Times are crazy right now. Things look weird and different and a little scary! We are in the middle of a pandemic… A PANDEMIC. Who woulda thought?!
If you know me, you know that I’m Walt Disney World annual passholder. I had a trip scheduled for March with my mom, sister, and niece, and we were set to arrive the day that WDW shut down. We rescheduled that trip for June, but the parks still weren’t reopened. We ended up cancelling. Ean and I had a trip scheduled for May, then tried to move it to June so that it would work out for me to stay on property after the girls trip, and Ean would just drive down and meet me there. That didn’t happen. Then we wanted to do early July but backed out because of scheduling conflicts at work. So we FINALLY moved it to July 17-24 and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
I know. Going to WDW in the middle of a pandemic….. kinda crazy.
Anywayyyy.
More often than not, my family drives to Disney World. Within recent years, Ean and I started flying, and we loved it. However– right now? No way.
So we drove. And regardless of if we drive or fly into Disney property, we always use Disney transportation to get us everywhere once we get there. We park our car at the resort and never revisit her until the end of the trip.
We realized QUICKLY that at the current state Disney World is in, driving is literally the best and easiest option.
Here’s why.
1. You don’t have to wear a face covering in your own private vehicle.
If you take a Disney bus or other form of public transportation right now, you have to wear a face covering while on that vehicle. It’s hot in Florida. Wearing a face mask around the parks all day can be a bit of a challenge at times (though honestly not as bad as we thought!) Being able to take that sweaty thing off and cool off in our car air conditioner a good 20-30+ minutes earlier than we would if we’d taken public transportation was honestly a huge relief.
2. Shorter travel time.
Sometimes it can take 30 minutes to an hour to wait for a bus to arrive, travel to the parks, then walk to the park entrance. Depending on where you stay and which park you’re going to, your travel time to each park may take less than 15 minutes. That can honestly make a huge difference. Plus, they’re limiting the number of parties that can be on each vehicle at a time, so you may have to wait for multiple buses to pick up and drop off before you get to get on one.
3. The parking lots are virtually empty.
Seriously. I couldn’t believe it either. But we parked at the entrance of the parks every single day. It took us no time whatsoever to walk to the park entrance- even when we arrived AFTER park opening!
4. It’s just your party in the vehicle.
Though Disney IS limiting the number of parties on each vehicle, you’ll still most likely be riding with at least 1-24 other guests in an enclosed bus which heightens your exposure. You are of course wearing masks, but riding in your own personal car takes away even that slight potential of exposure.
5. Parking is free if you’re a resort guest.
You’re not paying anything extra to drive yourself to these empty parking lots in your own personal car where you don’t have to wear a face mask and it takes much less time to arrive at your destination…. so why not?!
And one reason you shouldn’t-
This is for one park and one park only. Magic Kingdom. That’s it. That’s the only one this applies to… don’t drive to Magic Kingdom. It’s not awful. The parking lot is very empty like the others. However, you have to park at the Ticket Transportation Center and ride a boat or monorail to the MK. Again, not horrible, but they’re limiting the capacity of people who can ride on each one at the moment, so it could take a little bit longer (or a lot a bit longer…) to get to the park cause you have to wait for the vehicles to take multiple trips before you get to get on. We did get there close to park opening so it was more crowded, but it would have been much quicker for us to take a bus from our hotel.
So I say ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN!! Cause the parking lots will surely go back to being crowded within the next few months 😬 If you’re flying, I definitely recommend renting a car! Cause y’all, for real, driving to the parks themselves will probably be your best option at this current moment in Disney time.
And if you don’t feel comfortable even going to Disney right now, that’s 100% understandable!!! You’re free to decide to do whatever makes you most comfortable ❤
MagicallyHollie 