Bus Service - POP vs POR - Which is better?

[mom_of_3_70737]

Ok give it to me straight ....lol! How is the bus service at POR compared to the buses at POP? We will be staying at POR in Sept and have heard terrible stories about the buses there. We have stayed at POP twice and used their buses and they were soooo packed 100% of the time each time, unless we took one in the middle of the day (rarely). I mean I swear there was some kind of violation with the number of people and all. We were never able to get on the 1st bus to ANY park no matter which one we were waiting for. We always got on the next one and it was just as packed. It was just crazy. LOL! It's not so bad when everyone is refreshed and heading to the parks, BUT when you are on your way back and are tryig to hold/carry 2 sleeping children and there is only standing room its aweful! Are the buses at POR this bad? Just looking for comparions from those that have been to both resorts or is this the norm everywhere? Thanks!

 

[wilde_oscar]

if you look hard enough, and in many cases not so hard... everything in WDW has negative reviews somewhere. WDW Transportation is the most advanced logistics system in the world moving some 50,000 people to 30 different destinations in a 1/2 hour during the closing hours at the parks. Some people do not set their expectations to realistic when it comes to catching a bus at the end of the night. If the resorts are full, the buses will be full. If everyone fills the bus all the way in, more people are moved in a shorter amount of time. If you would like a guaranteed seat for the trip back, drive yourself. But keep in mind that driving yourself often means a longer walk to the car than to the bus, and you are fighting traffic with everyone else in the parking lot.

There is no statistical difference between the onsite resorts when it comes to bus transportation to and from the parks. The location with the longest vs. the shortest wait has a ± of 8 min. which over the course of a vacation is not a big deal at all.

Buses come every 20 min... more often in the mornings and at close.

Again, if you don't want to ride on a packed bus in the AM for opening and the PM for closing of the parks... drive yourself.

 

[SuzieN]

We've stayed at POR twice and have ALWAYS been able to get on the 1st bus going to our desired locale! A couple of times we did have long waits at park closing time to get back but all in all we had no problems with the bus system at POR. It's a beautiful resort - enjoy it!

 

[kjs1976]

POR - depending on the stop you neext to geton/off of

 

[disnut8]

May I make a suggestion? I'm a positive person. Can you ask which bus service is better instead of which one is worse? It really does change your perception of things.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I have never had a problem with the POR bus. I stood in line (directly in the boiling hot sun or pouring down rain) for a bus at POP.

 

[Lilolvr]

POR/POFQ because its shared transportation. The queues leaving the park can be horrendous. You may have to wait through 3 or 4 buses loads to get on.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1797913

 

[karemore]

We just spent a week at Pop and only had a packed bus one time. We spent a week at POFQ last April and only had packed buses a couple times.

But a couple times we walked past the Pop bus stop, or returned on the bus to find long lines. It all depends on when you are trying to catch the bus.

If you are taking the 8:40 bus for a 9 am park opening, you can expect a packed bus whereever you stay. If you take the 8am bus you'll have the bus practically to yourselves as we did.

Same thing coming back, if you plan to leave the park when everyone else does it's going to be on a packed bus. We left before the evening fireworks/parade and we had no problems.

If I were planning to travel at peak times, I would rent a car.

 

[spiceycat]

remember that POR has multiple stops - there are 4 bus stops in POR plus the one at POFQ when they share a bus.

so believe me - POP is quicker.

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

if you look hard enough, and in many cases not so hard... everything in WDW has negative reviews somewhere. WDW Transportation is the most advanced logistics system in the world moving some 50,000 people to 30 different destinations in a 1/2 hour during the closing hours at the parks. Some people do not set their expectations to realistic when it comes to catching a bus at the end of the night. If the resorts are full, the buses will be full. If everyone fills the bus all the way in, more people are moved in a shorter amount of time. If you would like a guaranteed seat for the trip back, drive yourself. But keep in mind that driving yourself often means a longer walk to the car than to the bus, and you are fighting traffic with everyone else in the parking lot.

There is no statistical difference between the onsite resorts when it comes to bus transportation to and from the parks. The location with the longest vs. the shortest wait has a ± of 8 min. which over the course of a vacation is not a big deal at all.

Buses come every 20 min... more often in the mornings and at close.

Again, if you don't want to ride on a packed bus in the AM for opening and the PM for closing of the parks... drive yourself.

Thanks, but we have been before and know what the buses are like in the mornings and at closing. I am prepared for that. Expecting that. I am just wondering what it is like in comparison to the buses at POP. I have heard that POP is usually the farthest walk at the bus depots/stops and also has some of the highest number of passengers due to its size. I am just simply looking for a little insight from someone that has stayed at both places as we are not driving ourselves to the park each day. We really like Disney transportation!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, let's see.

Pop Century has 2,880 rooms; Port Orleans has over 3,000 between the two resorts.

Pop never shares buses; Port Orleans frequently/usually routes each bus to all five stops in the two resorts.

Pop has orderly queues at the resort for each destination; POR, at least at the main/front station, is a free-for-all. Guests who've waited nineteen minutes on a bench or wall are out-boarded by Guests running up to the bus as it comes to a stop.

The number of Guests on any bus is NOT unsafe; in the rare case that passengers would need to 'escape' a non-moving bus, most/all the windows operate as emergency exits. But the more people you have on a bus, the less likely any injury. Plus, Disney would not allow more people on any bus than it can safely/legally contain.

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

May I make a suggestion? I'm a positive person. Can you ask which bus service is better instead of which one is worse? It really does change your perception of things.

I am usually a positive person too and didn't think of how that came across. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[spiceycat]

POR has 2,048 rooms
POFQ has 1,000 rooms

so yes when they share they have more rooms than Pop with its 2,880.

you stay at POR and POFQ to appreciate the setting and landscaping. the theme, restuarants, boats to DTD. the other things to do besides the parks.

if you are only going to the parks - then Pop.

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

Well, let's see.

Pop Century has 2,880 rooms; Port Orleans has over 3,000 between the two resorts.

Pop never shares buses; Port Orleans frequently/usually routes each bus to all five stops in the two resorts.

Pop has orderly queues at the resort for each destination; POR, at least at the main/front station, is a free-for-all. Guests who've waited nineteen minutes on a bench or wall are out-boarded by Guests running up to the bus as it comes to a stop.

The number of Guests on any bus is NOT unsafe; in the rare case that passengers would need to 'escape' a non-moving bus, most/all the windows operate as emergency exits. But the more people you have on a bus, the less likely any injury. Plus, Disney would not allow more people on any bus than it can safely/legally contain.

This is what I am looking for, comparison to the two. We have never stayed at POR so I don't know what to expect. Both times we have been to POP were during Peak/Holiday season, and I don't know what the crowds are like in September, but I was just looking for a little insight from you disers that have done/seen it all

Also, I know that Disney would never over pack a bus beyond safety regulations. It was just a figure of speech. Just joking.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Well, let's see.

Pop Century has 2,880 rooms; Port Orleans has over 3,000 between the two resorts.

Pop never shares buses; Port Orleans frequently/usually routes each bus to all five stops in the two resorts.

Pop has orderly queues at the resort for each destination; POR, at least at the main/front station, is a free-for-all. Guests who've waited nineteen minutes on a bench or wall are out-boarded by Guests running up to the bus as it comes to a stop.

The number of Guests on any bus is NOT unsafe; in the rare case that passengers would need to 'escape' a non-moving bus, most/all the windows operate as emergency exits. But the more people you have on a bus, the less likely any injury. Plus, Disney would not allow more people on any bus than it can safely/legally contain.

yeah, what kaytieeldr said. None of the resorts are small, there is a lot of variation, trying to predict the actions of 50,000 people months in advance is not easy. Some times you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Also, I know that Disney would never over pack a bus beyond safety regulations. It was just a figure of speech. Just joking

Not a problem. I was on one of those "tour" coaches (like DME) yesterday, and just happened to make note of all the escape routes - the windows, with directions, and that hatch in the ceiling

 

[skater]

I've been to both resorts (POP twice) and I would say, definately POR is the worst for bus service. Of course this is anecdotal, but its my honest opinion . I did watch the lines for POR (at the parks) when I last stayed at POP and noticed that they were always longer than other resorts. We are staying at POR for our Sept. trip and will plan around this by leaving early for parks and trying to return at "off" times.

(As a side note, I have found CSR to have the best bus service of the resorts where I've stayed)

 

[TadyBug]

I have done POR once and POP 4 times. I love the atmosphere at the POR. Relaxed, laid back, not hurried. That's kinda the way I look at the bus ride. If you have a longer wait, enjoy the nice weather, plan your day while you wait, just chill! Now at the POP, I felt the bus service was very organized, structured, and very much on time. I never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus at the POP. But I am standing in line, and my turn to board comes in an orderly fashion. I do like the fact the POP goes straight to the parks. No surprise stops.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Not a problem. I was on one of those "tour" coaches (like DME) yesterday, and just happened to make note of all the escape routes - the windows, with directions, and that hatch in the ceiling

if I had to ride that bus with you kaytieeldr I'd me making notes of escape routes the whole trip. Oh and have ya noticed there are some posts sneaking around that people that pre - booked in anticipation of Free DDP got hosed on their choice of resort... I have seen a few, not many but a few.

 

[Sandi]

We've stayed at all of POR, POFQ and Pop at least a few times each. I would say that Pop has superior bus service. They seem to do a better job with the whole "on demand" thing. We just returned from a stay at POFQ last week and we really missed the queue line for Pop. There were several times when late-comers would elbow their way to the front of the line to get on the bus before folks who had been waiting a significant amount of time. We weren't able to get on a couple of buses due to this kind of behavior. That was never an issue at Pop. Also, at the end of the day, Pop would often pull two buses up to the stop to take people back. That happened at Epcot and Magic Kingdom.