Bus trip???

[SamnDawn060304]

Bus Trip 2008

I am organizing a bus trip to Disney World in April. Has anyone ever been on one? If so can you tell me what you liked about it the most and the least. I want this to be a memorable as possible for the people that are going. 95% have NEVER been there before. Was there anything that sticks out in your mind that would make you want to go with that person again? Thanks in advance for your help. I am just lQQking some imput.


Dawn:wave:

 

[RiversideBunny]

Hi.
Nice Mickey picture.

You may need to clarify your question.

Are you asking how people like busses as a way of getting to WDW?
Also, when you ask "Was there anything that sticks out in your mind that would make you want to go with that person again?" to whom are you referring, i.e., a travelling companion, a bus driver, ??

Good luck.
:king:

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Hi.
Nice Mickey picture.

You may need to clarify your question.

Are you asking how people like busses as a way of getting to WDW?
Also, when you ask "Was there anything that sticks out in your mind that would make you want to go with that person again?" to whom are you referring, i.e., a travelling companion, a bus driver, ??

Good luck.
:king:

Yes & no I am wondering if anyone has ever taken a trip there on a chartered bus. Example: I plan on having activties to entertain the little ones on the way down. Things that made the trip more enjoyable. Was the persons knowledgable about Disney ? Etc....


The person or persons that I am referring to are the ones that organized the trip. I would like for this to be sucessful to were we can take more trips in the future.

Thanks

 

[DisneyMissy]

Yes, we did it once and won't do it again. It is much faster to fly there and you can stay where you want, go and do what you want when you want. The problem with the bus was that we stayed offsite (the horror) and we were dependent on them to get us to the parks. Same people were always late, ALWAYS! Just things like that. I much prefer to fly down and do my own thing and not have to worry about other people and worry about someone else getting me there besides the Disney buses

We took the trip because it was my husband's first time and my 2nd time going. We flew and stayed onsite ever since!

Now this doesn't mean that the trip you are doing will turn out the same, just our experience.

 

[Lynne M]

Well, you asked, so....

If the only way I could get to WDW would be a chartered bus....I wouldn't go. Even if that meant never, ever going again.

But that's just me.

A few questions for you:

1. Will it be family members on the bus? Friends? Coworkers? Assorted people who don't know each other?

2. How many stops do you plan along the way? Any overnight stops? Or were you planning to drive straight through?

3. Once you get there, will the entire group be spending all their time together? Touring, dining, etc?

4. Staying offsite or at a WDW resort?

 

[wdwmomof3]

Can you say stress? It was hard enough keeping up with my husbands family for a week there is no way I would tackle this one.:ROFLOL:

For the planner..... I feel for ya!

 

[snakeislandboy]

I just got back from a Y.E.S. Program trip that I planned to Walt Disney World. I took a group of 20 students and 5 adults. We rode a charter bus from Arkansas (18 hours) all night both ways. It wasn't my favorite trip to the Kingdom, but the kids loved it and so did I. If you want to clarify your question with more specifics, I can give you any advice, answers, or lessons learned.

 

[beanbunny]

I would never, ever take a bus ride to Disney! When I took my girl scout troop down to Disney a few years ago, we found it to be just about as cost effective to fly. Instead of arriving hot, tired and down right miserable, we arrived excited and pretty well rested! Good luck with whatever you choose! Let's face it, the important thing is to just get there!!! :wave:

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Well, you asked, so....

If the only way I could get to WDW would be a chartered bus....I wouldn't go. Even if that meant never, ever going again.

But that's just me.

A few questions for you:

1. Will it be family members on the bus? Friends? Coworkers? Assorted people who don't know each other?

2. How many stops do you plan along the way? Any overnight stops? Or were you planning to drive straight through?

3. Once you get there, will the entire group be spending all their time together? Touring, dining, etc?

4. Staying offsite or at a WDW resort?

1. It will be mixed people but everyone that I know.

2. I plan to stop for breakfast & dinner. But yes straight through

4. We are stayin on property so the answer to # 3 is no everyone will be on their own with the convienence of Disney tran. I will however be available for them if they need me for anything.

 

[SamnDawn060304]

I would never, ever take a bus ride to Disney! When I took my girl scout troop down to Disney a few years ago, we found it to be just about as cost effective to fly. Instead of arriving hot, tired and down right miserable, we arrived excited and pretty well rested! Good luck with whatever you choose! Let's face it, the important thing is to just get there!!! :wave:

yes and some of my friends that are going have a big family 6 and one has 9 people. It is more cost effective for them to take the bus. I have been on bus trips and I liked them. This is an A/C bus with restrooms, dvd, and I plan to do other things that would make it a not so boring trip. I guess that I what I am asking to is for some ideas.

 

[SamnDawn060304]

I just got back from a Y.E.S. Program trip that I planned to Walt Disney World. I took a group of 20 students and 5 adults. We rode a charter bus from Arkansas (18 hours) all night both ways. It wasn't my favorite trip to the Kingdom, but the kids loved it and so did I. If you want to clarify your question with more specifics, I can give you any advice, answers, or lessons learned.

What are some of the things that you did on the bus to entertain. Our drive will be 18 hours also. About 1/3 of the group is children.

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Yes, we did it once and won't do it again. It is much faster to fly there and you can stay where you want, go and do what you want when you want. The problem with the bus was that we stayed offsite (the horror) and we were dependent on them to get us to the parks. Same people were always late, ALWAYS! Just things like that. I much prefer to fly down and do my own thing and not have to worry about other people and worry about someone else getting me there besided the Disney buses

We took the trip because it was my husband's first time and my 2nd time going. We flew and stayed onsite every since!

Now this doesn't mean that the trip you are doing will turn out the same, just our experience.

That is exactly why we are staying on property. The only thing that I was thinkin of doing was a dessert thing at Epcot one night to watch Illuminations. Other than that I am going to educate everyone as much as possible before we go.

I usually drive once a year so I am trying this bus thing as a way to get there and not drive but leave the driving to someone else.

I am trying to make new Disney Fans out of people who might not otherwise go if this offer had not presented itself.

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Can you say stress? It was hard enough keeping up with my husbands family for a week there is no way I would tackle this one.:ROFLOL:

For the planner..... I feel for ya!

Thanks does that mean that everyone wants a full report. :ROFLOL: I love the planning aspect!

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Every year I drive with a group of 14 or 15 well this year I had more & more friends and family wanting to go (knowing that I was driving). That is where the bus came in. I want to Thank everyone for their questions & comments. Please feel free to ask me more or give me ideas.

 

[J_Krafty24]

I went on a bus trip to florida for my school sponsored senior trip. Luckly one of the requirements for the board of education to let us go was that we had to go to Epcot for educational reasons. It was about a 28hr drive one way. This is what I can tell you from the experience.

1.) Road trip scavenger hunt. Get a list of landmarks you will be passing during awake hours. Have prizes for whoever sees the landmark first. We were only allowed one prize per person. Our prizes were bags of candy but that may not be the best type of prize for young kids stuck on a bus.

2.) Road trip survivor. Before every pit-stop pass out pieces of paper to everyone to vote on who to "vote off the bus". The lucky winner has to do something. The things I remember - no talking for two hours, must act like a dog for the entire pit stop, must perform a pole dance (remember we were seniors in high school)

3.) Relay races. Give the person on each side of the isle a clothpin. Race to see which side can pass something from the back all the way to the front of the bus using only the clothes pins.

4.) If the bus will have TV's on it bring lots of moves. (Make sure you know if you need VHS or DVD)

5.) During nighttime hours it is way more comfortable to try and sleep in the seat with it leaned back than laying on the floor. Also have a definite "lights out" time. That way you don't have some people wanting to sleep while others are being loud and bright.

Good luck and have a great time. Sure, there are a lot of horror stories about bus trips but I had a great time. It all depends on the group you are with.

 

[davidpw97]

I went on a bus trip to WDW in middle school and on a few church bus trips in high school. I would never want to spend that much time on a bus again and it was only about an 8 hour trip. One suggestion I would make would be to look into renting big vans instead of a whole bus. A couple 15 passenger vans that you can drive yourself might be better than paying for a large bus and drivers and maybe more economical as well. That way you can drive yourselves and plan your own stops and activities along the way. If you do charter a bus I would talk to your drivers beforehand and see what sort of activities they would allow. Too much activity might be distracting and its not very safe either. If the bus comes with a dvd/vcr capabilities, the best idea might be to just show movies the whole trip and not get everyone all wild and crazy. I would also suggest leaving in the late afternoon or evening and doing most of the driving at night. Long trips are always easier when you can sleep through them. I wouldn't try to plan too much, might be better to just relax and see what sort of things your passengers come up with on their own. I think most people will want to just visit with each other, listen to their ipods/cd players, or watch movies. There are very few ways really to make being trapped on a bus for 18 hours enjoyable. Just have to make the best of it.

 

[wdwmomof3]

Thanks does that mean that everyone wants a full report. :ROFLOL: I love the planning aspect!

Yes, I would love to read a report from your trip. You sound a lot like me. This sounds like something that I would try to do but at the same time wonder why I am doing it.:ROFLOL:I think that you will do a great job with the trip. Have a great time!!:wave:

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Yes, I would love to read a report from your trip. You sound a lot like me. This sounds like something that I would try to do but at the same time wonder why I am doing it.:ROFLOL:I think that you will do a great job with the trip. Have a great time!!:wave:

Thanks to everyone for their input! yes I hope to have a great time. Anytime that you drive long distances you know what you are in for. A LONG DRIVE! But once you get there it is all worth it. I don't know about you but I would travel just about anyway to get to the place I love the most. WALT DISNEY WORLD :ROFLOL: Please everyone keep that comments and helpful information coming! Good or bad I will not be offended. I want this trip to be enjoyable so all the info is helpful! We are traveling mostly at night. Which I know from experience is very helpful!

 

[DisneyMissy]

The good thing about your trip is you are staying onsite and everyone can go to whatever park they want to when they want to. The problem with ours since we stayed offsite was that we were very dependent on the bus to get us to the parks and they stated what day we went to each park, what time we arrived and what time we left. That part was horrible. But live and learn. That was before I became the Disney planner and found this site etc.

 

[SamnDawn060304]

The good thing about your trip is you are staying onsite and everyone can go to whatever park they want to when they want to. The problem with ours since we stayed offsite was that we were very dependent on the bus to get us to the parks and they stated what day we went to each park, what time we arrived and what time we left. That part was horrible. But live and learn. That was before I became the Disney planner and found this site etc.

Yes I totally agree with you. I would not want to wait every morning on 50 people to get ready and get on the bus to go to the parks. I think that staying onsite is better. No matter how you get there is some hassle in everything that we do whether it is flying or driving. In Flying you still spend quite alot of time in the airport and in planes plus rental car counters baggage claim etc... Nothing worthwhile comes easy. :wave: