How is OKW bus service lately?

[Figaro30]

We visited back in November and the bus situation was horrible. We had to wait 45 minutes for every bus everywhere we needed to go. Was wondering if this has been improved at all. Does anybody have any recent experiences to report about OWK buses?

[Laurabearz]

We were there in January and thought the bus service was fine.... and I just read a report on AOL DVC board where they say the transportation is wonderful.

I hope it stays that way! :)

[disneychic]

We stayed at OKW for a portion of our trip back in March and the bus situation was the pits! We couldn't wait to check into the Wilderness Lodge Villas for the second portion of the trip because we knew the busses would run on a better/faster schedule.

[N.O.Parrothead]

We were there in February and I don't know if it was luck and good timing but we had no problems with the bus service. The longest wait we had was about 5 min. Good luck.

[marley]

I was there last week and only took the bus once.

Our car was at the Contemporary after eating at Chef Mickey's and the kids wanted to ride the monorail. We rode it to MK and then got off and rode the boat (it was our first night there:)

Anyways, after the boat, they wanted to ride the bus so I decided to take the two of them (2 and 5) while my husband walked back to the car at the Contemporary, thinking we would definitely beat him. HE BEAT US BACK BY 25 minutes and was so worried when we finally pulled up. It took 50 minutes!!!

After that, I decided driving was much easier!! I have never had such awful Disney bus service.

While I waited, 3 Coronado buses came and 3 Yacht and Beach Club buses came by me.

I understand we are trying to keep dues down but I found the OKW bus service ridiculous.

Marley

[PamOKW]

just read a report on AOL DVC board

Yes. There's a fellow giving live reports from OKW now. He commented on how the bus service was great, even though he expected the worst from reports he read. Today's write-up mentions he had his first 15 minute wait for a bus to AK. All other buses were there or he waited 5 minutes.

[DeeP]

I am really glad to read the report from someone who is at OKW now that the bus service is good. We last used the OKW buses in Dec and it was horrible. We will be at BWV in 2 weeks and are planning on going to OKW one day and will be using the bus to get there, I am happy the bus service has improved.

[WebmasterDoc]

We are at OKW right now without a vehicle and have used the buses extensively. Thus far, we had a 20 minute wait to the AK this morning, but now know the schedule and won't have a problem the rest of our stay (and I don't consider a 20 minute wait a problem).

We always ask the drivers for an approximate schedule and they are pretty close with their estimates.

They have a CM at Hosp House in the am checking bus schedules to make a report on the on-time basis for the resort.

No problems thus far for us. The resort is at about 78% capacity right now and the crowds are generally low. The temps have been 92-96 though!

Enjoy!

[disneychic]

Unfortunately the bus service at OKW is so "chancy" that you really do need your car there. When we're not renting a car we stay elsewhere just because the busses are unpredictable. Hopefully they'll be able to get it right some day.

[Doctor P]

We were there for eight days between Christmas and New Years and the buses were great. We never had more than a 10 minute wait, even on New Years Eve after closing, and most waits were 5 minutes or less.

[castleri]

We were at OKW from Dec 22-Jan1 and never had any extended bus waits - 15 minutes at the most - the worst one was trying to get from the Contemporary to DDD - that was 40 minutes. I still think the bus beats getting tied up in the traffic if you stay to park closing and have to get out of the parking lot.

[ilovebwv]

We were at OKW the end of April for a quick unplanned trip. OKW was the only DVC that had rooms available at the last minute so we took a 1 BR villa. After the first day of horrendous bus service we were back to using our car and DH was not happy again, oh well at least we were at Disney I kept telling him.:D

[nydizfan]

I have stayed at OKW about 11 times over 8 years. I have never had a problem with bus wait times EVER. I quess I am just lucky compared to previous posters. dave:cool: :cool:

[eva]

I hope we have no problems on our upcoming trip. We will have a car, but my husband would rather take the bus to the parks. We have stayed at OKW numerous times and haven't had any real problems with the bus service. We are never really in a hurry and a 20 minute wait is not a big deal for us. I do know that buses come less frequently in the afternoon than in the early morning or near park closing time. I think that we will try Doc's suggestion and ask the drivers the approximate times for each park. Hopefully that will help keep the wait times at a minimum.

[PJMPA]

We have never found bus service at OKW to be a problem. Busses are SCHEDULED to run every 20-30 minutes. If you reach a stop where the bus just pulled away, which does happen, you will wait 20-30 minutes till the next one arrives. 20-30 minutes at a bus stop probably just seems longer. I don't think the complaint should be about service but rather, bus schedules. If we want quicker service, they need to change the schedules which means more cost and higher dues. I think that's been debated to death before.

[WOW]

We were at OKW April 7th for 6 days and hade absolutely NO problem with the bus service. There are times when you have to wait for a short time, and then there other times when the bus is right there. We have never had a problem with the bus service.:D

[bres@westernMA]

We were at OKW from April 12th thru the 17th and took a bus to MK on the 16th. MK opened at 9:00AM. At around 8:10AM we waited at the Hospitality House for 40 minutes for a bus. There was an MK bus during our wait but it had filled up at Turtle Crawl and didn't stop at the Hospitality House. The bus that finally showed up for us was completely filled up at the HH.
There was a cast member writing down arrival times, she finally called to get us a bus. I complained to Member Services (e-mail) who called and told me that DVC is aware of the problem and continues to study OKW transportation.
Until it is resolved, I will continue to rent a car.

[joepoe]

We have had an occasional wait time issue for buses at OKW, but nothing horrible. We rent a car when we stay there so we can explore off-site, not go to the parks. To me, renting a car to go to the parks when the buses are available means longer transportation times, not shorter. Just my opinion.

[DebbieB]

I'm at OKW now, we arrived Saturday. The only time we used the bus was Saturday night to MK. We waited 10 or 15 minutes and luckily got a seat (Turtle Pond). By the time it got to the HH, it was jammed packed. It seemed to take forever to get around all the stops. On the way back, we lucked out and got the last 2 seats and he pulled out (even though the fireworks crowd was pouring out of MK). He stopped at HH, Penninsular, South Point and then Turtle Pond. I just don't have the patience for the crowding and all the stops. We like to use the rental car for the comfort, not so much for the time factor. I like to relax on vacation, not be crowded on a bus like rush hour at home. Just my opinion, everyone has their own preference on this.

[PamOKW]

4) OKW transportation - flawless

That's one of the wrap-up comments from someone on AOL who posted on his first trip home to OKW. He left last Saturday.

[Figaro30]

"Flawless"???

Very interesting Pam. I hope that's accurate. :)

[PamOKW]

His words, not mine. I think his trip only had one 15 minute wait for a bus. He also had three small children to take around to the parks.

My experience has generally been the same at all WDW resorts when it comes to the buses. Most of the time things are fine with minimal waits but when you hit a bad one.....that's the one that sticks in your mind. I also find trying to go resort to resort by bus maddening. But, I still think buses to the parks is the way to go.

[maryp]

Just had to mention we waited at least 45 minutes at Epcot for a bus to VWL last Sat night. The man at the head of the line had serious questions for a driver on her third AKL trip when we hadn't seen a bus for VWL! Surprise, next bus in looked like a "mystery bus," with no signs where it was going or coming from....Going to VWL!!!!

[yesdisneyfool]

Just back last week. We caught some just right and other OH WELL not so right. Our longest wait was at EPCOT approximately 20 minutes but seemed longer during the HEAT.

Where you stay in OKW makes a difference. We generally stay near the HH so we use either the Penn Road stop or the HH stop.