Is the traffic around DS still terrible? We’ll be going back and forth between the EPCOT resort area and DS and I wonder how best to do it. I was thinking Uber but if the traffic is still as bad as it used to be, that won’t help. Any tips or tricks to getting in & out of DS? How much does the crowd level in the parks affect getting around? Thanks.
Bus? Just wondering why this is not on your radar. Unless by Epcot Areayou are meaning Swan/Dolphin?
I haven’t driven much over there but whenever I am in the buses it feels like it’s a cluster.
Uber or Lyft are fine too. Probably better if you request drop off at Marketplace as the West End drop off feels miles away.
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I feel like the traffic situation is improving but the time of day is a huge factor. I missed an exit (coming from Magic Kingdom area) and had to get on I4 for a minute, which was the worst minute of a 10 day trip! But, as long as you are paying close attention to the exits and any navigation you may be using, it’s really pretty straight forward now. I really like the new garages. Getting out is very easy and well marked for whatever your destination may be.
I would recommend buses if you’re going at night though. It’s just easier, even if it takes twice as long as driving. As @OBNurseNH said, Uber and Lyft are fine too.
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I drove there a couple of times last month and the traffic was never bad but that was morning. At night I always Uber or Lyft.
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Yes, it’s the bus situation I’m concerned about as we’ll be coming from the BWI late one afternoon on a CL 10 day (hence why we’re not going to the parks).
But also one night we’ll be staying at DS and going TO the Boardwalk (poor planning, I know). We’ll have a car that night but won’t use it as there will be drinking involved. 
So it sounds like Uber is the way to go that night.
Has anyone ever done anything creative, like take a bus to SS then walk or boat over, or does that just take too long?
I would honestly just hop on the first Epcot area resort bus from DS. Their stops are right next to each other, so you can easily see which one arrives first. Not sure how connecting via SSR would help unless you’re going straight from DS to a park?
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The walk from SS - you’ll want the Congress Park stop- to DA is short and lovely. I would do that if the opportunity presented itself!
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Oh, that’s brilliant. Of course there are several resort busses, plus the one to DHS. Thanks! We are kind of planning a spending a small fortune on Uber already. This way we can just take Uber back & they can drop us directly at the hotel.
I was thinking maybe doing that during our daytime excursion (around 4 pm). I’m not sure if we’ll be at a park though & it seems too roundabout to walk over to DHS, bus to SS and then walk to DS. But maybe worth it if it’s s super busy day?
Will the traffic be so bad on a CL 10 day that a roundabout method might be best? Ugh, I just remember sitting in traffic last visit and I don’t want to spend my time that way now.
Buses have a dedicated bus lane and can avoid most of the traffic back-ups, so I don’t think buses will have nearly the delays of a private car…
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My October trip, all Epcot area resorts were sharing the same bus at DS - Boardwalk, YC, BC, Swan and Dolphin. Very busy bus.
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Oh, I’m surprised to hear that. We’ve never shared with all the resorts on the way back - usually the Yacht and Beach Club buses go from stop 10 and the Swolphin ones from number 11 or 12.
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It’s this variability that drives me a bit bonkers. If I need to plan for Uber, so be it. But if I can take a free (er, pre-paid) bus/boat I would rather. But not one that stops at 5 resorts. Sigh.
Even if it did stop at all the resorts (and I’ve honestly not seen this happen in years on the DS to BW route) you can just get off at whichever is the first BW stop. The BW resorts are all so close together that it’s quicker to walk than to stay on the bus. 
I don’t know about that. I think I might get off if it stopped first at Swan, but from the bus stops at the others it would be at least a 20 minute walk around or a boat ride across the lake.YC is where we typically stay, so I’ve done those walks before.
Unless you’re walking extremely slowly it takes just over five minutes to walk from the Yacht/Beach Club to the Boardwalk. We’ve stayed at both DVC resorts numerous times.The whole loop around the Boardwalk resorts is 0.8 miles, so I really can’t see how it could take anyone more than 10 minutes to walk from one to the other since you’re only covering half the distance…
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Because you’re not AT the boardwalk. There’s always time needed to wend one’s way through the resorts themselves, and especially at the Swolphin, that takes a while. YC and BC are set back from the boardwalk. Only the BWI has a pretty quick jaunt straight through the resort itself. Everything at WDW always takes longer than one thinks, and walking is no different.