Bus Horror Stories

[DashRendar]

After our first time experiencing the Hoop Dee Doo we were subjected to their bus system to make it back to AKL. We waited on the campground bus for 30min before we left. I didn't really sweat it because my girls were still hyped up from the show and the bus wasn't even at 25% capacity. When we got to the bus depot to get out of FW, the bus we needed was already 90%. We cram in and are standing...nbd. Done it dozens of times but the bus was very crowded so there was no personal space. On our way to the first of many, many stops a 5yr old (guessing) puked at the front of the bus! It reeked!! The bus driver had to stop and throw down some powder like substance to soak it up but left it there. AKL was apparently the end of the line for that trip because we watched everyone step over the rancid milk puke pile at the front of the bus when they reached their stop. We still take busses occasionally when in WDW, but we don't hesitate to summon Uber if the lines are long or it is too crowded.

 

[JimJam]

This one time I got on the bus AND THERE WERE NO SEATS. I had to stand.

The End

 

[cheesecake]

Not a horror story, but a funny one. I was like 14 and on the bus with my parents back to Wilderness Lodge. I think we were leaving Downtown Disney (as it was called at the time). There was a family on the bus, with a dad, mom and two young boys. I think they might have been from Spain or maybe Brazil. (Sorry it was a long time ago) Anyway, the dad was ranting about how they had been on that same bus for two hours, trying to get to the Grand Floridian. He was screaming about how they had reservations, that they were late, etc. His wife just sat there, looking equally irritated and indifferent. My mom is like the nicest person ever, and she tried to help him and suggest he talk to the driver (which apparently he had not tried within the past two hours, and still didn't try by the time we left) but all he really wanted to do was be angry and complain. My mom kept trying to reason with him and be helpful, and my dad was just trying to ignore him. Finally, we got off the bus, and the last thing we heard the man loudly exclaim was "I should have taken a taxi!" Probably not that funny, but we thought it was hysterical. Ten years later, anytime we're late going somewhere, someone is sure to say we should have taken a taxi.

 

[smbarr]

On our last trip in April, DH and I had dinner at Artist Point. When we were leaving WL, we hopped a bus to MK. The bus was pulling out when we got to the stop, but he stopped and let DH on. Just as I went to step on, he shut the door in my face. If I hadn't reacted as fast as I did, he would have hit me. He then told me through the door he couldn't let anyone else on. DH told him that we were together and he either needed to let me on, or him off. He begrudgingly let me on. On, and there was only two other people on the bus. I was livid.

 

[mouse_luv]

On our last trip in April, DH and I had dinner at Artist Point. When we were leaving WL, we hopped a bus to MK. The bus was pulling out when we got to the stop, but he stopped and let DH on. Just as I went to step on, he shut the door in my face. If I hadn't reacted as fast as I did, he would have hit me. He then told me through the door he couldn't let anyone else on. DH told him that we were together and he either needed to let me on, or him off. He begrudgingly let me on. On, and there was only two other people on the bus. I was livid.

That's seriously messed up.

 

[Rebel]

Not sure if this counts, but I watched in horror as this past week the ONE All Star bus (for all 3 resorts) would come at park closing for the huge angry mob trying to get to their hotel. I could not imagine why they wouldn't split the buses up for the all star resorts like they did during the day! My family and I thanked our lucky stars we were staying a pop century!

 

[bunnyman]

Took place many moons ago while staying at the Wilderness lodge when buses used to do transfers at the TTC. This happened in the days after a hurricane. Coming back from whatever park and was deposited with about a 1/2 bus full of guests at the TTC waiting for our bus back to the Wilderness Lodge. As time started getting later and later with a semi-large group waiting at that hotel's stop, a Disney security van pulled up and asked us all what we were waiting for; of course we said a bus back to the hotel. Well, Disney security said it wasn't running, and promptly left. We started drifting into the gift shop at the TTC, wanting to know how we were all getting back to our hotel. They stared at us with rather blank expressions, and finally called somebody up the chain. Finally, some supervisor showed up, and reaffirmed that the bus wasn't running. Ok, how do we get back to our hotel (it's now like +/- midnight or something), and kids start crying thinking they're not getting back to their rooms. People starting drifting away at this point, probably to walk back to the hotel, which I couldn't do with kids under 10. After busting a gut, they finally got a van to drive us back to the hotel. However, given our being put out for an extended period of time, the very nicely told us they would pick us up in the morning at the Wilderness Lodge for a ride to the park of our choosing, and the walked us into the park to Guest Services and provided fast passes of our choosing. So, they ended up making a bad situation into something good...which they could have easily avoided if they had dispatched a bus to all those stranded in the first place.

 

[steviej]

I kept asking the driver if he could do it because I was taking to long and getting flustered and he insisted he was not allowed

Total lie. Multiple bus drivers have done it for my parents dozens of times.

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Total lie. Multiple bus drivers have done it for my parents dozens of times.

Absolutely! I learned that on our last trip when I had to take the bus the one time. The driver looked at me (almost in tears) because there were so many people waiting on me and it was too much pressure and that caused my fibro to flare. Anyway, he asked if I would prefer he do it and when I said I didn't know that was an option he told me he was there to make my life easier not harder. He also told me to sit in a seat and not on the scooter which the other driver had required!

 

[durangojim]

PORS has the worst buses bar none and is the only place we've had to get a cab to go to the parks due to the long waits or full busses.

 

[daisyduckie]

Not sure if this counts, but I watched in horror as this past week the ONE All Star bus (for all 3 resorts) would come at park closing for the huge angry mob trying to get to their hotel. I could not imagine why they wouldn't split the buses up for the all star resorts like they did during the day! My family and I thanked our lucky stars we were staying a pop century!

That is crazy! They usually each have their own bus at close, wonder what the heck was going on?

To the poster who mentioned the POR buses being bad--last October I was staying at Coronado Springs. Leaving the parks at night I was always grateful I wasn't staying at POR, as their queue was always more full than the CSR one. I love POR but that alone is enough to give me doubts about staying there again.

I will say that to me it seems that is one place Disney has obviously cut back a lot. When I first started taking trips to WDW at night it would be bus after bus after bus. Not so anymore.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Several years ago we were at DTD and had taken in the Cirque late evening show. After, we went to the bus stop which was full of guests waiting to get back to our resort. After jamming in as many guests as she could squeeze, not an inch of space was left, we took off. The lights go off and the driver hit the gas. WE were rocking, squealing tires, rounding corners, I had never had a ride like that before. Everyone was hitting into the person next to them or stepping on each others feet trying to get a stable footing as the bus rocked everywhere and to make it worse we were in the dark. I said to the guy next to me... She must have learned to drive at the Richard Petty track. It was one wild ride. We did get back to the resort fast, but it was a bus ride I wouldnt want to do again.

 

[Belle_MTL]

My story is more guest related than Disney bus related. Two years ago we stayed at the AKL (never again!) and decided to spend the day at Epcot. My husband took my youngest to Downtown Disney early in the morning and my mom and I along with my 3 year old would meet them at Epcot. We got on the bus and there were no seats left, no biggie. As soon as the bus pulled out of the resort my son threw up (turned out to be a minor allergic reaction to something that had been cross-contaminated). At this point you would expect someone to offer a seat because my son insisted on being held. Nope! Instead I had to listen to the guy behind me snicker and provide a play-by-play as my son threw up again (this time on me). My husband had the diaper bag, so I had to use whatever I could find in my purse, which was a pair of shorts, to clean up the mess. One person saw this and at least gave me some napkins. She then offered to hold my son, but you know, he's 3 and sick, so he wants me to hold him. We eventually opened up our umbrella stroller and had him sit in there while we cleaned up the mess. The driver gave us crap for that. Then when we got off the bus I waited for the everyone to get off before approaching the driver to let him know about the vomit (that we cleaned up), he was so annoyed and rude about it.
To top it off when I texted my husband about it, he immediately went back to the bus depot at DTD to meet us back at the resort. He waited over 45 minutes while watching all the other resort buses come and go. He asked a CM if they knew what was going on and was told the buses back to the resorts weren't running yet. They were, because he was watching all the other buses pick people up. He ended up taking a cab back.
That was the last time that we would split our stay between resorts. Last year we just stuck to good ol' trustworthy Fort Wilderness.

 

[betty rose]

My story is about a passenger on our AoA bus. We got on, went to the back of the bus, as we were the third party to get on. We were in the seats that face each other. This girl gets on with her husband, he sits next to her. She had on very loose short shorts, and no underware. It was obvious that she was exposing herself on purpose. Strange person to come to Disney, but it was during Food and Wine, and we were heading to Epcot, but it was about 8:45 in the morning. Didn't expect that, along with the people sitting next to me. I reported what happened, but she got off the bus really fast. Driver did say they have camera's all over the bus, and would have security check out the video. Hum....wonder what that means?

 

[OliveMcFly]

For me just stepping on the bus is a horror story because it's so cold. I enjoy the heat and I get cold very easily and I dread the ride back to the resort.

 

[CanadianGordon]

Last year visiting WDW for the first time, both me and my partner, who had... been out and about the day before the trip at work and then running around preparing to get ready to travel by plane, finally passed out the night before the flight at 10pm. We had to wake up for 2am to catch the bus in Toronto to get to the airport for our flight in time. Which meant that by the time we landed, got checked in, we made it to Epcot JUST in time for our first ride on Spaceship Earth at 11am...
We then spent the day at Epcot, until we had to go around 5pm, with little food and drink, since we were so wired (Starbucks doesn't count) from being at Disney... We then had to make our way to Port Orleans for a dinner reservation with the bride and groom... Not having been to Disney in a long time we didn't know the best way to get there. So we asked someone. A Disney employee in the bus area too.

He told us to take the Monorail back to the TTC then take a bus from there. It took such a long time, and by the time we ended up at the dinner it was close to 630pm and my friends were getting worried... Little did we know that the bus for Port Orleans GOES ALL AROUND THE DAMN property until the front entrance is the LAST STOP.... ARgh......

We did not know we could have just taken a bus there. I know bus maps would make things difficult, but it would have been handy to actually have staff that knew the best way for tourists.
We finally made it back to the hotel after wolfing down the food (which was bloody amazing) as the real food we'd had the day before was McDs!
I think we passed out at like 9pm.

 

[Jo DeVil]

Our home resort is the Boardwalk so we walk to EPCOT and DHS, but several years ago we were all dressed up for MNSSHP we waited about 20 mins no bus and by now lots of people dressed up turned up after 35 mins still no bus! A rather nervous CM walked up but to his surprise everyone one is a happy mood chatting and showing off costumes, he had come to tell us that there had been an accident at the junction at the top road and traffic was back up, there were a few groans, but that was it and we all just carried on. He came back a few minutes later with a tray of water for people as we had been out there for an hour, then the road must have been cleared as 4 buses for MK all turned up together, as everyone formed an orderly queue, a family on ECVs turned up and attempted to go straight to the front of the queue, as friendly as everyone was if the CM hadn't stepped in and explained they would not be able to get on these buses, there would have been a riot! We made sure he got a special thanks when we got back to the resort.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

Several years ago we were at DTD and had taken in the Cirque late evening show. After, we went to the bus stop which was full of guests waiting to get back to our resort. After jamming in as many guests as she could squeeze, not an inch of space was left, we took off. The lights go off and the driver hit the gas. WE were rocking, squealing tires, rounding corners, I had never had a ride like that before. Everyone was hitting into the person next to them or stepping on each others feet trying to get a stable footing as the bus rocked everywhere and to make it worse we were in the dark. I said to the guy next to me... She must have learned to drive at the Richard Petty track. It was one wild ride. We did get back to the resort fast, but it was a bus ride I wouldnt want to do again.

Really though...some of these drivers are auditioning for a role in fast and furious.

 

[JohnD]

Not sure if this counts, but I watched in horror as this past week the ONE All Star bus (for all 3 resorts) would come at park closing for the huge angry mob trying to get to their hotel. I could not imagine why they wouldn't split the buses up for the all star resorts like they did during the day! My family and I thanked our lucky stars we were staying a pop century!

It doesn't work that way in the evening. It's one thing to have separate buses in the morning going to the parks. In the evening, with all three resorts together, it makes more sense to have buses for all three resorts. You just get off at whichever resort is yours. I can imagine the all too frequent times guests getting on, for example, Movies and finding out underway they aren't on the one for Sports, and having to walk back to their resort. Or waiting a long time for Music and seeing multiple Movies and Sports pull up. I would be ticked. I've boarded at park close and was grateful all the buses were for all three, meaning when I boarded any bus, I would get off at my resort.

 

[JohnD]

My horror stories are more about guest pet peeves all which I've experienced:

• Those standing in the center aisle refusing to move to the back of the bus so that more can board
• Not offering up a seat to someone clearly in need, especially when they're in the handicapped seat. I took matters into my own hands for my mother who required a wheelchair around the parks. She could board under her own power and said she would stand. I said absolutely not and asked a guest in a handicapped seat to give it up for my mother.
• Someone wearing a gigantic backpack while standing in the center aisle that becomes a battering ram each time the person turns around. I always make a point to remove mine and put it on the floor between my legs.
• Seeing parents with an infant boarding at park close and wondering why their baby is crying all the way back to the resort after midnight. The baby wanted to sleep! On my bus, to our credit, none of the rest of us complained to the parents to make their baby stop crying. We all knew why, except the parents apparently.