Taxi between parks/resorts: cost vs time saved About This Page:

[pthomas]

We'll be staying at the Contemporary so travel to and from MK and Epcot is a no brainer, but what about the days when we want to do MGM or AK? Taking the monorail to the TTC and then getting on a bus doesn't seem very efficient. One of the books (not Passporter, can't remember which) said that you should allow at least 90 minutes if your trip requires a transfer from monorail to bus or vice versa.

Since we are only there 5 days I think my time is as valuable as my money...but how much money are we talking about? For example if we were at AK and wanted to go directly to the Poly for our dinner reservations at 6pm would I be better off staying at the park as late as possible and getting a taxi to the Poly? That may be a bad example, but you know what I mean.

Has anyone used taxi's to beat the transfer blues and maximize park time?
pj

[Caldercup]

A taxi would definitely be the quickest way (other than having your own rental car.)

It might add up though -- have you considered a rental?
Eileen

[zacksmom_1993]

Not sure if I understand the question, but there's a direct bus from the Contemporary to AK and MGM. I've shared it sometimes when staying at the Wilderness Lodge. I'd say that you'd have about a 10-15 minute wait for the bus, and then about 10 minutes to MGM, 15 to Animal Kingdom. I can't imagine it taking more than an hour in the WORST of situations. The only time I've used a taxi is getting from resort to resort, especially for those early morning character meals. It costs between $7-$15 to get anywhere on Disney property. I think the only time you'd need a transfer would be from resort to resort anyway, and then you could always use the parks as a transfer point. As for the Ohana dinner... I'd see how you feel on that day. You could leave the park as late as 5:00, and still make it in plenty of time I'd think. Just hop on the bus to the Polynesian! Have fun!

[Aminspired]

Well, I am staying at CS this year for the first time and I am renting a car. It is $275 for a week, but it is a convertible (an economy car is cheaper). I will pick it up from the airport, hop in and drive to my resort (no waiting for transport and so many stops from the shuttle) and will have it at my fingertips anytime I'd like to use it during my stay. It makes sense for me, and I may venture off property to go to the grocery store, etc. That can be an option for you too. I will take the bus when I attempt my beer in each pavillion at EPCOT...I have yet to make it all the way through! HAHA Either way, try not to stress out and enjoy your time there! Good luck! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[jimmymac]

As others have said, yu can go from park to resort and back by 1 bus. WDW buses are just fine for travelling to / from parks and your on-site base. The real travel time happens when you want to go to another resort. Then it makes more sense to take a cab (about $12 each way)than to take 2 buses with the ensuing waits

[Mary_Poppins]

During our last visit we stayed at POP. The resort was pretty nice, but the bus service was awful. We found cabs to be a pretty inexpensive way to get around. We did not spend near as much on the cabs as we would have on a rental.

[Eeyoresmom]

There will be buses outside the Contempory that go to all of the other parks, Downtown Disney and even the water parks. It's resort hopping that takes a bus transfer - and for that we usually hop the first bus to a park (or you could take the monorail to Magic Kingdom) and take the desired bus from there.

The only time we have use a taxi is once we were really tired when leaving Downtown Disney, and didn't want to wait for a bus. Also, this year we had a late dinner at Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge), and grabbed a taxi instead of fooling around.

They do tell you to give that amount of time - but it's just a safety net. It shouldn't take you any where near that amount of time to get to a park.

fyi - AKL to Poly was around $20

[DogLady]

I have considered using a taxi, but think i would reserve it for an evening when i have a dinner reservation and not sure i will make it on time with DW transportation.
I have never spent 90 minutes getting anywhere in DW, maybe an hour max, but that is part of the fun.
Remember with a car rental, you will still need to park your car and walk or take a shuttle from car to park. I'm not convinced that this is a time saver during really crowded times.
Noreen

[Nala]

We are big fans of taxis and have used them several times per trip on our longer trips. We have used them when we were pressed for time to make an ADR. We also use them where transportation is not so direct and easy, like from the Poly to the WL. At times like that it was worth it to us to grab a cab and pay less than $10 than to use a boat to the CR to catch the monorail to the Poly.

We most always use cabs to get from resort to resort if there is not a direct route. Like from the WL to the AKL or Boardwalk. Also, at the end of a long day, we have been known to grab a cab at Epcot to take us back to our resort rather than wait for the next bus. Sometimes it is just worth the extra $10-$15 (including tip) to get where you need to go and not have to spend time waiting on WDW transportation.

[Kelly66]

How can you catch a taxi at Downtown Disney? Are they just there waiting and you can jump into one? Do you need to hail it on the street? Is there a good place to find one? Or do you need to call and then wait for one? I would assume it would be easy to arrange one from the resort hotel. Thanks for the information.
Kelly
97-CBR
YC-2000
AKL-2003