Bus, Cab, or Car?

[Imagineer1981]

I was in some discussion on another post about rental cars vs buses vs cabs and wanted to get everyones opinion. I personally would much rather use a rental car or my own car if I drive down. For around 130 bucks (rental w/out gas for 1 week with National) I can get the peace of mind that I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, with no waiting on buses. I can park hop, go from downtown directly to a park or minigolf if I want. I control my destiny for ADRs and any other special events. While I have done Disney buses, and I understand how nice of a service they are, they are not for me and once less thing I need to plan around. I will however take the Friendship boats if I am staying at an Epcot resort. Just curious what everyone else prefers and why

[Mackflava99]

We use Me to get to resorts- then whatever transportation is available- But to go from resort to resort ( for dinner or pools) we use cabs-

We have found cabs to be great- and very cheap-
you can bargain- and they will also pick you up if you want-

I was surprised how economical it was price vs. time

[dteed]

Car

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We use the busses about 90% of the time, and find it nice not to have to worry about driving, parking or getting lost!

We do use our car now and then to go from resort to resort, or to DTD.

[Faver]

Disney Bus.... it's so simple!

[Goes4FastPass]

As someone who hasn't ridden a Disney bus since last week I can say they're easy and reliable.

I also understand a Disney vacation requires a willingness to relax and go with the flow.

[Marceline]

Disney buses all the way. We are from a rural area so mass transit is a novel attraction in and of itself. Plus I love the occasional conversation with the bus drivers, who can be some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated folk down there. :thumbsup:

[GoldenDreams]

We use a car most of the time and we love to use it to visit the other resorts, but for the Magic Kingdom, we use the Disney Bus because MK doesn't have any parking except at the Transportation and Ticket Center where you are still "a mile and a half from the Magic Kingdom".

We found the bus to be a fine option on our recent trip and although we'll still probably rent a car, for anyone going down on a budget, we would recommend the bus.

[Ian]

We always get a car. We find the busses far too unreliable and difficult to manage with two kids, a stroller, etc.

Plus, I just don't really find anything magical about being crammed on what amounts to a noisy, stinky city bus with a bunch of strangers and being at the mercy of whatever vagaries the Disney bus system operates under.

I like to be able to reliably plan on when I'm going to leave point A and get to point B.

[Goes4FastPass]

...We always get a car...a noisy, stinky city bus with a bunch of strangers...

Remind me not plan a vacation with you.

I've had many 5 minute friendships with families taking a bus ride to their first time at the Magic Kingdom and helped others load their stroller(s) 'cause Mom and Dad both had an armload of exausted kid.

For me, Disney busses are very different from my daily life and that's why we go to WDW, to be someplace different.

[badkitty]

I was in some discussion on another post about rental cars vs buses vs cabs and wanted to get everyones opinion. I personally would much rather use a rental car or my own car if I drive down. For around 130 bucks (rental w/out gas for 1 week with National) I can get the peace of mind that I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, with no waiting on buses. I can park hop, go from downtown directly to a park or minigolf if I want. I control my destiny for ADRs and any other special events. While I have done Disney buses, and I understand how nice of a service they are, they are not for me and once less thing I need to plan around. I will however take the Friendship boats if I am staying at an Epcot resort. Just curious what everyone else prefers and why

:ditto::exactly: For all the reason you mentioned!

[PiratePrincess87]

:mickey:Using the buses are nice when you are staying on property. However, standing on a crowded bus after a long day in the parks is no fun!

[DDuck66]

I voted for the Disney Busses, but we always have our car available in a pinch. Also for shorter trips or if we stay offsite, we always take our car.

[ThanxForNoticin]

We like the flexibility of having our own rental car, so we'll use that most of the time. But there are times when the buses make more sense, so we'll use them, too. The buses are not perfect, but they certainly do a nice job for us when we need them.

Can't say we've ever had the need to call a cab.

[Ian]

For me, Disney busses are very different from my daily life and that's why we go to WDW, to be someplace different.Having burning hot needles shoved in my eyes is different from my daily life, too, but that doesn't make it enjoyable.

[Lisaj13]

I use the Disney buses. In our family group I'm the only one who drives, so it's nice to take time off from that job while on vacation.

Also, using the buses means splitting up the group isn't a problem.

And yes, they can be crowded, but they can be crowded with nice people. I've had many enjoyable conversations with other guests on the buses, and drivers too!

Go with the flow!

[dolphinmickey9170]

We usually fly, so we are using the buses. However, we have driven a couple of times and I park my mini van and use the bus as much as possible. This next trip we will be taking the car to parks and resorts, I'm tired of waiting for buses at the end of the night with a cranky DH and a sleepy toddler.;)

[Tbelle1976]

We always use Disney buses. I'm on vacation and would rather not have to worry about driving myself once we get there (we have driven many times from Ohio). We plan our time accordingly to get places when we need to.

Also, after a long & tiring day walking around the parks I'd rather not have to find my car and drive myself.

Although I've never taken a cab, I can understand doing so if it works great for a timing advantage.

[A Big Kid]

Even when I have driven to WDW, I never drove my car while there.

I'd rather let someone else drive.

I think timewise, it is a wash. After you walk to your car, then drive out of the parking lot, drive to the next parking lot, look for parking, then walk to the front gate, you;d spend just as much time as waiting on the bus.

[thumperbug]

I prefer buses. A few times that my FIL had joined us and had his car, I found it more of a hassle then taking a Disney bus.

With a car...had to load everyone, and the stroller etc. Drive to the park, find a place to park, unload...then load again to get on a tram, then take tram to entrance, unload..walk some more...

I prefer the bus...get on with stuff and stroller once. I feel taking the car actually takes more time...cause lord knows that even when FIL writes down where he parked he can never find his car....lol

[Dsnygirl]

This has been a good thread to read! We just got back, and I was curious about the same thing, as we used the buses exclusively and were considering renting a car for our next trip.

Primarily, we were considering a car for some of the reasons mentioned -- the buses can, at times, be unreliable -- we waited at DHS 40 minutes for a bus to CBR while other resorts had 3 or 4 buses come & go. We also waited a few times at the resort bus stop, although not as long as a few people who had been waiting over a half hour when we walked up for a bus to MK.

But, having been there for 8 days, we probably rode the buses over 25 times, and overall, I don't think we really waited much at all... most of the time, we were pretty lucky when it came to how fast our particular park bus arrived, and there seemed to always be a CBR bus either waiting or quick to arrive at night.

I'm not sure the cost of a rental car would be worth the hassle of figuring out the road system, or still having to use a bus for MK, which is the part we visit most. And I'm thinking it's probably definitely not worth it for the hassle of having to go get it upon arrival and that whole time waste, as well as turn it in at the end of the week and deal w/ all our luggage on both ends of the trip -- it was far easier having a towncar just show up, load up our luggage and off we went. Same cost, much less of a headache.

But -- I like hearing everyone's opinions... if my DH is willing to figure it all out, who knows, we may still try a rental just once during a trip when we're considering leaving WDW for SW or BG.

Thanks for the input!

(and I agree with the poster who mentioned the 5-minute friendships he's enjoyed on the buses... we've had the same thing happen, and it's made the trip very pleasurable, and it's been fun to meet new folks from somewhere else and chat a bit. :))

[Beast_fanatic]

We tend to do a combination of a rental car and the Disney buses. About the only park that I prefer not to drive to is the Magic Kingdom as I'm not fond of parking, catching a tram, getting off the tram, waiting on either the monorail or ferry, and then taking either the monorail or ferry over when I could just get on the Disney bus and have a short walk to the turnstyles.

So, for the most part, we took our rental car except when we went to the Magic Kingdom and when we went to the Animal Kingdom one morning for breakfast at 8:05am as I've heard cases where the parking lots weren't open early enough for people to make their ressies. We did use Disney transportation a few other times as well like when we went to Epcot for a dinner ressie and then ended the day at Magic Kingdom. By the time we left Magic Kingdom, Epcot would have been closed for quite some time, and I think getting back to the car would have been an issue.

We've only done one trip without a rental car, and it seemed like we lost a lot of time waiting on Disney transportation (and we were at the Poly that trip, so we had use of the monorails).

[Bethis26fan]

We have our car if we need it but, I never have. Once i park it and unload it's done till we go home. I just like not having to think about driving. I'm the one that always drives so it's nice to let someone else do it.

[GrmGrninGost]

Every once in a while we have to take our car to a reservation due to time constraints, but normally I feel like the buses are way too convenient and cool to use other modes of transportation. (Except the WDW boats and monorails!) :mickey:

[CleveRocks]

For me, one of the very best things about a WDW vacation is not having to drive for a week. I love just leaving the driving to someone else. It's the only week of my life that I can do that, and I love every minute of it.

Car service to and from home airport. Disney's Magical Express to and from MCO. And Disney Transport for everything within the friendly confines of WDW. Just something about not even having a car key in my possession during that week makes me feel free.:mickey:

[disneyworld55925592]

I can't even stress how much time and stress a rental car can save you when disney is busy

[kakn7294]

We usually fly, so we are using the buses. However, we have driven a couple of times and I park my mini van and use the bus as much as possible. This next trip we will be taking the car to parks and resorts, I'm tired of waiting for buses at the end of the night with a cranky DH and a sleepy toddler.;)Ben gets cranky? At least you're not at my house right now - I think you know what I mean if you look at when I posted...

We always take the Disney buses regardless of whether we fly or drive. I'd much rather let them do the driving and for the most part, I don't find the buses to be a problem. I like that I don't have to drive, no worrying about finding my way around property and walking to / finding the car at night and no extra expense for parking fees.

[Seasonscraps]

We move around all different ways - we rent a car for during the day (except for parks with boat acces) and take cabs to other resorts for dinner/drinks in the evening. But generally we try to avoid buses as much as possible. We prefer to have better control of our vacation time - we find the signage very easy to follow and like the convenience of being able to go to when we are ready to go. A few times we nearly missed ADRs because of extremely long bus waits even though we left plenty of time to get to where we were going - it becomes stressful.

[SandmanGStefani24]

the previous trips, i swore by the shuttle busses, since after a long day of walking the last thing i wanted to do was drive. that was of course, until last trip, when i drove the rental. granted, a Corvette is a bit flashier and faster than a shuttle but still any car is more convienent IMO. I was able to GO when I wanted, and no lines or crowded shuttles! :number1:
I look at it this way. I would rather be comfortable and on my way somewhere than standing around waiting for up to and hour and a half for a shuttle. Nothing's better than arriving and leaving on your own terms. Just watch for the FHP patrol cars!

[mom2morgan]

We like the busses, for the most part. And hey, they're free! We will use a cab or a car service to get to places we want to go off property - but that's about it. We stay at POR so we use the boats to get to DTD. I did break down and take a cab from one resort to another for dinner on the last day, though, because me feet were KILLING me, we were late for dinner, and the extra hike of having to take the monorail to the magic kingdom, and then walk all the way over to the busses and wait was just too much for me ;-)

[stitchaholic]

i love not having to drive for a week,i also like using the boats to get around when possible

[RAIDER]

Rental car for me hands down as i love the freedom on not relying on anything else :thumbsup::mickey:

[mainemajor]

Disney Bus.... it's so simple!

If you are taking the busses you can enjoy an adult beverage or two :beer: without having to drive.
When we have stayed off site we use a rental car so we can leave or return to our hotel whenever we want, not just on their schedules.