At present, Disney charges $17 per day for parking when going to one of their 4 major Parks (Magic…read moreKingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom) unless you are staying in an official Disney Resort or unless you have an annual pass which includes parking. $17 per day is a bit steep, then again, what at Disney isn't?! One way around having to pay the astronomical parking fee is to park at Downtown Disney and take one of their buses to one of their Resorts and then head to your Disney Park of choice. If you're heading to Magic Kingdom or Epcot, a good choice is to take a bus going to the Contemporary Resort because you can then take the monorail. If you're heading to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, a good choice would be Port Orleans.
The buses at Marketplace at Downtown Disney do not start running until noon. If you want to get to a Park earlier than that, park at Pleasure Island (West Side) and you can catch at bus earlier.
There are signs marked with which stop number to wait at for the bus you want. There are also Cast Members around to answer questions and help get you where you are wanting to be.
The Disney bus transportation is great. The buses are comfortable and air conditioned. The drivers are safe and are generally very nice and friendly.
Keep in mind the buses aren't going to go directly from the Marketplace to the end destination. They often have to stop at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach and they will often have to stop at another resort as well. So just sit back and relax.
There are times when the buses get extremely packed. It depends on the time of year, the time of day, and the resort you are staying at. The "economy" resorts are usually always packed and sometimes you may have to wait for a second bus to come because the first one may fill up.
The buses do run very frequently. On average, you'll never have to wait more than 20 minutes for a bus, but sometimes, I see buses heading to the same place show up within minutes of one another.
One thing I do hate is that here at the Marketplace they have taken out the benches, so now you have to stand and wait for the buses. They are still doing construction in the area, so I'm hoping they are going to be putting the benches back!
Finally, I'd just like to remind all you men to have manners. If you see an elderly person, a pregnant woman, a mother holding a sleeping toddler, etc., then please, please, please, get your tail up and give the person your seat so they don't have to stand! I get so damn irritated on these buses because I see perfectly healthy young men sitting on their lazy, rude a$$es while some poor mother is holding a sleeping child in one arm and trying to hold on to the bus straps with her other hand. So, for goodness sakes, do the right thing!!