Disney Transportation: Yay or Nay

After just returning from a Disney World trip, I always marvel at the ways in which Disney transportation can operate so smoothly.  Thousands of people park their cars and arrive at their destinations without too much trouble.  People take this marvelous occurrence for granted because they are so used to the efficiency of the ways in which the theme parks are operated.  With this in mind, I want to reflect on the best ways to travel throughout Walt Disney World.  One can define the term best in many ways; for example, best could mean most relaxing, quickest, or most convenient.  These are just a few definitions of what best could mean to different guests.  For the purposes of this article, I will delve into what my husband and I deem is best for our needs.

            When we visit WDW, we always drive, so we always have a car.  I know this is not the case for everyone, so if you fly, you must rely on Disney transportation or rent a car, which can be expensive.  For us, having a car is essential for transportation around Disney property.  We used to take the Disney buses from our hotel in order to arrive at the parks, but this process became quite onerous.  On one stay, we waited over an hour for a bus from the Boardwalk to the Animal Kingdom.  It was freezing outside, and we had missed the morning extra magic hour as a result of our wait.  After several other experiences like this, we decided that we would start driving to the parks.  Now, I know our experience does not mirror everyone’s Disney bus experience, but for us, we were done with the buses. 

           

            At first, I was worried that driving the car around Disney property would take away some of the magic because the buses were always just a sign that we had arrived at Disney World.  However, this initial fear dissipated after driving from our resort to the Magic Kingdom.  We could leave the Pop Century, be assured a seat and air conditioning, and we could arrive at the Magic Kingdom 10-15 minutes later.  We would not have to stand or find somewhere to throw our belongings on the floor.  Best of all, we would not have to lose valuable time in the morning waiting for a bus to come to us so that we might get on amidst the other guests who were waiting to board.  We are early risers, and we like to get to the parks for rope drop, and we like to be in control of our schedule.  The buses did not make this possible for us. 

            With regard to the cost of parking at the various parks, this is not an issue for us because we always stay on Disney property.  As a resort guest, you are given a piece of paper to display in your car window that entitles you to free parking anywhere on Disney property.  In addition, we are annual passholders, which also entitles us to free parking on property.  The whole parking process is like some sort of grand ballet of cars and parking attendants.  The ease of this process never ceases to amaze me.   Disney knows how to move around large groups of people, and if you follow the attendants’ directions, you will have no trouble parking your car safely and quickly.

            As for other non-bus Disney transportation, we willingly take watercraft and the monorail to arrive at various destinations.  I love to take a leisurely boat ride from the Polynesian Resort to the Magic Kingdom or from the Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom.  We also enjoy riding the monorail to Epcot or to visit different resorts.  The boats and the monorail are reliable and quick, so there is usually not too much of a wait.  The boats are a little slower than the monorail, but this is quite a relaxing form of transportation if you are in the mood to take it easy for a little while.  However, if we want to visit a resort that is not connected to the monorail or to the watercraft, we will drive to that resort.  For example, we ate at Jiko on our last trip, which is a wonderful restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Had we taken Disney transportation, we would have to take a bus to one of the theme parks and then take another bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  This round trip would have taken at least an hour of our time.  The drive from the Pop Century to the Animal Kingdom Lodge was at most, ten minutes.  This short drive was much more appealing to us. 

            Not only does driving allow us to save time, it also allows us to keep items in the car that we do not feel like carrying with us all day.  We always leave an ice chest in the car that is stocked with ice-cold water so that we can refresh ourselves in between visits to different parks when we return to the car.  We also leave an extra pair of shoes and socks in the car in case of a sudden Florida rainstorm.  Leaving these items in the car has proven very useful on many occasions, and we have learned these tricks and tips through much trial and error and many trips.  So, next time you are in WDW, give driving to the parks a try, and see if it makes your day a little less hectic!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!