tirian
Well-Known Member
“I’m here to eat at...quick service???”
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News PHOTOS - Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin switch to Mears shuttles for theme park transportation
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Rhinocerous
Premium Member
If they're contracting with Mears now, they should arrange for DME service as part of the agreement. (Or an unbranded equivalent thereof.)
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Looks like the friendship boats were testing today, so hopefully that helps lessen the blow of the mears busses.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
Hopefully when the boats come back Disney transport busses return as well.
artvandelay
Well-Known Member
I heard the Friendship boats are back November 1st.
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Appreciate the inside scoop. The S&D need them ASAP.
*If* Swolphin gets them.
If Swolphin isn't getting Disney transportation by way of buses, then why would they get them by way of boat?
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
yeah this will be interesting. All depends on how the contracts are actually written and what is actually going on.
I can see the boats and Disney bus returning together, possibly what the whole change was about to begin with if Disney was charging a “transportation fee” and not provided alternate transportation.
I can also see the boats skipping the dock and the swan and dolphin saving as much $$$ as they can.
Disone
Well-Known Member
Strictly a guess here but they may have temporarily cut this morning dolphin service simply because they have cut the capacity of the buses to about 20 passengers per bus. So using some loose math that's just under half of the buses previous capacity. They are running more than half of the routes, almost all really. Demand for buses may be artificially high, extremely high, with the self-imposed capacity of 20 per bus.
Some of that is offset by both parts of Port Orleans being closed, and so those buses can be utilized on other routes. But aside from that all the other resorts are at least partially open. But also Disney has added direct Epcot service from the individual Magic Kingdom Resorts due to the Epcot monorail not running. This is not typically a bus line Disney has run in the past. Also in the evening as soon as the Magic Kingdom is closed Magic Kingdom monorail stops running. It continues to run for about an hour out bound but it does not run for resort to Resort or resort to Magic Kingdom transportation. This too has been replaced by buses. And again all these buses are limited to about 20 per bus.
I suspect they may have needed to have Mears take on S&D routes until some normalcy returns.
Just my guess.
Some of that is offset by both parts of Port Orleans being closed, and so those buses can be utilized on other routes. But aside from that all the other resorts are at least partially open. But also Disney has added direct Epcot service from the individual Magic Kingdom Resorts due to the Epcot monorail not running. This is not typically a bus line Disney has run in the past. Also in the evening as soon as the Magic Kingdom is closed Magic Kingdom monorail stops running. It continues to run for about an hour out bound but it does not run for resort to Resort or resort to Magic Kingdom transportation. This too has been replaced by buses. And again all these buses are limited to about 20 per bus.
I suspect they may have needed to have Mears take on S&D routes until some normalcy returns.
Just my guess.
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I'm not 100% they will, but I would feel they would have a separate contract with Disney for the boat transportation, but again I am not sure.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
So guys, what is the status of the Dolphin and the Swan? I got a trip to this hotel soon and I'm pretty worried about how the hell I will be able to move around.
I mean, The talks about using the boardwalk buses and then they have checking for hotel tags and magicbands..
Should I just wear an inactive magicband I used before?
I mean, The talks about using the boardwalk buses and then they have checking for hotel tags and magicbands..
Should I just wear an inactive magicband I used before?
Where did you hear they were checking for hotel tags and magicbands? I had not heard that yet.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
This person mentions that the boardwalk buses check for magicbands as a possibility.
No friendship boats.
Uber and Lyft no access to Magic Kingdom.
Seems the only answer is using the MEARS shuttles and hope you reach in time and/or move to DHS via walking and then move from there.
Yeah, I see where you got it from. However, it looks like he is just guessing they might start at some point checking magicbands rather than they actively are doing it is the way I read it.
lightningtap347
Well-Known Member
SO the main difference is that these busses can't reach the normal bus stops at MK? Am I reading that right?
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
If you’re concerned, buy a pastry and a coffee Boardwalk bakery and tell them you walked over to boardwalk for breakfast and you have a receipt to show.
I highly doubt they will start checking for magicbands and room keys. It’s a 1/2 mile walk from the swan / dolphin to the bus stop.
The Disney Resort buses (what Swan/Dolphin used to use) drop off right at MK. However, the new Mears transportation buses drop you off at the TTC, which you then need to ride either the monorail or the boat to MK.
lightningtap347
Well-Known Member
Right, that's the only difference?
Not to say that doesn't suck (it does), but if you're going for an epcot/DHS stay I would still go here. I am biased towards this hotel however.
Yes.
That's why you use Boardwalk or Beach. Disney has never checked magicbands to get on the bus. Not to stop DS workarounds, not to prevent non-guests from riding.
When I stay at the Swolphin, I usually hop on the first bus leaving DAK or MK for Beach, BW, or Swolphin.