Morning Liners! I appreciate all of your great advice, so I thought I’d get opinions on my two transportation conundrums.
We have 7:45AM breakfast ADR for Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary when MK is supposed to open at 9AM. Would like to make RD at MK. Not sure if we can catch a bus (or what time to try to get one) from AoA to make the 7:45 ADR. Should we bus to MK, take monorail (or walk) to breakfast, then walk or monorail to MK for RD? Should we drive our car to breakfast and park at Contemporary all day (walking or monorail to MK), then take this back to AoA when done at MK at night (are we even allowed to do this if we’re not staying there)? We will likely lose attention span and not take too long at breakfast, providing they get us in on time. How would you manage this with a party of 7 adults and a 20mo old?
On the day we leave/check out of hotel, we’ll be at (RD) Epcot (possibly park hop in afternoon), and then have Ohana reservations at 5PM. Was trying to figure out if it would be better to park at TTC (by Ohana if possible) and then take monorail to Epcot, or park at Epcot in AM and drive to Ohana/TTC when we’re done.
HI @khayes4, The buses normally start running at 7am to get people with pre rope drop ADR’s to the park on time so you should be able to get a bus to MK and then walk to CR or take the resort loop monorail to CR for breakfast. I would plan to get the earliest bus you can. The earlier you check in for your breakfast the faster you’ll get seated and the more likely you will be to make rope drop. Character meals normally take a minimum of 60 minutes and often longer if you want to meet all of the characters. Also for awhile now the opening show has been starting about 20 minutes before the park opens so it’s a little earlier than the posted time.
You could also drive to Contemporary and having an ADR they will let you park there. Officially that doesn’t allow you to park there all day unless you pay for Valet parking which is a $20+tip fee, which grants you parking for 24 hours. We have had liners say they’ve not valet parked and left their cars there all day without being towed but that’s a personal choice. Just remember that at the end of the day that “short walk” from MK to CR will feel a lot longer on sore tired feet.
Personally I’d probably take the car but I’m not a huge fan of the buses. Really either choice should get you there in time so it will be more personal preference.
On the last day I’d recommend driving to Epcot. If you go early you can get very close parking and it’s one of the closest to the gate. At the end of your trip is when you’ll be most tired and likely appreciate a short walk back to your car and a place to sit down without a big crowd. Plus having an ADR at 'Ohana will allow you to park at the Poly and not have to fight traffic in the TTC or have to walk from there to the Poly or take the monorail.
I would drive your own car and park at the CR. We did this in 2011 and left it there all day, didn’t really know we weren’t supposed to back then. Now that we know better, we valet. It is well worth the valet fee to walk to the MK and back to CR at the end of the night. The other transportation options- boat, monorail- have long lines at the end of the night, the walk to CR is quick and no waiting. On your last day, I would drive to Epcot (maybe 8 minutes from AOA), you will be parked up close if there early. Then drive to the Poly for dinner. With an ADR they will let you in (we did this in April during all the construction, no issues since we had an ADR). I would not drive to the TTC then monorail to Epcot, that will take some time.
Thanks! Sounds like it’s better to drive. If all my peeps want to take a tour on the monorail, would you recommend after CM on the way to MK? How long is that ride (thru other hotels)?
I wouldn’t do it then, it takes too long. Every time we get on the monorail it seems to have an issue and stops. Those things are old and not in the best of shape. I would do it in the afternoon as a break from the crowds. Nice relaxing trip around without worrying about missing precious morning park time. Plus it will be crowded in the mornings with all the people trying to get to the parks from the hotels on the monorail.
I absolutely agree with what @Wahoohokie said. Seemed liked every time we got on the monorail this last trip they decided to add a train or move one to a different track and sometimes we ended up sitting on a crowded train for as much as 30 minutes. The mornings seem to have the fewest trains as well so it will be crowded. Do that in the afternoon. Hop off at the poly and enjoy a drink at Tambu.
My last experience with the monorail has, possibly, put me off of monorail resorts and sightseeing forever (forever being said in my best Muppetvision Gonzo voice). We decide to resort hop during an off day, taking the bus to MK and the boat to Poly. When we went to get on the monorail to continue the trip, it was not working, sitting in the Poly stop. 15 minutes, the CM told us. By the time the CMs got the word that it was down for the rest of the day, the line for the boats were ridiculous!
If you take a monorail ride, understand that it might, as @Wahoohokie says, just quit. Be prepared.