opinions on travel times from resort to parks w/ our own car??

[mrmcgiv]

We will be staying at AKL and will have our car. In previous trips we never went out ealry and returned to the resort to swim. Once we left on Disney transportation it did not seem worthwhile to us to spend the time to go back to the resort and then back to the parks in the same day.

However, this time we will have our car and it will be HOT as it will be August!

Realistically, any input on the travel times to and from the parks with your own car? I see that AK, DHS and Epcot are close to AKL.

Any advice on parking and getting in the parks? and how long it takes to get parked and in and out of the parks.

If it does not take too long to go to and from the parks form the resorts we may take a midday break.

Also, are the AAA diamond parking passes worthwhile?

[magicofdisney]

I don't have any input on AAA parking.

You won't be doing yourself any favors driving to MK because you have to park at the TTC parking lot, take the tram over, then monorail or boat to the MK.

Drive times to and from the other 3 parks can save you time and it would be worth your while to take that afternoon break. The earlier in the morning you get there, the closer to the main gate you park and walking to the front will be less than a few minutes (if that). Enjoy! :mickey:

[Pagan]

DW and I go every year and get a car regardless of whether we're staying on property or not just because we do the same thing, take a break in the middle of the day.

Well worth it to not have to wait around and be at the mercy of provided transportation.

[Strmchsr]

Travel times with my GPS have generally been 10 min or less to any park, and that's traveling from the All-Stars, Pop, and POFQ.

As for the AAA parking, at Epcot and DAK it's nice and fairly close (though the tram drops you off a good bit closer). At DHS and MK it's not really a big deal and actually makes for a further walk than if you used the regular parking and rode the tram. On a really hot day that extra walking across the parking lot can seem to take forever. Even at Epcot on crowded days the AAA parking will mean more of a walk than taking the tram. My AAA office will give me the pass without booking through them. If it came down to using Magical Journeys or booking through AAA just for the parking, I'd take MJ in a heartbeat every time.

[Ms. Mode]

When we stayed at AKL it was August and very hot weather, we took the buses everywhere and never had to wait very long for a bus. Also the buses were never crowded and we always had a seat.

I'm not trying to talk you into taking the bus or anything, it's just that the bus at AKL was one of the best services we've had. We would come back to the resort every afternoon for a couple of hours too. :thumbsup:

[Pirate Granny]

You can only get AAA parking if you purchased your package from AAA...you don't get to park there if you have AAA insurance.
The bus is closer to get than the trams or the parking lot...and always airconditioned and never have to jump into a hot, hot, hot vehicle to drive and find a parking space and then turn around and do the same thing...the bus is convenient and quick...but it's your choice. I would always go back for a swim every day.
:pirate:

[Spaceship Tigger]

We even used our own car from AKL to the MK the last time we stayed there. We had a stroller and didn't want to have to fold it up on the bus. The trip from there to the MK is not bad at all, and even having to catch a monorail to the TTC over is no problem. We always came back from there to the AKL for mid-day breaks.

[Strmchsr]

You can only get AAA parking if you purchased your package from AAA...you don't get to park there if you have AAA insurance.

That seems to depend on the local office. My AAA office gives me the parking pass without booking through them. I can't get the diamond discount card without booking through them, but I can get the parking pass.

[lightyearfan]

You won't be doing yourself any favors driving to MK because you have to park at the TTC parking lot, take the tram over, then monorail or boat to the MK.


this is easy as me and dw always rent a car and drive to everything,the times aren't bad at all 10-15 min tops, as far as Magic Kingdom parking, goto to the Polynesian Resort, when u get to the gate say ur there to eat , once the gaurd lets u threw park in a spot then go up stairs to the monorail station and ur off to the mk this will eliminate the trams. and this is also good for when u leave the park because this could be a nightmare when u do leave, goto the resort side of the monorail system and it will take u back to the poly. even though me and dw do have dinner ressie, this shouldn't matter as they don't check.

hope this helps

victor

[Strmchsr]

goto to the Polynesian Resort, when u get to the gate say ur there to eat , once the gaurd lets u threw park in a spot then go up stairs to the monorail station and ur off to the mk this will eliminate the trams.
victor

This is specifically not allowed. Resort parking is for resort guests only except for 3 hours max for eating, as Disney policy very specifically states. Also, Intercot TOS does not allow discussions which encourage cheating the system.

[Stickey]

I would use your car to go the the AK park- no waiting for a bus, or sharing with Kidani. I would not drive to MK. Your car will be great if you are having dinner at the Poly, WL, or CR.
It is 10-15 minutes from AKL to WL.

[lightyearfan]

This is specifically not allowed. Resort parking is for resort guests only except for 3 hours max for eating, as Disney policy very specifically states. Also, Intercot TOS does not allow discussions which encourage cheating the system.

sorry! didn't mean to offend, you talk about that im cheating the system, well we went to MVMCP which is fantastic, and as you know we paid extra for it, the parade, special fireworks are fantastic, me and dw went on our last day bk to mk, and there was no xmas party for that night when we saw that the fireworks show which was suppoesed to be just for the party was being done , guess what i felt cheated, that we paid extra $$ for something that was being done without the party, because the way that WDW made it sound, was that these were special events were just for the party, and if im not mistaken, the twas the night before xmas stageshow was also being played and this too was taughted as just a xmas party thing, and i know that it's only for resort guests, and we do stay on property,so i don't see the harm, one time the gaurd even told us that we could leave our car and goto the mk, and my room key did work the other side of the security gate when there were other cars in frt of us and i didn't feel like waiting cause it was taking too long and we were going to be late for our dinner reservations.

victor

[Strmchsr]

sorry! didn't mean to offend

Not a problem. That's why we put out the reminders. As moderators we can't really have a "gray" area. We go by what the official policy is and WDW's official policy, whether we like it or not, is that resort parking is only for those staying at that resort. Therefore, we won't allow discussion of ways around that or of ignoring the policy.

[magicofdisney]

sorry! didn't mean to offend, you talk about that im cheating the system, well we went to MVMCP which is fantastic, and as you know we paid extra for it, the parade, special fireworks are fantastic, me and dw went on our last day bk to mk, and there was no xmas party for that night when we saw that the fireworks show which was suppoesed to be just for the party was being done , guess what i felt cheated, that we paid extra $$ for something that was being done without the party, because the way that WDW made it sound, was that these were special events were just for the party, and if im not mistaken, the twas the night before xmas stageshow was also being played and this too was taughted as just a xmas party thing, and i know that it's only for resort guests, and we do stay on property,so i don't see the harm, one time the gaurd even told us that we could leave our car and goto the mk, and my room key did work the other side of the security gate when there were other cars in frt of us and i didn't feel like waiting cause it was taking too long and we were going to be late for our dinner reservations.

victor
You really shouldn't feel cheated by others seeing the fireworks. Do you realize how many ppl outside the parks regularly see the fireworks?

One evening (on a MNSSHP) we were coming from dinner at 'Ohana. We monorailed over to the MK to catch the bus back to our resort. When we reached the MK the "special" fireworks had just begun so we sat outside the gates to watch. In fact, you can go to any of the monorail resorts and watch the fireworks for free. Traveling home, late one evening, I saw the fireworks from the toll road. That's just the way it is.

A CM telling someone to "break" the rules, doesn't authorize the offense. If you were not aware of this policy, I can see where the confusion lies. Periodically, the reminder needs to be stated.

[lightyearfan]

You really shouldn't feel cheated by others seeing the fireworks. Do you realize how many ppl outside the parks regularly see the fireworks?

One evening (on a MNSSHP) we were coming from dinner at 'Ohana. We monorailed over to the MK to catch the bus back to our resort. When we reached the MK the "special" fireworks had just begun so we sat outside the gates to watch. In fact, you can go to any of the monorail resorts and watch the fireworks for free. Traveling home, late one evening, I saw the fireworks from the toll road. That's just the way it is.

A CM telling someone to "break" the rules, doesn't authorize the offense. If you were not aware of this policy, I can see where the confusion lies. Periodically, the reminder needs to be stated.

granted but when im paying in excess of 120 im going to feel cheated, im not a first timer and realize that u can see the fireworks from parking lots and outside, u don't get to hear the music thats being played and the sound effects that are also being played so it's not the same when ur watching it from the outside, and no i didn't know about the parking from resort to resort, maybe the cm's and gaurds should make this clearer. i also don't want to make this an overblown thing so no more comments from me about it, this is my opion and how i feel.

victor

[Strmchsr]

no i didn't know about the parking from resort to resort, maybe the cm's and gaurds should make this clearer.

That is a complaint many of us have had. "Rules" tend to be very sporadically enforced, unfortunately. Whether the CM's don't know the rules or just don't want to enforce them (or both) I don't know, but it can definitely make things confusing for the guests.

[SandmanGStefani24]

i agree with others and will say my average time from resorts to parks was 10 minutes. (any park to any resort for the most part in my experiences) That sure beats waiting in an un-airconed bus stop. :truck:

Someone also mentioned not using a car for MK because you still had to ride the monorail. really? is this a bad thing? ;)

I never say never, but I don't think I'll ever use the buses again. Driving is just faster, more comfortable, gives you more options and is the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

[CanadaLovesDisney]

The only time that we use the car is to travel to downtown disney. Otherwise Disney Transportation works just fine :thumbsup:



To Disney World from Canada every chance we get.

[PopPhan]

In "The Unofficial Guide..." there is a chart that gives a breakdown of the times to all the parks (water parks and DTD included) for driving vs. Disney Transportation. These times include the time to get to the toll booth, park, and transfer (tram or monorail) to the entrance. I won't post all the details, but they give you average and (worst case) times for each...

Example:
Pop Century to MK -- Your Car [YC]: 40 (51) vs. Disney System [DS]: 31 (41)
PC to EP -- YC: 23 (28) vs. DS: 27 (38)
PC to DHS -- YC: 20 (24) vs. DS: 25 (35)
PC to AK -- YC: 14 (16) vs. DS: 30 (42)
PC to TL -- YC: 12 (14) vs. DS: 46 (61)
PC to DTD -- YC: 15 (16) vs. DS: 37 (49)
PC to BB -- YC: 10 (12) vs. DS: 47 (62)

Big differences going to MK - because DS stops just outside the gates where YC has to park at TTC and catch the monorail in. Otherwise, it looks like YC is always quicker.

On a personal note: I will still always take DS because I do not want the stress of driving when I am on vacation!!

[Strmchsr]

I definitely agree that Disney transportation is faster going to MK, but it does NOT take me 40 min to get from Pop to MK. In fact, all of those numbers are way inflated as to what it actually takes me. The longest drive I've had has been 15 min and that's from pulling out of the resort to parking. Maybe those numbers are for a high crowd day instead of an average. The Disney numbers look about right if you count the time you spend waiting for the bus to arrive before you actually get on.

[SandmanGStefani24]

i agree to a point. it's not the actual commute that takes an hour. it's getting to the bus stop, waiting there for a bus, getting on it or having to wait for the next one, and then actually getting there. that can be an hour or much more. it was the almost 2 hour trip from MK to POP that ruined it for me one year.

[joonyer]

We always drive down to WDW, but then we usually leave our car parked at the resort and use the WDW buses for getting around int he world. WE have found in just as convenient, although sometimes we drive to one of the parks. The one exception is to MK, where using the bus to get there is alwayys faster and easier becuase you get off right at the park entrance, vs. the parking lot on the other side of the Seven Seas lagoon. Leaving MK after parades and fireworks can be a long wait at the bus stop because of the crowds, but we have learned to take our time leaving at park closing (we're never in a hurry to leave anyway) and most of the crowds at the bus stop have dissipated by the time we get there.

[RBrooksC]

We have rented a car the last two times we were there and will next May when we go again.

When we were there last time, we did take Disney Transportation to the MK because we were staying at the WL and the boat was a nice way to travel, to go to the other parks, we drove our car.

With the exception of wanting to fun of riding the monorail to Epcot. And going from the Studios to Epcot via boat. While they were fun both were VERY time consuming. The boat was especially annoying and I will never do it again. The monorail was fun getting to Epcot but leaving, we had to wait in a line for it, then once we got to the TTC, we had to wait for the Resort monorail. It took us so long to get back, I had been wishing we had driven our car. While the walk to the parking lot would have been longer, we would have gone straight to our hotel and not had to take such a long time to get back.

[brivers222]

We are staying offsite for the first time because of a timeshare my parents gave us as an Engagement Gift...

Are we allowed to use the disney buses once we pay for parking (at one of the themeparks) or are we always having to drive to the new themepark if we want to park hop.


Also, what time do the parkinglots close (say the TTC for example) can we leave our car there all day, visit the parks, eat dinner, and then come back at night and get it?

I have been to disney a lot but this is a first being offsite

[Strmchsr]

Are we allowed to use the disney buses once we pay for parking (at one of the themeparks) or are we always having to drive to the new themepark if we want to park hop. Also, what time do the parkinglots close (say the TTC for example) can we leave our car there all day, visit the parks, eat dinner, and then come back at night and get it?

Yes, you can use the Disney transportation once you've paid to park. And I know it's okay to leave your car all day at the TTC. Not sure what time the parking lot closes, but I know it's fairly late.

[brivers222]

Yes, you can use the Disney transportation once you've paid to park. And I know it's okay to leave your car all day at the TTC. Not sure what time the parking lot closes, but I know it's fairly late.

Thank you very much... i know for our late night ADRs we will just park at DTD because i know for sure that place stays open late lol

[brivers222]

You can only get AAA parking if you purchased your package from AAA...you don't get to park there if you have AAA insurance.

I have had the AAA diamond parking pass back when I booked through them in 2004... it was nice although we used Disney transportation mostly.

However this Oct i just simply bought one off of Ebay for $5... perfect condition, unsigned and able to be used. I talked to my local office and they wouldn't give out cards if they weren't used in booking but they did mention some in Ohio do.... So with that said, having AAA insurance i feel its a worth while perk i am going to enjoy using while staying offsite

[PopPhan]

Thank you very much... i know for our late night ADRs we will just park at DTD because i know for sure that place stays open late lol

Remember that DTD buses DO NOT go to parks! You will need to go to a resort first, then to a park.

BTW - Your initial question asked about parking at a PARK, DTD is NOT a park and should not be considered a place to park all day while visiting the parks.

[brivers222]

Remember that DTD buses DO NOT go to parks! You will need to go to a resort first, then to a park.

BTW - Your initial question asked about parking at a PARK, DTD is NOT a park and should not be considered a place to park all day while visiting the parks.

Right, i have a few late night ADRs at resorts that since DTD is closest to the exit of the WDW grounds it would be better to park there instead of having to ride the buses all the way back to the Themeparks lots just to back track to get out. Most of the Late night ADRs are at resorts which we would be going to DTD afterwards anyways so it works out.

[ThanxForNoticin]

We almost always rent a car, and we use it quite a bit while traveling around Disney. We just think it's more convenient for us, especially when dining at the resorts. That being said, when we stay at AKL (which is one of our favorites), we will drive to EPCOT and DHS, but we'll usually bus to MK and AK. The busses to MK drop you off right in front of the park, which usually is more convenient than finding a parking space, riding the tram, and then taking the monorail/boat to the entrance. The busses from AKL to AK run so frequently, and it's such a short ride, we find it easier than getting our car, parking, and then taking the tram to the entrance.... Again, just what we've done over the years. Hope you have a great trip!