Disney Bus Vs. Driving your own Car

[crltkcagle]

I was just wondering the same thing. Glad you asked! We are driving in sept. and wasn't sure if we should take the bus or our car. thanks everyone!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We drove to WDW from NY four times when our boys were young. (We have flown since and will continue to! )

Even when we had our car there, we always found Disney transportation easier. Even with a stroller. The car stayed parked at the resort everyday except the one day we did Sea World.

I just find the thought of trams, parking lots and getting three kids to the car...well, stressful.

But, what works for one doesn't work for all.

Have a great trip!

[wdw_bound]

We drive to WDW, so we have our car. I don't think I'd add the expense of a rental otherwise. We typically drive to the parks (except MK), but you need to be aware that parking at DTD can be a nightmare depending on the time/day. We have used Disney transportation to DTD if we weren't on a "mission" with a time limit.

We also use our car to get to our resort ADRs.

At least once in the trip, we split up (DD9 likes thrill rides at night, and DD3 likes his bedtime), and in those instances, we have found Disney transportation to be great.

[PhilHarHarMagic]

We like the freedom of the car - it also lets us take side trips to the grocery store or Chick-Fil-A when we want something a little different to eat.

We sometimes gauge if we are going to drive based on the crowd at the bus station when we leave the resort to go to a park.

We actually like driving to MK and taking the ferry over and back - something very relaxing about it.

It also has to do with where you are staying - sometimes you have several stops on the way to/from your resort - that will sometimes grate on my nerves for some reason...

[pwdebbie]

We are a couple in our fifties that just made our very first trip in October. We drove from PA. Our first day there, we drove around to get familiar with the property. The next morning we used a bus to go to our first park and dh declared afterward that our car would not be moving again until the day we headed home.

The busses were great for us. We are early birds so we usually had little wait in the morning. And we too enjoyed talking with people at the bus stop. We were in the crowds at the busses a few times at night but found that the busses ran very frequently. In fact, in order to avoid standing (dh has health problems) we passed one bus up and waited for the next one.

But remember, we are two old folks with no children. Since you have kids, you might prefer to use your car.

As for the AAA parking -- I was told quite emphatically by a AAA TA that those parking spaces are only available to people who book their trip through AAA and that since I hadn't booked through them, I had no right, regardless of my AAA membership, to use those parking spaces. Just wanted you to be aware of that ahead of time.

Debbie
POFQ, Oct. 2007

[KAJUNKING]

As others have said, it's really personal preference. We drive 2 hours every day to & from work, and have to drive 16 hours to get to WDW, so I don't want to see my car or even think about driving while I'm there. For us, it's more relaxing to take WDW transportation exclusively. Even if it takes a little longer, it's less stressful for us. It's part of the whole vacation experience for us not having to worry about driving.

couldnt agree more, not driving the week we are there is a vacation in its self

[Darbylew]

We always drive to WDW. We live in Florida.
We always stay on property and use WDW
busses. Once we park the car we never get in it
until it is time to go home. We think this is the
way to go. But whatever is easier for you is
what you should do.
We wants the redhead! º0º º0º

[jszczur5]

We always use our own car to travel from park to park. If you are a Disney resort guest,the parking is free, and if you book your trip through CAA/AAA, you can get the Diamond parking pass, which allows you to park right up front in a special lot beside the handicapped parking lot. Very convenient!

[Kathie_WE]

Another vote for letting Mickey drive and here's why:

1) Convenience. I'm trying to figure out how a car is easier even with kids... the stoller still needs to be folded and stored and unfolled.

2) Vacation mode. Any time someone else will drive for me is a bonus. Also the car to me is a symbol o daily life...and I'm looking to get away from that.

3) Getting to know you. We love talking to people at Disney and the bus is a great place to do just that. Meeting people from all over the country and world.

4) Park hopping. We love to move around WDW through the day and Disney transport makes it easy.

Just my .02....

Kathie

[jefmblrd]

I know many people who rent cars at WDW and swear by it. For me, it comes down to the fact that I don't want to be driving while I'm on vacation in Disney.

We are DVC members at the Beach Club and usually stay there which eliminates two busses because it's a five minute walk into Epcot and you can take the boat or even walk to the Studios. That only leaves a bus to AK & MK.

But even before we bought there, we would always take the busses. There are times when the wait is a little longer than you might like, but we've never had a problem and even met some nice people and had some great conversations.

[KevMcNJ]

We drove and used Disney transportation last time

Riding the busses and monorails isnt bad, all the other passengers are usually pleasant because they are in fun mode too. But sometimes when its SRO, its no fun sitting in a seat and some strangers butt is 18 inches from your face. Also standing waiting for the busses an get tiresome.
cranky kids can make the trip seem much longer too

I like the car. As we learn to navigate the property better Im thinking we will drive our self more and more. But thats me and the wife