Driving to Parks/Parking

[aimeewvdisney]

So if we decide to keep a rental our entire vacation(which it looks like we are), what are the advantages of drivingto the parks if any? My husband questioned if we would be parked way out in no mans land and end up spending just as much time parking and walking than on bus. I told him that alot of people at Disney don't have cars....but I'msure alot of visitors do. What do you think?

[DisneyCrazyET]

We are also thinking of doing that. The lines for the bus at the end of the evening are long. We have waited in the past for over an hour.
So I would also like to know if it would make sense to drive to the parks. We are staying at WL and then POR. I already know how POR buses are. What about WL.(I know you can take the boat to MK)
Thanks

[snerd475]

You didn't mention if you were staying at a Disney resort, but I will assume, since you asked about bus service.

Bus service is great to MK, unless you are at an MK area resort, of course.

The beauty of having a car at the other resorts is that you can park, catch the tram to the entrance, and leaving is much easier at the end of the day. Sometimes buses are a long wait, and they end up standing-room only.

[aimeewvdisney]

I'm just wondering where you park. Is there space available near trams or at parks? Also, we are staying at Shades of Green....will we have to pay to park everywhere?

[snerd475]

Can't say I know if you have to pay if you stay at SoG. I would think not, since it's on WDW property.

They have attendants that guide you into the parking lot. Make a note of the lot you're in. Walk about 5 to 20 yards, maybe, to the tram stop. It's very easy and good. I am the same way about parking, worrying about getting out, etc, but, heck, it's Disney, and they take care of you!

I drove to AK in Sept., failed to note the lot and couldn't find the car. A CM who was driving the lot in a golf cart asked me the approx time I arrived. I told him and he looked at his log and told me where my car would be. I found it in a minute!

Last month, I drove to both DHS in the day, and Epcot at night (after riding bus in the day) and was very pleased that I did so. Tram wait was much shorter than bus wait.

Feel free to ask any more questions. We are all happy to help!

[sainter]

I really think it depends on how you "do" the parks. If you are up and out the door first thing in the morning, your wait for a bus is very short and bus not full. If you leave a park before closing or tend to hang around long after official closing time, again, buses not so full. If you leave your resort say 15 min before park opening to 90 minutes after opening, full busses. If you leave with the hordes immediately after fireworks, you will wait. Anytime in the middle of the day, no problem.

[Maleficent's Dad]

The only park that I'd discourage people driving to/from would be the MK. The parking lot is on the other side of Seven Seas Lagoon, so after you park and take the tram, you then have to take the monorail or ferry across to the park's entrance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing when entering the park. However, when exiting, it makes for quite the lengthy trek in getting back to your car.

Some avoid driving to/from EPCOT as many imbibe in WS. :beer:

There are conveniences in driving your own car to the parks; it's usually a personal preference and can often be debated on these boards. My family doesn't feel that you save any significant time in driving over taking the buses, but that's our preference.

[busterthebronco]

we drive.
the trams arnt full late when we leave the park and since we sometimes dont arrive until 3:00 or so we can park up close anyway.
one trick is use the reort monorail leaving the mk.
it goes to the ttc and is less packed.

[TammiMcMan]

Shades of Green does offer bus transportation within the Disney property. There's a specific schedule, so you'll just want to get that when you check in. From what I understand, the MK bus to the TTC is every 15 minutes. From the drop off point, your steps from the monorail entrance to either the MK or Epcot. The bus for AK and Hollywood Studios is every 30 minutes. I've never stayed at SOG, but perhaps you can ask specifically about their bus service. I'm sure we have INTERCOT members who can let you know if they were crowded, or a good option. Oops nevermind.... I just noticed you have an SOG thread going, so hopefully you'll get all the answers you need.

A good thing to note is that the walk between the Poly and SOG is only about 10 minutes. That gives you even more options for transportation, without needing a car. Also, I do believe there is a daily parking fee at SOG. I want to say it's about $5, but I'm not positive.

[Marker]

I have often had a car sit unused in the parking lot for the entire duration of our visit.

I don't have an issue with Disney transportation and much prefer it to driving. I'd much rather let someone else do the driving, not have to look for parking spaces, not use my own gas, not get into a hot car, not wander around huge parking lots, etc.

FYI, if you are renting a car from Alamo/National, in my July 06 experience, it was cheaper to return the car at WDW than at the Orlando Airport. So we did just that, returned the car at WDW and use Magical Express to take us to the airport. It was easy too. I drove to the rental return (near MK, and the WDW Speedway) early in the morning in time to make it to morning Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom. The Alamo/National shuttle drove me right to the Ticket and Transportation Center. I actually allowed too much time and had the opportunity to get some pictures around the TTC and MK gates with no people around. Come to think of it, that the morning I happpened to catch the opening show at MK.

[SAnderson70769]

We ALWAYS have a rental car and drive to/from all the parks. It has been a much better experience for us. Can be at any park from a Disney resort in like 10 min and you get the opportunity to leave so much more quickly. Only hold-up is Magic Kindgom departure since you have to get to the TTC - hint: we usually leave the MK and take the resort monorail (which is usually less crowded) to the Poly and you can take a short walk to the TTC from the Poly!

[brownie]

We've driven on our last few trips, and it's a little easier getting back to your hotel when the parks close. Parking isn't really a problem; the tram service in the lots has always been good. We do make use of the monorail.

[kathiep]

We always drive to all of the parks. We are usually arriving first thing so we get a close spot - or arriving at the second park of the day in the early evening, so again, find a spot up front.

It all else fails, we have our AAA diamond parking with is great.

We love not waiting for buses. It makes the trip back to the resort much quicker. And when you have tired, hot kids, it's so much better to be in your own car without a bunch of other hot, tired kids.

My kids usually fall asleep they second they hit their car seats which is nice. If we were on a bus we'd have to deal with probably holding them as they'd be tired and all our gear, - strollers, bags, souvenirs.

After a long day at the park, I wouldn't want to be waiting for a bus or stuck on a bus waiting for my stop to arrive.

[sgdisney]

I've always used Disney transportation so I can't offer an opinion on the driving situation, but I just wanted to say :welcome: to Intercot to a fellow West Virginian!

[tjstrike]

If there's a bus, use it. Unless you have an annual pass, parking is $11.00 per day, per park. I drove to MK our last day at disney and regreted it. The lines to get in were horrible.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Unless you have an annual pass, parking is $11.00 per day, per park.
If you're staying at a WDW resort, you do not have to pay for parking. :mickey:

[Young@Heart]

We drove for our 2006 trip and loved every minute of having a car! Even MK (which we did 4 times) was fine. My DC love the monorail and even got to sit up front and "pilot" it one time. To them, it's a ride in itself. :mickey:

We stayed at POR prior to this trip, and the bus just seemed to take fovever. Driving is quick, directions everywhere are well marked w/ signs, and with AAA diamond parking, we were always pretty close to the front.

[momof3+twins]

Do you have young kids? If so, drive at the very least when you know that you will be leaving the parks at closing. And keep in mind that strollers, sleeping kids, and souveniers are all very hard to hold and get on and off the bus.
We have encountered 45 minute waits, just to get on a crowded bus with two kids already asleep, plus strollers. It is really hard to handle. But, the good thing is that most people on the bus are parents even if their kids are grown and they tend to help carry stuff on and off the bus. And we have even had a man hold a stroller the whole bus ride!!

Last trip, we got sick of the buses and drove the last days. We usually skipped the tram at MGM, AK, and Epcot and just walked to the main gate. And at MK we used the tram but it wasn't bad. Keep the ferry in mind at MK, it holds alot of people!! So, you can sometimes hop on it and it saves on waiting for the monorail
We are driving most of the next trip. But, the bus is well loved in our family. So, we will use it a few times.