slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Why? I think my point about your point being unnecessary was succinct. And wasn't that your point?
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Resort To Park Gates: Bus vs Car
- Thread starter Raineman
- Start date
Why? I think my point about your point being unnecessary was succinct. And wasn't that your point?
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
No, but i checked out the bus lanes in downtown. Looks fantastic and should improve things further.
Its trending in the right direction but theres still more to do.
Piney
Member
Happens to me at least once a year!
It has. DTD was always a pain at it seemed like they would go to DTD via south Georgia to avoid the traffic. Now they can just go straight in. Providing of course that there is not a regular car in the bus lane.
I feel like I need to add that, every time we've taken a bus between parks, or back to the resort before park close, the wait times have been minimal and we almost always get a seat on the bus. I've always found it weird that there doesn't seem to be a pattern as to which bus will be the busiest leaving the resort earlier in the morning. I've seen the MK bus fairly empty, while the DHS or DAK bus was packed.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
We were there over the 4th as well. The only time we had an issue with the busses was when leaving the GF after the fireworks on the 4th. I don't think they were quite prepared for the number of people that would be at the resort to watch fireworks, coupled with the road closures that were in place because of the fireworks. We wanted to take a DS bus, and then a bus back to OKW where we were staying, but the DS busses were comming in already packed (from the poly). Then an empty AK bus came by, so we jumped on that. When we got to AK, the bus pulled into the OKW load area. So we didn't even have to get off the bus, just took a slight detour via AK.
The busses have gotten a LOT better. They are not perfect, but they are so much better than they used to be.
-dave
Nope, Not At All
When it comes to the crowds that show up for the 4th, I think it just overloads the system and there is only so much they can do.
We were at the Poly and had a late ADR at Kona. We did not even try to get back to our resort until nearly 11 and it was still just thick with people.
You might get lucky an walk out to the bus stop right as the bus is about to leave your resort, and you might be fortunate enough that the bus has no other stops before it goes to your park... And if those things are true I expect the bus would get you there quicker than your car.... But on the rare trips where we made the mistake of using the buses they only provide non-stop service for use once when we were at AKL... Other resorts we had multiple stops that slowed things down.
But hey assume you are lucky every day and don't have to wait... You are then faced with the return from the park so again you are hoping that you are lucky and arrive at the bus stop just as the bus is about to close the doors and leave for your resort... We never had that happen on any of our trips and if you dare to stay until the last fireworks show you are pretty much guaranteed to have to wait for several buses to load before you'll get on unless you hurried out of the park before the finale of the fireworks was over.... Worst case scenario we had to wait over an hour and a half once because the lines were so long at the bus stop.
I have yet to win the lottery so I don't think I was blessed with Gladstone Gander's luck... so we always drive when possible, odds are a bus will never be the fastest way both in and out of the park on any given trip.
I might buy your claim of never waiting more than 5-10 minutes for a bus to leave your resort... but have you had that same luck when leaving the park to return to the resort? And does the bus ever make stops at other pickup or drop off points when you are going to or from the park? That would add time in to that you might not be considering.
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
Maybe I just have really good luck/timing/time of year. I generally leave 30-60 Minutes after Wishes from MK, 30 minutes after Illuminations from EPCOT, and 30 minutes after close from HS. I don't sprint out when everyone is trying to make it to the buses...perhaps that matters?
If I ever get sick and leave at 3 in the afternoon, maybe it takes 20 minutes for a bus. I've stayed all over. Kidani Village, Polynesian, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, All Stars (not as much in recent years), and Contemporary (obviously not bus required at Poly and here).
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Standard time between bus visits during down times. They can't run a fleet of buses big enough to have one there every 5 minutes without clogging up the highway, unnecessarily using our resources (fuel), creating more pollution for nothing, and a huge waste of money for equipment that will only be used fully for about 4 hours a day. That is why drivers have to do shift work.
Those times are quite reasonable for vehicles that have to get from place to place on rubber tires and contend with tourist traffic constantly. If they are lucky they can get 60 people (or so) on a single bus and that is with half of them standing. It's like some people really cannot understand how these systems work and always think that what they get isn't anything short of incompetence, when it is exactly the opposite.
Which is the best reason to use a car. If you ever get sick or need to get back to your hotel quickly the buses will never be the best option compared to a car.
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
Not really. You don't plan for the 5% chance you need to get back immediately. You plan for the most likely scenario. Besides, we've discussed that having a car doesn't guarantee you "the quickest" way back to the room. That depends on where you got to park, traffic, the tram, crowds, etc.
If you want to get back as fast as possible, walking out to an area you can take Uber or a Taxi would be your best bet for a once in awhile scenario.
Overall, the bus still has tremendous benefits and really is no slower than driving yourself, due to the factors mentioned. Either method can he faster depending on circumstances, so why bother yourself with car that is more hassle and expense?
zero creativity
Active Member
It was both. Had to pick up the campgrounds and in the case of AK had to stop at the water park. It might be different now that they don't stop at the water parks. It also took forever to get to Hollywood studios
We've always thought about staying at WL for a few days. If it had a direct MK route at least, that would be nice. Our last two onsite stays were short and because of event driven low rates and coordination, but WL wasn't in the package. There have been some changes to the routes, discussed around here a month or so ago, but I don't recall what those were - and doesn't matter anyway, because everything can change on pretty short notice.
Thanks!
SyracuseDisneyFan
Well-Known Member
I think it also depends on where you stay.
See, I was agreeing with you until you decided the bus has 'tremendous benefits' and having a car was a hassle and more expense. Its no hassle, more comfortable than riding on a bus, and the money you can very easily and quickly waste by staying on site more than pays for a car. (I can toss out gross generalizations too).
Me 'Earties
Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate
I think it somewhat depends on where you're staying, where you're going, and who's in your party. We like to stay or either GF villas or BLT, and even with that, we have a rental. We take the monorail or walk to MK or EP (and sometimes boat it) since it's all close and have that convenience. But, when we go to HS or water park, we drive. We have kids in strollers and I don't want to carry all their stuff or make other peoples' lives miserable if one is crying on the bus. When hubby and I were solo, we rode the buses and it wasn't too bad as long as you had some patience during park closing, going to a water park, etc. (those instances when the bus could take a bit longer/have to wait for it)
yep yep yeo
Prime example is teenagers that can go park hopping alone. Onsite, bus, almost a must. "bye guys, have fun, we'll be here at the pool"
(with off site hotels, your shuttle options can vary widely, but that's still a bus isn't it).