Here are all of the details about the getting around Florida, California, and my thoughts about the busses.
Walt Disney World
Disney does indeed provide transportation if you do the college program in Florida, but if you are bring a car you will be required purchase a parking pass if you bring your car and will be a one time fee of $50. The decal is $50 if you get it before you check in and $75 at check in.
If you are flying in from Orlando international Airport (MCO) you will have to get a taxi, Uber, or a shuttle to the complex you are check in in at. If you have sometime grab the Magical Express and stay at a Disney resort until you check in and then grab a taxi or Uber.
Once you are checked in you have the Transtar buses that Disney housing provides to get around, but don't forget to utilize Disney transportation while at the parks as it is easier instead of going back to the complexes and then waiting for the next bus.
Vista Way and Chatham have bus stops at the complexes, some of the buses will not stop at the Commons, unless someone requests it. The only bus that now goes to Patterson Court is the H bus witch is great, so you don't have to lug your groceries back the apartments from Chatham
Go to all complexes except Patterson
- A Wilderness Lodge/Contemporary/Magic Kingdom,
- C Epcot
- E Hollywood Studios/BoardWalk/Yatch & Beach, Fantasia Mini Golf/Dolphin & Swan,
- F Typhoon Lagoon/Downtown Disney ,
- J Animal Kingdom Wardrobe/Animal Kingdom/Animal Kingdom Lodge/ World Wide Sports
- M Florida Mall (goes their two days per week and changes days each month)
These go to All complexes except Patterson and The Commons, but the Commons can be requested After 6PM.
- B Polynesian/Grand Flordian/Magic Kingdom/TTC
- D Saratoga Springs/Old Key West/Port Orleans
- G Caribben Beach/Pop Century/Art of Animation
- K All Star Resorts/Bilzzard Beach/Coronado Springs/Cast connections
Goes to All complexes including Patterson Court
- H Walgreens/Walmart/Publix/Post Office
Now Down below I said the buses aren't that bad, but if you don't have a lot of groceries by shoping at Wal-Mart, you may want to get off at the Publix bus and walk to Patterson Court, Chatham, or the Commons. It is sometime faster to get your groceries home.
If you want to go to other areas of Florida that aren't walking distance you can get there. First is the International Drive iTrolley. The iTrolly will take you to many different areas of International Drive and you can even get to Universal for a visit. If you are adventurous and want to walk along time, you can take the H bus to Walmart and walk to international drive to Universal. But in my opinion the trolley is faster, but does make several stops along the way.
You also have to Lynx city bus witch is good as well to get around.
Disneyland
Disney doesn't provide transportation if you do the program in California, so you are going to have to provide your own. If you are flying in from Los Angeles international Airport (LAX) you will have to get a taxi, Uber, or a shuttle that goes to a hotel you plan to stay at Close to the Carnegie Apartment complex.
It is encouraged to bring a car, but if you can't for whatever reason that's okay you will survive. If you do bring a car just keep in mind it is kind of funky. There is multiple parking lots and depending on which one you park at, it usually takes longer to drive your own car than to take the bus!
So if you don't You get a bus pass as well as commuters card. Commuters card allows you to get 1$ for carpooling or bussing to work, and 2$ if you walk or bike (more details below). With there being one building though, its easy to carpool a lot of the time.
You can also take the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) bus, which is on the side of the building, which is a better alternative to the OCTA (Orange County Transportation Authority) bus. Plus the ART bus that takes you to Disneyland is on the same route as a Neighborhood Walmart so you can get groceries on your way home from work! and a grocery store ( VONS ) is right across the street from housing!
You have two routes that are the best to take and will get you to property in less than 15 minutes. The OCTA buses are the 43 and the 543. The stop for these routes is located about 5 minutes outside of housing and operate every 15-20 minutes. These buses can actually get you to your work location faster than parking in cast member park area which are all located off property. If you choose to ride OCTA you will be reimbursed $1 for every day you ride the bus. One direction only though. You also can take the 47, but it doesn't stop directly in front of Disneyland. The 43 and and 543 are direct routes to go straight there. There is also a neighborhood Wal-Mart going towards Disneyland on the route, but you are able to get the super Wal-Mart by the 47 or take the 543, but you will have to walk a bit for the bus. I will warn you there are a lot of fast food and other stores in this area if you go to the Wal-Mart located at 88 E Orangethorpe Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801
The second transportation option is the Anaheim Resort Transportation Route 10 bus. This Bus arrives every 30 minutes and the stop is only 2 minutes from housing. There's not an exact schedule for this Bus, but you can get text alerts for the route. I found that OCTA was a perfect source to getting to work, while RT 10 was awesome for getting back to housing. Each travel time is no more than 20 minutes. Now what if your shift ends when the buses have ceased operation? Don't worry as part of the Disney commuter assistance program Disney provides an after hours cab service to housing. As you're clocking out call security and they will dispatch a cab to one of the Resort pick up areas. This service is only for when you are leaving your work location and all other transportation has ceased operation.
It has been mentioned by several Transportation in California was much safer and reliable than any of the third party company provided transportation out in Florida. And you get money back!
If you want to explore Southern California you can take a bus or Amtrak but will take a few hours to get there. I do plan to do this when I do Disneyland. If you have a car it will be easier but will have to deal with LA traffic. As always if your roommates have a car or you know people that are going see if you can tagalong.
Should I bring my car and how bad are the buses really?
It I really totally up to you if you want to bring your car down with you. However, if I was able to drive I don't know if I would bring my car as I was fine and I really just wanted to just stay in the Universal/Disney area. Without a car I wouldn't of able to get to places I really wanted to go like Aldi or The Cheesecake Factory, but I was able to manage without those things. But yes a Car would help at times, but isn't totally need.
The Buses aren't that bad. Since I dealt with public transportation at home, I know what to expect. The horror stories you do hear are mainly from people who never dealt with public transportation and always leaving at the last possible minute. If you are going to deal with any bus you need to be able to plan things out so you aren't late be able to understand that things don't always run smoothly.
Now I will say the bus system does need improvements and could be on time a bit more and not get into so may wrecks. I do think it is mainly the drivers in the area that cause some of the wrecks and the other part are the drivers of the bus.
The only time I really had an issue was during the holidays and the rest of my time was fine. however, I did work at Epcot so that could of made things easier. When I took a shift at Hollywood Studios and Coronado Springs I didn't have any issues even though the Hollywood studio bus had bad rep. I walk out the door and just got on the bus, every time I took a shirt there.
IF you know the pattern of the riders, sometimes that could help and let you get ahead. For instance, I knew there were a lot of people who would not stay in line and stay far back as possible. So knowing this I was able to get to the front and just get in line as they weren't paying attention and doing what they wanted then move forward to join the line once the bus arrived. Also if you have coworkers with you riding the bus try and stand with them to make things move faster. Not all buses are going to be like this, but this is what I experienced and saw happen at Epcot.
Overall the buses are good. I would give them a C on a grade scale.
