A Blanket Apology To All the Car Renters

[WilsonFlyer]

And given the drama and time waiting for and on Disney's buses, I wouldn't care if it took an hour anyway.

I love the boats, the Skyliner and the monorail, but if I had to get on Disney buses to move around, I would have already gone on my last trip. 25 years ago.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I’ve gotten to point I stay at resorts by Park I’m going to most so I can walk - Bay Lake for MK / Beach Club for EPCOT - wish they would have put a walking path in for AK and the Lodge but it’s a short bus ride
Otherwise I’m taking a car - jeez if I hate Disney buses ! I don’t care if they run a tram or not I just don’t want to have to ride the darn bus ! My last trip with Magical Express - well getting to hotel I gave up and took Uber - going to Airport - bus was late - bus broke down on 2nd hotel stop which was about 20 feet from first - like he didn’t know bus was not right ??? That made bus even later - lucky we had TSA pre and for once the airport was not packed !
My last visit to Disney we Uber and was a breeze - rentals were just too much ! Mainly EPCOT trip so only rode bus once - it was over an hour wait at MK - ugh

 

[WDWFERN]

Our last couple visits we used Disney transportation to the parks, but for any busy/lengthy transport trips (returning at park closing time or resort to resort transports for restaurants) we just ordered an Uber/Lyft. We also went to/from the airport using Uber/Lyft and made sure to get an XL. This probably averaged 1-2 paid rides a day, but was very convenient and still saved us money compared to renting a car. For MK, we just walked to the contemporary and ordered a ride as we were walking.

 

[jimim]

my goal in life is to never drive a car in Florida. I have managed 25 years of trips without ever driving a tenth of a mile on a Florida road. lol. I came close this trip we almost did universal. then I gave in to Disney. im a weak individual I am finding out.

Oh and to add I can drive if I want to but I don’t. I drive for my job. I drive to the beach a few times a year. Pull a boat all year. Sometimes I just want to be drove around. Disney has always been my 1 escape. Yes I know there are services. I don’t live under a rock.

 

[limespy]

If you drive to MK, you park in the MK parking lot, then walk or tram to the TTC, then have to take the ferry or monorail across/around the lagoon before you get to the MK entrance plaza. The bus drops you off right outside the MK entrance plaza, meaning you enter the park much quicker.

Ah! That makes sense. We haven't rented a car at WDW yet, but we're planning a February trip (first trip to WDW since January 2020 ) so we're exploring our transportation options both to/from the airport and while at the resort. I appreciate your response!!

 

[vakamalua]

DVC & car renter since 1995. All your apologies accepted.

We go when we want, where we want. FYI The best restaurants in Orlando are outside the Disney bubble which also saves $$$$.

 

[Micca]

I can't remember the last time we did WDW without a rental car. I'm glad you've seen the light

 

[heynowirv]

And now that we're retired we drive to WDW.

 

[Stargazer65]

But you can’t have a tipple.

That's why you bring the kids, so they can drive you home and help you find your room later.

 

[RKS03]

DVC & car renter since 1995. All your apologies accepted.

We go when we want, where we want. FYI The best restaurants in Orlando are outside the Disney bubble which also saves $$$$.

Any recommendations for relatively near by places?

 

[tjkraz]

We drive everywhere and I can be thru any turnstile on property in < 30 minutes. Usually < 20. Maybe it's just the times we go, but it beats the heck out of the buses which I haven't been on in over 25 years.

Barring an exorbitantly long wait for a bus--which is mostly avoidable now that the Disney app displays arrival times--a guest traveling by bus will probably beat a driver to MK 9 times out of 10. Buses and cars drive the same roads at the same speeds (give or take). The bus route to MK is much more direct, with fewer bottlenecks than the parking lot/tram/ttc/monorail option.

I'll take a car over bus most of the time. But whatever impressions you have about Disney bus transportation are likely skewed. The typical ride is very uneventful; a ~5 minute wait at the resort followed by a comfortable, air conditioned ride with drop-off just outside the turnstiles.

 

[limespy]

Any recommendations for relatively near by places?

I'd love to know as well!

We love going to Cowfish at Universal CityWalk--we uber'ed from Caribbean Beach in Jan 2020. Food is delicious whether you're in the mood for sushi or a burger! (Which is perfect for our family--we travelled with my Dad, a sushi lover, and my Mom, who is not. )

 

[CarolynFH]

Any recommendations for relatively near by places?

We've found a couple of places we like in Celebration, Celebration Town Tavern and Columbia, and there are others we haven't had chance to try yet.

We also like Miller's Ale House (multiple locations) for relaxed family sports bar type food.

 

[Akck]

We initially took Disney transportation, not renting a car. Then Covid happened. Little was known early on, so we rented a car to socially distance. Side benefit of it was we had a reprieve from wearing masks and got AC while driving. Of course we benefited from offsite travel for a grocery run and takeout. On following trips, we took even more advantage of offsite meals.

We also drove to MK occasionally. Once, we got to the bus stop and the next bus was scheduled for 20 minutes later. Add the 20 minute bus ride and loading/unloading and we‘d be looking at 45-60 minutes to get to MK. We were there in 15 minutes and maybe another 10-15 to get to the entrance.

 

[DVCsloth]

We drive from South Florida; I park my vehicle and it rarely moves other than a possible trip to Publix for groceries or if we are doing a split stay. From my experience, Disney busses run like clockwork and do an exceptional job.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We rented a car last summer and loved it, my husband got a killer deal through work. At that time masks were still required on transportation so it was nice to not have do that. We explored a few off property restaurants, KSC, and were able to hop to Publix when we realized we left a phone charger at home.

We also stayed at a MK area resort, so were able to just walk there in the mornings.

 

[Lewisc]

Years ago a former member of DIS split her party, half bus and half car to MK. Car won most of the time. Bus wait can be 15 to 20 minutes. Some resorts guests might be on the bus for 20 minutes before even leaving resort property. A scooter wants to board at a later stop. How long does it take to move pax from the fold up seats and board the scooter.
I find it easier, on vacation not worrying about a car.

Ive seen buses arrive and depart 5 minutes before the time on the app. Ive seen the bus time updated a minute or so before the new time.

 

[Spivey378]

Apology accepted!

 

[MonaMN]

my goal in life is to never drive a car in Florida. I have managed 25 years of trips without ever driving a tenth of a mile on a Florida road. lol. I came close this trip we almost did universal. then I gave in to Disney. im a weak individual I am finding out.

The idea of having to drive just doesn’t appeal to me either. I am sure at some point we will do it, but I am happy to sacrifice a little time on Disney transportation so that I don’t have to remember the keys and where we parked, then get into a hot car and deal with crazy drivers.

We did a split stay with Universal on our last trip and got a car service to take us over and back/forth to airport and had groceries delivered. Worked great.

 

[jimim]

The idea of having to drive just doesn’t appeal to me either. I am sure at some point we will do it, but I am happy to sacrifice a little time on Disney transportation so that I don’t have to remember the keys and where we parked, then get into a hot car and deal with crazy drivers.

We did a split stay with Universal on our last trip and got a car service to take us over and back/forth to airport and had groceries delivered. Worked great.

I drive a few times a year when we go to the beach. I’m always driving when I pull my boat for fishing trip. Plus I drive for my job. But when I go to Disney I just want to be mindless. You know what I mean.

Our home base is akl jambo. I love it. I get to the parks consistently quicker than my buddy who stays at okw. Akl is out there but it also is a direct line to each park. Yah 1 stop no big deal. But some of the other hotels. Rough. And the monorail is brutal past 10 years. Lines are nuts cause so many people are there just popping in and out of hotels. All it takes is one person to slow it to a crawl. I like the boat from wl. I always have. Akl busses are not as bad as others make them out to be. A lot of people prob never even stayed there and complain cause of the instance.

You want to talk rough busses. Beach and yatch club. Brutal. I don’t know why. They shouldn’t be bad but they always are. I have stayed there all different times of the year and they are for some reason so slow.


All my opinion but if I look back on 15 years plus of trips akl is always not bad.

Bit I agree with others no driving to mk ever ever! Omgggggggggg I look at that people mover coming in to dock while coming out of the park and it makes me cringe. Lol