Staying off property and using Disney buses

[Mystic]

My friend is considering staying off property and wants to know about using Disney transportation. Can they park at Downtown Disney and use the Disney buses to get to the parks? I don't think so because they go to the hotels but I told her I would check anyway.

 

[Nemo14]

My friend is considering staying off property and wants to know about using Disney transportation. Can they park at Downtown Disney and use the Disney buses to get to the parks? I don't think so because they go to the hotels but I told her I would check anyway.

Buses do not run from DTD to the parks, just to discourage people from doing that.

 

[kstella]

No. In order to stop people from doing just that, buses from DTD only go to the resorts.

 

[tonganprince]

In theory though, they could get off at a resort and wait for a park bus.

Might take a little longer, but it is an option.

 

[Jesùs_Carioca]

If you're willing to make the jump, then yes. You could take the bus to a resort and then from the resort to the park.

But I'm not sure how long that'd take.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Not supposed to happen, shouldn't happen, but it happens.... I wish Disney would crack down on this...

 

[Monty]

Not supposed to happen, shouldn't happen, but it happens.... I wish Disney would crack down on this...

Not sure they could. Unless they ask for a resort key or park ticket from every person on every bus...

Disney avoids doing things that annoy guests. As a result, a few people 'get away with' something here and there. No big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Your friend could also theoretically park at DTD, walk or take a boat over to Saratoga Springs, then take Disney transportation from there. Again, I'm not sure if the time it takes to do this is worth saving the $11.

 

[drdoom1001]

Parking at DTD and then taking a bus to a resort and then to a park will take up so much of your time that it's not worth it!!As far as after you pay to park at a park then you can take Disney transportation all you want to go anywhere on the property.

 

[tigsmom]

Not sure they could. Unless they ask for a resort key or park ticket from every person on every bus...

Disney avoids doing things that annoy guests. As a result, a few people 'get away with' something here and there. No big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Valid admission tickets gets you free use of the transportation system within WDW so checking for park tickets wouldn't really help.

 

[lscott933]

well all your have to do is get a bus to either the comp or grand floridian hotel. then go up to the monorail. if you go to the comp hotel. it is just a short walk over the brick sidewalk to the magic kindgom. if your going to the mgm or epcot. all you have to do is go to like boardwalk area then ride the boats or walk to either parks. the only parks that you have a problem is the a.k. then you have to get on two buses.

 

[wickedfan07]

well all your have to do is get a bus to either the comp or grand floridian hotel. then go up to the monorail. if you go to the comp hotel. it is just a short walk over the brick sidewalk to the magic kindgom. if your going to the mgm or epcot. all you have to do is go to like boardwalk area then ride the boats or walk to either parks. the only parks that you have a problem is the a.k. then you have to get on two buses.

On our last trip in June, I did both (rode from DHS to Epcot, then walked from Epcot to DHS) and while the boat ride was nice, the walk is long, and I'd rather pay the $11, take a tram, and use my walking energy for touring the parks. Plus, the boats' schedule isn't always the same. The day that I walked to DHS from Epcot, I walked because the boats just weren't coming. In fact, in the time it took me to walk to DHS, the one boat they had running still hadn't made it back to Epcot--I passed it going back to Epcot as I got to the DHS parking lot. In short, the boats aren't always reliable and the walk is long and you could spend your time walking in the park instead of on a long and rather boring sidewalk.

 

[MichWolv]

It is certainly possible to go to great lengths to avoid park parking fees. And the bus system will get you around...but it's a pain in the neck if you're just going to a park that day.

Eliminating options where you would literally need to lie to a CM or ignore a posted sign, you could 1) park at DTD, bus to a hotel, and then walk or take another bus as necessary, 2) park at DTD, walk to Satatoga, and take a bus form there, 3) park at the Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon lots and take transportation from there, 4) park at the Fantasia Gardens lot, walk to the Swan and go from there.

All of these options take time and probably aren't worth the $11 savings, compared to the $50-$70/day you're paying for the parks. OTOH, in limited situations they might make sense.

 

[WDW FAN 4 LIFE]

If you can afford the cost of visiting WDW then I think paying $11.00 for parking is not that big of a deal. Besides it's not fair to park all day at DTD because it's taking up a parking space from someone who is going there for shopping and eating. Plus sometimes it's really hard to park there during certin times of the day. Personally how I can't believe some people are so cheap that they will do anything to not pay the parking fees at WDW and will do anything not to pay them.

 

[Blackie Pueblo]

Ah but what if you have season passes and we go to DTD for shopping and suddenly get an urge to go to a park or go shopping at one of the stores in the parks? It happens. What if someone doesn't plan to go to the parks but gets an urge once they've already been through the stores at DTD. Or sometimes my wife and I go shopping for Christmas gifts at DTD and decide to pick to check out the stores at the parks for something?

"To all who come to this happy place... welcome!"
---Walter Elias Disney

 

[unkadug]

Ah but what if you have season passes and we go to DTD for shopping and suddenly get an urge to go to a park or go shopping at one of the stores in the parks? It happens. What if someone doesn't plan to go to the parks but gets an urge once they've already been through the stores at DTD. Or sometimes my wife and I go shopping for Christmas gifts at DTD and decide to pick to check out the stores at the parks for something?

"To all who come to this happy place... welcome!"
---Walter Elias Disney

Drive on over there and do your shopping! :shrug: :wave:

 

[Mystic]

They don't plan to shop at DTD though, or at least that is not their initial intention. Their initial intention is to park there to avoid having to pay for parking. What their plan is is to park at DTD, take a bus to the park they plan visit that day, leave the park via bus back to DTD so they can drive off park to get food, return to DTD to park, take the bus back to the park for the afternoon then take the bus back to DTD so they drive off park to get dinner before returning to DTD to get a bus back to the park for the evening.

 

[DisneyJoe]

They don't plan to shop at DTD though, or at least that is not their initial intention. Their initial intention is to park there to avoid having to pay for parking. What their plan is is to park at DTD, take a bus to the park they plan visit that day, leave the park via bus back to DTD so they can drive off park to get food, return to DTD to park, take the bus back to the park for the afternoon then take the bus back to DTD so they drive off park to get dinner before returning to DTD to get a bus back to the park for the evening.

There are no direct DTD to theme park buses and vice versa....which was mentioned already.

 

[MIDisneyFamily]

Thats a lot of bus riding just to save $11 a day. Just park!!! Is it really worth wasting half the day on a bus anyway. Leacing the property for every meal is really odd too. The food isnt that overpriced where you would have to leave for lunch and dinner. Sure you'd save on parking and a few dollars on food, but the price you pay each day to stay and enjoy the parks everyday, it seems really dumb to spend it on busses and off the property. That seems like a bigger waste of money. But if you really need to save $20 a day on parking and a little cheaper food, then thats your choice.

 

[tigsmom]

They don't plan to shop at DTD though, or at least that is not their initial intention. Their initial intention is to park there to avoid having to pay for parking. What their plan is is to park at DTD, take a bus to the park they plan visit that day, leave the park via bus back to DTD so they can drive off park to get food, return to DTD to park, take the bus back to the park for the afternoon then take the bus back to DTD so they drive off park to get dinner before returning to DTD to get a bus back to the park for the evening.

There are no DTD to Park buses.

It will save them time and money to just pay to park at whatever park they want to visit and spend the day there. What they save on eating off site (and I don't think it will be all that much) they will waste in gas and aggravation dealing with traffic as well as losing a big chunk of time out of their day waiting for a bus to arrive/transferring buses.

I'm all for saving money, but this is not a well thought out plan and will cost more in the long run.