Tips about Planning and Transportation

One assumption we made that was incorrect was that you could take a bus from Disney Springs to the theme parks. You have to go back to one of the resorts and then go from there. Another tip is that if you are staying at Port Orleans, like we did, you are better off taking the boat to Disney Springs rather than the bus. It runs much more often. - Deanna M. Grebe

I just returned from a fun-filled week at the World. When renting my car from National I was pleasantly surprised that they now offer some minivans with built-in car seats (subject to availability)! This saved me from having to rent a car seat from National -- a savings of $50! I suggest parents with toddlers check it out. The seat is for children weighing 22-41 pounds. - Dana Galiano

We just returned from a week long trip at WDW and wanted to give you a great tip on renting a car from Dollar rentals. We joined their Dollar Express and it saved us at least an hour waiting in line. I highly recommend it. They have a separate line for Express members and take them first even if other non-members are waiting in line. It's awesome! We went ahead of at least a dozen or more people. - Jackie

I had read the article about driving to the parks versus taking the transportation system. My sister and brother-in-law had always driven and we had secretly made fun of them for years, but after reading the article we decided to give it a try. We did so on our February trip and were amazed at how much time we saved at the end of the day returning to our hotel. This trip we did the same thing and have some warnings. Do NOT drive to the Magic Kingdom if you plan to stay until the end of the day. You have to get back to the Ticket and Transportation Center before getting to your car. It was a good 45 minutes longer than if we had waited for the bus. Driving to Animal Kingdom, the Studios, or Epcot does make sense if you have the transportation. - David Bowman

One way my mom and I got ready for our trip to Disney World was to make a list of every animated Disney movie (in order of when each came out) and watch a movie a day until the trip! It helps you remember the magic of the movies while you get ready to experience the magic of the parks! - Chelsea

Just a word to Canadians traveling to WDW... We were looking forward to taking advantage of the Resort Airline Check-in service at WDW resorts for our trip home so we could travel hassle-free with our boarding passes in hand. However, we were disappointed to find out that even though we were traveling with Delta, and our first stop was New Jersey, we are still considered an international flight and international travelers (though welcome to use Magical Express) cannot get their boarding passes and have their luggage checked through. We would have appreciated knowing this ahead of time, but we had a great trip nonetheless. - Lori

This year I bought the travel BINGO cards at a store before we left for Disney World. I gave each of my children a card when we got in the car. The first round of BINGO was postage stamp, the next round was horizontal, etc. Each time one of the kids won, they would receive a Disney Dollar. The final round was a $10 Disney Dollar. Of course, no one wants to leave Disney World, so on the way home they played BINGO again. This time, while we were there, I had picked up a few pins, pens, an ornament, keychains, and a cup for the prizes. The grand prize was another $10 Disney Dollar to save for the next trip. - K. Watson

This year I bought the travel BINGO cards at a store before we left for Disney World. I gave each of my children a card when we got in the car. The first round of BINGO was postage stamp, the next round was horizontal, etc. Each time one of the kids won, they would receive a Disney Dollar. The final round was a $10 Disney Dollar. Of course, no one wants to leave Disney World, so on the way home they played BINGO again. This time, while we were there, I had picked up a few pins, pens, an ornament, keychains, and a cup for the prizes. The grand prize was another $10 Disney Dollar to save for the next trip. - K. Watson

Since we have Florida resident passes, we go three times a year and stay for a few days at one of the Disney hotels. One of the things we like about staying at the hotels on Disney property is the fact that we can park our car when we get there and not drive again until we leave. The buses take us from the hotel to the park of our choice and back to our hotel with relative ease. Lately we've been noticing that at the end of the day the wait for a bus to get from the park we are visiting back to our hotel is getting longer. We usually end up standing on the bus, which is difficult for a family with small children who are exhausted after a day at the theme park. I decided to try an experiment this trip. For three days my family took the bus to/from the hotel/theme park. I drove our car and parked in the parking lot at the theme park. As expected, I got to the park first. At night, my family took the car back to the hotel and I took the bus to see who would arrive first. On each of the three nights my wife was back at our hotel room and had both kids bathed and in bed before I got back to the hotel. My suggestion is that unless you don't mind the wait for the bus, take your car and use the parking lot. Hotel guests do not pay for parking, so be sure to have your hotel ID with you at the parking lot toll booth. - Craig Merwitzer

We just returned from Disney World. My tip is when using the Magical Express baggage service, realize that it may take 3 hours to get your bags after you arrive. With this in mind, keep what you might need and your valuables with you. If your luggage has not arrived within 3 hours, call to check on it.

Flying the red-eye from Las Vegas to Orlando (three-hour time difference) on the first day of your vacation, after exhausting months of work earning this vacation, guarantees that when the excitement wears off you will hit the wall hard! I love the researching and planning and getting the most for my time and money, but stop! Think! After three eight-day vacations, I've learned that the best time I ever had was when I didn't hit the parks on the first day, but instead went to a water park for some exercise and sunshine (to reset my clock), then to World of Disney in Disney Srpings to get my pin collecting/souvenir shopping out of the way (check for discount deals from Disney Visa), then to an early seating at 'Ohana at the Polynesian. Trust me, a slow start will give you tons more energy over the next few days. - Leslie Seibert

If you are an American Automobile Association (AAA) member, be sure to tell Disney when booking reservations. We just saved $100 per night at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! You must specifically ask the Disney employee on the phone though. They never volunteer money-saving opportunities like this one! - Amy

For those Disney visitors who live in Florida, unless you specifically ask for a Florida residency discount when making reservations, they don't offer it. Case in point: when calling to make my reservation at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I told the Cast Member that I was a Florida resident, and she quoted me the same rate as it was online. Only when I asked about a discount for Florida residents did she quote a rate substantially lower. I asked her why she didn't quote the lowest rate from the start and she informed me that it's Disney policy not to "assume" that because you mention being a Florida resident that you are asking for a discount. - Bill

Regarding the crowded buses from the parks back to the Value Resorts, we would get in line and when close to the front, if the bus was really crowded, we'd just step back and let the people behind us go on and stand. We stayed at the beginning of the line for the next bus, which at closing time was ready to pull in as soon as the loaded bus left. A few extra minutes in the bus line to board first on an empty bus and get a seat was worth it. Plenty of people were willing to board the standing room only bus, and no one challenged us for our place in line. - Deb Koch

A really helpful site to visit when considering Priceline is biddingfortravel.com. Scroll down to Florida -- Orlando/Walt Disney World and see what bids others are winning. It's helpful to know prices that others got and on what dates, what hotels are in the different zones, and to read reviews from other travelers about the hotels that Priceline offers. - Christina