To drive or ride the wdw bus w/ w/c???

[Lillypug]

We leave Friday night and I am in panic mode right now. I have another question for you all... We are driving to Florida in our own vehicle which is a lowered floor minivan so it's extremely convienient with Noah's chair and the rest of the family. I am debating about us either driving in our van to the parks from POFQ everyday or riding the bus? Which has been better/easier/faster for all of you wheelchair users and families?

 

[SueM in MN]

We usually rent a regular van and need to take DD out of the wheelchair, then load the wheelchair, so we use the buses more than we would if we had our van (I do miss our rampvan when we are at WDW).

The one park you DO want to take the bus to is MK. If you drive there, the parking lot is not near to the entrance to the park. You need to take a monorail or a boat from the parking area to get to the actual park. The buses drop you off very close to the actual park turnstiles, so it is a lot more convenient to take the bus there.

For the other parks, we usually take the bus some days and drive others. A lot depends on what we have planned. If we want to park hop, we often take the bus because it's pretty easy to bus to MK and then take the monorail to Epcot (or start out in Epcot and go to MK). We also take the bus if we plan to go to MGM and Epcot. By taking the bus, you don't have to go back to the first park to pick up the van.

 

[BroganMc]

We leave Friday night and I am in panic mode right now. I have another question for you all... We are driving to Florida in our own vehicle which is a lowered floor minivan so it's extremely convienient with Noah's chair and the rest of the family. I am debating about us either driving in our van to the parks from POFQ everyday or riding the bus? Which has been better/easier/faster for all of you wheelchair users and families?

We drive and have a lowered floor minivan as well. First choice would probably be driving. You never have to wait to catch a ride and parking is usually convenient. I have a power chair and everyone in my party can keep up. That minivan is incredibly convenient.

Magic Kingdom is a Catch 22. If you take the bus, you'll be dropped off at/near the main gate. But you also miss the thrill of crossing the Seven Seas Lagoon into the park. I love taking the ferry and seeing MK get closer and closer. My niece and nephews love the monorail.

The one advantage to the bus system is that some of your party can join you later or take an alternate route. And as Sue said, it works well if you are park hopping by Disney transport and don't want to backtrack to get your van.

One park taking your own car too is a bonus is Animal Kingdom. That is sort of out there so the busses run a tad longer. And of course if you're resort hopping, your van will come in handy.

For me, I'd take the van, let the late sleepers meet me by bus. The one day I plan to park hop I'd take the bus to AK, MGM, then ferry to Epcot and monorail to MK, and bus home.

One thing you can do is park at the TTC and park hop via monorail between Epcot and MK. Also works if you're resort hopping to Polynesian, Grand Floridian or Contemporary.

 

[michelle9343]

I agree with what has been said.MK we always take a Disney bus. The only other time we love the bus if it is really hot it is wonderful to get on a nice a/c bus.

 

[faeflora]

We take the bus to MK and we drive to all the other parks, we found it less stressful with a wheelchair and my mom and her cane, and then there is my anxiety issues.

 

[GroovyWheeler]

We rent a mini-van also, since there's 4-5 of us that usually goes to Disney World: Dan, my godfather Morrie, my mom, and her friend Zelda. We'd leave the mini-van at the hotel, and take the Disney bus, to all of the parks (except for Universal, which we'd only been to, once). It's so much easier that way, rather than having to take the cushion, footrests, and stroller handle extension off to fold up my wheelchair at the hotel, load it into the van, then having to unfold it once at the park, and putting all of the pieces back on. Not to mention, lifting it every time, in and out of the back of the van.

Even though it's considered "ultra-lightweight" at 27lbs., it's hard on my mom and me, to lift it. Me, because of my osteoarthritis, scoliosis, poor balance coordination, and dystonia; my mom because of her Nueropathy in her legs, and her bad back. Like Sue, I do miss our wheelchair van at home when we are at Disney World. It has made life so much easier on my mom, with all of her health issues. We've used it a number of times at home, when I had my manual wheelchair with me, when she was having a bad day with her Nueropathy pain. It surely gave her a break from having to lift it into the back of her car, folded/not folded.

Samantha

 

[tacomaranch]

We saw how wonderful the buses were at MK and all the resorts. The driver lowers the bus and then from the back entrance a ramp comes out and you just load on up. They have straps and LATCH that keep the chair secure on the bus, then the same when departing. It looked very easy and no stress.

April