Disappointed in the Disney bus service

[Tom]

I've never minded the occasional and in my experience RARE 5 - 10 minute stop at a park bus stop. It gives people a chance to get on (one that I would be EXTREMELY grateful for if I were running my butt off trying to catch the bus).

Sitting waiting at my hotel bus stop, that's another story.

Waiting at the hotel always seems worse - I agree. You're always anxious to get to the park.

What makes the "sitting" so much more annoying is that when we actually see a bus at our stop, we get extra excited because it's such a rarity on our trips - only to wait just as long on the bus as we probably would have if we'd gotten there between two buses. Sure, it's air conditioned on the bus, but it doesn't help you get anywhere faster

Obviously, I'm very passionate about this subject. Some people on here hate TDO, some hate the FLE, some hate DDP. I hate the bus system, but financially, it's a necessary evil when we travel. And it just makes it worse when they boast about it being a perk of staying at one of their hotels. How is it a perk to be waiting in line for a bus, or sitting on a bus, for 1.5 hours just to get to dinner - only to have to repeat it again after dinner? That's 3 hours (plus eating time) that I can't be in a park (or in a gift shop).

 

[cslafferty]

(1) Due to people trying to park at DTD to save the parking fee there is not direct bus service to the parks. I am curious if you were aware of this prior to this happening. I would think you were at least when you went to the bus stop at DTD and there was no stop for the park. So most likel you had to go to a resort and then transfer. This takes a lot of time.

(2) You should always allow 1-1.5 hours when hopping between parks or attractions like this. It is one of the longer tasks associated with the transportation.

(3)You cannot let little things destroy your trip.

While this is not directed at you per se but as the saying goes: failure to plan means planning to fail.

I believe that the last time we were there in 2004, DTD was considered to be a "central hub" and you could catch a bus to anywhere from there. We only became aware that we could not travel directly to the parks from there when we got to the bus stop, at which time it was too late for us to allow for extra travel time. It took us an hour and a half to get from DTD to Boardwalk because we encountered a shift change when the bus stopped at Blizzard Beach.

I had planned for an hour travel time to get to anywhere based on our last visit, which I thought would have been plenty of time. In the future, I will surely allow more time.

I did not let this "ruin" my trip. And, when you are standing in 95+ degree heat, sometimes in the sun, or in a severe thunderstorm, for an hour, it's not really a "little" thing. I LOVE Disney, and as another responder said, I tend to see all things Disney through rose-colored glasses. This is the first time that I have admitted to anything Disney being less than perfect. And, yes I realize this is a "free" service they provide. I am simply comparing it to our many visits of the past. They have been able to run it more efficiently than they are presently. I just wish they would go back to whatever they were doing 6 years ago.

 

[Tom]

They have been able to run it more efficiently than they are presently. I just wish they would go back to whatever they were doing 6 years ago.

I agree. When we first started using the Disney bus system, it was actually pretty good. If they said 20-minutes, it would be 20 minutes or less. At park closing time, each resort would appear to get an evenly distributed number of buses.

When we take trips now, we intentionally make our ADRs so that we're dining in the park we're touring at the time, or we're a monorail ride away (i.e. Monorail Resort or Epcot/MK).

 

[cslafferty]

Waiting at the hotel always seems worse - I agree. You're always anxious to get to the park.

What makes the "sitting" so much more annoying is that when we actually see a bus at our stop, we get extra excited because it's such a rarity on our trips - only to wait just as long on the bus as we probably would have if we'd gotten there between two buses. Sure, it's air conditioned on the bus, but it doesn't help you get anywhere faster

Obviously, I'm very passionate about this subject. Some people on here hate TDO, some hate the FLE, some hate DDP. I hate the bus system, but financially, it's a necessary evil when we travel. And it just makes it worse when they boast about it being a perk of staying at one of their hotels. How is it a perk to be waiting in line for a bus, or sitting on a bus, for 1.5 hours just to get to dinner - only to have to repeat it again after dinner? That's 3 hours (plus eating time) that I can't be in a park (or in a gift shop).

I totally agree with your points. Another frustrating thing is when you have been waiting at your stop and you see 2 or 3 busses come and go from other stops. That happened to us at MK in the middle of a huge rain storm. The people in the front of the line finally flagged down a bus driver from another stop to radio someone to let them know that they had been waiting there for almost an hour. I wonder what the man in the white van was doing - he could plainly see us all standing there getting soaked from the rain!!

 

[Computer Magic]

Buses have gotten worst over the years. Bus arrival was great between 1995-2004. In 2005 things started to change. Most of my trips has come from 2005 - current. It's so bad, I try and stay at a Epcot resort. That way I can get easy access to 1/2 of the theme parks w/o buses.

 

[JustInTime]

I went last August and I did notice a larger gap between the busses. People can make excuses for Disney all they want. I am a firm Disney supporter. But there is no reason that people should have to wait over 25 mins for a bus in late August/September. Disney is getting plenty of money to run an extra bus or two. They raise the ticket prices oncer per year. Lets allocate those funds appropriately, Disney. I can't imagine families with special needs children/health issues out in the heat for 30 solid minutes. And the reason why I say that is because it's one of the rare places/lines in the parks where you are not protected from the sun or weather.

 

[Tom]

I totally agree with your points. Another frustrating thing is when you have been waiting at your stop and you see 2 or 3 busses come and go from other stops. That happened to us at MK in the middle of a huge rain storm. The people in the front of the line finally flagged down a bus driver from another stop to radio someone to let them know that they had been waiting there for almost an hour. I wonder what the man in the white van was doing - he could plainly see us all standing there getting soaked from the rain!!

That's exactly what I think every time I'm standing there in a 200-person line (usually at MK or Epcot) while the All Star stop is empty. Why would he sit there and send bus after bus to other stops, while not sending one to ours?

I've literally been in a line for Port Orleans at the MK at closing, waiting for 5 buses before I could get on, and have seen a bus sitting at an empty stop. I've also seen two buses stacked at another overloaded stop (usually because bus #1 is picking up an ECV), while we're lucky to get one in the same time period.

I wish I were exaggerating. I wish this was just me venting because I'm too impatient. But we've been so pathetic that we've actually timed buses at our stop compared to others, and have counted buses at other stops compared to ours (we had that much time on our hands, waiting in line). I wish I could find the Times Guides we wrote our "logs" on. :lol:

 

[French Quarter]

I really don't want to sound crabby here but this seems to be a huge deal for some people. I think that if the buses bother you to any great extent, you might want to look into other options (i.e. resorts closer to the parks, car rentals, etc.). I'm not saying what Disney should or should not offer when I make that comment. I'm just saying that it might increase your enjoyment of the resort.

If that is the case then Disney isn't charging near enough for the service.
I look at it this way, if you don't want to wait then rent a car.

This is where I'm coming from too.

I think it would be really nice if Disney improved their bus system. Obviously, the less time we spend waiting for buses the better. But even after the discussion on this thread, I still see this as a free service that I'm not paying for. I guess that's why the wait doesn't bother me so much.

Some have said that it's included in the price of admission to the theme parks. I don't get that because I can pay the same price to go to Universal or Sea World for the day and I don't get the use of a bus system. Also, non-resort guests pay the same price to go to Disney as resort guests and the former technically don't get to use the buses.

Others have said that it's included in the price of your room. If that is the case, than the price of the room minus bus fees must be super low...at least at the Values. If I book a room at a Holiday Inn around here on the side of the road, it will cost me more than a Value room at WDW. The people at the Holiday Inn are not going to pay my bus fare to get around the nearby city. They also aren't going to pay to get me from the airport to my hotel room.

The buses to me are simply a gift, not a service that I'm paying for. Absolutely, this gift looks good on Disney and may entice people to come stay there. But it's still a complementary service. I really appreciate that the buses are there. If they didn't have them, I'm pretty sure they would still charge me the same for my room and my park tickets. I'd just have to rent a car on top of all of that.

I guess I am one of those people that gives Disney the benefit of the doubt. I think they offer an amazing product. There are areas that can be improved but I don't think they really owe me anything. I feel that I get more than my money's worth every trip or else I definitely wouldn't go back.

 

[Cubs Brian]

Yes. But when it happens mid-morning, it's hard to believe that's the case. Seems more likely that it's a "required union break".

But even then, if a driver is going to have to get off his bus for 10-15 minutes, good customer service would say they'd schedule another driver to be there to hop on the bus, enter himself into the log, and take off.

If they just flat out can't handle the operation of a bus system, they should stop marketing the fact that they have a great complimentary transportation system with a 20-minute bus schedule (because that's how it was advertised the last time we were there).

They could actually save money if they ran the system properly, because they'd move people "home" faster at park closing and would be able to take buses out of the system quicker, and send the rest home earlier. It might only add up to a few buses a night that go home early, but a lot of "a few" adds up.

Um, last time I checked Florida was a right to work state which simply means that there are non union employees working along side union employees doing the same exact job. So it's not a required union break as you put it. DTD is the worst place to transfer, every guide book will tell you that.Mid day buses are usually dispatched according to traffic flow. If the first MK bus pulls up and the driver notices 30 people waiting at a depot for Epcot and only 2 people waiting for AK he alerts his dispatch, they check the last p/u time for Epcot and depending on the info may change an AK route for Epcot.
Considering how many people the system moves on a daily basis my opinion is that it's pretty efficient(but not perfect). One thing that may help would be if they started running "inter resort"bus routes .

 

[MickeyMind]

BOTTOM LINE IS: It's completely unacceptable for disney to keep you waiting at a bus stop for more than 20 minutes, even 20 minutes is too long, Ive never even waited 20 min for a bus from the port authority in nyc to jersey... anything more than a 20 minute wait at a disney bus stop is ridiculous and it shouldnt be happening.. Please improve your system and get guests between the parks and resorts in a much more timely and efficient manner, otherwise stop advertising your "free transportation" when its one of the few experiences on property that causes the majority of guests a major headache

 

[JafarMaleficent]

i hate waiting for shift change. I went to the memorial day shootout (soccer tournament) and we waited 20 min for them to switch drivers one was already there and everything. it took them 20 min to pack up and us to be moving. and the bus only had people from the soccer team i was supporting and it was already almost 10 pm when we got on the bus.

 

[Tom]

I hate conflict, and I so badly just want to say, "Golly gee, everyone's right and I'm just being too critical. I really LOVE the bus system, and appreciate the free amenity." But I just can't say it :lol:

And I'm usually the one defending Disney when the TDO-haters are bashing every single thing that WDW ever does.

I just believe that if they're going to market the system like they do, they need to live up to the hype. If it's really supposed to be a perk of staying at a Disney hotel, then make it an actual perk, not a hindrance.

And no matter how absurd it sounds, you're paying for everything on property every time you buy a ticket or spend a night in their hotels. They have to operate 40+ square miles of property on the revenue generated from the parks and hotels. It's the same as the laundry department charging the hotels to do their laundry. It's all "Walt Disney Parks and Resorts", but they have to track each department/division's income and expenses separately or they'd never know where they were making or losing money. The buses don't run on tax dollars or for free. Every single guest is paying for them to operate.

Comparing Disney's ticket prices to Universal isn't fair, because Universal waits until Disney publishes their ticket prices, then matches them. This just means that Universal is making more money per ticket than WDW. Same goes for 192 hotels. They can charge what they charge, because they make sure they're just a few bucks less than the Value Resorts, making some people want to stay outside instead of inside.

 

[TRONorail10]

DH and I normally get the bus station an hour before our ADR, in case if the bus runs late. I'm not sure if that's what you did, but we had one or two experiences waiting an hour to get back to our resort (POP). One time it was at DTD/PI, and the other time was at Epcot (45 minutes after closing).

Nobody knows who DH is. You are using two letters for an abbreviation of an object, maybe a person, with no explanation. I can list a hundred abbreviations for things around Disney World, but I don't go around talking about people I know as an abbreviation.

 

[Tom]

Nobody knows who DH is. You are using two letters for an abbreviation of an object, maybe a person, with no explanation. I can list a hundred abbreviations for things around Disney World, but I don't go around talking about people I know as an abbreviation.

DH = Disney Husband. It's a twist on a common abbreviation used on web forums, Dear Husband (also Dear Wife, Dear Son, Dear Daughter).

 

[French Quarter]

And no matter how absurd it sounds, you're paying for everything on property every time you buy a ticket or spend a night in their hotels. They have to operate 40+ square miles of property on the revenue generated from the parks and hotels. It's the same as the laundry department charging the hotels to do their laundry. It's all "Walt Disney Parks and Resorts", but they have to track each department/division's income and expenses separately or they'd never know where they were making or losing money. The buses don't run on tax dollars or for free. Every single guest is paying for them to operate.

Ok. I get where you're coming from. In an indirect way, we do pay for everything but that's a slippery slope, isn't it? Does that mean that pretty soon people on here are going to start complaining that the topiaries aren't up to their standards. I mean, you and I technically pay for them too right? Or that the plastic they print the tickets on is not of a high enough grade? I'm being silly here but some people do already make real complaints like this. So where do you draw the line with the argument about paying for everything at Disney?

(I know what you mean about not liking conflict. I don't either. I just get weary when people hold Disney up to a different set of standards than every other business.)

 

[Tom]

Ok. I get where you're coming from. In an indirect way, we do pay for everything but that's a slippery slope, isn't it? Does that mean that pretty soon people on here are going to start complaining that the topiaries aren't up to their standards. I mean, you and I technically pay for them too right? Or that the plastic they print the tickets on is not of a high enough grade? I'm being silly here but some people do already make real complaints like this. So where do you draw the line with the argument about paying for everything at Disney?

(I know what you mean about not liking conflict. I don't either. I just get weary when people hold Disney up to a different set of standards than every other business.)

You're right about the accounting and being able to complain about everything. But it's also a little true. You're paying for everything there, and if you want to complain, you can. I don't though. I just sit here in my house and pout on the internet :lol:

I've never written Disney (or any company) with a complaint of any kind, but if I experience the same thing in February, I might just write my very first letter to any company in my 30-year history.

They sort of got themselves into this boat though. They're held to a higher standard because they used to deliver a higher standard. But they've outgrown their ability to do that, and society isn't producing the same level of quality personnel available for hire (at the wages they pay) either.

I think what my gripe all comes down to is that they have an awesome resource available to them - the Magic in Motion system. They could install a few cameras to replace the dude in the van. They could use the computer system to dispatch buses and automatically change the marquees (which would also eliminate one more distraction for the drivers, who wouldn't have to radio in or punch buttons on their computers). They could schedule an extra "rotating" driver for each theme park depot so that they don't have buses sitting empty while people take required breaks.

I'm asking for things that cost money, but if they're not willing to improve the system, they should stop marketing it as a perk.

 

[rob0519]

Just Rent A Car

We noticed the bus service going downhill years ago. I know everyone can't do it, but we save extra money to rent a car when we go to WDW. If you time your travel right, it's actually a lot quicker than the bus.

 

[disney4life2008]

I love Beaches and Cream (Beach Club) but on my last visit their, I waited for a bus for 1.5hour to come and pick up the crowd to go to Downtown Disney. Mind you, this was November, it was raining this night and was frigid. Further, when the bus did come we had to stop at about 5 other resorts before getting to DD. Then I had to transfer to POP. It was terrible. While I appreciate the Disney bus system for the parks - if you have ADRs or like dining at DD late night - rent a car or take a cab

 

[wdwfan22]

BOTTOM LINE IS: It's completely unacceptable for disney to keep you waiting at a bus stop for more than 20 minutes, even 20 minutes is too long, Ive never even waited 20 min for a bus from the port authority in nyc to jersey... anything more than a 20 minute wait at a disney bus stop is ridiculous and it shouldnt be happening.. Please improve your system and get guests between the parks and resorts in a much more timely and efficient manner, otherwise stop advertising your "free transportation" when its one of the few experiences on property that causes the majority of guests a major headache

Um it's still a free service so why not advertise it? They also state average wait time is 20 minutes more during peak travel times. Again if you don't want to wait rent a car.

 

[DisneyWall-E]

So, as far as I can tell a lot of people enjoy the "free" bus rides, but do not enjoy the fact that Disney touts an average 20 minute wait time. And I also agree with most of the posters that the bus service has gone way down hill over the past 2 years. Last time DW, DD, and I were leaving EPCOT Center we saw the line to return to POP and it was really long, so we grabed a cab and that was the best $12 we ever spent. Got back to POP in 10 minutes.