How can anyone choose driving over a Disney bus when going to Magic Kingdom?

[Daddymouse]

We never had a major problem with the transportation. However, when camping we took the boat to the MK and drove to the rest of the parks because of time. I will say that patience is the key to not adding stress to a situation beyond your control.

 

[Magikal]

For us, we will almost always rely on the Disney Transportation System. The one time I did drive was last August on our last visit. We stayed at POR & had stayed there a couple times before, so we knew that for whatever reason, the buses there run slower than other resorts we've stayed at. So the morning of our DD's appt at the BBB at the Marketplace, we were already behind schedule since we'd just arrived the afternoon before, and I wasn't about to chance it by relying on a bus to really be there every 20 min, so DD & I drove to the Marketplace. Good thing too, cuz with traffic & being the first time i'd ever driven there, we just made it!
HOWEVER, for the rest of our visit we use mostly busing. We drive from WI, just south of Milwaukee (Go Brewers!), and after 2 LONG days of driving with 3 kids closely confined in the car who are already bored with their movies & video games so they have nothing to do besides tease the snot out of each other and drive mom & dad nuts, so the absolute last thing they want to do after they reach our WDW Resort is have to get back in that God-forsaken car - at least for the next 8 or 9 days! And I ecstatically second that emotion! Driving 1,200 miles in 2 days & spending the majority of your waking hours confined to a small space (suv or not it's still a small space!) has an effect on you. And I believe that the exact distance/time from here to WDW is the absolute longest one can go w/o going MAD! A mile or minute further and total chaos & anarchy would ensue! Of that I am CERTAIN! SO, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO ANY FURTHER THAN THIS IN 2 DAYS WITH CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE!

 

[rundan23]

"*The drive back to the resort in my car involves sitting comfortably, air conditioning, quiet, and the scent of my family's body odor without the aid of fifty other varieties."

That made me LOL. I fly to Disney every year, so I take the buses. However, It would be nice to just get in your own car and drive back to your room.

 

[Magikal]

*The drive back to the resort in my car involves sitting comfortably, air conditioning, quiet, and the scent of my family's body odor without the aid of fifty other varieties.

ROFLMAO! So true about there being fifty other varieties of BO! Whoo dawgy! And there are some that can curl your hair & burn your nostrils! Why does it seem like the few times I've squished onto a sardine-packed bus instead of wait for the next one, a big, stinky, burly set of pits has to stand next to me! The last time the guy was HUGE & he just had to hold on to not one, but TWO of the hand straps! And every time the bus made a turn, he leaned into & over me so far that my head was almost a perfect fit into his giant stinky pit! SO GROSS! I ran for the shower the as soon as we got back to the room! YUK!

 

[donaldduck1967]

Easy really. I can be there in under 10 mins from anywhere on property.

 

[maryszhi]

only once because we had an early reservation and we had plans to meet with some friends at universal city walk for dinner. it was ok, and it helped having the free parking for resort guests and AAA parking.

 

[bgraham34]

This is my favorite form of transportation, the Monorail.

 

[tecowdw]

ROFLMAO! So true about there being fifty other varieties of BO! Whoo dawgy! And there are some that can curl your hair & burn your nostrils! Why does it seem like the few times I've squished onto a sardine-packed bus instead of wait for the next one, a big, stinky, burly set of pits has to stand next to me! The last time the guy was HUGE & he just had to hold on to not one, but TWO of the hand straps! And every time the bus made a turn, he leaned into & over me so far that my head was almost a perfect fit into his giant stinky pit! SO GROSS! I ran for the shower the as soon as we got back to the room! YUK!

Your horror story beats all of the others!!

 

[c-one]

For those of us who are city dwellers, the buses and the monorail really aren't so bad. Any transit system gets crowded at rush hour, and frankly, crowded ANYTHING is a fact of life at WDW, full stop. My main complaint is the mystery of wait times -- I understand the obstacles, but I really do wish the bus stops had wait time info boards.

Considering how much parking costs if you're visiting the parks for a handful of days, not to mention the environmental implications of driving when collective transit is an option, the relative cons to the buses are a tradeoff I'm okay with.

 

[ellie-badge]

It kinda depends with my folks and I. If it's an off season, then yeah, we definitely use the buses, but if it's a busier time of year like Christmas or some other holiday, we find it somewhat easier to drive there and park.

 

[bubbles1812]

For those of us who are city dwellers, the buses and the monorail really aren't so bad. Any transit system gets crowded at rush hour, and frankly, crowded ANYTHING is a fact of life at WDW, full stop. My main complaint is the mystery of wait times -- I understand the obstacles, but I really do wish the bus stops had wait time info boards.

Considering how much parking costs if you're visiting the parks for a handful of days, not to mention the environmental implications of driving when collective transit is an option, the relative cons to the buses are a tradeoff I'm okay with.

I would really love if they added those to bus stops. The city I just moved from just implemented something where every bus spot has a code. You can text that good to a specific number and it gives you where your bus is and the estimated wait time. And if you have a smart phone you can also go to the website and do the same thing and can also get constant easy updates that way. I think it would be really helpful. And if a mid sized city can do that, why not Disney?

 

[bella1620]

Yeah, it's called diesel.......j/k


I kid, I kid

lol! its the truth though! i dont know what it is about the buses

 

[cowanfamily]

I was able to talk my sister(powlessfamily4) into testing the bus vs car debate on one of our trips last year. We were staying at Pop and drove to HS. At the end of the night she drove back while I took the bus. We left the park together to make sure no one cheated. She was with her daughter and I had my son with me. We arrived at Pop and got to our room, which was joined with hers, 38 minutes sooner than she did. She was pretty mad that she got stuck driving.

I quit driving at WDW 9 years ago. The a/c is always blasting on the bus, the conversations are very interesting. Sometimes the buses are crowded but so are the qeue lines for rides and MSUSA during a parade and fireworks show. My boys would die if they didn't get to ride those buses.

 

[Magikal]

Your horror story beats all of the others!!

I def am not a lucky person. When it comes to 'winning' things like lotto tickets, raffles, wedding/baby shower game goodies, door prizes, heck I'm a luck-leper even when prizes aren't involved! My DH & DK's are always threatening to have a specialty tee made for me with what they think is a 'witty' & 'funny' saying on it like "Bum Luck", "Luck Bummer", "HUMAN LUCK SUCKER!", or my personal favorite cuz it gives me the warm fuzzies, "WARNING! I SUCKA THA LUCKA OUTSA YA!" to wear on game night. Sadly, I can't even win at board games! And while I have had this poopy luck most of my life, I refuse to come to terms with it and will win something someday! HOWEVER, tecowdw, I am going to politely pass on your very kind vote for my horrifying experience, aka "Terror of the Big Burly Bus Pits", as my loving family refers to it & as we get closer to our next trip my beloveds can't pass a bus or a burly man w/o doing their 'TV' intro to the show I apparently star in - you guessed it - "Terror of the Big Burly Bus Pits". So you can understand why this would be a contest where I would GLADLY be a very HAPPY & GRACIOUS LOSER! This also may be my first trip that I drive myself to the parks, ALONE, if the rifraf I'm traveling with get a bit too carried away with trying to add another 'episode' to their oh-so entertaining show.

 

[Vader2112]

I drive even when I stay on site. I hate having to wait for the bus and sit in a metal tube stinking like BO and mildrew. I have Diamond Parking passes which cuts down some of the aggravation driving. I do not need to wait for the tram plus no line for a bus at the end of the night just go to the car and drive out.

 

[G00fyDad]

I'm afraid that I must disagree with the assertion that the buses are more convenient. I have never taken a stop watch to Disney World, and so my opinion is more anecdotal than it is scientific. I have always found it easier to drive my vehicle to the parks, as opposed to the bus system. I have taken the buses almost exclusively when staying at a Disney resort, but I find the process to be a grueling exercise in added toil. My reasons are as follows:

* The wait for a bus can, at times, can be considerably longer when departing the resort on route to the parks. The Magic Kingdom can be worse than the others, but I can beat most of the buses to the parks if I simply get in my car, drive to the park, hop on a tram and monorail, and enter.

*Waiting for the bus for a ride to the park in the morning almost guarantees that the day will begin hot and sweaty.

*The wait time in leaving the parks at closing (which is what I do) can be a lengthy, hot experience. The monorail and tram wait can be quicker than some the buses.

*The drive back to the resort in my car involves sitting comfortably, air conditioning, quiet, and the scent of my family's body odor without the aid of fifty other varieties.

I believe that preference is a matter of personal opinion, so take this post as a simple opinion, but I don't have any great love for the buses.

I totally agree. I have timed this experience though. My wife said she thought the buses were quicker so we gave it a shot. It took us 31 minutes on a Tuesday to get to the bus stop at CBR (going to the MK), get on the bus, ride to the park, and then walk over to the front entrance. The next day we drove and I timed it as well. It took us nearly 19 minutes to get in the car, drive to MK, park, catch a tram, ride the monorail over, and get to the front gate.


The other parks were a lot quicker since we did not have to cross a lake to get to the entrance, yet the bus ride times were close to the same as MK. And don't even get me started on the holy nightmare leaving at closing time can be with using the buses.

I'll take a car any time.

 

[G00fyDad]

I drive even when I stay on site. I hate having to wait for the bus and sit in a metal tube stinking like BO and mildrew. I have Diamond Parking passes which cuts down some of the aggravation driving. I do not need to wait for the tram plus no line for a bus at the end of the night just go to the car and drive out.

We get AAA parking passes too. My friend that goes a couple of times each year uses AAA and never uses his passes so he gives one to us when we go to Disney. Most of the time it doesn't matter since we get there at opening, but when we park hop in late afternoon it does help.

 

[Bob]

I have no problem with the Disney transportation system aside from leaving the parks at night. It always seems not enough buses are in service until you finally get on one and see the huge line of buses queued up outside the bus area. Always makes me wonder what the heck they are waiting on. That being said (and I'm sure that I will get cursed for bringing up this technology), maybe Disney could put the Nextgen technology to some good use. Since they'll have us tagged with RFID chips, they could set up a reader at each of the resort queue areas. Once the detector has registered more than X number of the people in the area it could send an alert to the transportation people that they need to get a bus there ASAP.

 

[powlessfamily4]

I was able to talk my sister(powlessfamily4) into testing the bus vs car debate on one of our trips last year. We were staying at Pop and drove to HS. At the end of the night she drove back while I took the bus. We left the park together to make sure no one cheated. She was with her daughter and I had my son with me. We arrived at Pop and got to our room, which was joined with hers, 38 minutes sooner than she did. She was pretty mad that she got stuck driving.

I quit driving at WDW 9 years ago. The a/c is always blasting on the bus, the conversations are very interesting. Sometimes the buses are crowded but so are the qeue lines for rides and MSUSA during a parade and fireworks show. My boys would die if they didn't get to ride those buses.

I have to confirm this did happen. The huge slow down was the trams to the parking lot. I HATE them! As I walked up to our room my brother was already at the park swimming. Having said this, I might add your trip GOING TO the park is almost always going to be faster in a car. There is no wait for a bus to pick you up. The trip OUT of the park is different. If you have to wait for trams you are almost always going to be SLOWER. Not to mention all the traffic leaving hte park at the same time. You have thousands of people exiting where upon arriving it is more spaced out.

I would love to hear other view on this.

 

[powlessfamily4]

I totally agree. I have timed this experience though. My wife said she thought the buses were quicker so we gave it a shot. It took us 31 minutes on a Tuesday to get to the bus stop at CBR (going to the MK), get on the bus, ride to the park, and then walk over to the front entrance. The next day we drove and I timed it as well. It took us nearly 19 minutes to get in the car, drive to MK, park, catch a tram, ride the monorail over, and get to the front gate.


The other parks were a lot quicker since we did not have to cross a lake to get to the entrance, yet the bus ride times were close to the same as MK. And don't even get me started on the holy nightmare leaving at closing time can be with using the buses.

I'll take a car any time.

Trips in are almost always quicker. How long did it take you to get out of the park?