disney bus crash 8-16

[unkadug]

My only issue with Disney Transportation is the time it takes out of my day. They are too slow.

It's MY vacation and i don't feel like wasting time waiting on a bus.
I can already be there in the time it takes for the bus to get to me.

Give me my car over a bus any day while at WDW.

 

[Thurp]

The way I see it is that when you are here, you are on vacation, relax, you are in no hurry.

 

[unkadug]

The way I see it is that when you are here, you are on vacation, relax, you are in no hurry.

True...but it's my vacation and I don't feel like wasting most of it waiting around for something to happen when I have limited time to enjoy the area. It's no sweat off my ____to drive myself and it makes me happier to not have to wait.

 

[googilycub]

If you are wasting MOST of your vacation waiting on a bus, you are either doing something wrong or have a really short vacation.....

True...but it's my vacation and I don't feel like wasting most of it waiting around for something to happen when I have limited time to enjoy the area. It's no sweat off my ____to drive myself and it makes me happier to not have to wait.

 

[oxodizer]

Im in the driving myself camp. (That is unless Im staying on Bay Lake or the seven Seas Lagoon.) Disney has the luxury of letting park traffic out into its own road system. This makes traffic virtually non existent. (Up here are BG williamsburg I have waited over an hour to get in and out of the parking lot.)

driving makes it quicker and easier to deal with the parks at Disney.

 

[jakeman]

True...but it's my vacation and I don't feel like wasting most of it waiting around for something to happen when I have limited time to enjoy the area. It's no sweat off my ____to drive myself and it makes me happier to not have to wait.

Agree fully. We take the buses once or twice to say we did, but we drive most of the time. Why wait 20 minutes when you can be most places on property in 15?

If you are wasting MOST of your vacation waiting on a bus, you are either doing something wrong or have a really short vacation.....

I believe you should look at the spirit of what he is saying rather than the literal sense.

I don't think any of us spend most of our vacation waiting for buses. However, I would venture to say that most of us has had at least one bad experience while waiting for buses.

Regardless of the length of my vacation, waiting an hour for a bus is not relaxing. Given that is a very real chance with the Disney bus system, I prefer the reliability of my own transportation.

 

[unkadug]

If you are wasting MOST of your vacation waiting on a bus, you are either doing something wrong or have a really short vacation.....

Between waiting for a bus and the bus making multiple stops before my arrival at my destination, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by driving myself. I'll beat you to our destination every time by driving myself and still be smiling about it.

 

[wm49rs]

Between waiting for a bus and the bus making multiple stops before my arrival at my destination, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by driving myself. I'll beat you to our destination every time by driving myself and still be smiling about it.

The only time I've used WDW transportations from a resort was when we stayed at the WL and FW Cabins. Their motor launches were simply too convenient, especially with their own ports at MK. Otherwise, our vehicle always made better time than any bus.

 

[googilycub]

Agree fully. We take the buses once or twice to say we did, but we drive most of the time. Why wait 20 minutes when you can be most places on property in 15?

I believe you should look at the spirit of what he is saying rather than the literal sense.

I don't think any of us spend most of our vacation waiting for buses. However, I would venture to say that most of us has had at least one bad experience while waiting for buses.

Regardless of the length of my vacation, waiting an hour for a bus is not relaxing. Given that is a very real chance with the Disney bus system, I prefer the reliability of my own transportation.

To me the spirt of what he is saying is the problem. People on this site like to over exaggerate the bus waits to the point that one who had never been to WDW would think they only had one bus doing all the runs! Maybe I have just had great luck, but I have never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a bus, and that was after the fireworks at the MK. It had taken me the same amount of time to get to my car at the TTC.

 

[googilycub]

Between waiting for a bus and the bus making multiple stops before my arrival at my destination, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by driving myself. I'll beat you to our destination every time by driving myself and still be smiling about it.

Congrats. If I was racing you I might care, but I am not.....I will still be relaxed on my vacation regardless, and will be saving $300 or so dollars by not renting a car.:wave:

 

[PhilharMagician]

Between waiting for a bus and the bus making multiple stops before my arrival at my destination, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by driving myself. I'll beat you to our destination every time by driving myself and still be smiling about it.

Except MK.

I don't mind taking the bus, so it really doesn't bother me if it takes an extra 10 minutes. If I have a car I will drive to DHS, AK and Epcot but MK just is not worth it.

 

[jakeman]

To me the spirt of what he is saying is the problem. People on this site like to over exaggerate the bus waits to the point that one who had never been to WDW would think they only had one bus doing all the runs! Maybe I have just had great luck, but I have never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a bus, and that was after the fireworks at the MK. It had taken me the same amount of time to get to my car at the TTC.

To be honest, you have probably had great luck, or many, many posters here have had incredibly bad luck.

While hyperbole is inherent in any online forum, I don't think bus wait times are all that exaggerated here based on my anecdotal experience.

I usually have issues at least once a trip with the buses falling outside the 15-20 minute window. In some cases I have experienced a significant delay in waiting for a bus. This is especially true at the resort themselves where there is no convenient way to rectify the situation.

Over a long trip, even the standard 15-20 minute wait can amass to a large amount of time simply waiting for transportation. Seven days times 15 minutes twice a day ends up being 3.5 hours waiting for a bus.

To my family, the time we save driving from place to place is worth the expense of either driving our own car or renting one.

It is cost/benefit and risk/reward. I find that the benefit of my own reliable transportation outweighs the cost. Furthermore, I find the risk of a long bus wait not worth the reward of saving money.

Your mileage may vary of course.

 

[PhilharMagician]

To be honest, you have probably had great luck, or many, many posters here have had incredibly bad luck.

I must be lucky too! I have had maybe a handfull of times where i have waited for more that 20 minutes for a bus in all the times that I have been at WDW.

While hyperbole is inherent in any online forum, I don't think bus wait times are all that exaggerated here based on my anecdotal experience.

I usually have issues at least once a trip with the buses falling outside the 15-20 minute window. In some cases I have experienced a significant delay in waiting for a bus. This is especially true at the resort themselves where there is no convenient way to rectify the situation.

Along with waiting 15 - 20 minutes at least once per trip, how many times have you either jumped directly on a bus the was at your stop or within 5 minutes of arriving at the stop?

I typically over a 2 week stay will catch a waiting bus 4 - 6 times (this has resutled in a quick jog to catch it before leaving) . I would also say that my waits are under 5 minutes for 75% of the time.

Over a long trip, even the standard 15-20 minute wait can amass to a large amount of time simply waiting for transportation. Seven days times 15 minutes twice a day ends up being 3.5 hours waiting for a bus.

To my family, the time we save driving from place to place is worth the expense of either driving our own car or renting one.

A rental car will run about $250 per week (depending on type of car).
Cost per hours using 3.5 hours lost = $71.43 per hour

For that I will sleep 1/2 hour less each night to make up for it and sleep on the bus!

It is cost/benefit and risk/reward. I find that the benefit of my own reliable transportation outweighs the cost. Furthermore, I find the risk of a long bus wait not worth the reward of saving money.

Your mileage may vary of course.

Again, I am not sure how you save money here, but I can understand being limited in time and wanting to get the most for your money in the parks.

The only other thing that I find having a car really helps is when we have ADR's at another resort. It saves so much time not doing transfers and having to wait for 2 busses to transfer from resort to resort.

 

[jakeman]

I must be lucky too! I have had maybe a handfull of times where i have waited for more that 20 minutes for a bus in all the times that I have been at WDW.

We can trade ancedotal accounts all day. Perhaps the experiences of people who have had poor bus service are a vocal minority on a message board. Their experience mirrors mine though. It is not a common occurance to have a late bus, but it is common enough that I don't want to run that risk.

Along with waiting 15 - 20 minutes at least once per trip, how many times have you either jumped directly on a bus the was at your stop or within 5 minutes of arriving at the stop?

I typically over a 2 week stay will catch a waiting bus 4 - 6 times (this has resutled in a quick jog to catch it before leaving) . I would also say that my waits are under 5 minutes for 75% of the time.

Again, our experience differs. I'm not saying that you are wrong, but it doesn't mesh with my experience or my expectation.

A rental car will run about $250 per week (depending on type of car).
Cost per hours using 3.5 hours lost = $71.43 per hour

For that I will sleep 1/2 hour less each night to make up for it and sleep on the bus!

That is your decision. Mine would be to either rent a car or take my own. Again, it's not wrong either way.

Again, I am not sure how you save money here, but I can understand being limited in time and wanting to get the most for your money in the parks.

The only other thing that I find having a car really helps is when we have ADR's at another resort. It saves so much time not doing transfers and having to wait for 2 busses to transfer from resort to resort.

I never claimed it would save money. In fact, I fully acknowledge it doesn't save money and actually cost more. All I'm saying is that, to me, the cost is worth it based on my past and continued experience with the unreliability of the Disney bus system.

 

[PatsRule]

This just comes down to personal preference. My personal preference is to take the WDW transportation. It's for the same reason I would never drive to WDW from Massachusetts. Driving, for me, is one of the things I like to get away from on vacation. Granted, the transportation can have occasional delays but, for the most part, it is very reliable. Because my family goes so often, I don't see the need to rush around when I am there. If I am late getting to the park and miss something it's not a big deal. I have enough stress in my non-vacaction life to let myself be anything but relaxed when I am at WDW. There is no right or wrong answer on this. I see the other side of it but I enjoy my side just fine.

 

[pax_65]

The other thing, which I haven't seen mentioned here, is that Disney WANTS you to use their transportation (and not rent a car) because that way they can keep you on property for the entire length of your vacation.

In years past I was ok with that... but with the improvements to Universal, lack of major improvements to Disney, and the necessity (due to dining plan discounts) to make dinner reservations months in advance to eat on property, I now want to go off property for food and entertainment during my trip.

Still, I can relate to those who enjoy relaxing and letting Disney do the driving. Part of me wishes I could do that again.

 

[floridabill]

Oh do people exaggerate! =)

About 3 years back I was staying at AKL, I was waiting for a Mk bus I was waiting for about 10 minutes overall wait 15 not bad. So then a family comes to the bus stop, and waited only about 5 minutes I know because I was timing the bus. The bus pulls up and the man starts complaining he had been waiting 45 minutes for a bus.....:brick: everyone including myself just looked at him like...are you for real!!??

On a side not i to guess I have been lucky with the busses. I have never waited more than 20 minutes in the 15 years I have been going.

 

[mrksmpsn]

Car Rental and Hotel Location

I like staying in a Disney resort to be able to use the transportation system and not have to rent a car. I'm curious though if others who prefer to rent a car ever prefer to stay off property to save money. When we have rented a car we've stayed off property because we had the rental vehicle.

If you have a rental car what draws you to staying on property and paying the higher room rates? Personally I always stay on property because of the atmosphere and facilities, and not having to rent a car to get around, but I know others rent a car and stay on property for other reasons.

I know the bus service can sometimes be a pain, but driving around property isn't always fun either (their road signs don't seem to give you much warning to change lanes, and the reflectivity of the signs at night isn't always that bright).

To each his own preference though, afterall, you are on vacation! :animwink:

 

[jakeman]

I like staying in a Disney resort to be able to use the transportation system and not have to rent a car. I'm curious though if others who prefer to rent a car ever prefer to stay off property to save money. When we have rented a car we've stayed off property because we had the rental vehicle.

If you have a rental car what draws you to staying on property and paying the higher room rates? Personally I always stay on property because of the atmosphere and facilities, and not having to rent a car to get around, but I know others rent a car and stay on property for other reasons.

I know the bus service can sometimes be a pain, but driving around property isn't always fun either (their road signs don't seem to give you much warning to change lanes, and the reflectivity of the signs at night isn't always that bright).

To each his own preference though, afterall, you are on vacation! :animwink:

For my wife and I, we don't mind the extra expense of a rental car. We like that we aren't trapped on property. If we fly we also like not being restricted to using DME.

We were fortunate to be cast members for several summers in college, so driving at WDW is never a challenge for us and we are fairly confident in our navigation abilities (that first summer, I agree with you though...some of the roads are crazy).

 

[unkadug]

Except MK.

I don't mind taking the bus, so it really doesn't bother me if it takes an extra 10 minutes. If I have a car I will drive to DHS, AK and Epcot but MK just is not worth it.

To me, the Monorail is my first attraction (so to speak). Therefore driving to the MK is a must!