For those of you who drive to WDW...do you use Disney transportation?

[travelgirl77]

Good Afternoon!

We are visiting in August, staying at the Contemporary, and have hoppers for our stay. We are driving from Alabama and trying to decide how to navigate while in the parks. The last time I was there was over 12 years ago and as a FL resident, I rarely stayed at the resorts, so parked, and used transportation. If you drive to WDW, do you use your car to drive between parks, back to the hotel, etc. or do you rely on Disney transportation instead? I know we can walk or use the monorail to MK, but I am trying to decide how to get around to the other parks and between parks on our hopping adventures. Thanks for any insight!

 

[FigmentForEver1976]

We drive from Ky, so when we get there we park and don't get back in our car until we leave for home.

 

[PrincessV]

I rarely use WDW transportation and almost always drive anywhere I want to go. It's quick, easy, air conditioned to my liking, and isn't packed to the gills.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Only to MK, because it cuts the travel time in half.

 

[JETSDAD]

I drive down from Canada and the last thing I really want to do while I am there is more driving. We use Disney Transportation and if we're in a hurry then we'll either grab a cab or Uber (no need for that on our most recent trip).

 

[georgina]

We rent a car, and even drive to MK, but as OP is staying at the Contemporary, no need there!

 

[VAfamily1998]

We sometimes drive, sometimes fly.

When we've driven and stayed onsite, we have relied exclusively on Disney transportation for the duration of our stay. The two resorts we've stayed at when doing this are BWI and CSR.

 

[tlmadden73]

Yes. I drive from NC.

My last resort stay (Pop Century) we parked the car and never looked back. I'm on vacation. I don't want to drive in that traffic and get kids in/out of car seats.
Even if I save time driving to the park, I feel that time saved is wasted by having to walk from the parking lot to the front gate.

While the trips were long from that hotel, it just was very relaxing to just get on a bus bound to where you wanted to go.

Heck .. this last trip we were off-site and drove to the parks, but I still used the Express Transportation to hop between parks. THAT saved me a ton of time.

 

[PippyLatte]

We also drive from Alabama and for the most part rely on Disney transportation. We like to "stay in the bubble" but if we want to visit somewhere that getting to is cumbersome via Disney transportation (Ample Hills on the Boardwalk when we aren't staying at an Epcot area resort comes to mind) then we will go by car rather than worrying with bus transfers and going significantly out of our way to get there.

 

[123SA]

We drive from NJ.

The first time we drove it was because I couldn't get a decent price on flights. For every trip after that one, it's because I am so happy not to deal with the bus.

We drive to water parks, AK, DHS, Epcot.

We want to drive to MK...but it's kind of a PITA, so we use the bus.

 

[loves to dive]

I drive down from Georgia, park my car and don't get back in it again until we either leave or switch resorts for split stays. We enjoy a refreshing adult beverage every now and again (o.k. every day) and it's nice to not have to worry about it. We really don't mind the buses. We tend to stay in the Epcot resorts and walk to Epcot and HS and more often than not will even walk through Epcot and catch the monorail to MK. If we are resort hopping we just go to the nearest park and hop on a bus from there. No little kids, my son is an adult but we have been driving down since he was 3 and even then, took the buses, it was good time for him to nap.

 

[SaraVee]

We've changed our patterns over the years. When it was just my husband and I, we did buses pretty much the entire time. Once we started having kids and visited WDW when they were very young, we preferred driving as it meant one less thing to "wait" for with little kids in tow, plus at busy times I didn't like them having to stand when all the seats were taken. Also, buses are no fun at busy times when you're lugging a stroller and diaper bag, etc. We find the trams kind of stressful with children (especially with strollers!) so we'd try to get to the parks early enough to park close enough to walk and bypass the tram.

Our next trip will be our first in a long time where we won't be using a stroller, so I'm not totally sure what we'll opt to do. It is nice to not have to drive, assuming we're staying in a resort where the bus service is reliable and efficient.

Also, I have a solo trip coming up in the fall for food & wine and will totally use buses the whole time, and I'm especially excited about the Express transportation option now since I park hop all day when I'm solo - should make things much easier getting around.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

When we've driven down, we've driven to EPCOT, AK, and DHS. We always take transportation to MK because it gets you right to the gate as opposed to the TTC. Occasionally we'd park at the GF, Poly, or CR if we intended on starting or ending the day at that resort.

 

[wfjeff]

We drive in from NC. We prefer driving into the parks instead of using the buses. It just seems easier to us. Just our preference.

 

[Klayfish]

We drive from GA, and with the exception of the things needed to get to MK, we almost never use WDW transportation. The only exceptions are the monorail between MK and Epcot and once in a blue moon the ferry from Epcot to HS, but that's very rare. I have zero desire to use a WDW bus or other form of transportation. I like to be able to go where I want and when I want.

 

[Beer Me]

We use Disney transportation 90% of the time. It's nice to have a car for some things like picking up a few groceries or traveling from resort to resort. There are other odd uses like if you're running behind and just miss the bus. We might hop in the car instead of waiting.

 

[jsmla]

We/I drive. When the kiddos were young we drove to all parks except for MK. We were always at Ft Wilderness with our trucks steps away from our door. We were also rope droppers and could almost always walk from the lot to the park gates.

The kids are grown and I enjoy an adult beverage or two so I use Disney transport if on site, Lynx if off.

 

[glassslippergirl]

When we stay on-site, we typically drive, especially when the only choice is to take a bus. Long waits, crammed with people, holding on, folding up the stroller-- not my idea of fun. If we have the option of a monorail or boat, that's when we might choose WDW transportation. They still can be crammed but are far more fun and exciting than a bus. Can't wait for the gondolas!

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

We drive, park the car & it never moves til we pack back up to return home. Part of the fun is meeting folks from all over on the buses. We've been doing this for over 30 years & we've stayed at all levels of the resorts.

 

[memo10]

Depends on if we're taking our stroller or not. Our kids love Disney buses!