Something needs to change with bus transportation at Saratoga Springs because of DTD

[juniorthomas]

The bus rides are the most fun, being on a bus at 1am with 10 other souls and listening to a bus drivers is much more fun than if it is a septa bus and you hope you don't get robbed either on the bus or at your bus stop.

They certainly are something, though I'm not sure if "fun" is the appropriate word.

I will say that the moment a bus arrives and everyone rushes towards the door before people are even allowed off is probably the most dramatic time you'll ever have at WDW. The things you hear people say wouldn't even be uttered on SEPTA.

 

[juniorthomas]

I don't even think the problem is as bad at Downtown Disney as it might be at the MK resorts. A lot of people use those resorts to get around as opposed to making a transfer at the TTC. Those buses get even more crowded I think and usually are stopping at 3 resorts. At the end of the day Disney isn't going to restrict people from using the transportation system when those guests will likely be spending money when they get to that final destination. Without question, transportation is factored into the cost of a ticket just as it is for a resort stay. Crowded buses during peak times will always be an inevitability of Disney, no matter what policies are in place.

Unless there are more buses

 

[TP2000]

Downtown Disney in Anaheim charges for parking after 3 hours at $8 per hour, although all restaurants and the AMC give you 2 hours of validation for a total of 5 free hours if you dine or go to the movies there. Downtown Disney Anaheim also has a large and very active extra-cost valet parking service, with the valet drop-off and pick-up lanes right at the entrance of the mall near the ESPNZone and Rainforest Cafe. My dear old mother now only uses this DTD valet service any time she visits Disneyland.

They have a long line of entry lanes with gates and ticket machines to get in, and a long line of exit booths with cashiers checking your validation and/or charging you for any extra time you racked up on your way out. It's not impossible to do, and many malls in big cities do this exact thing, it's not something exclusive to Downtown Disney at Disneyland. The GardenWalk mall on the other side of Disneyland also charges for parking upon exit, although you can validate for several free hours if you eat in the sit-down restaurants there.

The same setup for fee parking they have in Anaheim could be used in Orlando, except with two or three entry/exit points instead of one.

 

[biggy H]

Simple answer to the OP problem about resort guests not getting on the buses to get home:-

Why not let resort guests on first by showing thier KTTW and then if there is space, let the others on?

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Simple answer to the OP problem about resort guests not getting on the buses to get home:-

Why not let resort guests on first by showing thier KTTW and then if there is space, let the others on?

Like others have stated, the transportation system isn't just for the use of resort guests. Anyone with a ticket is just as entitled to use the system as a resort guest. Disney doesn't want to restrict any paying guest from traveling freely since they are likely to spend money whenever they get to their destination.

 

[Mouse Wizard]

Like others have stated, the transportation system isn't just for the use of resort guests. Anyone with a ticket is just as entitled to use the system as a resort guest. Disney doesn't want to restrict any paying guest from traveling freely since they are likely to spend money whenever they get to their destination.

May I ask what is open at SSR at 10pm after the fireworks at MK for day guests to spend money on?

The issue Disney seems to need to deal with is, how to weed out guests who simply park at DTD and use resorts buses to get to the theme parks, so they do not have to pay for parking at the theme parks. People doing this don't have a legitimate reason to be on a SSR bus. They would be the ones Disney is losing money on, as they are avoiding parking fees.

Problem is, it's not easy to sort them out. They seem to have the similar issues as most big city buses have. Fare evaders.

 

[flavious27]

May I ask what is open at SSR at 10pm after the fireworks at MK for day guests to spend money on?

The issue Disney seems to need to deal with is, how to weed out guests who simply park at DTD and use resorts buses to get to the theme parks, so they do not have to pay for parking at the theme parks. People doing this don't have a legitimate reason to be on a SSR bus. They would be the ones Disney is losing money on, as they are avoiding parking fees.

Problem is, it's not easy to sort them out. They seem to have the similar issues as most big city buses have. Fare evaders.

Agreed, although anyone can use disney transportation with a park pass, it does not include parking unless it is annual pass with parking.

What this argument comes down to something simple, dvc members should have not to subsidize transportation for those looking to skip out on paying for parking. Along with that, disney does not add buses for guests that do not stay at ssr.

 

[wizards8507]

Why would a non-resort guest take the bus from a park (let's say Epcot) to SSR to go to Downtown Disney? That just doesn't make sense. Presumably, since they're staying off property they had to DRIVE to Epcot. If they take a bus to DTD (via SSR), they'd have to go BACK to Epcot to get the car. Why wouldn't they just drive to DTD?

 

[unkadug]

Why would a non-resort guest take the bus from a park (let's say Epcot) to SSR to go to Downtown Disney? That just doesn't make sense. Presumably, since they're staying off property they had to DRIVE to Epcot. If they take a bus to DTD (via SSR), they'd have to go BACK to Epcot to get the car. Why wouldn't they just drive to DTD?

I believe that some people are under the impression that a whole LOT of people park at DDT and then walk over to SSR to catch a bus to Epcot to avoid parking fees. Then at park closing time these people are filling up the buses to get back to their cars and thereby crowding out the people who are staying at SSR.

 

[wizards8507]

I believe that some people are under the impression that a whole LOT of people park at DDT and then walk over to SSR to catch a bus to Epcot to avoid parking fees. Then at park closing time these people are filling up the buses to get back to their cars and thereby crowding out the people who are staying at SSR.

I really doubt that it's a significant amount of people. The vast majority of guests have about 5% of the savvy of the most clueless member of a forum like this, and wouldn't even think to do something like that. Then there's the small amount of the population that actually has a sense of honor.

If it really is a major problem, wouldn't the simple solution be to start bus service out of DTD at 11:00 in the morning? There really aren't any breakfast locations, and the only valid reason to be going from DTD to a park is if you came to DTD for a meal.

 

[unkadug]

I really doubt that it's a significant amount of people. The vast majority of guests have about 5% of the savvy of the most clueless member of a forum like this, and wouldn't even think to do something like that. Then there's the small amount of the population that actually has a sense of honor.

If it really is a major problem, wouldn't the simple solution be to start bus service out of DTD at 11:00 in the morning? There really aren't any breakfast locations, and the only valid reason to be going from DTD to a park is if you came to DTD for a meal.

There is NO bus service from DTD to any park to prevent people from parking there for free and bypassing the parks parking fees.

 

[wizards8507]

There is NO bus service from DTD to any park to prevent people from parking there for free and bypassing the parks parking fees.

Right, I was thinking stopping all outbound service, including resorts. But I guess if people are WALKING there's not much to be done. Didn't really think that through.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I think that people generally overstate the problem with this. Of course there are going to be a few people who are going to park at DTD so they don't have to pay for parking. However, I don't think that the problem is the epidemic that this thread makes it sound like. I would venture to guess that the people that do park at DTD actually end up taking a bus somewhere first and then transfering over walking to SSR (it isn't really all that advertised that you can do this). I also think that the parking problem is worse at the MK and Epcot resort because of their locations. If the situation was that severe Disney would start taking action against it. If resort guests that use their car were to come back midday and say that they can't find a parking spot then Disney would acknowledge the issue. However, as was stated most guests don't know the "tricks" that we do here and the overwhelming majority of them are parking in the theme park lots.

 

[toolsnspools]

The whole thing sounds crazy to me. Why pay all that money to get into the parks and then spend the time to park at DDT, walk to SSR, wait for the bus, ride the bus, and the repeat that process inreverse at the end of the day when transportation is a nightmare, just to save $15/car? You'd be wasting at least a couple of hours getting to and from the parks using the busses. :shrug:

 

[WDWLOVER1957]

Like others have stated, the transportation system isn't just for the use of resort guests. Anyone with a ticket is just as entitled to use the system as a resort guest.

The owners and cash paying guests, pay for the transportation costs at SSR, why should any owner or guest be left behind, while those parking at DTD ride first,

Originally Posted by wizards8507
I really doubt that it's a significant amount of people,

As an owner there I can assure you it is a signifiant ammount, even SSR management aknowledge this.

Why not let resort guests on first by showing thier KTTW and then if there is space, let the others on?

 

[unkadug]

The owners and cash paying guests, pay for the transportation costs at SSR, why should any owner or guest be left behind, while those parking at DTD ride first,

Originally Posted by wizards8507
I really doubt that it's a significant amount of people,

As an owner there I can assure you it is a signifiant ammount, even SSR management aknowledge this.

Why not let resort guests on first by showing thier KTTW and then if there is space, let the others on?

Because they have just as much of a right to use the buses as anyone else.

Anybody that got left behind should have gotten to the bus stop earlier or simply wait for the next bus.

I still like my example from earlier, just because you are staying at the Ritz in New York does not give you exclusive use of the New York Subway.

 

[DVCOwner]

Because they have just as much of a right to use the buses as anyone else.

Anybody that got left behind should have gotten to the bus stop earlier or simply wait for the next bus.

I still like my example from earlier, just because you are staying at the Ritz in New York does not give you exclusive use of the New York Subway.

It is not quite that. If the Ritz was paying for a subway just to run to the Ritz, I am sure they would only let Ritz paying guest on. This bus is paid for by dues and fees paid to the resort and should not be used so people (even a few) to avoid paying parking at another location. If Disney is going to allow this than they should pay for the buses and not charge DVC. By the way this is not just a problem at this resort, I see many people parking at the lot accross from BWV and walking to the buses heading for the parks.

 

[unkadug]

It is not quite that. If the Ritz was paying for a subway just to run to the Ritz, I am sure they would only let Ritz paying guest on. This bus is paid for by dues and fees paid to the resort and should not be used so people (even a few) to avoid paying parking at another location. If Disney is going to allow this than they should pay for the buses and not charge DVC. By the way this is not just a problem at this resort, I see many people parking at the lot accross from BWV and walking to the buses heading for the parks.

The problem is EVERYBODY is paying for the use of buses whether they are staying at a resort or not. Each resort does not have exclusive buses, they are all part of the fleet.

Next thing you know, people staying at the Contemporary and the Polynesian will want to exclude everybody from the monorail system because they are the main transportation method for them to access MK and Epcot.

This whole thing just seems elitist to me. :shrug:

 

[wm49rs]

The problem is EVERYBODY is paying for the use of buses whether they are staying at a resort or not. Each resort does not have exclusive buses, they are all part of the fleet.

Next thing you know, people staying at the Contemporary and the Polynesian will want to exclude everybody from the monorail system because they are the main transportation method for them to access MK and Epcot.

This whole thing just seems elitist to me. :shrug:

You bloody Communist. Elitism is a god-given right, or didn't you get the memo?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

The problem is EVERYBODY is paying for the use of buses whether they are staying at a resort or not. Each resort does not have exclusive buses, they are all part of the fleet.

Next thing you know, people staying at the Contemporary and the Polynesian will want to exclude everybody from the monorail system because they are the main transportation method for them to access MK and Epcot.

This whole thing just seems elitist to me. :shrug:

Actually when I was staying at WL, some over lubricated over opinionated dried up old prune was complaining at the boast sharing with "those sort of people" from the campground. Odd really as my room at WL was considerably less than the cabin I had the year before. But then she was obviously a wife of rather than a person in her own right and would no doubt be missing the servicing from the hired hands.