my aunt and uncle, stayed offsite, Going home at night from MK was horrible!!! wait in huge line to ride boat or monorail to get across to parking lot, then wait in another huge line to get on a tram to go to car.....I absolutely love walking out gate, going to bus, then straight to hotel. iI will NEVER stay offsite and go through that again. But I do like having a car there if you do want to go offsite for whatever reason.

Yes, offsite transport is AWFUL! We have waited for 90+ minutes 2X on a trip staying off-site. Not at a cheap place either. It was $170+ per night.. but still the transportation sucked. Will never stay off site again.

 

[Erika]

The Unofficial Guide claims it's numbers are accurate, based on average time waiting for a bus, and arrival right at the door of the destination, and then comparing the same for using a car, average parking distance in the parking lot, arriving at the exact same spot...could some of the confusion be that you are thinking these times are only for the bus ride itself, and that the car times are for arrival and not park/walking time?

Thanks again.
Daryl.

No- that still is way off, for us anyway.