How long to plan to get to the parks.

[WDWFan2018]

We are not rope drop people so I'm hoping if we leave the hotel a little bit later that the bus crowds won't be as bad. I've never stayed onsite before and we've always had a car. The only delays we encountered were the lines to get through security and into the park. This time, we will be at POFQ and will be using Disney transportation. If we wanted to get to the parks around 10:00am, what time would you recommend leaving our room? I've been reading mixed reviews about the buses at Disney so I have no idea what to expect. The last 2 times we went were at the beginning of February and the parks were not that crowded. This time, we're going at the beginning of November which, according to the crowd calendars, is a little bit busier than in February.

 

[Tuvalu]

If you want to be through the turnstiles at 10am, you’ll need to be at the bus stop at 9am. There’s no way to know in advance what time the next bus will appear....it may be there when you arrive at the bus stop or it may have just left, meaning the next one won’t arrive for 20 minutes.

Bus rides to the parks from POFQ average 15-20 minutes.

Morning waits to get through security range from 10-20 minutes, then another 5-10 minutes to get through the turnstiles.

Crowds arriving at the park remain heavy up to lunchtime, during all times of year.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You really should consider rope drop. Arriving at 10am is probably the worst possible time to arrive. Getting there an extra hour early will save you 3+ hours of waiting in lines.

 

[Master Yoda]

You really should consider rope drop. Arriving at 10am is probably the worst possible time to arrive. Getting there an extra hour early will save you 3+ hours of waiting in lines.

This ^^^

The difference between the crowds at rope drop and even an hour later is quite striking.

As to your question, allow for an hour for pretty much any direct Disney transportation. If a transfer is involved, add 30 minutes.

 

[WDWFan2018]

This ^^^

The difference between the crowds at rope drop and even an hour later is quite striking.

As to your question, allow for an hour for pretty much any direct Disney transportation. If a transfer is involved, add 30 minutes.

That's surprising. It seems like everyone tries to get there at rope drop. I thought I would save myself some headache by waiting a bit. I guess not.

 

[Master Yoda]

That's surprising. It seems like everyone tries to get there at rope drop. I thought I would save myself some headache by waiting a bit. I guess not.

Quite the opposite.

While there are a good number of people there for rope drop, there is also a steady stream of people flowing in after it. Getting there at rope drop is kind of like riding the crest of the wave. On a good day you can often do entire lands between 9 and 10.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That's surprising. It seems like everyone tries to get there at rope drop. I thought I would save myself some headache by waiting a bit. I guess not.

Everyone on the boards says they try to get there at rope drop. But 1) active members of boards like this are a small fraction of the WDW guest base and 2) lots of people try and fail.

For the most part, a large majority of people can't be bothered to wake up early on vacation, which is definitely to their detriment at WDW. Getting there are rope drop (or earlier) can be more valuable than FastPass in terms of getting things done.

 

[WDWFan2018]

Everyone on the boards says they try to get there at rope drop. But 1) active members of boards like this are a small fraction of the WDW guest base and 2) lots of people try and fail.

For the most part, a large majority of people can't be bothered to wake up early on vacation, which is definitely to their detriment at WDW. Getting there are rope drop (or earlier) can be more valuable than FastPass in terms of getting things done.

This is good information. So would the same be said about the buses to the parks at rope drop? I've always heard that buses are so busy first thing in the morning because everyone is trying to get there for rope drop. Would you say the buses are less busy than they would be around 9:00 or 9:30?

 

[Master Yoda]

This is good information. So would the same be said about the buses to the parks at rope drop? I've always heard that buses are so busy first thing in the morning because everyone is trying to get there for rope drop. Would you say the buses are less busy than they would be around 9:00 or 9:30?

About the same. The inbound buses really don't calm down until roughly 10ish-11ish.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This is good information. So would the same be said about the buses to the parks at rope drop? I've always heard that buses are so busy first thing in the morning because everyone is trying to get there for rope drop. Would you say the buses are less busy than they would be around 9:00 or 9:30?

About the same. The inbound buses really don't calm down until roughly 10ish-11ish.

I disagree with Yoda on this one. I try to be on an 8am bus and it's usually pretty empty.

 

[Master Yoda]

I disagree with Yoda on this one. I try to be on an 8am bus and it's usually pretty empty.

Correct. The busses are not bad at 8 am or earlier, but they really pick up around 8:30 and don't let up for a few hours.

I mistakenly thought the OP was referring to busses from about 9 AM onward.

 

[Driver]

Everyone on the boards says they try to get there at rope drop. But 1) active members of boards like this are a small fraction of the WDW guest base and 2) lots of people try and fail.

For the most part, a large majority of people can't be bothered to wake up early on vacation, which is definitely to their detriment at WDW. Getting there are rope drop (or earlier) can be more valuable than FastPass in terms of getting things done.

The post here are very accurate and I agree with them. I am speaking from experience. I am on property 6 days a week..... I'm a driver !

 

[Herdman]

Totally agree with everyone saying go at rope drop. You'll be amazed at how much you can do in that first hour. My wife and daughter long ago realized that my making them get up early on vacation was well worth it. They get to sleep in on our resort day mid week.