Bus driver can’t take guests to closed parks?

[cdd89]

So we left our car at Animal Kingdom, and got the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a dining reservation.

After our meal (at around 8:40 pm, 40 mins after park closure), we approached a bus bound for Animal Kingdom. The driver said that he wasn’t allowed to take guests back.

The bus was labelled “Animal Kingdom”, and appeared on the live departures screen. In the end we have had to take a taxi back to the park to reach our car.

Just curious as to whether this is official policy that I should factor into planning in the future, or just a mean bus driver?

Thanks!

 

[Thndrmtnrdr]

Here’s what I found:


Getting to Disney Theme Parks from a Disney Resort Hotel

• Bus service from Disney Resort hotels begins 45 minutes prior to park opening and ends 1 hour prior to park closing.
• Return service to Disney Resort hotels ends 2 hours after park closing.

Hope this helps.

 

[JoeCamel]

Looks like a phone call and twitter post is in your future.

So we left our car at Animal Kingdom, and got the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a dining reservation.

After our meal (at around 8:40 pm, 40 mins after park closure), we approached a bus bound for Animal Kingdom. The driver said that he wasn’t allowed to take guests back.

The bus was labelled “Animal Kingdom”, and appeared on the live departures screen. In the end we have had to take a taxi back to the park to reach our car.

Just curious as to whether this is official policy that I should factor into planning in the future, or just a mean bus driver?

Thanks!

Here’s what I found:


Getting to Disney Theme Parks from a Disney Resort Hotel

• Bus service from Disney Resort hotels begins 45 minutes prior to park opening and ends 1 hour prior to park closing.
• Return service to Disney Resort hotels ends 2 hours after park closing.

Hope this helps.

 

[cdd89]

Fair enough. Nice to see the driver was just following policy (though plenty haven’t in the past!). Doesn’t stop me from thinking it’s a stupid policy though

 

[Lilofan]

Fair enough. Nice to see the driver was just following policy (though plenty haven’t in the past!). Doesn’t stop me from thinking it’s a stupid policy though

Some cast have gone above and beyond in certain situations but this guy would get in trouble if he went out of his way.

 

[ABQ]

Some cast have gone above and beyond in certain situations but this guy would get in trouble if he went out of his way.

I've had a bus driver go out of their way, but the AK bus entrance is certainly a but more secure than say, the Epcot bus entrance and it could truly be that even if the driver had wanted to take the trip, they could not get entrance to the bus loop of all the AK barriers were up.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

What's the reasoning for this rule?

 

[Tom P.]

What's the reasoning for this rule?

My guess is just that they assume the average resort guest is not going to be heading to a park within an hour of its closing, so they shut down that direction of transit for cost and efficiency reasons.

 

[Lilofan]

The driver probably would have to call dispatch for approval but if the driver was denied by dispatch then the guests could not be driven over.

 

[samc]

next time just call park security they help me and my mom out quite a bit due to the fact we have a silver Kia and you won't believe how many times we get lost thinking someone else Kia is ours we tend to do a lot of walking.

 

[wdwfan22]

If you had asked the Front Desk for help they could have gotten you back to the park as well.

 

[Master Yoda]

What's the reasoning for this rule?

Because a non-zero number of guests would assume that if a Disney bus will take them there, the park must be open.

 

[Movielover]

So we left our car at Animal Kingdom, and got the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a dining reservation.

After our meal (at around 8:40 pm, 40 mins after park closure), we approached a bus bound for Animal Kingdom. The driver said that he wasn’t allowed to take guests back.

The bus was labelled “Animal Kingdom”, and appeared on the live departures screen. In the end we have had to take a taxi back to the park to reach our car.

Just curious as to whether this is official policy that I should factor into planning in the future, or just a mean bus driver?

Thanks!

Sorry this happened but next time don't be afraid to go to the front desk of the hotel. Those CM's will help you anyway they can even if you are not staying at that resort. You are still guest on the Disney property.