So I usually always take the bus, but I do realize that it will be easier to drive during certain parts of our stay. We will be staying at Pop Century
What do you think?
July 15 (MK)
Bus
MK 1:00p-8:00p+
July 16 (EPCOT/AK)
Car (easier to get from EPCOT to AK)
EPCOT 12:00p-4:00p
AK 5:00p-10:00p
July 17 (EPCOT)
Car (Rope Dropping at EPCOT)
EPCOT 8:00a-1:00p
Afternoon Break at Pop
Bus
Evening back at EPCOT 6:00p-10:00p+ (EMH)
July 18 (Blizzard Beach/Disney Springs)
Car (Poly then Blizzard Beach)
Breakfast - Kona Cafe
Blizzard Beach 9:30a-1:00p
Afternoon Break at Pop
Car or Bus to Disney Springs?
Dinner - Morimoto Asia (7:00p)
July 19 (DHS)
Car (Rope Drop EMH)
DHS 6:30a-1:00p
Afternoon Break at Pop
Bus
DHS 5:00p-11:00p
July 20 (AK)
Car (Rope Drop AK)
AK 8:00a-2:00p
Afternoon Break at Pop
Car
Dinner - Grand Floridian Cafe (6:00p)
Evening - MK Fireworks Cruise from GF
July 21 (MK)
Car
Breakfast - 1900 Park Fare
Relaxing Break at Pop
Car or Bus for MK w/ DAH?
MK ~2:00p-1:00a (Disney After Hours)
Why are you doing the car when you are going to RD? Have you had problems with buses in the morning? I only ask because I have stayed at Pop my last 2 trips and haven’t had any issues getting there pre-RD.
For the end of the night - the buses are pretty full, so sometimes you have to stand, although I would think that with EMH and DAH it won’t be quite as busy.
I agree that going from park to park is easier with a car, other resorts & the water park I would also do the car.
For DS I would use the bus also.
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…and this is why I ask! 
We used to fly and not have a car, and this is our first visit to Pop…that along w/ our last trip was in 2011 so I’m second guessing my gut a lot and thought it might be quicker/easier to get to RD w/ the car. …But if you don’t think it will be an issue, I’m good w/ leaving it in the parking lot.
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I’ve stayed at Pop 2x and also never had a problem making rope drop provided I was at the bus stop early enough… that’s DH’s fault, not the busses fault.
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My preference is to drive everywhere, with the possible exception of MK because of the additional transportation required to get to the main entrance from the TTC.
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I have a 1:15+ hour commute to and from work every day…basically 2-3 hours in the car, 4 days a week (work from home one day). I would prefer the bus if it doesn’t save a ton of time/hassle.
Too many days/variable for me to comment on each, but here are some observations. I’ll say up front, a lot depends purely on preference. I drive way more than I want to commuting back and forth to work, so not “having” to drive on vacation is a major plus for me. My “default” is to use Disney transportation unless there is a specific reason not to such as:
- Going directly from one resort to another (e.g. staying at POP, going to dinner at AKL).
- Needing/wanting to be at a park more than 30-40 min before RD
- I’m with DW who prefers to drive because I drive, drop her off at the entrance, and then go park the car and meet her inside the park.
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I know the bus system is good at Disney, but we still prefer to drive everywhere. I think it’s fastest (except to MK). And it’s too stressful to me to rely on the bus getting me where I need to be on time.
So my first RD is EPCOT on our second full day. Maybe I’ll try the bus for that and if it doesn’t get me there when I like, I’ll drive to DHS and AK later in the week.
I’ve stayed at POP four times and never had trouble with buses. Never once did I wish I had driven. The lines leaving the park can be long but I’ve always gotten to the park by my planned time, if not before.
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This. From a purely time standpoint… driving beats the bus in almost every scenario. May not be as magical, but it is faster on average.
I also agree that Bus to MK in lieu of driving.
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I went back and checked and could not find that information: are you flying in or driving in?
I personally agree that driving might be faster sometimes, but I cannot be bothered to drive. I live in LA, I am used to traffic, I am ok letting other people deal with it for once.
Perhaps with the new MDE feature of showing approximate bus arrival times at your resort, it could be a game time decision. If you see that you missed the last bus by 1 minute, then drive. We always use the bus even when we drive (about 1/2 our trips) except resort to resort. Hoping the app feature will be useful IRL.
We will have our car after taking the AutoTrain. I have a long commute to work each way in the Philly area so I’m more than happy to let someone else drive if it is convenient!
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There was only one morning where we had some issues with the Disney buses. And really, the issues came from the other people (jumping in front of us in the line), ended up making almost miss the bus. The rest of the time, we were always there at the gate for RD.