Drive our car, Uber or take bus from Poly to the parks?

smelton521

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 2, 2013
What is the best plan for getting to the parks if you have your car? We are renting DVC and staying at Poly so we will monorail to MK from TTC, but not sure what the best option is for getting to the other 3 parks. Do you still pay for parking at the parks if you are staying onsite? To get to a park early, do you have to take the buses? Do parking lots open before the park opens so you can be at the gate early?
 
No you will not have to pay to park at the park if you’re staying onsite. You will need to show your magic band at the parking booth. Lately it’s been about an hour early prior to park opening that you can get into the MK parking lot. Epcot, DHS and AK are later. If you arrive too early they may make you wait to park. We rarely drive when we stay onsite and usually do buses, walk, skyliner and as of late, outside of DHS to get ROTR boarding passes, there has been no urgency to arrive early for us. But no, you don’t have to take buses to arrive early, you can drive if you prefer.
 
Pre-Covid. We have always had a car since we live in Georgia and it's easier to drive down. We park the car at the resort and never get in it again until we go home or unless we are doing a split stay to move it. We use Disney transportation to go to the parks and have occasionally used Uber if we have a late night dinner at a resort we aren't staying at. We have driven to parks twice in 38 years of going. Both times on move day during a split stay and both times to AK early in the morning since we knew we would be leaving the park around noon to go check into Resort #2. Caveat - we are not rope droppers, the only time we do it is if we happen to be up anyway and when ROTR first opened, so we have no need to worry about what times the buses start running. We have stayed at all three MK resorts, all three Epcot resorts and Swan/Dolphin, AKL, all the values except AoA, all the moderates except POFQ and even while staying at the Fort in our RV used Disney transportation.
 
We are the opposite; we only take a bus to the MK and drive our car to all the other parks. Busses are OK, but I prefer to not rely on them.
 


Is there a parking fee for overnite at the resorts? That would factor into bringing your own car.
 
I prefer to drive to the parks, even MK, but I have never stayed at any of the MK resorts, which would definitely make a difference.

Is there a parking fee for overnite at the resorts? That would factor into bringing your own car.
Not for those staying on DVC points. Otherwise, yes.
 
If you can afford Uber, it’s a great option. Last year, we never waited more than 4 minutes for a car (anywhere on property). I’m assuming it’s still running post-COVID. They don’t drop you right at the gate (there’s still a little walk), but it’s closer than most parking.
 


Uber is definitely still running and we've used it extensively in the past. We're planing on using it for our upcoming stay at Pop Century. We've found it particularly useful getting back from DS later in the evening when the line for the buses is usually insane.
 
Oh, you have the perfect situation! Take monorail to MK and drive everywhere else you go in WDW. Parking is free and right up in the closest lots at the other parks. Why get in buses or strange cars if you don't need to under current circumstances? :confused3 Walk out of your room and your ride is waiting. Driving around WDW is easy and traffic in the bubble right now has to be much lighter than usual. Parking lots have been opening 45 minutes before park opening from what I've been reading on the boards.
 
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I'd suggest driving your car right now. Take advantage of your own car being social distanced from others!
 
Can't you walk to TTC from Poly and take monorail to MK and Epcot and then drive to AK and DS? That's what I would do.
 
We have only been to WDW once ever and that was several years ago. So much has changed that I just needed advice - between things not operating due to COVID or repairs, the invention of Uber, the Skyliner....I am happy to drive our car to all of the parks but I didn’t know if Disney has perks to staying onsite like earlier entry if you take buses vs if you drive yourself, or if parking is free at the parks if you stay onsite. I just needed some people who know a lot more about the current situation at the parks to clarify the transportation situation. I appreciate all of your help and apologize to all of those who think it was a stupid question.
 
We have only been to WDW once ever and that was several years ago. So much has changed that I just needed advice - between things not operating due to COVID or repairs, the invention of Uber, the Skyliner....I am happy to drive our car to all of the parks but I didn’t know if Disney has perks to staying onsite like earlier entry if you take buses vs if you drive yourself, or if parking is free at the parks if you stay onsite. I just needed some people who know a lot more about the current situation at the parks to clarify the transportation situation. I appreciate all of your help and apologize to all of those who think it was a stupid question.
Not a stupid question at all. We are going to be at the Poly with our own car in a week, and I've been following this thread just to read what observations people have had with park openings in the COVID era.
 
In fact, I've been wondering about the monorail to MK in the morning and if the resort line is packed with people from the contemporary because that is fully open, or will there be one at the Poly at 8:25 as its first stop that will drop at the MK.
 
We have only been to WDW once ever and that was several years ago. So much has changed that I just needed advice - between things not operating due to COVID or repairs, the invention of Uber, the Skyliner....I am happy to drive our car to all of the parks but I didn’t know if Disney has perks to staying onsite like earlier entry if you take buses vs if you drive yourself, or if parking is free at the parks if you stay onsite. I just needed some people who know a lot more about the current situation at the parks to clarify the transportation situation. I appreciate all of your help and apologize to all of those who think it was a stupid question.
Not a stupid question at all. It's always good to know your options. Regardless of pandemic I have always been a been an advocate of driving my own car vs busing. I feel like it gives you so much freedom to come and go. Since you are already at a monorail resort that works out great since a lot of people who drive still prefer not driving to MK. We were supposed to be at BLT back in May before our trip got canceled so I would have been in the same situation as you. Now were booked at BC in October, so I'm still in a similar situation as I can walk to Epcot, but will drive to the other three parks and everywhere else. Have a great trip! :wave:
 
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We have only been to WDW once ever and that was several years ago. So much has changed that I just needed advice - between things not operating due to COVID or repairs, the invention of Uber, the Skyliner....I am happy to drive our car to all of the parks but I didn’t know if Disney has perks to staying onsite like earlier entry if you take buses vs if you drive yourself, or if parking is free at the parks if you stay onsite. I just needed some people who know a lot more about the current situation at the parks to clarify the transportation situation. I appreciate all of your help and apologize to all of those who think it was a stupid question.

You might want to post to the Transportation Thread, too.
  • If you stay onsite, you do now pay for parking at your resort, but you do NOT pay at the parks.
  • Folks who have cars vary about their opinions of using onsite transportation or driving their cars. That answer for ME varies based on which resort I am at, which park I am headed to, my plan for the whole day, and well, my mood. I tend to drive to parks when I have a car, except for MK, where even with a car, I might take the bus. But, if I were staying at a Skyliner resort, I might not drive to a park with that transportation in that case.
  • Uber and Lyft at WDW are convenient and easy if you are a person who uses rideshare in the first place. WDW was the first place I used Lyft as a solo traveler. This can be a time saver, especially when travelling between two places that don't have a direct connection via Disney transportation.
 
You might want to post to the Transportation Thread, too.
  • If you stay onsite, you do now pay for parking at your resort, but you do NOT pay at the parks.
OP is staying on points at DVC, resort parking should be free.
 

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