70 Disney Bus Drivers Quit Last Week?!?

[GothMickey]

Try driving there with your family from Connecticut.:lol:

Driven from farther with a baby who, well, liked to constantly fill his diaper if you know what I mean... :hurl:

 

[amykissangel]

Anyway, trying to be back on topic.....



Not only is that unprofessional, but anytime an employee, especially in the hospitality industry, complains about their job/working conditions to any of their guests - that's unprofessional.



That's almost a shame, 'cause one of the best times I've had was a late night bus ride back to All-Star Sports last year. The bus driver, whose name and bus # I can't remember right now, did his best to keep the spirits up for all the tired people, with trivia questions, attempted sing-alongs, etc.

Um, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that bus driver. He was jovial and just in such a great mood, you couldn't help but smile. I know I said this on another post, but he's the same guy (I'm almost positive it's the same one) who got a VERY rude wheelchair party, and when they got on the bus after shoving and swearing at nearly every other person near them, he started driving and said into his radio that he was very sorry about the treatment some guests received on account of a "rather cranky party." If I could've seen him, I bet he'd have had a twinkle in his eye...seriously, I equated him with Santa:lol:

But anyway, at the end of the trip, he wished us all a magical night, and said, "I just want to say thanks to all of you for being such good sports, with your tired kids and the hot weather. It's great to be able to have a job I enjoy so much and where I get to meet so many people and not need the money. So thank you again." Something to that effect...I may have teared up a little

 

[disney9752]

most of us that have lived in central florida & do or have worked for the mouse or rat as some call him know how bad the situation can get. i recall may years of disney using non disney marked busses to transport guests between resorts & parks & dtd, even the cast shuttle from mk tunnel to mk cast parking & cast bus aorund epcot. we have seen in recent years that dcl buses were used from mears more often but is not always the case. we also know bus drivers as well as nearly all cm's are not paid well & the current labor shortage is not helping disney any. as for comments on getting what we pay for, how about previous strike attempts when even monorail cm's have not gone 2 work or not enough monorial cms were at work & the monorial service SUCKED. did anyone here experience the great monorail service at the contemporary & poly in the 80's as the stations were remodeled for the new monorails?? wow that was getting what you paid for. plain & simple no need for the finger pointing. all guests should get the same magical disney experience & should not suffer because disney wont pay cm's enough to keep them around.

 

[tomm4004]

Do you fly? if so, why? by the same logic every plane is unsafe because a small number of pilots have been caught trying to fly impaired..... Or driving is unsafe ( and therefore shouldn't be done ) because of drunk drivers.

If you got on an airplane, and the pilot came on the PA and said that he/she was on their second straight night of overtime and asked the passengers to sing songs to help keep him/her awake - what would you do?

 

[peter11435]

If you got on an airplane, and the pilot came on the PA and said that he/she was on their second straight night of overtime and asked the passengers to sing songs to help keep him/her awake - what would you do?

I would be scared. But it wouldn't stop me from flying at night.

 

[MansionHostess4]

Jeez - Steve; you were too polite. Hopefully you came here due to a report alert. This arrogant little kid is hopefully heading for a suspension.

I won`t sink to their level, suffice to say I havn`t felt this mad over a post since Thrawn called me out.

I could not agree more, Marni. Now, fellow forum folks, let's not allow such things to spoil our fun here ; ) Take a deep breath and then - - - let it go.

 

[tomm4004]

I would be scared. But it wouldn't stop me from flying at night.

I guess that's the difference - I'd be off that plane in a flash and running to the FAA!

 

[Edeyore]

We dont ride the buses that much. We usually take taxis from the Grand Floridian to wherever we wish to go. It's much quicker.

So, if you have money to burn, don't worry about there not being enough busses. Must be nice.

 

[tomm4004]

So, if you have money to burn, don't worry about there not being enough busses. Must be nice.

I wonder. If you took Mears from the airport, or Disney's free bus, and rented a few taxis during the week, would it be cheaper than renting a car? Possibly.

 

[MinnieSummer]

I agree that your comment was a little bit rude...why do you think Disney had tons of resorts that aren't on the monorail? Because most people can't afford them. You're correct, you do get what you pay for. But if you had to wait half an hour for the monorail, I think you'd be complaining as well. Please try to see other's points of view.

I agree -- there are other hotels and many reasons for staying in them. I personally don't get the monorail resort thing. I've stood in line to catch the monorail at MK for over 1/2 hour at the end of a long day. I've also waited for busses for over 1/2 hour. Most people who go to WDW don't only go to MK and even though you can take a monorail to Epcot you still have to change monorails at the T&TC. To me, that change is more of a headache then waiting for a bus. And you still end up taking busses to other parks. So don't use that arguement about staying at a monorail resort -- it just doesn't hold up.

And my post sounded a little bit rude so I'll apologize in advance.

 

[kaos]

I wonder. If you took Mears from the airport, or Disney's free bus, and rented a few taxis during the week, would it be cheaper than renting a car? Possibly.

No... Normal taxi ride from Boardwalk to Poly (only because we did it a few times for breakfast) is $35.00 each way. That's $70.00 a day, just for a simple there and back. Mears from the airport and back is $48.00 per person. Not bad considering last time we taxi'd it was $45.00 just for the trip from MCO to the Boardwalk. And before anyone starts in on me, I can DEFINATELY afford the taxi's (making 6 figures), but I'd rather spend my money smarter than that. It still takes the same amount of time either way.

 

[tomm4004]

No... Normal taxi ride from Boardwalk to Poly (only because we did it a few times for breakfast) is $35.00 each way. That's $70.00 a day, just for a simple there and back.

Yikes. I had no idea taxis were so expensive. Birnbaum's is way off and gives the impression that taxis are a good idea. They quote $5 to $15 from Downtown Disney to a resort; and $1.50 per mile usually. I don't think it's 21 miles from the Boardwalk to the Poly.

If you play a round of golf, I understand the Mouse gives you a free cab ride to and from the course/your resort. That could be a $70 value. I wonder if Disney actually has to pay the cab company that much? I would doubt it. They must get a special rate.

 

[slappy magoo]

If you think you'll need extra transportation at some point in your vacation, but don't want a rental car the entire trip, what might work for you would be to use the Magical Express to and from the airport, and rent a car for a few days from Alamo/National. They have facilities near the Magic Kingdom, and I believe they'd either bring a car to your hotel, or at least pick you up to bring you to their office to get it yourself.

 

[scottnj1966]

fort wilderness

You can do as you wish. Just don't complain about service you're receiving. You get what you pay for.

Stay at fort wilderness. They have boats that can get you right to MK or contemporary
I hate busses, I hate that Disney has to have so many of them.
Makes it look run down and noisy.

They will never spend the money for monorail coverage but it sure would be nice if they could add a little more.

 

[Scott in GB]

If you think you'll need extra transportation at some point in your vacation, but don't want a rental car the entire trip, what might work for you would be to use the Magical Express to and from the airport, and rent a car for a few days from Alamo/National. They have facilities near the Magic Kingdom, and I believe they'd either bring a car to your hotel, or at least pick you up to bring you to their office to get it yourself.

You call and schedule a shuttle the day before and they pick you up at your hotel. They will take you back to your hotel when you return the car too. Works well. In the past I would have a car for our entire trip, now with Magical Express we only rent a car for my conference days (off-site).

 

[lewisc]

No... Normal taxi ride from Boardwalk to Poly (only because we did it a few times for breakfast) is $35.00 each way. That's $70.00 a day, just for a simple there and back. Mears from the airport and back is $48.00 per person. Not bad considering last time we taxi'd it was $45.00 just for the trip from MCO to the Boardwalk. And before anyone starts in on me, I can DEFINATELY afford the taxi's (making 6 figures), but I'd rather spend my money smarter than that. It still takes the same amount of time either way.

According to Mears taxi fare estimator the fare from EPCOT to MK should be $7.75. It's $11.75 from the old Disney Institute to MK. I don't know if the rate information is way out of date, Disney Institute hasn't been used for years, or if you were ripped off.

edited to say Dixie Stampede to MK is estimated at $17.75.

 

[tomm4004]

We used to park hop, now we hotel hop. It's so easy with baggage transfer and checking in anymore tends to take about two minutes. Last trip we went WL - 4 nights, AKL - 2 nights, BW - 4 nights. It was perfect. At WL we did strictly MK and canoed at FW, rode boats on Bay Lake. Then at AKL of course we did strictly AK. Then at BW we did EPCOT and MGM, which involved nothing more than walking. So we really cut down on buses and transportation.

Also, it made our time at WDW feel longer by splitting it into basically three separate vacations. And it gave a distinct feel to each segment. The time at WL, MK and FW felt rural and laid back; staying at AKL while visiting AK extends the experience and makes it feel like you never left the park; and the EPCOT, MGM, BW days had a cohesion as well, being more urban and modern overall.

I think we will follow this pattern from now on.

 

[DisneyMarg]

We used to park hop, now we hotel hop. It's so easy with baggage transfer and checking in anymore tends to take about two minutes. Last trip we went WL - 4 nights, AKL - 2 nights, BW - 4 nights. It was perfect. At WL we did strictly MK and canoed at FW, rode boats on Bay Lake. Then at AKL of course we did strictly AK. Then at BW we did EPCOT and MGM, which involved nothing more than walking. So we really cut down on buses and transportation.

Also, it made our time at WDW feel longer by splitting it into basically three separate vacations. And it gave a distinct feel to each segment. The time at WL, MK and FW felt rural and laid back; staying at AKL while visiting AK extends the experience and makes it feel like you never left the park; and the EPCOT, MGM, BW days had a cohesion as well, being more urban and modern overall.

I think we will follow this pattern from now on.

What a great idea! I've always stayed away from hotel hopping. Packing and moving sounded like such a hassle, but I can definitely see the appeal in the way you did it! Did you have 10 day park hopper tickets?

 

[tomm4004]

What a great idea! I've always stayed away from hotel hopping. Packing and moving sounded like such a hassle, but I can definitely see the appeal in the way you did it! Did you have 10 day park hopper tickets?

APs. And we pack light.

 

[Timmay]

If you got on an airplane, and the pilot came on the PA and said that he/she was on their second straight night of overtime and asked the passengers to sing songs to help keep him/her awake - what would you do?

Get him a drink...and fast!!