Wdw Beachclub- what has gone wrong with Disney??

[cw1982]

I thought we were going to see a knock down drag out fight at HS. The bus pulled up and began loading. At that point no wheelchairs or EVC's were there. About half way into loading a large group with two scooters arrived. The bus driver then made everyone who was in the front section of the bus unload, then loaded the two EVC's and the 8 people with them. THEN let everyone back on the bus. It got ugly between people who got kicked off the bus and then back on...it was crazy because no one went back to their original spots. I'd never seen a bus driver do this before.

Wow... that makes no sense to me! Why could they not have just made everyone move away from the area where the EVC's go on the bus, let those two EVC's and their family on, and then continue loading everyone else? Or go ahead and call for a backup bus and let the people with the EVC's know that they would be first on the next bus, which should be there shortly?

What you described doesn't seem fair for anyone.

 

[lebeau]

I thought we were going to see a knock down drag out fight at HS. The bus pulled up and began loading. At that point no wheelchairs or EVC's were there. About half way into loading a large group with two scooters arrived. The bus driver then made everyone who was in the front section of the bus unload, then loaded the two EVC's and the 8 people with them. THEN let everyone back on the bus. It got ugly between people who got kicked off the bus and then back on...it was crazy because no one went back to their original spots. I'd never seen a bus driver do this before.

Yeah, that's crazy. Every time I have seen scooters pull up after the bus had started loading, the driver told them they would have to wait for the next bus. I have seen some guests in scooters get really angry to be told they would have to wait. But that has to be better than unloading and reloading a bus.

 

[flynnibus]

ECVs need to be loaded first (and they will be unloaded last..) because they need the space to manuver.

Because the ECV will not be in the same space as the regular people waiting in line.. it's effectively two lines that do not compete for the same space. ECV just needs to load first.

The problem comes in that ECVs do not travel alone, they travel with others, and splitting up travel parties would be nasty and not guest friendly for Disney... so the ECV loads, and then their whole tag-alone loads with them.. which does hinder the people standing in line.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Maybe someone from WDW Transportation can answer this, but isn't it a safety issue that the ECVs have to be loaded first and secured so that the other passengers don't get hit trying to load them in order? If it's a safety regulation or policy it doesn't matter if the person needs the mobility aid due to weight or physical disability. Keep in mind that someone who cannot walk for medical reasons can sooner or later become overweight because they cannot move around or exercise to burn calories. There are also those who, to your, point, simply eat to much for their own good.

No reason at all why an ECV has to be loaded first. Take a city bus, train, tram etc. Have you ever seen them unload an entire carriage just to put an ECV on first?

In fact, what happens where a Disney bus arrives at a Bus Stop to pick up and there is already people on the bus. Do they unload all the existing passengers before the ECV is loaded?

To be honest, at the rate at which their use is growing, Disney needs to find a alternative system e.g. a loading deck at the back of the bus which can hold 3-4 ECVs therefore taking up no internal space.

 

[Violiav]

I've never seen a city bus be unloaded before (except in the case of a breakdown), but I have seen people get shuffled around.

 

[Dwarful]

lebeau...my oldest daughter was all ready to video for a youtube video...because that's how ugly we thought it would get....it got bad, but not that ugly.

 

[Dwarful]

My husband thought it was a fairly new driver.....and we think the one guy with the two scooters was pretty intimidating....perhaps enough to convince the driver to do what they wanted? I don't know....it happened just that one time but once was enough.

 

[daisyduckie]

I have no problem with them loading the ECV's first, after all how can they get those things on if the bus is packed. But why can't the people stay seated in them for the bus ride. It can't be any more dangerous then having the bus crammed full of people standing. The one time that stuck out in my mind was a very very heavy couple. They each had their own ECV that were loaded. Each ECV takes up 3 seats, so that was 6 seats just for the ECVs and then they both sat down taking 2 seats each due to their size. So 2 people took up 10 seats!!! That is too extreme IMO.

The belts used to hold ECVs on the buses are not seat belts. They hold the ECV, that is it.

 

[jaklgreen]

The belts used to hold ECVs on the buses are not seat belts. They hold the ECV, that is it.

The buses don't have seat belts for anyone so there is no difference if you are sitting on the ECV or in a seat or standing.

 

[daisyduckie]

The ECVs, even though they are belted down, are not affixed to the bus the same way the seats are. It is a safety issue. If you think people in ECVs have it so great, I suggest you rent one for a few hour during your next trip. You will quickly change your mind.

 

[jaklgreen]

The ECVs, even though they are belted down, are not affixed to the bus the same way the seats are. It is a safety issue. If you think people in ECVs have it so great, I suggest you rent one for a few hour during your next trip. You will quickly change your mind.

I didn't say anything about people who ride them having it great. My comment was about the amount of space those 2 people took up. And I have seen plenty of people staying seated in their ECV's on the bus. With a crammed full bus I wouldn't think it would be any difference in safety if you were sitting in it or standing next to it. If its going to come free of the belt, someone is going to get hurt.

 

[COrunner]

If you think people in ECVs have it so great, I suggest you rent one for a few hour during your next trip. You will quickly change your mind.

I don't think anyone was implying that an ECV was a golden ticket. But you have to understand that the perception among many is that people misuse ECV's and there are a great many documented times when that has happened.

My experience with ECV's when at PO Riverside was two fold. One day an ECV pulled to the bus, waited in line and the driver had on a visible knee brace, was respectful and when the bus showed up people allowed them to load first. 3 days later a customer who was large approached the stop on an ECV, made it a point to park at the rear door, then get out of the ECV and tell the driver that they needed to load first. Needless to say there was some murmur and upset back talking from those who had queued up to enter the bus.

Situations that involve ECV's and strollers are less about the ECV and Stroller but more about the attitude of those operating them.

 

[LWB]

We stayed at the Beach Club recently and the bus transportation did seem to take a bit longer than other resorts where we have stayed (deluxe or moderate), but even when we walked up to find the bus we needed pulling away and forcing us to wait for another bus, I don't think we waited longer than 20 minutes. One thing that made it feel like the transportation was different at the Beach Club was this - some places you could more easily tell if it's a MK bus, AK bus etc loading so someone in your party could hurry (RUN!) and get the bus to wait for your party, but at the Beach Club because of the layout, we couldn't tell what the bus was currently loading until we turned the corner (and as the bus was usually pulling off) - this made us "just miss" more buses there than we might have at other places, making it seem like we waited longer when the wait was really just the same.

 

[Lyman]

I've read before that when you ask someone waiting for a bus how long they have been there, they always say much longer that actual time. It is perception, it always seems to take forever when you are waiting. So I would take the time given to you by that waiting couple with a grain of salt.

Also, I agree that as someone who has gone to Disney so many times, you should be well aware Disney tells you to allow 90 minutes to make it to any ADR using their buses. And for someone with your challenges it would be wise to allow more than that. Especially going to DTD, which seems to have the worse bus system at WDW.

I truly hope you can try and put yesterday's frustrations behind you, and have a better day today.

When I have a long bus wait it is not perception. When I get to the bus stop I look at my watch. Old habit from my public transportation days.

 

[Lyman]

Disney has never even hinted at the idea of characters coming into resort rooms to wake up guests..

Every time I stayed I had a character wake me up. She's been doing it for 40 plus years. Love it every time.

 

[muse1983]

can you believe i was just quotec $400 for a midsize rental for 3 days!

It sounds like you've "lost your edge" on making reservations in advance...

 

[psukardi]

It sounds like you've "lost your edge" on making reservations in advance...

Would it be cheaper to use Uber?

 

[FutureCEO]

We waited about an hour for a bus in May and even then it was packed