Difference between disney buses and driving

Always used the busses.......does it not cost something to park at the parks?

Anthony007;2448496 wrote: Always used the busses.......does it not cost something to park at the parks?

Yes. It costs $17/ day (that I can remember), but if you stay onsite, you get a parking pass for the duration of your stay. :thumbsup:

Another "plus" for driving your own vehicle:

eandrsmom;2448450 wrote: It will be nice to have access to a grocery store if you need to get a few things.

Cass&KenziesMom;2448491 wrote: You can also take a bus from TTC to MK. We did this last time we went (which was the week after Christmas). It was much faster jumping on a bus than waiting for the monorail or ferry.

Since when is there a direct bus from TTC to MK...? I know there's buses from TTC to the other three parks and back, but to MK...?

Cass&KenziesMom;2448491 wrote: We no longer stay on property to be able to use the buses, but we have before and we definitely prefer driving.

You don't have to "stay on property" to use Disney transportation. For example, if you have a dining reservation at a resort, you can use the bus from the park to your resort of choice.

Another coupla tricks for leaving MK at the end of the night?

1) If you've parked your own vehicle at the TTC, take the *resort* monorail from MK to TTC. *MUCH* quicker than waiting on the "Express" side at the end of the night. It's the second stop on the Resort side.

2) Instead of waiting an hour or more on a resort bus *at* the MK bus stop, *walk* over to the Contemporary, and take a bus to the nearest theme park or Downtown Disney, then *your* resort bus from there.

We usually stay at a resort with at least one park to use either the monorail or walking. We always drive to AK. And usually to HS to leave at our own time from Fantasmic. We have 3 kids and strollers and we loathe folding them for buses.

Jim we were there from Dec. 26th-31st and every day we did MK we took a bus from the TTC to MK. Instead of turning left for the ferry or going straight for the monorail we hooked a right and there were busses taking people to MK. The CMs acted as if it were a regular thing.

Cass&KenziesMom;2448540 wrote: Jim we were there from Dec. 26th-31st and every day we did MK we took a bus from the TTC to MK. Instead of turning left for the ferry or going straight for the monorail we hooked a right and there were busses taking people to MK. The CMs acted as if it were a regular thing.

If you're ultimately going to end up at MK via bus, you might as well take it from your resort, assuming you're staying on property (which it sounds like the OP is doing.)

magicofdisney;2448600 wrote: If you're ultimately going to end up at MK via bus, you might as well take it from your resort, assuming you're staying on property (which it sounds like the OP is doing.)

Well if you want to stand in line and wait for a bus versus just jumping in your car while everyone is still waiting on a bus then that's fine. To each their own. It's just a suggestion like everyone else is making.

Cass&KenziesMom;2448540 wrote: Jim we were there from Dec. 26th-31st and every day we did MK we took a bus from the TTC to MK. Instead of turning left for the ferry or going straight for the monorail we hooked a right and there were busses taking people to MK. The CMs acted as if it were a regular thing.

Unless it is something new, they don' t always run buses from the TTC to MK. They tend to do it when it is a high volume time of year or when there are monorail issues. It's probably worth checking with cast members to see if it is available the day you are visting.

I do agree with everyone who said they prefer to take their car with MK being the only exception. Almost every time it has been easier for us with the car especially when our children were still in strollers.

I've tried all combinations of driving and using only Disney transportation. I've driven to WDW in my own car (from PA), taken the Auto Train with my own care, and rented a car. And I've done trips in which no car and only rely on Disney transportation.

I have to say - I prefer having a car at WDW and driving to taking the Disney transportation. Number of factors play into that. One, I take a bus to work every day and so, for me, taking a bus on vacation does not feel like vacation. Two, I'm with you, I almost always have to wait on buses and almost always have to stand. Which gets annoying after a while, even if it is free. It is worse with young kids who are exhausted. Driving may still take a while sometimes but it feels more under your control and once you get kids in car, they can fall asleep in car.

You can have to wait for a tram, but I've never waiting for a parking lot tram as long as I've waited for a bus. And if you show up at a park late in the day after a nap at home, you can often get a parking space in walking distance of the entrance.

Little tip - i have purchased tickets from AAA just to get the AAA Diamond Parking pass which allows you to park closer to entrance. IMHO, not worth it. The tram is less walking anyway and more convenient.

Also - hate taking strollers and diaper bags and all that on and off the bus. Much easier to get it to your car.

Also can run to grocery store off site, easy to get to DD, can do other things off site like Univeral or Medevil Times.

Now, Ive been by myself and just me and my 20 year old son, and we'll definatley save the money on car rental for adults.

Cass&KenziesMom;2448491 wrote: Well if you want to stand in line and wait for a bus versus just jumping in your car while everyone is still waiting on a bus then that's fine. To each their own. It's just a suggestion like everyone else is making.

I agree we're all making suggestions. I'm just not sure how much time you save driving to MK parking lot, tramming to TTC and then jumping on a bus (which may or may not be ready) that must drive over to where the resort bus ends up anyway. That just my way of looking at it.

Being off site, I'd definitely consider this option if the bus were there waiting.

So, obviously most people agree that driving to the parks is the quickest and best way to go, and I agree. MK is just a hassle, period (unless you're staying at the Contemporary, which is fantastic). Either you take the bus, and wait for long lines at the end of the day, or you park at the TTC and wait in long lines for the monorail or ferry. We usually do the latter....it's still fun to ride some form of Disney transportation. But still, if you're staying on property so many plusses to just driving yourself:

1. Parking is free
2. Timing is better....it's all YOUR schedule
3. No lines!
4. It's just faster - we were converted the time we stayed for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and we walked to our car, drove back to POR, and put our kids to bed....and only 20 minutes had passed since we got out of the park. We would still have been waiting for a bus had we relied on Disney transportation.

One more thing i'll throw out there that we love about driving that you can't do if you rely on Disney transportation....we keep a cooler in the car filled with ice and drinks. After a hot day in the parks, we *love* walking back to the car and popping open a few cold sodas (or waters, whatever) for the drive back to the hotel. It's a great way to start to unwind. It has become part of our tradition on our WDW vacations.

We love having a car because you can also drive to other resorts for dinner etc. We find that you are on your own schedule more with a car, no waiting for buses. Biggest con to driving: at MK you have to park far and then take the ferry or monorail.

Well I am definitely in the minority here. We always have our car since we always drive to WDW from home. However, once we arrive the car pretty much stays parked for the entire trip. We just like letting Disney do the driving. We are never in such a hurry that the time saved driving is worth it to us. On occasion we have called a cab to get us from our resort to another resort for dinner, even tho our car is in the parking lot. I guess we just don't like to drive on vacation. LOL.

We do enjoy when we stay at resorts with other modes of transportation other than bus only. We love taking the boat to MK or to Contemporary for dinner around the monorail when we stay at WL. We love walking or boating to Epcot and DHS when we stay in the Epcot area. However, even when we stay at a moderate, we bus to all the parks.

The only exception is Downtown Disney. We always drive there. But to be honest there is no quick and easy way to get there. Driving gets you there quick, but parking can be a nightmare. However, every time we took a bus to DTD we said "never again". It always seems to take a really long time for some reason.

Cass&KenziesMom;2448540 wrote: Jim we were there from Dec. 26th-31st and every day we did MK we took a bus from the TTC to MK. Instead of turning left for the ferry or going straight for the monorail we hooked a right and there were buses taking people to MK. The CMs acted as if it were a regular thing.

AgentC;2448617 wrote: Unless it is something new, they don' t always run buses from the TTC to MK. They tend to do it when it is a high volume time of year or when there are monorail issues. It's probably worth checking with cast members to see if it is available the day you are visiting.

This.

It's only gotta be during high-volume periods like Christmas/New Year's week and 4th of July weekend.

This was never a "regular" thing...

I'm surprised at how many people drive, I just never realized. We primarily rely on Disney transportation with an occasional cab thrown in the mix and don't usually have an issue. Granted we normally just go to the parks for a few hours a day and don't stay to closing. While on vacation we enjoy having a nice bottle or wine with dinner or stopping at one of the lounges for a cocktail and don't want to have to worry about driving.