Bus DtD to parks, is it possible?

[andilubio]

Hi,

This is my first message in this wonderful page which I have been following for about a year now.

Because of my actual economic status I have to save every cent I can...that implies not being able to stay in a Disney hotel...

With this said I thought of driving to DtD and from there getting the Disney buses to the different parks...is that possible? or I would have to get a bus to a resort and from there to a park?

Thanks for your time.

 

[wdwmagic]

Welcome to WDWMAGIC!

There is no bus service from DTD to the parks. Here is some more info on the routes
http://www.wdwmagic.com/Transportation/Bus-Transportation.htm

 

[andilubio]

Yes, I did see that section before posting and it left it unclear.

So, would it be possible to go to a resort...say the contemporary and from there get the monorail?

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Yes, I did see that section before posting and it left it unclear.

So, would it be possible to go to a resort...say the contemporary and from there get the monorail?

There is no direct service so you would have to transfer at a resort and then go to a park. However, the ethics of doing this are up for debate.

 

[slappy magoo]

Hi,

This is my first message in this wonderful page which I have been following for about a year now.

Because of my actual economic status I have to save every cent I can...that implies not being able to stay in a Disney hotel...

With this said I thought of driving to DtD and from there getting the Disney buses to the different parks...is that possible? or I would have to get a bus to a resort and from there to a park?

Thanks for your time.

Heh, if you've been following this page for about a year, you might have noticed that threads like this one often end poorly.

So yes, you can drive to DtD, park for free, then take a bus to any other resort on property, and from there, take another bus to the park of your choice. Disney set it up like that on purpose to discourage as many people as possible from doing what you're thinking about doing, without going so far as to start charging people to park in the DtD lot as well. You should plan on scheduling extra time to get to the parks as a result.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Up Until 2003 the DTD Buses did go to the park..It was even mentioned on the express monorail audio from MK to TTC around the same time.

 

[GOT2SAMMIES]

Did you look into staying at one of the hotels in DTD? They have bus service to the parks..not the same route though cuz they drop you off at the TTC at MK and the farthest possible drop off point at the other parks...BUT the rates are decent....

 

[AEfx]

Did you look into staying at one of the hotels in DTD? They have bus service to the parks..not the same route though cuz they drop you off at the TTC at MK and the farthest possible drop off point at the other parks...BUT the rates are decent....

I've been able to get DTD hotels at about $70-80/night on Priceline, although many of them charge resort and/or parking fees. The Hyatt was amazing, the Hilton was a dump, LOL. That said, I don't know if I'd rely on any of their bus service, as I believe it is limited. I love having a car at WDW, and I especially loved the Hyatt - $23/day gets unlimited valet, no matter how many times you go in/out. LOVE that, especially since because of the hotel design you are only a few hundred feet from any room when you step out of the car.

 

[Lynne M]

While it's possible to park at DTD, take a bus to a resort, and then transfer to a bus, monorail or boat to a theme park, it's far from practical. You're going to be spending at least an hour each way getting from DTD to the park of your choice. And, DTD buses do not run until later in the morning, so if you were hoping to get to the parks early, it's not going to happen.

You have two practical options:

1. Choose a hotel that offers shuttle service to the parks. If you choose a hotel that's close and has good shuttle service, you may actually spend less time on buses than you would with your DTD plan.

2. Pay to park in the theme park parking lots. You'll only need to pay once per day, even if you move your car to a different theme park.

 

[jonnyc]

Sad to hear that they don't operate buses from DTD to the Parks anymore. We are stopping at Pop Century but have planned to go to DTD for a late afternoon meal then hit the parks for evening EMH.

We were planning on using the buses to get to the parks from DTD, so what is the best resort to head to in order bus hop to each of the parks?

 

[Master Yoda]

Sad to hear that they don't operate buses from DTD to the Parks anymore. We are stopping at Pop Century but have planned to go to DTD for a late afternoon meal then hit the parks for evening EMH.

We were planning on using the buses to get to the parks from DTD, so what is the best resort to head to in order bus hop to each of the parks?

The best thing to do is go to the resort closest to that park you are going to and then transfer from there. For Epcot or DHS go to Boardwalk, S&D or Y&B club and walk over. For MK go to the Poly. GF or Contemporary and take the monorail. For AK got to AKL and take the bus.

 

[fosse76]

And, DTD buses do not run until later in the morning, so if you were hoping to get to the parks early, it's not going to happen.

I've seen Downtown Disney buses as early as 8:30am. It always aggravates me, because there's always two or three in a row, picking up NO ONE, while the lines are huge for the parks!

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Sad to hear that they don't operate buses from DTD to the Parks anymore. We are stopping at Pop Century but have planned to go to DTD for a late afternoon meal then hit the parks for evening EMH.

We were planning on using the buses to get to the parks from DTD, so what is the best resort to head to in order bus hop to each of the parks?

And this is what bugs me the most about this policy...it penalizes guests with a legitimate reason to jump between DTD and the parks who don't want to be saddled with a car.

I really wish they'd just charge for the DTD lot, with a validating mechanism for people spending money in the stores and restaurants. Why such a pedestrian concept seems too much for Disney to embrace is beyond me...but the result is this arbitrary, circuitous nonsense walling off DTD from the rest of the property for any carless guests.

 

[rsoxguy]

I think that a simple solution would be to require a KTTW card for all bus passengers, or at least for one representative of each family boarding.

 

[Master Yoda]

And this is what bugs me the most about this policy...it penalizes guests with a legitimate reason to jump between DTD and the parks who don't want to be saddled with a car.

I really wish they'd just charge for the DTD lot, with a validating mechanism for people spending money in the stores and restaurants. Why such a pedestrian concept seems too much for Disney to embrace is beyond me...but the result is this arbitrary, circuitous nonsense walling off DTD from the rest of the property for any carless guests.

There is also the possibility that the demand for a DTD to park bus is simply not that great.

 

[WASaMATTR]

Back in the day, the buss drivers did check to make sure that you were staying on property (They would ask for Resort ID). I still have my old resort "key" from The Disney Inn. It had Mickey's glove and a bunch of holes punched out. Ahh the memories...

 

[isman250]

And this is what bugs me the most about this policy...it penalizes guests with a legitimate reason to jump between DTD and the parks who don't want to be saddled with a car.

I really wish they'd just charge for the DTD lot, with a validating mechanism for people spending money in the stores and restaurants. Why such a pedestrian concept seems too much for Disney to embrace is beyond me...but the result is this arbitrary, circuitous nonsense walling off DTD from the rest of the property for any carless guests.

They better not agree with you, charging for DTD parking is just ridiculous. I am sorry, but their is no need for this. It would also make alot of people not want to go there, its a parking lot for a mall. They already are getting your money for the stores, but your going to charge people to park now?? I mean the reason I stay at disney hotels is so I dont have to pay for parking at the parks, but you want disney to charge us to go to their mall now??? Come on.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

They better not agree with you, charging for DTD parking is just ridiculous. I am sorry, but their is no need for this. It would also make alot of people not want to go there, its a parking lot for a mall. They already are getting your money for the stores, but your going to charge people to park now?? I mean the reason I stay at disney hotels is so I dont have to pay for parking at the parks, but you want disney to charge us to go to their mall now??? Come on.

I'm not sure you really followed my suggestion. I said they should charge for parking while validating parking for paying guests (i.e., someone with a receipt from one of the resident businesses). If you could show you were there to spend money, your parking would be free. This is a very common thing in larger cities. The only people it would discourage from coming to DTD are people who just want to walk around (i.e., people Disney doesn't really want there in the first place).

I'm not positive, but I believe the lot at Disneyland's Downtown Disney is already a pay lot. It's really not that wild of an idea, and it would solve Disney's problem of free-loaders in the DTD lot without forcing anyone without a car who wants to finish off the night at Magic Kingdom after seeing Cirque de Soleil or Disneyquest to factor in an extra 30 minutes just to wait around for a bus at a hotel they have no interest in visiting to begin with.

The only real objection I've ever heard to this is that it would back up traffic to get out of the lot. There are ways to get around that. I recall one particular idea from slappy magoo a while back that would have receipt reading computers set up at regular intervals along the sidewalks, so people could easily validate their parking before they ever got to their cars.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

There is also the possibility that the demand for a DTD to park bus is simply not that great.

I know I was demanding one in January when I was standing around the Fort Wilderness depot waiting on a DHS bus. :fork: (I know that's not the closest resort, but it was the first bus to show up!)

Seriously, I think this should be part of the Bold New Vision. :king:

 

[plaz10]

I think that a simple solution would be to require a KTTW card for all bus passengers, or at least for one representative of each family boarding.

I do think this would cut down on the number of people hopping disney busses that are not staying on property. But I don't think Disney really minds them using the transportation as it is bringing people to the parks ($$) and those people eat/buy things in the parks ($$$). So in the end - Disney still wins out on the deal. If they wanted to police it - they could.

Much like the resort mugs. They clearly have a way to police the refilling of the mugs (example: the waterpark mugs must be scanned to work the drink dispenser) but they choose not to impliment the system because they charge enough to stay on property (and the mugs) and pop (soda) is relatively cheap so they still make out on the deal just by you staying at the resort.

BUT to answer the OP's question: Yes you can get on a DtD bus and take it to a resort and then use the resorts transportation to take you to parks. Yes it is frowned upon on these boards so expect some flaming coming your way. I personally don't care if you choose to do this as you're still giving Disney your money in park tickets/food/merch AND the long commute to and from the resorts, DTD is not a fun one so thats the way of paying for it in my eyes...the lack of convenience. Have a great trip!