Parking questions

[LisaP]

This will be our first time with a rental car, and in my infinite planning I had a few parking questions just so I am prepared ...

Do you have to park at TTC for MK? I thought I saw that mentioned in another post, but just wanted to verify.

Is there a parking fee at TTC? How about DTD?

Don't know why, but I'm stressing over the driving thing (even though DH is driving :blush:) just for the fear of the unknown. I'd rather be on the monorail!

[Ed]

Yes, for the MK you park at the TTC and take either the monorail or ferry boat to the park.

If you are staying at a Disney resort, there is no charge for parking. Otherwise, parking is $14 per day.

Parking is free at Downtown Disney.

[NJGIRL]

Also, even if you are not staying at a Disney resort but are an annual pass holder parking is free.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

No stressing allowed!! Even though we stay on site, we often drive to the parks, as it is just so much easier than the busses.

For MK, the parking is at the TTC, but it is just short monorail or ferry ride away. If the line for the monorail is long at all, take the ferry, we've seen people lined up FOREVER for the monorail, and the ferry leave 1/2 empty!

[Tink#64]

Maybe we're in the minority on this, but even though we've driven for our last few trips, once we arrive, we park our van & let Disney do the driving! A few years ago, planned a very spur of the moment trip during spring break & we had to stay offsite for the first couple of days before being able to move onto WDW property, which meant we had to drive to the parks! :drama: IMHO, for me, it didn't feel like our vacation truly began until we were able to check in at Pop, park our van & simply "Be Their Guests"! I'd much rather climb aboard a nice cool A/C'd bus at the end of a long day walking (usually hot & tired) & let them do the driving & sit back & relax & drop us back at our resort! :thumbsup:

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

We drive down to WDW and both drive to the parks and let Mickey do our driving once on property.

We almost always take the bus to MK because buses drop off at the gate. I don't have a second ride to wait for to get to MK. If you drive to MK, you park at TTC and then wait for monorail or boat. If you ride the bus to MK, then its bus to gate w/ nothing inbetween.

For most all other parks, we drive. If we plan on having a drink or two (mosly at EPCOT) we ride the bus. If we are vising resorts, we drive. If going DTD, we drive or bus it. Just depend on our mood and what we're going to do in DTD. If we are shopping in DTD, we will drive most of the time so we don't have to take up bus space with all of our bags. If we are eating at DTD and that usually includeds a cocktail or two, then we ride the bus. :thumbsup:

[micky95]

my dw & i are AP holders so parking is free.if your a resort guest your parking is free otherwise its 14.00.you do have to go to ttc to get to mk.we usually take the boat as the ramps are a little difficult for my wife (arthritis)we stay on property for our 1 week trips but stay off site for quick little getaways( we live 5.5 hours away).i enjoy the freedom of having my car ready whenever i want to leave.our july trip we were park hopping.we decide what park we wanted to be at last and parked there , then we would go to the other one ,enjoy our day ,hop over to the first one and leave from there.:mickey:

[RBrooksC]

Uf, I rode the bus once on our trip back in May and that was one time too many. Nothing is better than standing on a bus in transport to a park then getting to walk around that park.

I had much less stress and much better time being able to drive everywhere myself. I could get to places faster and go directly to places.

It was perfect.

[Melanie]

We always have our car at WDW, and tend to drive more than not to the parks. We love having our own transportation.

Are you staying at a Disney resort? If so, the only park I'd suggest taking Disney transport to is the Magic Kingdom. I personally like the convenience of being dropped off by the busses at the MK gate. Having to park at the TTC and using monorail or ferry to get over to the MK is time consuming and at times crowded.

Otherwise, driving to the other parks is a breeze, and sometimes it's just as easy to walk to the entrances as opposed to using the trams.

[Mickey'sGirl]

We always have our car at WDW, and tend to drive more than not to the parks. We love having our own transportation.

Are you staying at a Disney resort? If so, the only park I'd suggest taking Disney transport to is the Magic Kingdom. I personally like the convenience of being dropped off by the busses at the MK gate. Having to park at the TTC and using monorail or ferry to get over to the MK is time consuming and at times crowded.

Otherwise, driving to the other parks is a breeze, and sometimes it's just as easy to walk to the entrances as opposed to using the trams.
:ditto: We take the bus to MK, but drive everywhere else. I find the commute from the TTC to MK to be harrowing. The busses are much easier!

[RBrooksC]

I agree with that, that is why I try to stay at least at the Wilderness Lodge.

[magicofdisney]

There is something else to keep in mind. If you drive to TTC you may also need to take the tram over to TTC, from the parking lot. This adds to the time and inconvenience of driving to MK.

[Melanie]

There is something else to keep in mind. If you drive to TTC you may also need to take the tram over to TTC, from the parking lot. This adds to the time and inconvenience of driving to MK.

Yep, exactly. As much as I'm all for driving our own vehicle, these factors make taking the bus to MK very worth it FOR US. For others, the tram/monorail/ferry to MK are all part of the experience. It's personal preference.

[Kenny1113]

We drive down to WDW and both drive to the parks and let Mickey do our driving once on property.

We almost always take the bus to MK because buses drop off at the gate. I don't have a second ride to wait for to get to MK. If you drive to MK, you park at TTC and then wait for monorail or boat. If you ride the bus to MK, then its bus to gate w/ nothing inbetween.

For most all other parks, we drive. If we plan on having a drink or two (mosly at EPCOT) we ride the bus. If we are vising resorts, we drive. If going DTD, we drive or bus it. Just depend on our mood and what we're going to do in DTD. If we are shopping in DTD, we will drive most of the time so we don't have to take up bus space with all of our bags. If we are eating at DTD and that usually includeds a cocktail or two, then we ride the bus. :thumbsup:

:ditto: this is how we do it as well. :)

[faline]

Even when we have a car with us, we typically drive it very little and rely mostly on Disney transportation. The freedom to have an alcoholic beverage without worrying about transportation is one of the things my husband loves about vacationing at Disney!

[LisaP]

Thanks everyone! This is our first trip staying offsite with a rental car, so I'm not overly joyed at the prospect. But hey, we were just there in April and now I have the opportunity to go back in August ... so I'm not complaining :pixie: