First time without car

[scheat]

Hello everyone,

This will be our 4th trip to the World.:sohappy: The plan is to fly in this fall, use magic express and not rent a car. Trying to decide whether to spend the money on a deluxe or go with a moderate. Haven't completely ruled out a value resort, but very leary about this without a car. We don't have kids-just a couple of adult disney nuts.

Wondering what is the best moderate resort for catching disney transportation to the parks? Are there resorts you wouldn't want to have to depend on disney transportation for(buses late, long time between buses, etc.)?

How are the value resorts with transportation? I would imagine there is a little more time between buses.

Any other info you experts have on getting around the parks without a car would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for your help!:wave:

 

[Tinkerbella16]

If this is your first time without using a car, I will give you my opinion...We love disney transportation and wouldn't have it any other way. It is part of the magic for us. As far as resorts go... Pop Century would be your best bet if you were to choose one of the value resorts. All Stars share busses most of the time, but not all of time. Pop always runs on its own system, and the resort is very nice. I have stayed at all of the moderates except POFQ (staying there in Nov.), and my favorite was POR. We had no problems with busses there, and it wasn't as bad as some people will tell you because they share with POFQ. When we went last year, we rarely ever had to share a bus with FQ. The bus stops are spread out through the resort, whereas FQ is a smaller resort and only has one bus stop, so I would go with POR or POFQ...both resorts are beautiful and my favorite thusfar. They both are just a boatride away from DTD, which we used everytime we went there and loved it...it was so relaxing and great to get away from the busses for once. Deluxe resorts are very pricey, but as far as transportation goes...you can't go wrong with having the monorail right there where you're staying. If I were to choose a deluxe, I'd choose Poly because that is my favorite resort on property (eventhough I've never stayed there), I go there every trip for a meal and to just hang around and take in the atmosphere and get on the monorail to MK. No matter what you choose, they are all great. We use DME everytime we go to wdw, and have never been disappointed yet. It is great to just get off of the plane, check-in with DME and get on the bus right to the resort, and not have to wait at baggage claim for our luggage. I am so happy that disney came up with this genious idea. Some people will tell you they don't like DME...but again, just my experiences...we love it. Anything else you want to know, just let me know.

 

[lilclerk]

I've only stayed at Value resorts, and buses have never been a problem. I'd think that if you're there in the fall, it won't be so bad either. Pop Century has its own bus line, so if you're really worried and want a value, try to get in there. In fact, I was there during Spring Break this year, and the line for Pop after MK closing seemed unbearably long. We thought we'd be there at least an hour. But then they started sending three buses at a time, pumping the line out. We were on a bus in ten minutes. And yes, this was for a value resort.
I love Disney transportation. I hate the idea of even driving around there. Even if I have to stand on a bus, I don't have to worry about getting lost anywhere or driving in general. I hate driving :lol:
However, from what I've read on here, it doesn't seem to matter what hotel you stay at, people are going to complain about it. The only places with great transportation are the monorail resorts (but I'd guess the bus transportation is the same) and the Epcot area resorts (again, I'm assuming the bus transportation is the same.) :shrug: Seems like everyone complains about the buses, no matter where they stay, IMO.
My advice would be to pick the hotel you want to stay at based on price/theming, relax, and try to hit the buses at non-peak times.

 

[Ella's Mommy]

My question is have you ever used DME and bus trans when there before? And do you do any offsite things? I hate DME and the buses in Disney. We rent a car EVERYTIME!! You will definately have to plan your days to have some (maybe) excessive wait times for just getting around. I would advise strongly aganist doing this especially because you have rented a car in the past.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Its a while since we stayed on site and have relied on a rental car to get to Disney and the parks. Although you may have to line up for buses and wait a while for them to turn up - I'd much rather use Disneys transportation anytime, its so hassle free when compared to a car

 

[RiversideBunny]

Suggestion:

Don't pick your resort based on perceived transportation nuances, unless you do want a resort that is on the monorail, or you want a resort from which you can walk to EPCOT.

Have fun.

 

[miles1]

We were in your very shoes when we visited last year- it was the first time we didn't rent a car. I thought I would hate giving up my independence and waiting for buses, but I have to say that I really enjoyed not having to drive to and from the airport, carting around 4 people's luggage, and getting lost driving to the parks.

The POFQ is great because it is a smaller quieter resort, and when it does share buses with POR, the FQ is always picked up first so you're nearly assured a seat (or at least standing room). Over seven days, I think there was only one occasion that we waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. If you're traveling with adults only, you won't even have the kid's impatience to deal with. (Is the bus here yet? When is the bus coming? Is it here yet?)

In past years we've gone off the property for meals and some shopping, but on our more recent trips we've found that doing so is loosing its appeal.

I would give it a try- If you find you don't like it you can always rent a car on the property.

 

[LaughingGravy]

We found the bus wait times to be less at POP than at the deluxe resorts.
The significant savings in hotel at a value allow you to stay longer or have more $ for food or other things.
However, if you have the need at all to go off site, you really should get a rental car.
We haven't had the need to go off site. Too much to do as is.

 

[cndrellagrl]

Been to the world seven times now and we have always used Disney transportation - even when we drove down! It's just easier. I've never had any problems at all, and we usually stay at a value resort. Besides, I think it gets you in the Disney spirit even more and I like how the busses now have automated tips as you're going to each park. Have an awesome trip!

 

[DisneyJoe]

Set your expectations accordingly. It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 60 minutes to get from one point to another on WDW property, depending on many factors.

At home, I personally wait for buses on an average of 15 minutes in the morning, and then again for 20-30 minutes every night, and then my bus ride is 60-80 minutes each way - each and every day. The buses are old and very bumpy and not always comfortable, the people aren't usually nice, and the air conditioning doesn't always work.

For me, Disney buses and transportation is a welcome treat on my vacation.

If you are used to jumping in your comfortable car and driving 10-15 minutes to work every day, and expect the same at WDW, you will need to adjust your expectations.

Some people are bus people, some people aren't.

 

[scheat]

That Helps A Lot!

Thanks guys for your advice! It's so nice for non-experts to have a place to go for questions like this.

We usually rent a car because we usually also go to US(first use of an abbreviation, HA! I'm learning:animwink, but we have found on our last couple of trips we wanted to spend more time at WDW and not as much over there. That with the fact that we have decided that all future trips will try to be done on site(don't like leaving the "magic" when going off site) has us wanting to experiment without using a car.

From what I'm hearing, it sounds like we would be fine. We are fairly laid back people and if we had to wait 10 minutes for a bus, that wouldn't be a problem.

Staying on the monorail is great-stayed at CR once before, but given we make decent money, but are not wealthy, we would rather start going more often versus saving longer for a deluxe, although we are dying to stay at Poly someday.

One thing though-how early do the buses run? We like to get to the parks maybe half an hour before they open. Given we will be going in the fall, have you had any problems getting to the parks early enough using the buses? I would assume not, but it's good to hear things from people who've actually done it.

Thanks again for being so nice.
Shane and Michele
'93, '99, 06', 08'

 

[RiversideBunny]

One thing though-how early do the buses run? We like to get to the parks maybe half an hour before they open. Given we will be going in the fall, have you had any problems getting to the parks early enough using the buses? I would assume not, but it's good to hear things from people who've actually done it.

You will not have a problem. They start the busses well before the park opening hours.
At Port Orleans Riverside we usually grab a quick, do it yourself breakfast in the food court and then head for the bus stop. If the park opens at 8 we like to be at the bus stop NLT 7:15.

You will even see some special buses sometimes that take people to the early character breafasts.

 

[disneymyway]

Just remember you can always get a cab if you really need one. They are easy to find and not all that expensive. So if you are at AKL having dinner and really are getting sick of waiting for a bus and/or don't feel like making the connection to get back to your resort, just grab a cab.

 

[lilclerk]

I think the buses start running about an hour before the park opens.

And you will need to be prepared for varying wait times. It could take ten minutes for a bus to show up, it could take 20. And you could end up standing.

Things like that don't bother me but if it does bother you, then you may want to get the car.

 

[Jodileigh]

This will be our second trip w/out a car. The bus system works out great! Now, that being said, the one thing I would advise is to PLAN AHEAD! Don't plan to leave your resort to dine in a part 20 minutes before the ressie. Give yourself plenty of time b/c there are always variables. We have had bus, boat, and monorail delays. None of them major, but they took extra time. When they train new drivers, the bus he's driving will be slow, guaranteed. Sometimes it only took about 20 min to get to CSR from MK, other times it was more like 40. So, plan ahead. For us, we know that and we just sit back and enjoy the ride! It's part of the magic!!

Jodi

 

[Disneykidder]

We never use a car...only Disney transportation. I love having someone else drive me around for a change. DME is a great service that I hope continues to be free in the future.

Disney transportation, from what I have seen, is excellent on every level. Values may arrive a bit slower going back but we have never waited very long. Moderates were about the same but deluxe was pretty speedy and frequent. In any which way, we have never been inconvienced by Disney transportation. I think it is a great free service to allow people more ease when on vacation.