Buses on property

[zarapipe]

Please tell me your experiences. Especially to mk via bus. We are deciding between on and off property and the biggest draw for staying on is the bus and bypassing the TTC. Last time we stayed off property it took about 45 minutes from leaving the house to getting off the monorail. With 2 kids, one who will need a mid day nap being closer would be awesome.

Can you also tell me how long it took and where you stayed? How long you had to wait and how long on the bus?

[kaycee]

I love the buses. Super easy to use. Never had to wait more than 15 minutes. You meet super nice people from all over on them. My DD loved being a "big girl" and riding without a car seat.

[lala]

I also love the busses or other disney transport (or walking!). There have been a few rough waits over the years, but mostly it's great. I love not dealing w/ carseats or reading signs.

[dale]

The first time we did WDW my DS was 3 and we stayed off property because my parents had a timeshare nearby. It took almost an hour one morning getting parked, stuck waiting for the monorail because there was a problem at ttc, on the monorail and to the park gates. And then leaving was obnoxious because I had to do it in reverse to go into the sweltering car with the overtired 3 year old.

Went again last year, DS was 7 and DD was 3. Stayed at the Yacht Club and waitied for the bus 10-15 minutes, went right to the entrance. We left mid-day for a rest and then went back for dinner and fireworks.

[littlemermaid]

We stayed at Art of Animation. The busses were very timely. Never a long wait to get to the parks or to come back. On the days that a specific park opened early they would dispatch 2 busses to come at the same time to accommodate that longer line. We probably waited no longer than 7 minutes for a bus, usually shorter; the longest bus ride was probably 20 minutes, all the others were much shorter. This was last year in June.

[Wines Not Whines]

I'm a fan of the buses, especially to MK, because they drop you off right at the entrance and you can bypass the TTC. We usually don't have to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus. The ride time is about 15 minutes, too. However, we've always stayed at deluxe and moderate resorts. I've heard it can take longer to wait for a bus at some of the value resorts, because there are more people there (so longer lines). My ILs stayed at Pop Century over spring break (we stayed at Yacht Club) and one morning they had to wait for 3 buses to come by before they could get on one. It took them over an hour to get from the resort to HS. I imagine it's better if you go during the slow season.

[curbsideprophet]

Can I ask a related question?

So if we are staying at AoA and will have a car would it make sense to use the bus for MK and the car for the other parks?

[bronxgirl]

I love the busses and never had any problems. I've stayed at all of the moderate hotels (on various trips)and never had to wait too long to catch a bus. the rides seemed relatively short, but the few times it took longer was due to traffic, which would be an issue with driving as well. The complaints I've read about the bus system seem to be coming from people who aren't used to public transportation.

[lala]

May 24, 2016 7:43:23 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Can I ask a related question?

So if we are staying at AoA and will have a car would it make sense to use the bus for MK and the car for the other parks?

Yes. I wouldn't drive to MK b/c you still have to ferry/monorail. If you take the bus you go to the front of the park. 

[kittycatlove]

When we stayed at Caribbean Beach the buses were okay. We had a few instances where the bus was too full and we had to wait for another. The bus is only for that resort, but there are so many stops within the resort. Overall it wasn't too bad.

This last time we were at the Contemporary and only bussed to AK, and had no issues.

[curbsideprophet]

May 24, 2016 8:04:50 GMT -5 @starry said:

May 24, 2016 7:43:23 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Can I ask a related question?

So if we are staying at AoA and will have a car would it make sense to use the bus for MK and the car for the other parks?

I think AoA isn't too far from AKL.

We are in a minority but like driving to the other parks. Especially with a stroller. I find it stressful breaking down the big stroller on the bus. So we only took the bus to the other parks if we wanted to drink

AoA to AK seems pretty easy by car. HS and EP do not seem bad either.

[stephm0188]

I've had mixed experiences. There have been trips where the bus service was great, and there have been visits where they were not so great.

I appreciate the new boards at the bus stops that give you an ETA. It helps a lot.

[ribollita]

Disclaimer: people on scooters should be able to ride the buses and I'm glad Disney is so accessible for those with physical impairments.

That said, the bus experience for me is directly related to the number of scooters that need to load as well as the numbers of family members that load with them.

If we have a car I much prefer driving to every park except MK.

[wesleycrusher]

We have no problem with the buses, but we also live in a city and are used to riding buses so taking the stroller on is NBD for us.

Last trip was the first trip we ever had a car during our time at Disney and we tried driving- it was awful and we hated it.

[miss1180]

May 24, 2016 16:11:54 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Disclaimer: people on scooters should be able to ride the buses and I'm glad Disney is so accessible for those with physical impairments.

That said, the bus experience for me is directly related to the number of scooters that need to load as well as the numbers of family members that load with them.

If we have a car I much prefer driving to every park except MK.

This is exactly how I feel!! It's why we plan ahead so we can swing staying at one of the resorts that has other options, like the boat or monorail or whatever. Just to have other options. It's definitely more $$, but we plan ahead by buying discount Disney gift cards, going at a super hot time of year ( end of August) bc that's a lower price season, stalking for discounts like its my job HAHA

[jeaniebueller]

May 24, 2016 7:43:23 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Can I ask a related question?

So if we are staying at AoA and will have a car would it make sense to use the bus for MK and the car for the other parks?

I would absolutely drive to the other parks. I see no benefit in taking a bus to a park that you can drive right up to.

[melsamoony]

The new board system makes things a lot easier.

We stayed at boardwalk this past September and never waited long for a bus to get to or from the parks...we probably waited about 7-10 minutes for buses. The ride was maybe 15 minutes to MK? I kept DS in a carrier and we folded the stroller that way if he fell asleep on the ride we could walk in and keep him asleep. We would ride rides/eat while he napped in the carrier (ergo).