Morning Bus Service from Resorts

[jkl2000]

I've been trying to decide between booking at a deluxe resort that's on the monorail line, or a value or moderate resort with bus service. In reading the unoffical guide and people's comments here and elsewhere, the bus service isn't perfect anywhere, but I'm wondering if in general, getting to the parks 1/2 hr before opening by bus from a Disney resort is ever a real problem. I don't want to risk getting there late - I don't really care so much about heading back to the hotel at lunchtime or at night. We can wait a bit longer, there's not as much of a hurry, and I'm happy to sightsee from the bus a bit. We'll have a 4 year old with us, so I'm thinking just walking to the monorail would be so much easier, less of a rush to get him dressed, more time for coffee, etc. But if people find that bus service isn't so bad in the morning (I'm not talking about peak season, this would probably be Fall season) I might go with a morerate or value resort.

Both my previous trips to WDW were long ago - the first was at the Contemporary in the 70s, the 2nd was at the Polynesian in 2000. So I'm actually curious to find out what some of the other resorts are like - just don't want the morning to be too stressful or have to get up at the crack of dawn (though I guess we sort of will regardless of where we stay).

 

[Figgy1]

I've been trying to decide between booking at a deluxe resort that's on the monorail line, or a value or moderate resort with bus service. In reading the unoffical guide and people's comments here and elsewhere, the bus service isn't perfect anywhere, but I'm wondering if in general, getting to the parks 1/2 hr before opening by bus from a Disney resort is ever a real problem. I don't want to risk getting there late - I don't really care so much about heading back to the hotel at lunchtime or at night. We can wait a bit longer, there's not as much of a hurry, and I'm happy to sightsee from the bus a bit. We'll have a 4 year old with us, so I'm thinking just walking to the monorail would be so much easier, less of a rush to get him dressed, more time for coffee, etc. But if people find that bus service isn't so bad in the morning (I'm not talking about peak season, this would probably be Fall season) I might go with a morerate or value resort.

Both my previous trips to WDW were long ago - the first was at the Contemporary in the 70s, the 2nd was at the Polynesian in 2000. So I'm actually curious to find out what some of the other resorts are like - just don't want the morning to be too stressful or have to get up at the crack of dawn (though I guess we sort of will regardless of where we stay).

You will have no problem getting to the parks 1/2 to 1 hr before opening no matter where you stay! Make the best decision based on your family's needs and wants. ie price, themeing and how much time will be spent at the resort

 

[bethymouse]

Not a problem anywhere using bus transportation. They do a good job getting you there early for a breakfast reservation.

 

[RedDad]

Depending on the time of year you go, the bus service at values and even some moderates can be a pain. With that said, as long as you plan ahead and allow plenty of time you shouldn't ever have a problem getting to the parks on time in the mornings. If you don't mind the extra expense, staying at a deluxe with the monorail is very convenient, particularly with small children. Even the deluxes not on the monorail are generally smaller and easier to navigate. A good compromise is WL - it's the cheapest deluxe, but just a boat ride from MK, and our experience with the buses there was great.

 

[jkl2000]

Thanks. How about midday, if we want to go back to the resort to rest a bit. Is this a problem with the bus service? Would it eat up too much time?

I basically view the room as a place we mostly just sleep, so themeing, size, etc. aren't super important. Location and cost are more important to me. I definitely found the location of the Polynesian easy last time.

We're also not really interested in things like character breakfasts, etc., and I think most of our eating will be at the parks. I said themeing isn't that important, but after looking at photos of some of the value resorts, I have to say they look a lot nicer than what I was expecting. All those signs around the grounds of the Pop Century are pretty funny.

One more question: if we aren't going to have a car, will there be places where we can pick up a few yogurts, a couple pints of milk, some bananas, etc. to keep in the room? Eating a quick breakfast before leaving is a good idea. And how is the morning coffee situation at the resorts? I need more than just the weak stuff they usually have in hotel rooms.

 

[jkl2000]

Depending on the time of year you go, the bus service at values and even some moderates can be a pain. With that said, as long as you plan ahead and allow plenty of time you shouldn't ever have a problem getting to the parks on time in the mornings. If you don't mind the extra expense, staying at a deluxe with the monorail is very convenient, particularly with small children. Even the deluxes not on the monorail are generally smaller and easier to navigate. A good compromise is WL - it's the cheapest deluxe, but just a boat ride from MK, and our experience with the buses there was great.

Thanks, will look into WL. Is there a wait for the boats? Sounds like fun.

 

[Figgy1]

Thanks. How about midday, if we want to go back to the resort to rest a bit. Is this a problem with the bus service? Would it eat up too much time?

I basically view the room as a place we mostly just sleep, so themeing, size, etc. aren't super important. Location and cost are more important to me. I definitely found the location of the Polynesian easy last time.

We're also not really interested in things like character breakfasts, etc., and I think most of our eating will be at the parks. I said themeing isn't that important, but after looking at photos of some of the value resorts, I have to say they look a lot nicer than what I was expecting. All those signs around the grounds of the Pop Century are pretty funny.

One more question: if we aren't going to have a car, will there be places where we can pick up a few yogurts, a couple pints of milk, some bananas, etc. to keep in the room? Eating a quick breakfast before leaving is a good idea. And how is the morning coffee situation at the resorts? I need more than just the weak stuff they usually have in hotel rooms.

The coffee is no longer necafe Thank God!!!!!!! The new stuff is quite good IMO Most of the food courts have exactly what you are looking for or you can order groceries from the garden grocer and have them delivered to your room

 

[RedDad]

Thanks, will look into WL. Is there a wait for the boats? Sounds like fun.

We never waited more than 10 minutes for a boat, but it depends on your timing and the time of year you go. There are boats that run from MK to WL all day, and other boats that run between WL, Contemporary, and Ft. Wilderness. Technically, you can use the second boats to get to Epcot via the Contemporary, but it takes longer than just taking the bus. It's a fun way to get to the parks, though and our kids loved it.

 

[JillC LI]

Never missed rope drop due to a late morning bus. But given the opportunity to stay on the monorail line, I can't say I'd turn that down. The boat ride from the monorail resorts is quite nice too. You can pick up milk in the resort gift shop, and I'm sure you can buy some bananas, etc. from a quick-service location at a Deluxe or the food court at a Mod/Value.

 

[bigorangeandy]

We have never had an issue with the morning buses, I guess because we are always so charged up to get to the parks that whatever the wait it doesn't seem bad. The wait for ride back sometimes seems to take longer at times, but it could be because we are worn out. Wilderness Lodge is great, and the boat ride to the MK is great, its like getting a jump start on the day.

 

[WLBound]

We never waited more than 10 minutes for a boat, but it depends on your timing and the time of year you go. There are boats that run from MK to WL all day, and other boats that run between WL, Contemporary, and Ft. Wilderness. Technically, you can use the second boats to get to Epcot via the Contemporary, but it takes longer than just taking the bus. It's a fun way to get to the parks, though and our kids loved it.

I'll second this. We had basically the same experience using the boat all three times we stayed there. The only time we ever had an issue was on a night running EMH. They shut the boat down and for some reason had no bus going to WL but they put us on the Fort Wilderness bus and everything worked out okay.

 

[jkl2000]

We have never had an issue with the morning buses, I guess because we are always so charged up to get to the parks that whatever the wait it doesn't seem bad. The wait for ride back sometimes seems to take longer at times, but it could be because we are worn out. Wilderness Lodge is great, and the boat ride to the MK is great, its like getting a jump start on the day.

Does it ever happen that there are too many people waiting for the boat and there's not room so you have to wait for the next one? (In the morning, I mean.) For the boat and the buses, I don't so mich mind waiting, I'm more worried about buses being too crowded and having to then wait for the next bus and getting to the park late for opening. I don't expect to not have wait, just don't want to be late. As long as things are reliable and you know if you get to the bus stop (or boat dock) early enough you'll get to the park on time.

I think I'm leaning toward Wilderness Lodge now, but boy is it hard to decide on where to stay! My mom had it easy back in the 1970s.

 

[bubbles1812]

I have never had a problem with the buses and/or the ferries. The only time I've found them to be really crowded is obviously at night when the parks are closing. I am always there for rope drops and especially if you catch the first buses of the day, you might even be the only one on. I personally find the monorail extremely overrated. I know it's a make or break thing for some people, which I find completely silly, but again, just neve had a problem with the buses so it has never been a big deal.

I say stay whenever you feel will be best for your family, whether it be WL or some other place. But don't let the monorail be the deal breaker. It's benefits aren't good enough for that IMO

 

[Kirk88]

We had bus issues at Carribean Beach Resort. We were in the pirate themed rooms all the way in the back of the resort and busses were always full by the time they made it to our building. We lucked out one morning and a CM from transportation was there. He got on the radio (after 25 minutes and 4 full busses passes) and had them send an empty bus directly to our stop. Our next park day we squeezed in and stood on the DAK bus. Getting back was never a problem. Wilderness Lodge's transportation was EXCELLENT though! The boat was great and the busses were always empty!

 

[WLBound]

Does it ever happen that there are too many people waiting for the boat and there's not room so you have to wait for the next one? (In the morning, I mean.) For the boat and the buses, I don't so mich mind waiting, I'm more worried about buses being too crowded and having to then wait for the next bus and getting to the park late for opening. I don't expect to not have wait, just don't want to be late. As long as things are reliable and you know if you get to the bus stop (or boat dock) early enough you'll get to the park on time.

I think I'm leaning toward Wilderness Lodge now, but boy is it hard to decide on where to stay! My mom had it easy back in the 1970s.

I guess it's possible during the busier times of the year but we've never had that problem. The boat from WL holds a decent amount of people and they come pretty regularly. The ferry boat from TTC has never been crowded in the morning because it holds a lot of people and most seem to take the monorail. That is where we've run into lines that we had to wait. As someone else said, it's usually more crowded on the buses and boats at night.

 

[dreamfinder]

I've been trying to decide between booking at a deluxe resort that's on the monorail line, or a value or moderate resort with bus service. In reading the unoffical guide and people's comments here and elsewhere, the bus service isn't perfect anywhere, but I'm wondering if in general, getting to the parks 1/2 hr before opening by bus from a Disney resort is ever a real problem.

It's not a problem. You would just want to be at the bus stop at least 45 mins before you wanted to be at the park. This allows for a possible 20-30 minute wait, and then 15 minute drive. Now the closer you get to open, and even slightly past it, the larger the crowds waiting for the buses become.

Technically, you can use the second boats to get to Epcot via the Contemporary, but it takes longer than just taking the bus. It's a fun way to get to the parks, though and our kids loved it.

There is no boat from the Contemporary to Epcot. There is no connecting waterway between the two. Now you could in theory take a boat to the Contemporary, get on the resort monorail, and then transfer to the Epcot monorail at the TTC, but that is alot of waiting and transferring. Is that what you meant?

 

[RedDad]

There is no boat from the Contemporary to Epcot. There is no connecting waterway between the two. Now you could in theory take a boat to the Contemporary, get on the resort monorail, and then transfer to the Epcot monorail at the TTC, but that is alot of waiting and transferring. Is that what you meant?

Yes, I guess I should have been more specific - you can get to Epcot via the Contemporary monorail. We did this once during our stay at WL when we had plenty of time, but as I said it's not the fastest route!

 

[tsaintc]

I've been trying to decide between booking at a deluxe resort that's on the monorail line, or a value or moderate resort with bus service. In reading the unoffical guide and people's comments here and elsewhere, the bus service isn't perfect anywhere, but I'm wondering if in general, getting to the parks 1/2 hr before opening by bus from a Disney resort is ever a real problem. I don't want to risk getting there late - I don't really care so much about heading back to the hotel at lunchtime or at night. We can wait a bit longer, there's not as much of a hurry, and I'm happy to sightsee from the bus a bit. We'll have a 4 year old with us, so I'm thinking just walking to the monorail would be so much easier, less of a rush to get him dressed, more time for coffee, etc. But if people find that bus service isn't so bad in the morning (I'm not talking about peak season, this would probably be Fall season) I might go with a morerate or value resort.

Both my previous trips to WDW were long ago - the first was at the Contemporary in the 70s, the 2nd was at the Polynesian in 2000. So I'm actually curious to find out what some of the other resorts are like - just don't want the morning to be too stressful or have to get up at the crack of dawn (though I guess we sort of will regardless of where we stay).

Go with a mod and skip the Monorail line requirement. I have been on the line 3 times, and I would recommend that you should not believe all of the hype. Getting is EPCOT is somewhat of a pain because of the transfer @ TTC. And, it really only helps with 2 of the 4+ parks. You will still spend a lot of time on buses if you are hitting all of the other areas.

In addition, we ride the monorails very often during all of our visits, and their reliability over the past 3-4 years is not great. Not to mention having to wait for one that is not full.

Do not get me wrong, there are plenty of times when the monorail will make things a little easier, but in my humble opinion, not enough to justify the premium cost.

 

[HollyAD]

I have stayed deluxe, mod and value and the mornings have never been trouble. However, the deluxe with monorail/boat services do share a bus route with other deluxe resorts. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong and this has changed! At least the moderates did not share a bus with other resorts. POP also did not share a bus the last time I was there. AKL and WL are also great options and had their own buses the last time I visited. Also the WL had their own boats to MK and other resorts. The boats dock closer than the buses at ML so when you are tired it will save you a few steps. But honestly with a 4 year old myself, we loved POP. For the money you really can't beat it. It's bright and fun and very Disney. We have also loved staying moderate just as much as deluxe. But it is all really up to you! Do your research and enjoy what ever you pick!

 

[Weather_Lady]

We've only stayed at Moderates in the recent past (Coronado Springs, PORS). We show up at the main (NOT a secondary) bus depot one hour before park opening and generally wait less than 10 minutes to get on a bus. It's always gotten us to the desired park 20-30 minutes before rope drop.

Also, in my experience even resorts that sometimes share buses (e.g., PORS and POFQ), don't seem to do so first thing in the morning. The reason I recommend the main bus depot (by "main," I mean the bus depot located by the central check-in/food court building at each resort) is that when we'd get on there at other times of day, the bus would only continue to a secondary bus depot if it wasn't completely full, and would only stop at secondary depots until it was fully loaded before departing for a park. In most cases, it WOULD be full already after the first stop and would bypass all other stops. While I'm sure there was some system by which another bus would be called to pick up people at the other far-flung secondary depots, it always seemed like they got slower/later service. (In fact, the only times we ever had unreasonable (30+ minute) waits were when we tried to catch a bus at a secondary depot).