Wilderness Lodge Trasnportation questions...

EveClark

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Hi All,
We're thinking about staying at the Wilderness Lodge for our next trip, and I'm trying to get some info on how the trasportaion works...
I know that there is a boat that will take us to MK but after that, I'm having a hard time finding a definitive answer on the buses that go to the other parks.
My main question/concern is if we will be going to other resorts.
Do the buses run only to the WL?
We stayed at the Boardwalk a few years ago and it made multiple stops to multiple resorts and it was not something we enjoyed at all.
Last year we stayed at Coronado Springs, and their bus system was exclusive to CSR only and it worked out so much better for our family.
Is there a set plan? Or is it really a day by day type of set up in sharing the buses with other nearby resorts?
I hope all of that made sense!
Thanks in advance
 
Hi All,
We're thinking about staying at the Wilderness Lodge for our next trip, and I'm trying to get some info on how the trasportaion works...
I know that there is a boat that will take us to MK but after that, I'm having a hard time finding a definitive answer on the buses that go to the other parks.
My main question/concern is if we will be going to other resorts.
Do the buses run only to the WL?
We stayed at the Boardwalk a few years ago and it made multiple stops to multiple resorts and it was not something we enjoyed at all.
Last year we stayed at Coronado Springs, and their bus system was exclusive to CSR only and it worked out so much better for our family.
Is there a set plan? Or is it really a day by day type of set up in sharing the buses with other nearby resorts?
I hope all of that made sense!
Thanks in advance

The bus from WL to MK went only to WL, no other stops.

To Epcot, DHS, and AK, there were other stops. You would stop at either GF or Ft. Wilderness (I can't remember which route stopped at which resort, but there were definitely stops). Honestly, we weren't bothered by the time to stop at another resort, and NEVER had buses filled to the brim with passengers. And in both instances where we did stop at GF or FTW, WL was the first to load, so we always had a seat.

We had no issues whatsoever with the transportation at WL. :goodvibes
 
We were at the WL last month and the bus to Epcot always went to Ft Wilderness first. The bus to HS stopped at GF first one time, and FtW another time. And the bus to AK can stop at FtW or GF. But I don't think that this schedule is fixed, I think it is variable since we experienced different stops when we were there.

But the bus from the parks back to WL always stopped at WL first. :)
 
It amazes me to see so many people say that they had no issue with the bus system at CSR or CBR, but thought it was awful at BW, because they stopped at other resorts. I decided to head to CSR and hop on one of their buses. I spent just as much time on that bus, from first stop to leaving the resort, as I did on any BW bus.
Last year I stayed at SSR...shares with no other resorts either. But, if you're the first stop, which I was, it took close to 20 mins to get on the road from the resort!!! Same thing with OKW!!! In all reality? The only resort that has a bus that makes no addtl stops would be Pop or AoA. They do nowhere else other than the park they are supposed to go to.
 


We had no problem with buses at wl. They stopped at gf occasionally but not all the time and that really only added a few minutes. There were never long lines or crowded buses. We always had a seat. :)
 
I thought transportation at WL was super annoying. Did a lot of waiting for the boat and buses. Stayed at a monorail hotel this past time.
 
There is also a boat that circles WL/FW/CR from aroun 7am - 11pm every day. It makes it easy to go over to the CR and catch a monorail to the Poly or GF. There is also a bus that goes WL - FW. It stops near the Hoop Dee Doo.
 


There is also a boat that circles WL/FW/CR from aroun 7am - 11pm every day. It makes it easy to go over to the CR and catch a monorail to the Poly or GF. There is also a bus that goes WL - FW. It stops near the Hoop Dee Doo.

We took the boat back to WL after going to FW for the Chip and Dale Campfire Sing-a-long. It just happened to be right at the time of the MK fireworks. The boat driver stopped the boat in the lake before arriving at CR and let us enjoy the fireworks. It was a really neat way to see the fireworks.

To go to Epcot we would take the boat to MK and then the monorail to Epcot. It may have taken a bit longer, but it was more relaxing and fun that way. I love riding the monorail. I just planned for the little bit of extra time.
 
The subject of Disney transportation and WL is one that has made much discussion on this board (and others).

My last stay in 2011 at WL was for 10 nights. We only rented a car one day to drive to Cape Canaveral. We used Disney transportation for everything else. If I were to give Disney Transportation a letter grade, I would give it a "B". As important, would I use it again? Absolutely!

Why do I like using WDW transportation?

-It is air conditioned. Getting into a hot/sticky car in FL is awful.
-I don't have to stress with directions, following signs, etc. I'm on vacation, one less thing to worry about it.
-I don't have to worry about where I parked.
-I can park hop or split up without worrying about getting my car later.
-It saves a little money. It's free!
-I really like Magic Express!

Here are some situations you may want to consider driving yourself:

-If you are driving to WDW and you already have a car.
-You are doing resort to resort. (i.e. resort hopping for meals)
-You are going to downtown Disney, golfing, etc.

In general, it is faster to drive to all the theme parks vs. WDW transportation with the exception of MK. It is nearly always faster to utilize WDW transportation at MK due to the fact of the TTA transfer to the monorail/boat.

Given the new hours and at times limited operations of the monorail, staying at a monorail resort has lost some of the appeal.

I think the WL is great option for folks wanting to visit MK. It is almost as convenient to MK as the monorail resorts and taking the boat to MK is relaxing.

Last random comment. People that have experience with public transportation seem to like WDW transportation. Those that do not, often are critical of the service.
 
Gf...thats weird. I would understand contemporary...but gf? No biggie... ;)
Just trying to soak up all the wl knowledge i can :)
 
We loved the travel options from WL. Once just for the fun if it when we weren't in a hurry to Epcot, we took the boat to MK, took the ferry boat to TTC, and the monorail to Epcot. Other times, grabbed a boat to CR and hopped on the monorail to go to Poly or GF for meals. Just a nice break from the buses every once in awhile. We did wait 20+ minutes a couple of times for a bus in low peak times and did have the extra stops at GF or Ft.W.
 
Thank you everyone!
You've all given me some good info. Now I just need to way the pros and cons. Definitely worth thinking about!
Thanks again!
 
It amazes me to see so many people say that they had no issue with the bus system at CSR or CBR, but thought it was awful at BW, because they stopped at other resorts. I decided to head to CSR and hop on one of their buses. I spent just as much time on that bus, from first stop to leaving the resort, as I did on any BW bus.
Last year I stayed at SSR...shares with no other resorts either. But, if you're the first stop, which I was, it took close to 20 mins to get on the road from the resort!!! Same thing with OKW!!! In all reality? The only resort that has a bus that makes no addtl stops would be Pop or AoA. They do nowhere else other than the park they are supposed to go to.
The WL bus to MK is non-stop and does not share.

I like the resort bus experiment you conducted:thumbsup2
 
The WL bus to MK is non-stop and does not share.

I like the resort bus experiment you conducted:thumbsup2
That would be true. BUT...that is a one park type thing. It isn't for every park.
 
This is a really good thread. We will be staying at WL for 7 nights this June and not renting a car. I was somewhat concerned about Disney transportation but this thread is helping to alleviate it.
 
disnmooner2013 said:
This is a really good thread. We will be staying at WL for 7 nights this June and not renting a car. I was somewhat concerned about Disney transportation but this thread is helping to alleviate it.

No worries at WL of all places. I never thought we could ENJOY the transportation part of WDW, but WL is one of the best places to find yourself doing just that.
 

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