How bad are the buses to BC during low season?

[shaynar]

I keep hearing about how bad these buses are, that they are shared with BWV and S/D. Especially during low season, like January?

How bad are they, really?

I'm trying to plan out my days. We'll be doing a split stay at BCV and VWL so the plan was to stay at EP and HS while at BCV to avoid these buses, but looking at my plans and must dos (including MSEP - only during our BCV stay) I realize I'm going to have to take these buses.....

So really, how bad?

[mickeynut1]

The buses are hit or miss, IMO. Our stay at the BC was in December 2003 and while we were not there actually over Christmas, it was not slow season either as it was right before Christmas and was pretty busy. Our experience with the buses wasn't great as they were shared with all 5 Epcot resorts. But I have read reports that others have experienced the buses only servicing the BC & YC, so I think it all just depends how Disney schedules them, with nothing being definite as to what it will be like until you're there. With all of that said, the Epcot area is a great place to stay and the bus situation would not deter us from staying there again, we would just be more prepared to deal with it. I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if you aren't planning to use the buses every day. Good luck and have a great trip.

[goofy4tink]

Oh man...they aren't bad at all!!! Every single resort has some type of bus issue...the moderates don't share with other resorts, but they do make multiple stops within the same resort, so not any better than buses at the Epcot resorts.
Pop has only the one stop, and shares with no other resorts, but the buses can be crowded due to the resort size..especially at park closing.

So...how are the buses at BC? Just fine. Yes, they sometimes share a route with BW/S/D, but not always. YC and BC are always routed together...and BW/S/D are always together. Sometimes they all get lumped on one route though.

I have stayed at all of the Epcot resorts, mostly at BW though. Even when at BC I didn't have any issues with the buses. Besides, you get to walk or boat to two different parks. That's a huge plus.
You can spend your time at MK when at VWL...and at Epcot and DHS when at BCV. Since you won't be doing the MK buses a lot, you probably won't have any issues at all.

Go, enjoy!!!

[Amy&Dan]

While I do think the bussing at the Epcot resorts leaves something to be desired, I also agree that all resorts have bussing issues.

The shared route the Epcot resorts sometimes have can take a while.

So if you are trying to make a specific time of arrival to MK, AK or DTD, allow at least one hour. Which goes at any resort.

I would never not stay at any resort based on transportation. I would not worry too much about this, you know it might be an issue and leaving in plenty of time will cut down on the stress and take away the problem!

[disneydee6]

I think that the 'bus issues' aren't as bad as they are made to be on the boards. We have had plenty of stays at BC and plenty of experiences with transportation (all my family lives in the BX, NY and that is the ONLY way to get around the area). If you make sure to make time for wait, it isn't all that bad. Transportation to and from MK from BC is probably the longest and most painful, but give yourself 30-45 min of transporting time (including walk and wait at the bus stops) and it isn't so bad. Most of the time, I would say it averages between 20-30 min of travel. And we have always gone during peak season. On occasion there are times where it tops to an hour of traveling, but that is not the standard.

[siskaren]

I found this post in a thread about POR and bookmarked it because I thought it was a very good analysis regarding buses at WDW:

Originally Posted by CleveRocks

The bus service is pretty much the same at all resorts; buses to each destination are supposed to run on average about every 20 minutes. So why do so many people insist it's bad one place and good at another? Human nature, or at least two aspects of human nature. One is a phenomenon you can call the "grass is always greener" effect (everyone else's experience seems better than our own), and the other is the mistaken assumption that what happens to us once is the way it usually is for most people at most times.

"The grass is always greener ...." For EVERY resort, you can find posts from people saying something like this: "We waited forever at closing time at Magic Kingdom for a bus to (our resort) while we watched 4 buses from (another resort) drive on by." Seriously, there's not a resort this hasn't been written about.

The second point is perhaps the more important point. Just because you have a not-so-great experience with buses at a resort doesn't mean the bus service stinks. It could mean they were having a rough day or two. But more likely it means that you were just unlucky with timing.

My example is my stay at Polynesian a couple years ago. We noticed by our second or third day that we never, and I mean NEVER, waited more than about 2 minutes for whatever bus we wanted, whether going from resort to park or park to resort. So we started to joke about it as we walked up to the Poly bus stop in the morning or to a park bus stop when leaving a park, but it always worked that way for that entire week.

So, should we conclude from that that Polynesian has the best bus service ever? Absolutely NOT. It just means our timing was very lucky. Imagine another family that did everything exactly like we did, only they always did it exactly 2 minutes later than we did. They would've had a dreadful bus experience, as they would've waited almost 20 minutes for every single bus for an entire week. Does their bad experience mean Poly has bad bus service? Of course not, just like my great experience doesn't mean it has the best bus service.

In the same way, my great bus service at Caribbean Beach Resort in 2005 and my so-so bus service at Port Orleans French Quarter in 2006 DOESN'T mean that CBR's bus service is better than POFQ's, it just means that my individual experiences on those exact days was better at CBR than at POFQ.

And that's why we read such mixed reviews of bus service at various resorts. Just because someone had a lot of wait time doesn't mean the bus service stinks.

I strongly advise you to pick a Moderate resort based on the theme, as well as the small ways they differ in amenities.

[OKW Lover]

I agree with the PP's that the busses at BC are no worse than any other resort. The stories the OP is hearing are certainly true but do not reflect the vast majority's experiences.

Bus karma is really variable. You might have just missed the bus and need to wait 20 minutes (which seems like forever) for the next one. Or you might have one pull up as soon as you walk to the bus stop. Both situations will happen. And probably during the same trip.

[AlohaAnnie]

We have used theses buses while staying at BWV and it wasn't bad at all & I agree it was no different than any other issues at any other resort.

We had only one problem where we were stuck at the swan or dolphin because a vehicle was blocking the bus. We waited for about 10 minutes. We ended up getting off the bus & walking to boardwalk. No big deal.

[Wood Nymph]

Originally Posted by shaynar

I keep hearing about how bad these buses are, that they are shared with BWV and S/D. Especially during low season, like January?

How bad are they, really?

I'm trying to plan out my days. We'll be doing a split stay at BCV and VWL so the plan was to stay at EP and HS while at BCV to avoid these buses, but looking at my plans and must dos (including MSEP - only during our BCV stay) I realize I'm going to have to take these buses.....

So really, how bad?

We've stayed at the Beach Club many times in January and the buses aren't too bad at all. The last few times we've been there the buses only shared with YC.

[maxiesmom]

We stated at the Beach Club once, during the month of October, and hated the bus service. The rides seemed so long that I started timing them, thinking it was all in my head. Nope. 45 minutes to/from AK/MK was typical.

One of my nieces wondered if we were lost one time. I wondered if maybe they had hired a bunch of new drivers who were not used to the roads. In any case, the bus service at the Beach Club was the worst we have run into, in all our trips to WDW.

I would probably stay at the Beach Club again, but keep some cab money on hand for those times I don't feel like having to hassle with the buses.

[Abby Wednesday]

I was at BWI in September and the bus to MK was not shared, but everything else was. I never had to wait too long for a bus, but the rides to DTD and AK were loooooong due to all the stops, and I think we stopped at blizzard beach on the way to AK. All in all I thought it was worth it not using a car, but we also spend most of our time at Epcot and MK.

[Hopefully]

We are BCV owners and stay in this area yearly. We find the bus service to be great. In our experience, usually in October, the BC only shares with the YC to and from the MK and the AK. Buses to/from DTD are a nightmare from ALL resorts, and all 5 resorts have shared that route.
We love being able to walk to EC and DHS.
All in all, we find the buses to be fine from the BC.