Disney Buses- Operating & travel Times Question

[TheHarlessFamily]

I looked on several different sticky threads and went though a couple different pages of posts and I apologize if I overlooked this answer already but I have a couple questions

I read online Buses start operating 1 hr b4 opening time
Does this mean 1 hour before the actual park opening time or does this mean 1 hour before the restaurants opening time inside the park?

So if i have an 8am reservation and the park doesn't open till 9am will the bus be operating to pick me up or will we need to drive to our early reservations
We are staying at the CSR not sure if that makes a difference.

And what about when I have an ADR at a Restraunt inside one of the other resorts such as Ohana or Chef Mickey or the Yachtsman... will the buses take us from our Resort to these other restraunts?

Also everyone i speak to when i make reservations says allow 1.5 hrs travel time to the parks. We are going second week in june this year (1st time) will it really take that long?

We also will have our car... whats more convenient ? Bus or drive yourself?

 

[ccgirl]

I looked on several different sticky threads and went though a couple different pages of posts and I apologize if I overlooked this answer already but I have a couple questions

I ready online Buses start operating 1 hr b4 opening time
Does this mean 1 hour before the actual park opening time or does this mean 1 hour before the restaurants opening time inside the park?

So if i have an 8am reservation and the park doesn't open till 9am will the bus be operating to pick me up or will we need to drive to our early reservations
We are staying at the CSR not sure if that makes a difference.

And what about when I have an ADR at a Restraunt inside one of the other resorts such as Ohana or Chef Mickey or the Yachtsman... will the buses take us from our Resort to these other restraunts?

Also everyone i speak to when i make reservations says allow 1.5 hrs travel time to the parks. We are going second week in june this year (1st time) will it really take that long?

We also will have our car... whats more convenient ? Bus or drive yourself?

It is one hour before park time.

There is no transportation from resort to resort so you would have to take your own car.

Yes, it can really take that long (including wait time) which is why I always drive. Never takes more than 15 minutes that way.

Keep in mind that sometimes busses are shared between resorts so after they pick you up, they may go to other resorts before going to another park. Also, this is mass transportation so they will it to standing room only and really pack them in so do not always count on a seat.

 

[figment_jii]

In most cases, it is much more convenient to drive yourself. As the PP said, the buses can be very crowded and it can take a while to get anywhere. The general rule of thumb is to allow 45 minutes per leg of your trip. So, allow 1.5 hours to get from resort to resort (because there is no direct buses between resorts). Generally, you'll need to take a bus from your resort to a park, and then another bus to the destination resort.

You can drive from your resort to the destination resort. They'll let you park for up to three hours to enjoy visiting the resort (this includes eating there!). After you've finished your meal, you'll need to move your car either back to your home resort or to the parking lot for the park your visiting that day.

The other way to get from resort-to-resort is to take at taxi. It's about $15-$20 plus tip to any location within WDW.

Driving is much easier, except perhaps to the MK. The parking is located at the TTC, which still requires you to take a ferry or monorail to get to MK. That's one of the only places I still use Disney transportation. Otherwise, I drive.

 

[tinka-belle]

For breakfast in the parks, there is usually an "early breakfast bus" around 7:00-7:30. Ask at the resort, there's usually just one bus per park before the normal bus schedule starts for the day. If the front desk people don't know, ask at the bell desk just inside the front doors of El Centro at CSR. The bellmen seem to know all the bus info!

You could take the early breakfast bus to MK and walk to Contemporary from the bus drop off spot if your ADR is there, less than a 10 minute leisurely walk. Can't walk to the other MK resorts though. For some resort ADRs it just easier to drive.

 

[Alesia]

It is one hour before park time.

But it isn't. That gets repeated a lot, but it isn't true. Buses start running every morning at 6:30 am.

 

[maxiesmom]

To get to another resort for a meal we have started using taxis. I costs relatively little, and saves you a ton of time. Disney recommends you budget around 90 minutes to get from one place to the next using their transportation. That is a crazy amount of time, but if you have just missed the bus you need it may be 20 minutes or so before the next one.

A taxi is much, much quicker.

 

[goofy4tink]

I looked on several different sticky threads and went though a couple different pages of posts and I apologize if I overlooked this answer already but I have a couple questions

I read online Buses start operating 1 hr b4 opening time
Does this mean 1 hour before the actual park opening time or does this mean 1 hour before the restaurants opening time inside the park?

So if i have an 8am reservation and the park doesn't open till 9am will the bus be operating to pick me up or will we need to drive to our early reservations
We are staying at the CSR not sure if that makes a difference.

And what about when I have an ADR at a Restraunt inside one of the other resorts such as Ohana or Chef Mickey or the Yachtsman... will the buses take us from our Resort to these other restraunts?

Also everyone i speak to when i make reservations says allow 1.5 hrs travel time to the parks. We are going second week in june this year (1st time) will it really take that long?

We also will have our car... whats more convenient ? Bus or drive yourself?

This is NOT intended for you, the OP.......but for everyone else...

BUSES START RUNNING, EVERYDAY, AT 6:30AM...FROM EVERY RESORT TO EVERY PARK.
Ok, there...sorry for yelling but this info has been stated here so often that I just can't imagine why bad info is still out there. Yes, the buses 'used' to run an hour prior to park opening, but that changed years ago. When Disney started those early morning ADRs they also put the buses into service much earlier.

So, the thing to keep in mind is that these early buses tend to run a bit less frequently than regular park buses do. The regular buses run every 15 mins or so...these buses are closer to 20-25 mins apart. If you have to be at a park restaurant for an 8am ADR, be out at the appropriate bus stop no later than 7am. That way, if you just miss the bus, there will be another one before 7:30, which will get you to the park in time.

Buses will not take you to specific resorts from another resort. So, say you are leaving from CSR and want to head to the CR to eat breakfast at Chef Mickeys at 7:45am. You need to take the MK bus at about 7ish, go to MK, then get off the bus and walk over to CR...takes about 8 mins.
If you were going to the Polynesian, you would take the bus to MK and then monorail over to the Polynesian.
Heading to Cape May at the Beach Club for breakfast? That one's a bit tougher. You would take the bus to DHS and then walk to BC...takes about 20 mins to walk it.

90 mins is a bit long, but you will never be late. I usually figure on about 45 mins...but I've been to WDW more times than I can count and know the short cuts and such. I always recommend that people leave about an hour....maybe a wee bit more if going from a resort to a resort.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[Travelingdad]

I was surprised at how good the buses ran. We want July 4th week last year and stayed at port Orleans. We never had to wait for a second bus and found them to all be pretty timely, maybe a little longer wait to leave Epcot than others. Only time they were a mess was 4th night after fireworks so took ferry but that was no better.

 

[joelkfla]

Ok, there...sorry for yelling but this info has been stated here so often that I just can't imagine why bad info is still out there. Yes, the buses 'used' to run an hour prior to park opening, but that changed years ago.

Unfortunately, the "bad info" is still published on the official web site. Even the info on the Hub is confusing: first it says service starts one hour before park opening, then way down near the end it talks about early morning breakfast transportation, but with no start time given.

So it's easy to see how even cm's at the Reservation Centers are confused.

 

[TheHarlessFamily]

This is NOT intended for you, the OP.......but for everyone else...

BUSES START RUNNING, EVERYDAY, AT 6:30AM...FROM EVERY RESORT TO EVERY PARK.
Ok, there...sorry for yelling but this info has been stated here so often that I just can't imagine why bad info is still out there. Yes, the buses 'used' to run an hour prior to park opening, but that changed years ago. When Disney started those early morning ADRs they also put the buses into service much earlier.

So, the thing to keep in mind is that these early buses tend to run a bit less frequently than regular park buses do. The regular buses run every 15 mins or so...these buses are closer to 20-25 mins apart. If you have to be at a park restaurant for an 8am ADR, be out at the appropriate bus stop no later than 7am. That way, if you just miss the bus, there will be another one before 7:30, which will get you to the park in time.

Buses will not take you to specific resorts from another resort. So, say you are leaving from CSR and want to head to the CR to eat breakfast at Chef Mickeys at 7:45am. You need to take the MK bus at about 7ish, go to MK, then get off the bus and walk over to CR...takes about 8 mins.
If you were going to the Polynesian, you would take the bus to MK and then monorail over to the Polynesian.
Heading to Cape May at the Beach Club for breakfast? That one's a bit tougher. You would take the bus to DHS and then walk to BC...takes about 20 mins to walk it.

90 mins is a bit long, but you will never be late. I usually figure on about 45 mins...but I've been to WDW more times than I can count and know the short cuts and such. I always recommend that people leave about an hour....maybe a wee bit more if going from a resort to a resort.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks so much this is helpful.Everyone was actually really helpful with their information. I hate to ask the same ole questions as everyone else but it is very confusing with there is so much contradicting information out there expecially when what everyone who has visited WDW is contradicting what the official website says. You would think they would be better about keeping that information clear and up to date!

So it seems like driving our car from resort to resort will be the best option except maybe for Chef Mickey's bc then we can hop the monorail right over to Magic Kingdom.

 

[seashoreCM]

Now, when using the buses to get to breakfast at another resort, you need to find and ask a bus supervisor at the park (where the required transfer is made). Buses are not run regularly back to all resorts until about 11 AM.

Also do not cut it too close when you expect to ride the bus within one hour of park opening. The first bus that comes may be too full for you.

 

[goofy4tink]

Unfortunately, the "bad info" is still published on the official web site. Even the info on the Hub is confusing: first it says service starts one hour before park opening, then way down near the end it talks about early morning breakfast transportation, but with no start time given.

So it's easy to see how even cm's at the Reservation Centers are confused.

Thanks so much this is helpful.Everyone was actually really helpful with their information. I hate to ask the same ole questions as everyone else but it is very confusing with there is so much contradicting information out there expecially when what everyone who has visited WDW is contradicting what the official website says. You would think they would be better about keeping that information clear and up to date!

So it seems like driving our car from resort to resort will be the best option except maybe for Chef Mickey's bc then we can hop the monorail right over to Magic Kingdom.

And this is a recurring issue with Disney. There are so any inconsistencies that it makes it hard for those new to Disney to plan correctly. Drives me nuts!!!! I actually had a somewhat heated discussion with a dining CM. I was booking an early breakfast at CM's. Staying at BW. I asked if there were any ADRs left for earlier than 8am. Yes, there were, but I would have to find my own transportation according to the CM. I told her that to the best of my knowledge there were early buses running to the parks from the resorts. No, she said, she knew nothing about that, so a cab would be my best bet to be sure. Nothing I said made any difference...even when I told her that I had been on an early bus several days before (I was at WDW at the time and making ADRs for my future stay). She told me that I must have been allowed on a CM bus!!! Seriously??? Again, drives me nuts.

Now, when using the buses to get to breakfast at another resort, you need to find and ask a bus supervisor at the park (where the required transfer is made). Buses are not run regularly back to all resorts until about 11 AM.

Also do not cut it too close when you expect to ride the bus within one hour of park opening. The first bus that comes may be too full for you.

Not trying to be argumentative, but try to find a bus supervisor when you want one.
Best idea if you aren't sure how to get to your final destination??? Ask the bus driver personally. They have the most up to the minute info.
When giving info about going from resort to resort, we always tell guests to head to the nearest park and then find the best transportation there. I doubt you will ever see us tell anyone to head to MK and then get on a bus to say, BC, in order to get to an early ADR at Cape May.

 

[Alesia]

So it seems like driving our car from resort to resort will be the best option except maybe for Chef Mickey's bc then we can hop the monorail right over to Magic Kingdom.

When going to Chef Mickey's buy bus, you'll want to just walk to the Contemporary instead of taking the monorail.

 

[joelkfla]

Not trying to be argumentative, but try to find a bus supervisor when you want one.
Best idea if you aren't sure how to get to your final destination??? Ask the bus driver personally. They have the most up to the minute info.
When giving info about going from resort to resort, we always tell guests to head to the nearest park and then find the best transportation there. I doubt you will ever see us tell anyone to head to MK and then get on a bus to say, BC, in order to get to an early ADR at Cape May.

Yes, always tell the driver, on the bus to the park, which resort you are trying to reach. If they can't drop you off, they can at least inform the coordinator that a bus is needed to that resort.

Once at the park, there should be someone watching the load zones for guests, so just standing in the queue for the resort should bring a bus. Note that I said standing in the queue; not sitting on the ground, or on a bench near the queue -- those may not get you noticed. If a bus doesn't show up within 5 minutes or so, look for someone wearing a white shirt, red jacket, or orange safety vest -- or ask any driver to request a bus for you.