-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Resort buses
- Thread starter Phroobar
- Start date
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
They are buses that get you from one point to another without having the stress of driving yourself. I think they do a fine job at what they're intended to do. I think WDW has the second largest bus system in Florida behind Miami's. I kind of wish the buses had different theming...like the monorails have different colors...but that in no way affects their performance.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
They are much better than any metropolitan transit authority in terms of maintenance, staffing, and punctuality that I'm knowledgeable about. Most of the friction I observe can be attributed to those not familiar with shared transit.
officialtom
Well-Known Member
We adore the bus system. I don't see us ever renting a car while at WDW.
jloucks
Well-Known Member
They are very jarring (luxury and hospitality wise) and really out of place. How can you have first class lodgings, first class parks, and ghetto class transportation. Makes no sense. ...well, sure, it is super cheap and makes sense from a WDW standpoint, but not from a guests experience standpoint.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ion-etiquette-rant.899982/page-4#post-6719570
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...i-cancelled-our-wdw-trip.899456/#post-6695307
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disney-bus-transportation-etiquette-rant.899982/#post-6718655
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
They are much cleaner than any city bus I've seen, but depending upon where you stay they can either be efficient or flat-out terrible. Pop Century and French Quarter fare much better than Boardwalk or Saratoga Springs.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
They are generally good. They run frequently and Disney seems to be pretty good about adjusting on the fly to meet demand.
One negative is when you ride a bus with multiple resort stops. I didn't enjoy stopping at all of the Boardwalk area resorts. Took forever to get where I was going. Likewise when you stop at French Quarter and Riverside. This usually occurs only during off-peak hours.
One other negative. I once saw a large crowd waiting for a bus at Pop Century, trying to get to AK for EMH. EMH was already half over and there was a large crowd. I felt like it was likely they were there early but there just weren't enough busses running.
Negative examples aside, I find the bus system perfectly fine.
One negative is when you ride a bus with multiple resort stops. I didn't enjoy stopping at all of the Boardwalk area resorts. Took forever to get where I was going. Likewise when you stop at French Quarter and Riverside. This usually occurs only during off-peak hours.
One other negative. I once saw a large crowd waiting for a bus at Pop Century, trying to get to AK for EMH. EMH was already half over and there was a large crowd. I felt like it was likely they were there early but there just weren't enough busses running.
Negative examples aside, I find the bus system perfectly fine.
Worldlover71
Well-Known Member
They are generally efficient and for many people there is not need to rent a car. However, I do wish Disney would come up with something better. The buses are always packed at park closing time to the point where I never get a seat. Even if I am first in line I always wind up giving my seat to someone who needs it more than me and I wind up jammed in like a sardine. Also, the exhaust at the park bus stops can be a bit much to take. I know the monorail is unlikely to ever be expanded and people-movers are probably a pipe dream but a premium priced vacation deserves premium transportation options.
Not a transportation expert, but I don't know of a more efficient and cost effective way to transport tens of thousands of people daily around an area covering 6000 - 7000 acres. Until we have perfected teleporting a la Star Trek, I think we will be stuck with some method of mass transit.
Disney buses are certainly nicer and more efficient than what Universal has implemented.
However, what's with the music on the buses going to/from Disney Springs? We were there this past weekend for MNSSHP and the music on the bus was the most annoying I've heard.
Disney buses are certainly nicer and more efficient than what Universal has implemented.
However, what's with the music on the buses going to/from Disney Springs? We were there this past weekend for MNSSHP and the music on the bus was the most annoying I've heard.
stargrl33
Active Member
I actually enjoy the buses because it means I don't have to drive or worry about rental cars and parking. The only time the wait ever bothered me was trying to get back to All Star Music resort at the end of the night on the last trip...luckily the All Star Sports bus never had a line so we just took that one and walked from sports to music every night at park closing.
Scooter
Well-Known Member
Depends on which resort you are staying at. Some seem to provide better bus service than others. Contemporary Resort Bus service always seems great when I stay there as did the Polynesian bus service but we had terrible bus service when we stayed at The Animal Kingdom Lodge. Not sure why this was the case but it was bad enough that we won't be staying at AKL again.
Lisa Boisjoli
New Member
The bus system is great! During our last stay at the beginning of September some of the busses were even brand new. I also love how when going to MK, you go right past the TTC! You can't beat that.
Worldlover71
Well-Known Member
The fact that buses are cost-effective should not supersede the guest's comfort (or health when it comes to exhaust.) This is a company that has proven time and again that it can create innovative alternatives. It is also a company that makes record profits year after year so they can afford to spend more on transportation options. I know shareholder profits are the most important thing in a publicly held company but it is not the only thing. Sorry to be a bit off topic. As I said earlier, the buses are clean and efficient. I just think Disney can do better.
So what method of transportation capable of hauling tens of thousands of visitors over that size acreage DAILY would you suggest? Cities are switching to natural gas or electric buses (we have a couple of electric buses in our city), but those also come with environmental concerns. To burn natural gas in an internal combustion engine requires modifications to both the engine and the delivery system (think gas tank and fuels lines for petroleum based fuels). Batteries come with manufacture and disposal concerns for the environment. Burning ANY fossil fuel results in emissions, whether it's gasoline, natural gas or diesel - some are just cleaner than others. And Disney buses most likely run on diesel as it provides more power than gas for an engine and vehicle the size of a bus Disney operates. As I mentioned earlier, our city has a few electric buses, but they are smaller than the diesel fueled ones. So in order to service the same number of riders, Disney would have to put more buses on the road, thereby increasing traffic congestion.
To utilize the monorail as the primary method of transportation within WDW - parks, resorts and Disney Springs - would require more than adding tracks. The current track/car configuration is insufficient to handle the load. Which means building an entire new system while keeping the existing one in place, then tearing down the old one. Which is what happens frequently when new bridges are built. Can you imagine a transportation construction project of that magnitude going on at the most visited theme park in the world? I remember the years of road mess the construction of I-10 made in my part of Florida. And it wasn't being constructed through a densely populated area like WDW. Disney had, what, 51 million visitors last year?
Disney does a pretty good job with the buses, they are almost always clean and in good repair. I have, on several occasions, had to wait for a very long time to get a bus when staying at moderates, seems like the deluxes do get a better level of service. Having said that it is still much better and cheaper than renting a car and with a little extra planning the delays can be mitigated. To run electric buses you would either need an overhead catenary system to provide power (very ugly) or have many extra buses so they can "swap out" for charging since none of today's electric buses would make 12 hours of continuous service runs between charges. Bombardier does have an experimental trollies that use "super capacitors" that charge in 30 to 45 seconds while at station stops and then the batteries recharge of the super caps when they pull away, a very promising system but they seem to have difficulties with high ambient temperatures and I doubt Disney would implement anything until it is well proven. The buses are hardly alone in their being jam packed when the parks close, the monorail is every bit as sardine container like.
Which is why, other than San Francisco, most major cities switched to gasoline powered buses years ago. I remember electric buses with the overhead system as a kid growing up in LA.
I think you are correct. Disney's going to wait until an alternative fuel source - electric, fuel cells or some other power source - is at the point that it is viable for heavy duty commercial transportation. While an overhead system, like the monorail, is certainly attractive, to construct such that would be the primary mass transit system for WDW would take years. Cannot remember, is the monorail electric or mag lev? Because I would certainly pursue the latter - it's already in use and proven viable in other countries (Disney doesn't need the speed, just capacity). People have been for several years about the transportation mess resulting from the expansion & construction of parking garages at Disney Springs. Can you imagine the uproar a MAJOR project like building a new monorail system that touches every area of WDW would create? Imagine the traffic nightmare from that.