When going solo do you rely only on Disney transportation or rent a car?

[hildae0630]

I have always rented a car, this time I have not decided yet.

 

[winthropf]

I use Disney transportation from hotel to parks and sometime for hotel to hotel trips. Other times I use a taxi, such as getting back to my resort after watching Yehaa Bod at POR or after a dinner at another resort.

 

[StLDisFan]

I have driven my car down there and last year I relied solely on WDW transportation. Honestly, I think it depends on your "touring style". I can be pretty impatient (with crowds) and I hate feeling like I am wasting money by standing in lines waiting for things. Why I like to going to Disney then is beyond me...

I know it is a mixed bag of opinions and situations but I found Disney buses, in my experiences with it, to be unreliable, inefficient and just too time consuming. Yes it keeps you in that "Disney bubble" but I much prefer not having to wait around (sometimes for over an hour) for one to come or to have to stand in a loud, crowded bus after a long day in the parks. If you are only doing a park for the day, from early arrival to last one there at the end of the night, then a bus is fine. I'd still prefer my own car though. When you drive, you have to put in a little work, but you get a/c, your own tunes, your own space and definite time saving.

Of course, if I am making a quick stop by a resort or another park, I don't mind the ferries or monorail (especially because they are unique ways to travel) as they are generally much more efficient, but I try to avoid the buses if and when possible.

 

[ArielseekingEric]

Only disney transportation. My solo trips have been short stays.

 

[jwill]

I used Disney's transportation. As it was just me, I didn't worry about the extra time it took as the entire day and trip was mine.

 

[undchefreak]

I see a rental as an extra expense that isn't required. I personally try to walk as many places as possible, and use the bus waiting time to call friends or catch up on things online if I'm travelling solo (if I happen to not be alone, I'll discuss the plans with my travel companions). I'm tend to be a commando tourer, so having a 20 minute sit to wait on a bus can calm me down.

 

[dawnhaze]

You couldn't pay me to rent a car at WDW just to drive myself.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I've done each. Sometimes the waits for Disney busses have been long when the first bus or two for a given park was full and I ended up having to wait through three busses. If you're staying at a deluxe resort on the monorail or near Epcot, you have easier access to some of the parks even without busses. At a moderate or value resort, it's busses for almost everything, so a rental car is more useful. If you do opt to rely on Disney transportation, I suggest accepting in advance that there may be long waits at bus stops, and allowing plenty of extra time to get to any scheduled events/meals/fastpass reservations.

 

[karly05]

I only ever use WDW transportation. Not Having to Drive is for me one of the big selling points of a WDW vacation. I don't like the idea of driving an unfamiliar car around an unfamiliar place. (Trust me, I don't care how good the signage is, I would get lost and frustrated.)

I've had generally good luck with the buses, and really don't mind if I have to wait for one, or go from POFQ all through POR, etc. It's vacation, and as a PP said, having to wait/sit on a bus or boat can be a nice enforced break (I'm pretty commando, too).

 

[zzyzx409]

One of the reasons I go to WDW is that I do not have to drive. Any other place we go I am not really on vacation because I still have to drive.

I only use WDW transportation or I use a taxi if time critical or when going to church.

Andy

 

[disneylove69]

I have done both and prefer a car. I don't like waiting in the humidity after being in a park all day. If you leave after park closing the line can be looonnnggg. Also you can't hotel to hotel hop. You have to take the bus to another park or DTD and get on the specific resort bus. I normally get the car for less than a $100 for the week so worth it. Parking at the parks are free if you stay on property.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I am taking my 3rd solo trip in October. I have only done the Disney transportation. I always check to see if it is cheaper to stay off property and rent a car but when I go solo I stay at a value resort. Hard to get cheaper than that when you factor in a rental car. On top of that, I have always had good luck with the buses. I've never waited longer than 20 minutes and I love people watching so if I am in line for 20 minutes I just check out everyone around me.

I also like not having to drive for a few days. I get to get in the buses and veg out. No worrying about getting lost, damage to the rental, paying for gas, driving in and out of the airport, etc... And once I get on the Magical Express my escape into Disney begins.

 

[hildae0630]

I have always rented a car, this time I have not decided yet.

I want to add that even with the rented car, must of the times I use Disney transportation , especially at night. The first night I always stay outside Disney but this time it will be Pop century all nights (only 13 days to go). I have never tried the Magical Express.

 

[Wild4Walt]

It would depend on length of stay and where I was staying.

When they are 2 or more of us I get a car. ( It's usually me and my mom and she likes having the car - only I drive )

For trips where I go alone, I tend to rather do Disney transportation. I go in either October or May so those are decent times to deal with the transportation. ( I'd feel differently in July or August ).

For those one off times where I want to get from a resort to another resort I just take a cab.

 

[ebkrist]

For my solo in January, I'm renting a car. But only because I plan on spending the first two nights of my trip at Universal so I can see Harry Potter, and take advantage of their early parks access.

Otherwise, I would probably take Magical Express, because once I'm at Disney, I never use my car.

 

[bookgirl]

Wrong thread

 

[lurkernj]

I can't find my way out of a paper bag, so only Disney transportation for me. This way I don't have to waste time ending up in Georgia

 

[NJDiva]

I have to say I always drive...I hate waiting for the bus especially at the end of the night and EVERYONE is trying to get on. I also have an AP so parking is not an issue. I take my car down on the auto train so I know how to find it in a sea of SUVs and minivans. I have done the bus thing and the last time I did, I had the bus where every kid was in meltdown mode and it was miserable.

 

[anonymousegirl]

Disney transport. Not a fan of renting a car solo and trying to drive unfamiliar areas without a navigator. Very stressful for me.

 

[cmon71]

I rent a car...great bbq place down by universal I like to hit