How to get to the parks before the parks open?

[fmingo36]

I'm staying at POFQ and looking to do the Around the World Epcot Segway Tour at 7:45AM. Epcot doesn't open till 9:00 that day.
How early do the buses start to pick up guest to bring to the parks? Any other suggestion on how to get to the park in time for this tour?

Thanks!

 

[lilclerk]

It will be fastest and easiest to get a cab, but you can ask at the front desk of POFQ what time the character breakfast bus runs. I got a bus to the MK from the Wilderness Lodge at 7:15am a couple of years ago.

 

[maryszhi]

I'm staying at POFQ and looking to do the Around the World Epcot Segway Tour at 7:45AM. Epcot doesn't open till 9:00 that day.
How early do the buses start to pick up guest to bring to the parks? Any other suggestion on how to get to the park in time for this tour?

Thanks!

call the front desk and they will tell you which bus to take and what time the pick up time is. it may be termed something along the lines of character breakfast or something.

 

[fmingo36]

Thanks. I forgot about character breakfasts, so maybe the buses start running earlier.

 

[CaptainShortty]

There is a specialty bus that is for character breakfasts. It will pick up at your hotel probably beginning at 6:45 but they don't come as often as a standard park bus would. They will usually have a name of a character on it and you just tell the bus driver where you need to go. Ask your front desk for more details specific to your resort. That being said, I HIGHLY recommend taking a cab as it won't cost you all that much and it will afford you probably another hour or so of sleep. =) Enjoy the tour!

 

[fmingo36]

I called the front desk and got a very unhelpful CM. She told me that buses start about an hour before the parks open. And when I explained the situation she told me I should pick a later time for the tour.

 

[71dsp]

We always seem to receive conflicting info on when the buses start running, so rather than chance it, we usually take a cab.

 

[lilclerk]

I called the front desk and got a very unhelpful CM. She told me that buses start about an hour before the parks open. And when I explained the situation she told me I should pick a later time for the tour.

I would wait and ask at the front desk when you check in. Most of the time when you call the resort phone number, you are actually redirected to someone in a call center, not someone at the hotel.
Don't panic, they'll make sure you get there in time =)

 

[dreamfinder]

Every time I have gone out for an early AM run while at WDW, I have seen park buses running around 6:30. The party line is that yes, buses start 1 hr before parks. But they are out there much earlier. But as a PP said, they don't seem to run as frequently. So you can get out there at like 7ish to wait for a bus, or call for a 7:30 cab.

 

[Cendure]

We have done many early morning tours and early morning breakfasts and have always used WDW transportation. We stay at POFQ also. Park buses start running 1 hour before park opening as is the standard CM response, but breakfast buses are running earlier than that at least by 7:00 am to get people to the parks for those 8:05 reservations. We are always at the bus stop at 7:00 to get the earliest bus. Like already posted, they don't run as often as regular park buses. If you're not confident that you'll get there on time, just grab a cab from your resort.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It is my understanding that the buses start running at 6:30a. Chef Mickey's first seating is 7am, so there needs to be buses up and running to accomodate this one. There are also tours like yours which have early arrival times, so the buses also run early for those as well.

You could just go with a cab, or you could get out there really early and first try to get a bus. i.e. if you don't have a bus taking you by say 7:10a, you might want to get a cab. We've had mixed experiences with those early buses. Sometimes it's great and sometimes not so much, but i'd still rather try for the bus first so I can save some $.