Driving vs bus to parks

Wvmom

Wvmom

New Member
We will be going for our first trip in September and staying at the wilderness cabins. From everything that I read the biggest drawback to the cabins is the transportation, waiting on buses (transferring buses, etc.). Would driving to the parks (apart from magic kingdom, which there is a boat to) be beneficial since we will already have our car parked at the cabin? Or is the parking at the parks too far, traffic too bad, or some other reason not to drive?
 
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Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
I prefer taking the buses, but it's really up to you. Driving is generally faster. I like to have a "libation" or a few, so taking bus makes more sense for me. The only time driving is potentially a problem would be the crazy-busy days when the lots may be full [New Year's, July 4, etc...]
 
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Worldlover71

Worldlover71

Well-Known Member
I usually advocate for taking Disney transportation because I feel it is efficient (some will disagree!) and you don't need to bother with parking and fighting traffic at the end of the day. However, the cabins at FW and the tree-houses at Saratoga Springs are exceptions. This is because at both, you will need to take an internal shuttle to the bus stop for the parks and then transfer to another bus (unless your cabin is close enough to walk to the parks bus stop.) Since you have to wait for two buses, this can add a lot of time to your "commute" unless you get lucky with your timing. You are right though about the boat-it is a quick and easy way to get to MK and is also a lot of fun.
 
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DisneyOutsider

DisneyOutsider

Well-Known Member
Definitely drive.

It's far more convenient than the bus travel and not to mention more comfortable. You won't have any drives more than 10-15 minutes and I've never really experienced gridlock while driving on-property, aside from the known busiest days of the year. Ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft or a viable alternative as well if you would really rather not drive.
 
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JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Wvmom said:
We will be going for our first trip in September and staying at the wilderness cabins. From everything that I read the biggest drawback to the cabins is the transportation, waiting on buses (transferring buses, etc.). Would driving to the parks (apart from magic kingdom, which there is a boat to) be beneficial since we will already have our car parked at the cabin? Or is the parking at the parks too far, traffic too bad, or some other reason not to drive?
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First, as long as you're staying at Disney property you'll have free parking. Second, I've recently become comfortable with driving to the parks, especially if I want to arrive at rope drop. I can control when I get there. CMs will guide you directly to where you're supposed to park. You're not that far from a tram and the tram deposits you pretty much outside the entrance gate (TTC being the exception, of course). It's really up to you. If you're new, you may not yet be comfortable driving around not knowing the exits, which is understandable. Otherwise, I haven't had any issues driving, assuming you arrive early enough at each park's entrance gate.
 
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S

StarshipDisney

Well-Known Member
I have always taken Disney transportation on all past trips, but this last trip in Dec 2018 we stayed at POR and had the good fortune to get a room in AB where the car was literally parked about 150' away from the room (no kidding). We tried the bus at the West depot a couple of times but then drove one day and found that driving to the parks and then coming back and parking almost next to our room was definitely the way to go. MUCH better than walking to/from the bus depot and dealing with crowds...especially in the rain.

If I ever get such a good room location again, I will not even think of anything except driving (except maybe MK due to the TTC).
 
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DisneyOutsider

DisneyOutsider

Well-Known Member
Nottamus said:
Its all preference...

we drive in from NJ, and once there, the car gets parked, and we take buses everywhere (unless we venture off property)
I know the bus system gets flak, but to us its part of the vacation, and when working well, can be fun too!

All my opinion....
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I totally get that the "feeling" of taking Disney transport and having fun with it is a real thing. Not discounting that...

But from a practicality, reliability, and convenience standpoint, I don't think it's subjective that driving wins from the cabins to all parks (minus MK).
 
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huis14

huis14

New Member
CaptainAmerica said:
From the cabins, drive everywhere except the Magic Kingdom. Same at Old Key West. Most other resorts, stick with Disney transportation.
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Yes! This is (almost) right on the money. I used to be a big proponent of taking the bus to all the parks...until the one time I drove to a park. It was so convenient. The parking is free if you are staying at a resort and it's very easy to go back to the resort in the middle of the day so you don't have to be waiting around for a bus.
Plus, as someone said above, it makes it much easier to catch rope drop.

THERE'S ONLY ONE EXCEPTION. Use Disney Transportation for the Magic Kingdom. I have missed rope drop both times when I drove my family there. (Yes, I was dumb enough to make the same mistake twice) Parking is a hassle and then getting through the first security checkpoint (by the monorail/ferry) is a disaster. So to sum up...my opinion.

Magic Kingdom = Disney Transportation
Epcot = Drive
HS = Drive
Animal Kingdom = Drive
 
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DisneyAubs

DisneyAubs

Active Member
We prefer driving ourselves to the parks when we’re with the kids. Everything is labeled well and it is easy. Just know that when the signs say “_ next right,” it is a very quick transition. Lol

My sister prefers to use busses for all transportation. She finds it’s stressful to drive and considers the transportation part of her vacation.

I do think with the cabins you’ll find it more efficient to drive yourselves.
 
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JillC LI

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
You can see the opinions are mixed. We always prefer to drive to all parks except the MK, and even sometimes there too if we want to go to Disney Springs straight from there.
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
While our next vacation is so far off that I cannot even call in a room reservation (beyond 499 days), some of the early thoughts on our vacation is that we'll want to rent a car. I think if we can avoid the buses for much of our trip, that will be a win. The only bus I can see us taking is to the Magic Kingdom.
 
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Diesel Dan

Diesel Dan

Active Member
We are on Vacation, let them do the driving. We always drive about 20 hours to get to WDW so Disney Transportation is great for us. Overall we have had very little to complain about with buses and boats. Once in a while the biggest complaint is waiting for buses at the end of the day at park closing. The problem with that is usually the mass of people leaving all at once.
 
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CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
DarthVader said:
While our next vacation is so far off that I cannot even call in a room reservation (beyond 499 days), some of the early thoughts on our vacation is that we'll want to rent a car. I think if we can avoid the buses for much of our trip, that will be a win. The only bus I can see us taking is to the Magic Kingdom.
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Weren't you saying you're looking at Yacht or Beach Club? You can walk to Epcot, boat to Hollywood Studios, and you're better off taking the bus to Magic Kingdom anyways. Your rental car would be useful for DAK and not much else, and the parking at Yacht & Beach can be pretty far from the rooms anyways.
 
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