To rent or just use the bus

AngiTN · Oct 26, 2016

HeatherL1985 said:
So funny! I hate the tram, too...and I can't explain quite why!

The more I think on it the more I think it's because the first (and last) time we drove and used the trams we had a stroller (yeah, it's been a while)
There may not be anything worse than getting on the tram with a stroller. The bus is a pain but it isn't even in the same hemisphere as getting on a tram with one
It left such a bad taste in my mouth I can't stand them to this day

Pooh2 · Oct 26, 2016

We rent a car after a few lousy bus experiences. In addition, I have some mobility difficulties and would have a hard time standing on a moving bus, as well as a hard time standing in a long line waiting on the bus at the end of the evening. Now, I shuffle pass the long bus line and drop into my comfy rental car. Would not do it any other way..

Bullseye · Oct 27, 2016

AngiTN said:
It's interesting what gets on different folks nerves.
We hate the tram. I love the bus. I'd take waiting on a bus over dealing with a tram every time. Can't explain why exactly it is the tram annoys me but it does. Maybe it's I never remember where I park (nor do I remember to use the app for help with such things, oh the misfortunes of old age)
Plus, we drink. Can't do that and drive. That alone is why we will not drive to Disney parks

ETA - I'm not sure riding on the tram in a monsoon, or walking to the car if you are close enough, is a big improvement over waiting on a bus

Angi, I commend you for that. I hate when people D&D. I only drink at Epcot and we stay at BC every year now so it's not a problem. While I completely prefer driving around WDW instead of busing, I still feel Disney transportation is a huge perk of staying there. That being said trams run almost nonstop whereas buses could be anywhere from 10-45 minutes depending on time of day and how many you have to wait for. Once that tram drops me off I'm in the car in a matter of minutes heading to my next destination which is wherever I want to go on or off property.

Accident · Oct 27, 2016

If I'm on property, it's almost 100% disney transportation and uber (or taxi if it make sense and it's there) when not. When I'm not on property, I live close by and it's always uber to the theme parks. I don't drink often but doesn't mean I won't have one. I think tired is the bigger problem around the theme parks. There's a lot of people who really shouldn't be getting in a car and driving the family anywhere after a day in the theme parks. Any price is worth my safety to get home plus someone more alert to avoid those that shouldn't be on the road.

richmo · Oct 27, 2016

Yeah, this is one of those topics that can go either way. I've done most combinations staying onsite: renting and returning a car to MCO, DME and no car, DME and a partial trip rental at the Car Care Center.

My personal feeling is I prefer to have a car and will usually use it to the parks and especially other resort ADR's. Only exception is that the bus might be the best way for Magic Kingdom since you won't have to deal with the monorail/ferry.

But I can also see where if you'd rather not drive around on vacation or the cost is too much that it would be best to not have a car. You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself.

JohnneeO · Oct 27, 2016

AngiTN said:
The more I think on it the more I think it's because the first (and last) time we drove and used the trams we had a stroller (yeah, it's been a while)
There may not be anything worse than getting on the tram with a stroller. The bus is a pain but it isn't even in the same hemisphere as getting on a tram with one
It left such a bad taste in my mouth I can't stand them to this day

Once at DL (admittedly not WDW), we boarded the tram so late back to the Mickey and Friends Garage(8 PM Park closing, shopped on Main Street until almost 9, and then at World of Disney at DTD until almost 10), that we did need not even have to fold the stroller for the tram. This was nice as my DD was only 8 months old at the time, and we had brought the larger Zooper stroller for her, since it allowed her to fully recline while sleeping.

AngiTN · Oct 27, 2016

JohnneeO said:
Once at DL (admittedly not WDW), we boarded the tram so late back to the Mickey and Friends Garage(8 PM Park closing, shopped on Main Street until almost 9, and then at World of Disney at DTD until almost 10), that we did need not even have to fold the stroller for the tram. This was nice as my DD was only 8 months old at the time, and we had brought the larger Zooper stroller for her, since it allowed her to fully recline while sleeping.

We never used the tram at DL, we were staying at DLH, but at WDW I don't think this is even possible. There is not enough room on the row to put a stroller unfolded. Best I remember, there was barely enough room to put a stroller folded!

2pinwheels · Oct 27, 2016

Driving on vacation feels like no vacation to me.

I liked Uber as my backup to the buses last time. Ubered to Walgreens even.

It isn't hard to rent a car if the trip ends up suffering without it at some point. I keep that option on the table, but have been fine with the bus+Uber combo.

JohnneeO · Oct 27, 2016

AngiTN said:
We never used the tram at DL, we were staying at DLH, but at WDW I don't think this is even possible. There is not enough room on the row to put a stroller unfolded. Best I remember, there was barely enough room to put a stroller folded!

It was the front row of the tram that is a little wider, with two rows of seats facing each other. We were driving from the FFI in Buena Park, which I was able to get for 5 nights for only 40K Marriott Points. It was about 15 minutes door-to-door, and very similar to what we are used to in WDW, when driving from a resort to a park. We were at rope drop every morning, as we had heard that the garage can get backed up later in the day.

Sandi · Oct 28, 2016

I think it depends on what you're going to be doing. We rent a car in the summer because we like to go to the water parks every day and it really is easier to get from the resort to the water park and back with a car. We also use a car to dine at resort restaurants -- especially at AKL (Jiko, Boma, and Sanaa). When we go in the winter, I won't rent a car and we just plan our dining accordingly. $160 is a great rate for an SUV, but if it's just going to sit in the parking lot, it's not a great value.

Bullseye · Oct 29, 2016

2pinwheels said:
Driving on vacation feels like no vacation to me.

I liked Uber as my backup to the buses last time. Ubered to Walgreens even.

It isn't hard to rent a car if the trip ends up suffering without it at some point. I keep that option on the table, but have been fine with the bus+Uber combo.

Huh

.... I'm just the opposite, I feel like waiting on and riding on buses feels like no vacation to me.

2pinwheels · Oct 29, 2016

Bullseye said:
Huh .... I'm just the opposite, I feel like waiting on and riding on buses feels like no vacation to me.

It's certainly subjective.

Our main means of transportation is driving, daily, usually in traffic that looks like LA freeways (because they're Houston freeways), for an average of 2 hours every day. It isn't terrible, but it is a chore.

Taking a break from driving and thinking about driving is part of our getaway.

Elon can't bring me my self-driving car soon enough.

Miffy · Oct 29, 2016

kydisneyfans said:
Flying into MCO, taking ME to the resort. I'm doing a 1 day car rental($30) to get groceries, have a meal out, hit the outlets, and get anything needed last minute for the marathon. The car would be parked the rest of the time. Don't forget tolls and fuel cost into the cost of a rental from MCO.

Are you renting a car on property? If so, could you say how you do this? I didn't realize it was only $30 for a one-day rental. We might want to do that on the next trip. Thanks so much.

kydisneyfans · Oct 29, 2016

Miffy said:
Are you renting a car on property? If so, could you say how you do this? I didn't realize it was only $30 for a one-day rental. We might want to do that on the next trip. Thanks so much.

I am renting from Enterprise at one of the hotels about 1/3-1/2 mile from Disney Springs. You can also rent from the Swan/Dolphin. The rates have been running in the 30's depending on car size. I didn't want to mess around driving to and from the airport and paying for a car parked all week, so this is the next best option. We looked at grocery delivery services and have been happy in the past, with marathon weekend and conflicting weather forecasts, I'm not sure what we need in terms of hydration. I wanted the flexibility to go offsite to get what we need.

Miffy · Oct 29, 2016

Kydisneyfans: Thanks! I'll look into that. We're at SSR next trip, so that'd be perfect.

Pembo · Oct 31, 2016

For us the longer the trip the more we need the car. If it's just a 4 day trip, using Magical Express and buses and always being in the magic is great. Any longer and I like to go get groceries, eat away from Disney (get a Pepsi, thank you Panera), check out the outlets and there used to be an awesome mini-golf place just outside of WDW. My kids liked it a lot more than the Disney ones.

$160 for a week seems high to me. You can't go wrong either way..

MissManda · Nov 1, 2016

We have rented a car the past two trips and probably will continue to do so. We like the control of getting from and to the airport on our own schedule and timeline. We also like being able to run to the grocery store should be need anything. If you have dining reservations at any other resorts, its a lot easier and faster to get to them with a car rather than taking Disney buses or a taxi. We went back and forth between driving and taking buses to the parks. We usually take buses to the Magic Kingdom because it saves so much time. The other parks are just as easy to drive.

Koz · Nov 1, 2016

Silly question- is it possible to park @ TTC and walk to MK? How far is it?

Will probably just pull the trigger and pay for valet @ Contemporary. Hate the prospect of waiting for the ferry to load with hoards of people, and the lengthy process of embarking and disembarking. We are an early rope drop family and I have read that the monorail doesn't start running very early.

If we did elect to park @ TTC and got there early enough, is the lot conveniently located to the monorail stop?

richmo · Nov 1, 2016

Koz said:
Silly question- is it possible to park @ TTC and walk to MK? How far is it?

Will probably just pull the trigger and pay for valet @ Contemporary. Hate the prospect of waiting for the ferry to load with hoards of people, and the lengthy process of embarking and disembarking. We are an early rope drop family and I have read that the monorail doesn't start running very early.

If we did elect to park @ TTC and got there early enough, is the lot conveniently located to the monorail stop?

No, you can't walk from TTC to MK. Of course, there's a road that the buses use but it goes into a tunnel and is definitely not walker friendly. The TTC lot is close to the monorail station; depending upon which lot they stick you in, you can fairly easily make that walk. The TTC lot is also quite close to the Polynesian resort and there is a walkway between the two. If the monorail/ferry crowds look daunting, you could walk over to the Poly in just a few minutes and get on the resort monorail or a boat. (Of course, the resort monorail also stops at the TTC.)

richmo · Nov 1, 2016

Miffy said:
Are you renting a car on property? If so, could you say how you do this? I didn't realize it was only $30 for a one-day rental. We might want to do that on the next trip. Thanks so much.

The other option besides the Swan/Dolphin and Disney Springs hotels is the Car Care Center (CCC), which is located as you exit the Magic Kingdom parking lot. This is an Alamo/National (and I think Enterprise) location. The nice thing about renting from the CCC is that they'll pick you up and drop you off anywhere on property. For example, you could have them pick you up at SSR (you call the local Alamo office the day before to arrange) and you go get the car. When you drop it off, the shuttle will take you anywhere on property (no need to arrange for that). Of course, you also have the option to drop the car at MCO if you set the reservation up that way.

To rent or just use the bus

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