Bus Transportation at Disney Question

[RedGear]

alright, i have a question about the Bus Transportation to and from the resorts to the theme parks.

I thought that all resorts had one bus that stopped at that resort and only that resort. But I was reading a book and they said that the All-Star Resorts share a bus and it stops at all three in the order of Sports, Music and Movies. Does anyone know if this is true? :lookaroun

I hope it isn't! Does anyone know? Please HELP!!! :veryconfu

 

[shoppingnut]

Yes, it is true, All Star's bus stops at all three sections of the resort. Also Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside share a bus. Although it really isn't like it is very far apart or out of the way, they are within the same hotel gateway area, just think of it as that the bus makes a stop closer to your section of the resort. It's really only another few minutes you might be on the bus and at the end of the day your feet will be happy you were able to rest a few more minutes. I've heard that transportation from All Stars works fine and people haven't had any problems with it.

 

[Woody13]

If you desire dedicated bus service at a value resort, then just switch your reservation over to the Pop Century Resort.

 

[CSUFSteve]

alright, i have a question about the Bus Transportation to and from the resorts to the theme parks.

I thought that all resorts had one bus that stopped at that resort and only that resort. But I was reading a book and they said that the All-Star Resorts share a bus and it stops at all three in the order of Sports, Music and Movies. Does anyone know if this is true? :lookaroun

I hope it isn't! Does anyone know? Please HELP!!! :veryconfu

Hello,

In addition to what's been said, it's also been my experience that it partly depends on the time of the day. For example, if MK is just letting out, it's more likely your resort (e.g. POR, POFQ) will have its own bus. This was my experience 10/2004, and I was indeed at POR. When the Parks closed, POR usually had its own bus. At other times, we shared.

In the case of POR and POFQ (and I imagine Swan/Dolphin/Yacht/Beach/Boardwalk as well), this sometimes worked to our advantage. I remember leaving Epcot and POR bus being filled to the brim but then a POFQ bus pulls but no one goes over there and it was empty. So we just hopped on that bus. Sure we had to walk a bit further to get back to POR, but we were in Parterre Place so no biggie. As I said, I also saw a single bus going to Swan/Dolphin/Yacht/Beach..... but it was during an off-peak travel hour.

A bus driver explained that this happens because of the cost structure at WDW and the fact that each department has to show a profit. Thus, the buses have to generate revenue as well. The resort hotels, then, have to pay for the bus service. So to decrease their expenses, resorts that are geographically close to one another "go in together" to pay for the bus service. I'm curious, do DVC resorts have their own, dedicated buses??

Whatever happened to the whole "Bus On Demand" initiative? I do still see that CM's at Park bus depot entry points still generally direct drivers to Resort stops with the longest lines, but my last stay at POR (10/2004), there were no CM's that ever called for buses despite waiting guests. The Resorts get tired of paying a CM to stand out there?

 

[RandeB]

All Star Buses

It's true that sometimes an All Star Bus will stop at all 3 stops. Sometimes it will stop at only 2, sometimes at only 1. It depends, as others wrote, about the crowds and random luck. I believe they also are not supposed to always do it in the same order, but they usually do.

We've stayed at the Movies and gotten on buses that have already been to one or the other stops so in that regard it was OK that we 'shared' cause after we got on the next stop was a park.

Also, the various All Stars are spread out in such a way that you are sometimes as close or closer to a different stop than the one that is 'yours'. (Mighty Ducks and some Dalmatian rooms at Movies, for example or as close or closer to the Music bus stop than the Movies).

We used this to our advantage, taking a Movies or Music bus that trip depending on which came first-works only when you're coming from a park and can see which buses are coming.

 

[crazycalf]

I'm curious, do DVC resorts have their own, dedicated buses??

beach and boardwalk share with the other 3 as you said
VWL shares with fort wildnerness for most parks. There is one park that it shares with GF, but I forgot which park that is
I'm not sure about OKW and SS.

 

[tigsmom]

beach and boardwalk share with the other 3 as you said
VWL shares with fort wildnerness for most parks. There is one park that it shares with GF, but I forgot which park that is
I'm not sure about OKW and SS.

The Wilderness (and Villas) share with Fort Wilderness.

The AK (from the WL) bus goes thru the WL, FW, The GF then Blizzard Beach and then the AK. (at least it did last summer) :wave:

 

[lscott933]

it all depends on the time of day. all the hotel share buses. i the only one that i don't know that shares a bus is pop century and the carri beach. even the grand flor. and the poly and the comp share a bus to. so stay were you want to stay. the buses should be a problem for you.

 

[Nansafan]

Even the Poly and GF share buses like when going to Typhoon the bus will stop at both Poly and GF for pick up to Typhoon. Have also been on buses that stopped and WL and Contemporary when returning from Typhoon. (I'm just using Typhoon Lagoon as an example, Blizzard Beach, DTD, etc. as well.)

 

[crazycalf]

AKL does not share any busses. I think it is the only deluxe that does not share.
I don't think Coronodo shares with anyone either.

 

[Fraisie]

The Caribbean Beach doesnt share either.

 

[DONALDisMYhero]

Even the Poly and GF share buses like when going to Typhoon the bus will stop at both Poly and GF for pick up to Typhoon. Have also been on buses that stopped and WL and Contemporary when returning from Typhoon. (I'm just using Typhoon Lagoon as an example, Blizzard Beach, DTD, etc. as well.)

^True, we got on the bus for Downtown Disney, we stopped at Typhoon Lagoon.

We recently stayed @ All-Star Movies..It really depends on the time of day. Only once (going to MK), did we have a bit of a crowd on the bus, being that the movies resort was the last of the 3 to be picked up and it was around noon.

 

[Invero]

I never understood the whole aversion to multiple resorts sharing a bus. It's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Stops are very quick.

With the All-Stars, during the morning Magic On Demand, each All-Star often gets its own bus. Buses are dispatched dynamically to cover all the crowds. On the return trip, if you're not at the first stop, it's only an extra few minutes to get there. MK and DTD splits them at night as well.

Route sharing is simply more efficient both costwise and crowdwise.

 

[shoppingnut]

I never understood the whole aversion to multiple resorts sharing a bus.

I think no matter what our mother's taught us about sharing, it sort of goes out the window on vacation. I think alot of people think they are sharing a bus with a resort that is much further away like "down the road a piece" but is really only a few blocks away and in the same complex. It's not like GF is sharing a bus with AKL, but the Poly which is right next door. It makes lots of sense especially during the off times.

 

[RedGear]

Thanks for the information! I know it probably won't be that crowded and the buses won't be that bad, I am just worried about not being able to get on a bus on the way back from the hotel from a theme park and having to wait for a long time. But then again at the end of the day they do have alot more buses. And the good thing is there is only one bus stop at each all star resort (right?).

 

[BRER STITCH]

I never understood the whole aversion to multiple resorts sharing a bus. It's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Stops are very quick.

With the All-Stars, during the morning Magic On Demand, each All-Star often gets its own bus. Buses are dispatched dynamically to cover all the crowds. On the return trip, if you're not at the first stop, it's only an extra few minutes to get there. MK and DTD splits them at night as well.

Route sharing is simply more efficient both costwise and crowdwise.

This is kind of "off-topic", but... I just realized that I instinctively skip all other posts and go right to INVERO'S for transportation questions! :lol:

Thanks to INVERO for keeping things in order regarding transportation!

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: <-------(THREE CHEERS!)

 

[CSUFSteve]

Thanks for the information! I know it probably won't be that crowded and the buses won't be that bad, I am just worried about not being able to get on a bus on the way back from the hotel from a theme park and having to wait for a long time. But then again at the end of the day they do have alot more buses. And the good thing is there is only one bus stop at each all star resort (right?).

Right, and, just guessing, I think most people's problem with the "sharing" concept is at the end of a long day at a theme park when you really wanna sit the heck down but you can't b/c there are so many people crammed onto a bus that you have to stand. And then with the "new" buses, there is more capacity, but it's standing capacity, not sitting capacity. And then you have to wait for wheelchairs to load, etc etc etc. People just get frustrated.

Personally, I don't care much. Sure, I'd rather sit, but it's just kinda something you have to deal with if you leave the parks along with the masses. I've never had the standing vs sitting problem if I leave an hour or so before a park closes (or, for example, wander as long as possible at Epcot closing until the hordes have left).

I know friends of mine who are claustrophobic and they absolutely always rent a car. To me that's just a waste of money when I pretty much never go anywhere but Disney. And I hate WDW Theme Park parking lots with a passion (e.g. the grand circle tour of AK's parking lot is agonizing).

 

[DreamerCM]

When I stayed at the Poly this past November, we shared busses with the Contemporary plenty of times. Not having to share a bus at deluxes was one of the 'perks' of paying more to stay there--now no more. I'm not sure why some of the resorts share and some don't, but it would be more fair if they all had to share. The worst thing about sharing is the fact that I'm a bit disabled (no wheelchair) and it's very difficult for me to stand in a moving bus sometimes. We ended up standing about 3/4ths of the time.

 

[Kadee]

Yes, sure the buses can get crowded, but I'd rather stand in a crowded bus than to fight my way onto a tram,try to find my car, then fight my way through the horrible traffic hoping not to get lost driving back to the resort, hope to find a parking place that is not in the very back of the parking lot, then walk to my room. We've done both. GIVE ME THE CROWDED BUS ANYTIME!!! Just relax and be very glad someone else (who knows their way around) is driving. The bus rides are never very long anyway.

 

[AEfx]

I never understood the whole aversion to multiple resorts sharing a bus. It's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Stops are very quick.

With the All-Stars, during the morning Magic On Demand, each All-Star often gets its own bus. Buses are dispatched dynamically to cover all the crowds. On the return trip, if you're not at the first stop, it's only an extra few minutes to get there. MK and DTD splits them at night as well.

Route sharing is simply more efficient both costwise and crowdwise.

Spoken like a true driver, not someone who has to actually ride the bus as a passenger.

Just ragging on you, Tyler, but in all seriousness people don't like it for a good reason. I spoke to several people on my last trip who were so happy to be at Pop instead of All-Stars because they stayed at one of the All-Stars and were always the last people picked up on the way to the parks - I was told they never once got a spot to sit and had to stand each and every time because by the time the bus had picked up the other two resorts first there simply wasn't room.

I stayed at the All-Stars once and found the experience quite similar. You never know what to expect - and it can become confusing when traveling from the parks back as well.

In the eyes of a passenger, a direct, for-sure one-stop route on a dedicated line is much better than one that makes any kind of stops, period. Not to mention, even if you get there 5 minutes sooner after a long day at the parks that 5 minutes can be golden.

Just another perspective,

AEfx