POFQ Couple of(OK,4) Transportation Questions

[ParrotheadMinni]

Looking for some of you experts to help a compulsive over-planner.

We are staying 8 nights at POFQ April 7-14 2007 for our 4th trip to WDW (DH, DD16, DD13 and me). It will be our 20th wedding anniversary (I can't believe it's been that long). We are driving from VA, so will have our own car (loaded with suggested breakfast foods, water bottles, snacks, etc). We are doing only WDW (except for one required trip to Margaritaville).

Advice on transportation from POFQ:
1. Should we ride the Disney busses or drive to the Epoct, DS, & AK? Which is (a) quicker, and (b) easier? I think bus to MK because of having to transfer to another form of transportation from the parking lot to the front gate anyway. It appears POFQ gets picked up on the same route as POR, which is very large with multiple bus stops. I believe POFQ is first, so we should get a seat on the bus, but does it take a long time to get around and through POR to the parks? I really don't want to spend 45-60 minutes each way on a 3 mile drive when we have a car and free parking. 20 minutes or so, and I'll vote for the bus (realizing we'll have to wait for the bus). I'm not counting that waiting time, only actual travel time.
2. We will do full whole days at Epcot and DS (these are our "long" days), but AK day we will eat dinner at Boma around 6ish and look around AKL for a while. Does that change car/bus consideration?
3. What about driving to waterparks? We will do BB and TL on one day each (from opening time until about 2-3pm), then back to hotel and either rest or parkhop as desired.
4. One night we will do Cirque du Soleil at DTD(surprise for DD16). Can we take the boat to and from POFQ? I assume it runs late (we will probably see the 9pm show, unless someone knows a reason to do the earlier one.) Not looking for quickness on this night, just comfort and convenience.

Thanks very much for any advice!!

 

[celticdog]

I recommend using busses for all the parks. I always found them to be timely and extremely quick. POFQ is the first pick-up prior to POR. The trips never seemed to last more than 20 minutes.

Going to the waterparks will be much easier with a car. Those busses were very infrequent.

You could take the boat to DTD, however it's slow. The drop off point is all the way at the opposite end from Cirque. You would have to allocate a lot of time for that trip. I also beleive that the boats stop running right around dusk/dark. So, it may not even be an option. The car would be much more reliable. The busses to/from DTD are also very infrequent.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I would recommend the busses to the parks. The stops in Riverside don't take long. The only time I would say otherwise if for the night at Boma because it will be easier to get back to your resort once you are at AKL. The boats run until Midnight I believe and drop off at the Marketplace only. So you can take it to get to the Marketplace (and then walk over) for Cirque, but you will prob have to take the bus back (which does load from both parts of DTD).

 

[kal1484]

AK with dinner at Boma, I would say drive, only because to get back to your resort you'd have to go to another park, then transfer.

Water Parks, depends on how much stuff you take to the parks, If it's a lot, go ahead and drive instead of lugging it around.

Cirque, the boat is nice, but it does take a few minutes, however I like taking a nice laid back boat ride.

To the parks, just bus it, it's easier I think, plus you'll save gas money.

 

[campdisney]

By all means, ride Disney buses to the parks. POFQ does indeed get picked up first before heading to POR -- so you will always get a seat. It doesn't really take that much more time to pick up the POR folks and then move on to the parks, maybe 10 minutes extra at the most.

I find our car useful mainly for going to other hotels to dining. You may want to bring your car that day to DAK and then drive to Boma's @ AKL. Otherwise, you'll have to bus it to AKL for dinner, bus it back to DAK and then bus it again to get back to POFQ. Driving will definitely be quicker that day.

Don't know about water parks as we've never gone to them.

The boat ride from POFQ to DTD is quite charming. Takes about 20-25 minutes if I recall correctly. Not sure how late it runs but you can always boat it there and take the bus back if necessary. The buses runs quite late from DTD, past 1AM I believe.

 

[YankeeMouse]

Pofq

A couple of years ago, PO French Quarter busses stopped at Riverside. No more. The resort has its own bus now, so there is only one stop. You should figure that into your ride time, it goes pretty fast!

 

[Lucky]

A couple of years ago, PO French Quarter busses stopped at Riverside. No more. The resort has its own bus now, so there is only one stop. You should figure that into your ride time, it goes pretty fast!

POFQ sometimes has its own bus to MK. Otherwise, when I was there a month ago, it shared buses with POR. This may vary seasonally.

The bus is more convenient than a car from POFQ to MK, but you might be better off driving to the other major parks and especially to the water parks. Note parking at the water parks is free.

Going from resort to resort driving will always be much faster than the bus. We didn't have a car this trip, so had to return from Boma to POFQ via MK.

 

[Master Yoda]

Buses or Drive. I have always preferred the busses with the exception of the busses to DTD. Many people feel like their own car is faster but when I have timed resort room door to turnstile the busses vs. driving are about a wash at AK,Epcot, MGM and the water parks, faster to MK and slower to DTD.

Dinner at Boma. If you are not drinking at dinner the car will be a little less hassle. If you are drinking from any park take the bus to AKL. at another resort take the bus to AK then the AKL bus back to the resort. To get back take the bus to any park or DTD and then bus (or boat from DTD) back to PO.

La Nouba. If not drinking drive. The boat will be quicker to DTD than the bus but it only runs until 11:00 PM and drops you off at Captain Jacks which on the opposite side of DTD as La Nouba (about a 15-20 min walk). The closest the bus will get you is PI which is at about the half way point of DTD. To get back take the bus at PI to PO.

 

[hankhill]

Stuff

I love the POFQ.

You can certainly take the boat. There are actually two stops now one at PI West and East. West lets you off about 50 feet from Cirque. Enjoy.

As for the car, we have done both. I will say that the parking thinkg is a good little benefit. You can park hop and if you have payed once at another park you dont have to pay again.

Definately take it to the waterparks.

HH

 

[Master Yoda]

I love the POFQ.

You can certainly take the boat. There are actually two stops now one at PI West and East. West lets you off about 50 feet from Cirque. Enjoy.

As for the car, we have done both. I will say that the parking thinkg is a good little benefit. You can park hop and if you have payed once at another park you dont have to pay again.

Definately take it to the waterparks.

HH

Unless they recently reopened it this dock has been closed for around a year or so.

 

[slappy magoo]

If you intend to spend any time at DTD anyway (surely there's at least one shopper in your family), I'd say, on the day you intend to go to AK and then eat at Boma, take the bus from AKL to DTD, do some shopping (or go to Adventurer's Club; it's sometimes a little "blue" but nothing so disturbing that children shouldn't see it-I've seen plenty of little ones there), and then take the boat back to POFQ.

When you go to the water parks, driving will give you the opportunity to keep some spare dry clothes in the car. You'll dry off a little more while walking, and can throw stuff on over your bathing suits when you get to the car. Sure, you could rent a locker, but eventually, the wet stuff & dry stuff will merge, you'll get a stronger smell of chlorine on everything...I'd drive those days.

Otherwise, as far as time efficiency goes between driving to the parks versus riding the bus, every day is a little bit of a crap shoot. The one main advantage to having your car is, no matter how crowded that day at that park is, you know you'll have a seat on the way home. Not to mention, you won't have to deal with potentially rude, offensive or malodorous people sharing your bus, you can listen to music to get or keep you in a fun state of mind, and you never have that sinking feeling when you approach the bus stop, only to see a bus going to your destination leaving, so you're stuck wondering how long...JUST HOW LONGmust you wait before another bus comes? It's bad enough when you're going to the parks and miss the bus-you can always change your mind and jump in the car. But when you take the bus to the parks, and then you miss one on the way home, when you can't stand up one second longer, that's a major-minor inconvenience

 

[Master Yoda]

If you intend to spend any time at DTD anyway (surely there's at least one shopper in your family), I'd say, on the day you intend to go to AK and then eat at Boma, take the bus from AKL to DTD, do some shopping (or go to Adventurer's Club; it's sometimes a little "blue" but nothing so disturbing that children shouldn't see it-I've seen plenty of little ones there), and then take the boat back to POFQ.

My kids hated AC.... :lol:
look for the displeasure in my daughters face

Only Disney could make a club that both a 5 year old and a 75 year old could have fun in.

 

[ParrotheadMinni]

Wow, I can't believe I got so many good responses so quickly. THANKS!!!
It looks like we will take busses to MK, EP, and DS. That will give us a few days during the week to leave the car parked!! We will drive to AK/Boma and make an early night that night (maybe a dip in the Doubloon Lagoon pool before bed). We will probably drive to the water parks (no lockers, we travel light), since being on a bus with a lot of wet people on the way back is not my idea of fun. One of our waterpark days may be the day we venture to Margartaville for dinner and Parrothead shopping. We may ride the bus the other day. Isn't this obsessive?:hammer:

Still unsure about transportation to DTD. Like the boat idea (just to do it at least once while we're at a resort that offers it) Starting to think about expanding that evening beyond Cirque. Adventurer's Club has peaked my interest, and maybe a little shopping. Heck maybe a bite to eat also. Maybe go to the early Cirque show and then hit AC....or vice-versa.

With an "almost-17-year-old", we ALWAYS now have a designated driver!!!

 

[Master Yoda]

Wow, I can't believe I got so many good responses so quickly. THANKS!!!
It looks like we will take busses to MK, EP, and DS. That will give us a few days during the week to leave the car parked!! We will drive to AK/Boma and make an early night that night (maybe a dip in the Doubloon Lagoon pool before bed). We will probably drive to the water parks (no lockers, we travel light), since being on a bus with a lot of wet people on the way back is not my idea of fun. One of our waterpark days may be the day we venture to Margartaville for dinner and Parrothead shopping. We may ride the bus the other day. Isn't this obsessive?:hammer:

Still unsure about transportation to DTD. Like the boat idea (just to do it at least once while we're at a resort that offers it) Starting to think about expanding that evening beyond Cirque. Adventurer's Club has peaked my interest, and maybe a little shopping. Heck maybe a bite to eat also. Maybe go to the early Cirque show and then hit AC....or vice-versa.

With an "almost-17-year-old", we ALWAYS now have a designated driver!!!

Adventurer's Club is a unique place, my sole reason for getting a PI AP. If you want some more info drop me a PM and I'll give you as much info as I can.

 

[cmatt]

just to say congratulations on your 20 years of service!

 

[Teenchy]

I cant beleive I'm one of the few to suggest taking the car everywhere you go.

We find it so easy and timing for coming & going is completely up to us. I just dont believe those who say if we both walked out of our resorts at the same time and you took the bus and I drove that its takes the same amount of time. I think if you get lucky and a bus pulls up right away maybe its a tie. But leaving the parks and waiting in line for a full bus that you can squeeze into is not my ideal way of ending a magical day....(Just me?)

Plus we are so spur of the moment park hoppers, granted we go so often, but sometimes we just say...hey lets head over to Epcot for example just because we got the urge to eat somehwere in the WS. With our own car its so flexible.

When you stay at a Disney resort you dont pay for parking.

My only suggestion would be to ride the boat at least once to DTD, its just a nice ride and parking at DTD can sometimes be a pain. But then again I look differently at the boat transportation in WDW versus the buses. There is somewhat of that magical feel that a boat or a monorail, etc is transporting you to a new adventure.

 

[Master Yoda]

I cant beleive I'm one of the few to suggest taking the car everywhere you go.

We find it so easy and timing for coming & going is completely up to us. I just dont believe those who say if we both walked out of our resorts at the same time and you took the bus and I drove that its takes the same amount of time. I think if you get lucky and a bus pulls up right away maybe its a tie. But leaving the parks and waiting in line for a full bus that you can squeeze into is not my ideal way of ending a magical day....(Just me?)

I actually timed this on a few of trips. I started a stop watch when I closed my room door and stopped when I got in line at the turnstile or in the case of DTD set foot on the sidewalk. AK,MGM and Epcot were about a wash +/- a minuet or two either way. MK the bus was consistently faster by an average of about 4 minuets. DTD the bus was slower by as much as 15 minuets.

I think what most people fail to include in their time is parking and the tram ride to the gate. For MK the ferry or the monorail drastically adds to that time. In the case of DTD the culprit that makes the busses slower i the route the busses have to take around the back side of DTD.

Another factor that will sometimes make driving seem faster is simply that you are always moving. Waiting and doing nothing always seems to add to the perceived amount of time.

Of course their are always external factors that can effect both a car and a bus ride such as breakdowns, traffic jams, handicap loading etc.

 

[celticdog]

Another thing about riding the busses, you get to meet alot great people. I've had some great conversations with other guests. We've had also had had some great bus drivers that did sing alongs and made the whole trip fun.

 

[dthieme]

Good Advice

The majority of the responses are spot on. The bus trip should take 20 minutes max (except the water parks and DTD), and you will save $7.00 a day. The bus ride to MK drops you off at the gate, not across the lake in the TTC, and would probably even save time over driving. As far as obnoxious people are concerned, I’ve met a few on my 11 trips to WDW but they are in the minority, most of the guests are friendly families just like you who are there to have fun. I’ve met many people and developed instant friendships using the transportation services. If you an outgoing person, I’m sure you’ll have the same experience.

 

[dthieme]

After reading more responses on page two I feel compelled to make one last comment.

The travel dates he listed are in April and park attendance will be light to moderate. That means no full busses. If you were traveling between 12/15 and 1/1 or during the summer I’d have a different answer.