Express Transportation starting Dec 7th

[Goofyernmost]

I think the issue is more that the Disney bus system has been fairly notorious for it's inefficiencies and in this case, instead of investing in wholesale improvements for all guest, Disney is going to just let you pay to go around a system they created.

That plus many other random posts about inefficiencies with Disney transportation is such a gigantic pile of crap that it is almost not worth talking about. I worked in public transportation for many years. Disney's system is top notch what is missing are people that have a clue as to how public transportation works. There is always a wait time unless you timing getting to a bus stop is almost miraculous, you will have to wait. It isn't a "I'm here, where the hell is the bus, I'm ready to go now." type of system. It is carefully planned, it has to have a host of scenario's considered to allow it enough time to get where it is supposed to be on time. Even then idiots on the road will mess that up in a heart beat.

The added cost "specials" are in a response to those among you that think that buses should be the same as private Limo's. People that must be there right now and are either to lazy or scared to have their own vehicles that will get them to where they want to go by sitting on their collective butts and turning a steering wheel.

I'm tired of hearing this garbage about Disney Bus system is no good. Especially when stated by people that don't have a single idea about the complicated system that makes up any busing system. What is no good are the people that expect a free service to be like a non-stop Omnimover. Either accept that transportation systems (any of them) are not a perfect system because of the outside elements that influence them or understand that places like Disney will say to themselves. "Gee, there are a bunch of whiny, clueless, people out there that are not patient enough to wait a few minutes for free transportation, so lets set up a separate system that can be small enough to be manageable and charge them through the posterior for it". They have more money then common sense anyway.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I have friends who own DVC at Saratoga Springs. They visited in a relatively quiet period this year shortly before Thanksgiving. Never have I heard them so dissatisfied with the bus service and waits. Since it was relatively close, I advised them to walk to Disney Springs and try it there and it was much faster. That is also not right. DVCers spend a lot of money up front, annually and in ever-increasing maintenance fees. They, too should have some of the best service on property. Oh. And Reedy Creek would have paid for the "private lane." Likely with tax money paid for from guest rooms, financed by dirt-cheap government bonds. It may be government of, by and (mostly) for Disney --- but the setup keeps a ton of costs off of Disney corporate balance sheets.

We also own DVC at SSR, and were there last month. The bus service was excellent as always. We waited over 20 minutes only once, and that was at MK park close after a party night. Is it their perception, I wonder, or did they really wait more than 20 minutes several times?

 

[drizgirl]

That plus many other random posts about inefficiencies with Disney transportation is such a gigantic pile of crap that it is almost not worth talking about. I worked in public transportation for many years. Disney's system is top notch what is missing are people that have a clue as to how public transportation works. There is always a wait time unless you timing getting to a bus stop is almost miraculous, you will have to wait. It isn't a "I'm here, where the hell is the bus, I'm ready to go now." type of system. It is carefully planned, it has to have a host of scenario's considered to allow it enough time to get where it is supposed to be on time. Even then idiots on the road will mess that up in a heart beat.

The added cost "specials" are in a response to those among you that think that buses should be the same a private Lemo's. People that must be there right now and are either to lazy or scared to have their own vehicles that will get them to where they want to go by sitting on their collective butts and turning a steering wheel.

I'm tired of hearing this garbage about Disney Bus system is no good. Especially when stated by people that don't have a single idea about the complicated system that makes up any busing system. What is no good are the people that expect a free service to be like a non-stop Omnimover. Either accept that transportation systems (any of them) are not a perfect system because of the outside elements that influence them or understand that places like Disney will say to themselves. "Gee, there are a bunch of whiny, clueless, people out there that are not patient enough to wait a few minutes for free transportation, so lets set up a separate system that can be small enough to be manageable and charge them through the posterior for it". They have more money then common sense anyway.

How is it that you know so much about Disney's bus system when you said on the snack thread that you have only stayed onsite once in 44 trips?

 

[Creathir]

And that's great, but there is going to be a certain amount of frustration when those improvements have not started to impact the system and in the interim allow people the privilege of paying to get around it.

Last I checked, this is purely a park to park service, primarily to avoid the front gate line and security.

Has zero impact on resort to park service.

This is a whole lotta whining about nothing.
The price point is perfect, hardly what I would call "expensive" and if it does indeed offer a quicker transfer between parks, we will be partaking in it on our next trip.

Im sorry, but things do cost money. I get that the spirit of Disney is for it to be included in the vacation purchase, and they could have done that.

Made it free, increase everyone's ticket price by $5 - $10, and be done with it.

Though, every person complaining about it would then complain about the increase in ticket price.

I can definitely see the argument that the story is being broken, but hopefully Disney will prevent that long term. Instead of "backstage" they theme the drop off and pickup area.

As to the park storyline, Epcot's International Gateway violates main gate principle.

No one is making anyone make use of this service. It's optional. If storyline is that imperative for ya, enter the main gate.

For our family, having fun and enjoying our vacation is important. Anything I can do to improve the fun time and diminish the transit time, I'm doing.

It's why I order Uber when going hotel to hotel sometimes. It's much easier than transferring at a park.

This is our vacation. If Disney wants to help with that and I can speed things along by paying for bus fare for the week, I'm all over that.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

That plus many other random posts about inefficiencies with Disney transportation is such a gigantic pile of crap that it is almost not worth talking about. I worked in public transportation for many years. Disney's system is top notch what is missing are people that have a clue as to how public transportation works. There is always a wait time unless you timing getting to a bus stop is almost miraculous, you will have to wait. It isn't a "I'm here, where the hell is the bus, I'm ready to go now." type of system. It is carefully planned, it has to have a host of scenario's considered to allow it enough time to get where it is supposed to be on time. Even then idiots on the road will mess that up in a heart beat.

The added cost "specials" are in a response to those among you that think that buses should be the same as private Lemo's. People that must be there right now and are either to lazy or scared to have their own vehicles that will get them to where they want to go by sitting on their collective butts and turning a steering wheel.

I'm tired of hearing this garbage about Disney Bus system is no good. Especially when stated by people that don't have a single idea about the complicated system that makes up any busing system. What is no good are the people that expect a free service to be like a non-stop Omnimover. Either accept that transportation systems (any of them) are not a perfect system because of the outside elements that influence them or understand that places like Disney will say to themselves. "Gee, there are a bunch of whiny, clueless, people out there that are not patient enough to wait a few minutes for free transportation, so lets set up a separate system that can be small enough to be manageable and charge them through the posterior for it". They have more money then common sense anyway.

^^^ This!

 

[Thebolt]

Exactly.

Why haven't they driven a bus into a monorail support column yet? Why have they not smuggled weapons in when dropping off cast members backstage yet?.

...and those gardeners with their shears... the tram drivers on main street... Fireworks engineers etc. etc....

As a Premium service, where customer interaction is likely above average, Disney will assign long term, proven risk, employees to this. You can come up with any number of weird and wonderful security holes, but its more likely the backstage route will result in Mickey Mouse being knocked down than become the conduit for a terrorist attack on the parks.

 

[Creathir]

...and those gardeners with their shears... the tram drivers on main street... Fireworks engineers etc. etc....

As a Premium service, where customer interaction is likely above average, Disney will assign long term, proven risk, employees to this. You can come up with any number of weird and wonderful security holes, but its more likely the backstage route will result in Mickey Mouse being knocked down than become the conduit for a terrorist attack on the parks.

Yup. Like I said, the breaking story argument is the only one I can see as being valid against this service, and even that is easily mitigated.

 

[flynnibus]

Do any of you have the cost in dollars that Disney Corp. paid for these upgrades to the bus system that everyone enjoys without having to pay a 'private lane' or 'schedule monitor' upcharge. Because, to me, that seems to indicate investment in a better bus system.

Oh it's "they've done SOMETHING" argument.

The 15 yrs too late, incomplete, and still behind the times upgrades. Yep, the new DIsney Difference...

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Oh it's "they've done SOMETHING" argument.

The 15 yrs too late, incomplete, and still behind the times upgrades. Yep, the new DIsney Difference...

Oh it's "they didn't do anything in the past" argument. Yup, the new forum difference. Doesn't matter what they are doing now, let's never forgive them for the past.

 

[flynnibus]

Oh it's "they didn't do anything in the past" argument. Yup, the new forum difference. Doesn't matter what they are doing now, let's never forgive them for the past.

No... if they had great bus service now, we could say 'yes, there is great service now' and my comment would be out of place - but they don't. If you need to get to 10.. and you only got to 4... you're still short... regardless of moving from 2 to 4.

Seriously... Disney is a decade behind on their buses.. and they still can't meet their own service expectation when it comes to pickups.

You guys are just too happy to get any scrap Disney throws you.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

No... if they had great bus service now, we could say 'yes, there is great service now' and my comment would be out of place - but they don't. If you need to get to 10.. and you only got to 4... you're still short... regardless of moving from 2 to 4.

Seriously... Disney is a decade behind on their buses.. and they still can't meet their own service expectation when it comes to pickups.

You guys are just too happy to get any scrap Disney throws you.

No, not for any scrap. We ride Disney transportation exclusively when we are there. The bus service, with only 2 exceptions in over a decade, has been excellent for us. I will agree that some people report long wait times, but when I ask them if they actually time it, I never seem to get a response. I'm willing to bet that, for the most part, they only thought they waited a long time, when in truth, it wasn't longer than the 20 minutes that Disney strives for. Well, I do time it. Every single time I wait for a bus. And except for those 2 instances, we have never waited more than the 20 minute time that Disney states is their goal. So yes, to us, the bus service is great.

Are their instances where people have issues? Of course. NO system is perfect and there can be times, just like we have experienced, where it can be a longer wait. People are on vacation and need to chill. And since no system is perfect, we always allow more than enough time to get around the resort.

And I thought you had mentioned that you don't even go to WDW anymore. Didn't you? So if you haven't, what exactly are you basing your comment on? The past? Other people's rantings on these boards? Just curious.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I think Disney is monetizing everything they can. And if they COULD monetize FP, they would. But there really is no way to do that with the capacity they have currently. And new stuff coming in 5 to 10 years won't help either since 1) there's not enough and 2) they will likely have closed enough other stuff by then it will be a wash.

I'd argue that they won't monetize FP+ for this reason: It's used to spread the guests around the parks and, thus, enables them to get away with not building new attractions.

Without that benefit I think they'd monetize it tomorrow.

They should have a special "Ice Cream Party Bus" and charge $100/head to go from MK to Epcot! (because they're out of ideas)

 

[James Norrie]

No, not for any scrap. We ride Disney transportation exclusively when we are there. The bus service, with only 2 exceptions in over a decade, has been excellent for us. I will agree that some people report long wait times, but when I ask them if they actually time it, I never seem to get a response. I'm willing to bet that, for the most part, they only thought they waited a long time, when in truth, it wasn't longer than the 20 minutes that Disney strives for. Well, I do time it. Every single time I wait for a bus. And except for those 2 instances, we have never waited more than the 20 minute time that Disney states is their goal. So yes, to us, the bus service is great.

Are their instances where people have issues? Of course. NO system is perfect and there can be times, just like we have experienced, where it can be a longer wait. People are on vacation and need to chill. And since no system is perfect, we always allow more than enough time to get around the resort.

And I thought you had mentioned that you don't even go to WDW anymore. Didn't you? So if you haven't, what exactly are you basing your comment on? The past? Other people's rantings on these boards? Just curious.

Just give up on responding to him. I think there's a better chance of Disney buying Harry Potter from UNI than ever convincing 'Ol Flynnibus that he's got no legitimate argument or substantive fact to prove his claims. Some people just like to watch the world burn

 

[flynnibus]

So yes, to us, the bus service is great.

So just realize it's YOUR experience which may not be representative of all times of year at all locations. To dismiss others simply because you haven't seen the same is to presume you have seen it all.

What do you suppose the motivation is for people to be posting about buses for all these years? Do you think people are out to get the Disney bus boogy man? Or did the service leave customers less than satisfied, and that's what prompted them to take time out of the lives to talk about it on a forum?

And I thought you had mentioned that you don't even go to WDW anymore. Didn't you? So if you haven't, what exactly are you basing your comment on? The past? Other people's rantings on these boards? Just curious.

I never said I don't goto WDW - It hasn't been my 'must have' tho for some time. My last FL trip was a special trip last year to see the last of the osbourne lights. But other recent trips have been to DLR, multiple cruises, DiscoveryCove, KSC, Seaworld, UNI, etc.

I *WANT* to goto Disney.. but the situations and offerings usually turn me off from committing. Right now, the pending projects like DHS, EPCOT, etc make me want to defer any interests in going to either WDW or DLR. Getting the entire family into something is not something we do a monthly or even quarterly thing like some posters here. Our big destination vacations can even be years apart.

 

[flynnibus]

Just give up on responding to him. I think there's a better chance of Disney buying Harry Potter from UNI than ever convincing 'Ol Flynnibus that he's got no legitimate argument or substantive fact to prove his claims. Some people just like to watch the world burn

I'm glad to see that in your 5 months here you've successfully decoded decades of history, thoughts, and evolving times. I can't wait to see what you'll have achieved next year.

 

[NYwdwfan]

So - 2 days in and no reports of first hand experience?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

So just realize it's YOUR experience which may not be representative of all times of year at all locations. To dismiss others simply because you haven't seen the same is to presume you have seen it all.

What do you suppose the motivation is for people to be posting about buses for all these years? Do you think people are out to get the Disney bus boogy man? Or did the service leave customers less than satisfied, and that's what prompted them to take time out of the lives to talk about it on a forum?

Yet when you respond, you act like EVERYONE has a bad experience, when that simply isn't true. I do believe I stated that there are times that the buses have problems. You do like to gloss over the fact that I acknowledge that. You make the blanket statement that the bus service sucks, when it really doesn't.

 

[Goofyernmost]

How is it that you know so much about Disney's bus system when you said on the snack thread that you have only stayed onsite once in 44 trips?

Because I used it both as transportation while staying and to park hop or whatever other need I had on occasion, I even went for an interview to be a driver, but, at the time I couldn't move to Florida. I also talked with a couple dozen drivers, saw the "paddle" (busing name for schedule for stops and locations and times.) And I worked in the business for a large number of years. I know how the transit systems work. They are for mass transit, not individual transit. They systems cannot be built around the wants of one person at any given time. I know enough about how they are supposed to work that I don't use them regularly because it is quicker have a car available and no waiting for anything is involved. I know why they instituted the pay for service and it isn't because the system isn't good enough to work, it's that people have become so whiny and entitled that they expect the world to roll over and play dead so that they won't be inconvenienced. I'm glad they did that "extra" because maybe now we won't have t listen to how incompetent the system is. Now we can listen to the whining about how they have to pay for it when it used to be free. Problem is, it still is free as the system that is supposed to work as mass transit, all one had to do is use it. You want extra, you get to pay for it. Kind of like life!

 

[flynnibus]

Yet when you respond, you act like EVERYONE has a bad experience, when that simply isn't true. I do believe I stated that there are times that the buses have problems. You do like to gloss over the fact that I acknowledge that. You make the blanket statement that the bus service sucks, when it really doesn't.

And your last sentence shows again... why you continue to conflict with people.

You acknowledge there are problems... then close with 'when it really doesn't'. You soften up when confronted with conflicting info, then wrap up with your own (again) dismissive blanket conclusion.

People are not saying the bus is terrible all the time... but it doesn't have to be terrible all the time to say there are problems. Capacity problems for example.. are generally going to be issues at PEAK demand.

If your power company gives you brown outs every couple days during the summer... you are going to be upset with them... even if during the Spring.. they had no problems at all. And there are issues that the power company must address, because they are expected to function all the time, including working out how to handle peak loads.

Companies are expected to deliver when you count on them... reality is you take far more hits for failing to deliver, than credit you get for delivering. That's a fact of life.. and why companies like Disney have guest recovery policies. If Disney fails to deliver 15% of the time... the other 85% doesn't make the 15% go away. It means Disney has more work to do to figure out those situations or inconsistencies.

No one has made any claims that EVERYONE experiences the same problems ALL the time.. but what people have said is the problem of satisfaction with the buses is a persistent one that rears its head frequently. It's not some urban myth on why it's such a common topic on the forums...

Its like the stroller crowing topic... you'd be here arguing its not a problem because YOU'VE never been inconvenienced by them and therefore saying its not REALLY a problem.

 

[James Norrie]

I'm glad to see that in your 5 months here you've successfully decoded decades of history, thoughts, and evolving times. I can't wait to see what you'll have achieved next year.

Very easy to Spot a Whiner...