I-Drive to WDW by public transport?

[mankinduk]

Hi, I suspect this question may have been asked before but a quick search didn't turn up anything. But apologises if we've had this before.

Anyway, we're a little priced out of WDW resort hotels and with the other half not wanting to go to WDW as much as me anyway, we're quite happy to stay someone on or near I-Drive.

Neither of us can drive and we will rely on public transport to get around. I stayed on I-Drive 5 years ago and had no trouble getting around using the I-Ride and the Lynx buses. They were very good (although as a Brit pretty much every other country's public transport impresses me, but that's another subject).

The only thing I found tricky (and judging from what I've seen from what I've researched so far for this trip it's still the same) is getting to WDW. And I can't help but feel maybe I'm missing out something really obvious. You'd think WDW would be one of the best served places, especially to and from the very touristy I-Drive, yet it seems there is simply no direct route and the only way to get a bus to WDW involves switching buses around Seaworld right at the south most point of I-Drive. Am I missing something obvious?

I know a lot of hotels have shuttles that go to and from WDW, so that's an option as well. I mean, whatever happens, I know we'll get there and back, I just can't help thinking that there must be a better/easier way and I'm just not seeing it somehow.

Anyway, sorry to drone on. I'd certainly appreciate any advice if anyone has any on getting to WDW and back without a car.

 

[Dodge34]

Your best choices is Lynx 8 or 42 than transfer to Lynx 111 (the timing is short between them so you may have to wait 30-40minutes between them if the bus is not on time) or 50 around Sea World, I'll be using Lynx too in January and will be on IDrive area too.

 

[chartle]

Very few guests use Public Transportation to get to WDW so there is not much need for bus routes. Also you can't have a bus route going from every point to every point so there have to be transfers

If you are wondering why the I-ride trolley doesn't go to WDW it most likely because its main purpose is to promote visiting the attractions and hotels on I Drive. The area is a special Improvement District just like WDW and the businesses subsidize the trolley.

They may not want to or even be allowed by their own charter to go on WDW property.

 

[NotUrsula]

There is an easier way: renting a car. That's what the vast majority of folks who are visiting more than one Orlando theme park do. (And yes, I understand that you don't drive; it's unfortunate in your case that the normal "easiest" option isn't going to be workable for you.)

Most experienced domestic guests won't stay on I-Drive when visiting WDW, because it has horrendous traffic and is rather far away; the LBV area is a better offsite option for the guest who is going to WDW. Overseas tourists are the primary market for the I-Drive hotels, because y'all stay in Orlando a lot longer than the average American, and you are much more likely to buy your hotel as part of a package deal. If you cannot hire a car you will mostly end up dependent on your hotel's WDW shuttle service, and as I'm sure you have realised, that can often leave something to be desired in terms of scheduling.

FTR, the I-Drive Trolley isn't actually public transit, it is privately funded, paid for by businesses along the route. Lynx is public transit, but there is not enough local demand to justify frequent service to Disney property, because locals who are bus-dependent are not going to be living or working near Disney if they can help it; it is not the most affordable area of town, nor is it safely walkable. Also, as WDW is private property, they have the right to dictate where on site public transit will be available, and they prefer to do so. The only two bus stops they allow are at the TTC and Downtown Disney West Side (there is a third at Disney Univ. near MK cast parking, but you wouldn't want to go there, because it is not in a guest area.)

 

[Dodge34]

That cause a massive chaos for guests that have to use public transportation to go to WDW or even Universal, I will stay at the Enclave Suites, they offer free shuttles to Universal Studios but according to the schedules, they won't be there for rope drop and the last shuttle is before the park close, so totally useless. And the worst of it is they offer paid shuttles to WDW 15$ each guest and same thing they don't offer it at times where we could be there for rope drop at any parks and they come back before the parks are closed, so another useless shuttle services. I understand for a free shuttle that the schedules could be not exactly perfect, but for paid services to not be there before rope drop and be forced to leave the parks before the park is close and charging 15$ for that... I'll have a 7 day Lynx pass for 16$, a lot cheaper and even with transfers, I can be there for rope drop to any parks.

 

[mankinduk]

Can I thank everyone for their replies.

I would like to say that although last time I found having to transfer frustrating, I did find the buses and the I Trolley thing very good and obviously they aren't as good as having your own car to get around but I think perhaps if you've never used them you might be surprised how convenient they are. Again though, maybe it's just because I'm British and all our public transport is abysmal. I suppose distance is relative too but I never though that WDW was very far away from Orlando either. Of course, if I'm speaking to people that always stay at Disney resorts then Orlando *will* seem like a long way away.

Someone said not every point on the map is going to be directly linked by bus and of course I understand that. I do still find it surprising that *those* two points aren't linked though. i will defer to your collective knowledge though, I daresay you've all spent far more time in Orlando than I have and if you say there's simply not a demand for people staying on I Drive to get to WDW without driving then there isn't. I just find that surprising. i figured there would be a huge demand.

Looks like we'll just end up staying somewhere near Seaworld and at least we can get the 50 to Disney and the Trolley up to Universal.

 

[NotUrsula]

... if you say there's simply not a demand for people staying on I Drive to get to WDW without driving then there isn't. I just find that surprising. i figured there would be a huge demand.

It is not that the demand doesn't exist; it does. It is just that it isn't in WDW's financial interest to allow it to be met via public transit, and since they are private property, that works for them. What tends to happen in most cases is that int'l visitors and younger guests try the I-Drive shuttle bus thing once, and then on subsequent trips they either stay closer, or rent a car (or switch hotels partway through the trip, which is a good option for longer stays.)

 

[chartle]

If you follow US stereotypes, we are a car culture and that public transportation is for poor people who don't have cars.

But seriously most people drive everywhere in the US particularly when on vacation. They don't want to deal with city bus routes, exact change and "local bus people". So either they stay on site and use "Disney Public Transportation" (not the same), drive their own car or rent a car. Some even rent a car for the week, drive to their resort, park it and use the Disney Buses.

As for why their isn't a direct route from I-drive to WDW you would have to ask Lynx, but as other have posted most, 99.999999999%, of guests would not even think of taking a city bus to WDW so no need for a direct route. Also WDW is at the very far end of the system.

 

[mankinduk]

It is not that the demand doesn't exist; it does. It is just that it isn't in WDW's financial interest to allow it to be met via public transit, and since they are private property, that works for them. What tends to happen in most cases is that int'l visitors and younger guests try the I-Drive shuttle bus thing once, and then on subsequent trips they either stay closer, or rent a car (or switch hotels partway through the trip, which is a good option for longer stays.)

I think this is pretty much the answer I was looking for. So Disney actually don't want there to be too good a public transport link. I wondered if it might be something like that. it does seem a little counter-intuitive to not make it as easy as possible for guests to get to it's park but I suppose they will have done their sums and worked out it's better for them that way re. resort occupancy and rates.

 

[chartle]

It is not that the demand doesn't exist; it does. It is just that it isn't in WDW's financial interest to allow it to be met via public transit, and since they are private property, that works for them. What tends to happen in most cases is that int'l visitors and younger guests try the I-Drive shuttle bus thing once, and then on subsequent trips they either stay closer, or rent a car (or switch hotels partway through the trip, which is a good option for longer stays.)

I think this is pretty much the answer I was looking for. So Disney actually don't want there to be too good a public transport link. I wondered if it might be something like that. it does seem a little counter-intuitive to not make it as easy as possible for guests to get to it's park but I suppose they will have done their sums and worked out it's better for them that way re. resort occupancy and rates.

I really don't think that's the case. If anything Disney would want better bus service for their employees.

As I posted above WDW is on the far outskirts of their service area. Public transportation is subsidized by the government and they have to make decisions on what routes get serviced and the service level with limited and shrinking funds.

Again many people in the US are Public Bus Averse, they don't even want to ride Disney Buses and now you think they would ride with the unwashed masses of the outside world.

Even if there was the best bus system in the world. People still like the complete freedom they get knowing that they can walk out side their hotel get in their car and be in complete control.

Growing up I was a bus person, If I wanted to go downtown I got on a bus and was there in 35 minutes. I have no issues with the buses. I worked with many people who lived further away and had never ridden a public bus and refused to even though it would have saved them 100's of dollars a month by parking on the out skirts of town and taking a bus in.

One last thing, its kind of like the chicken and the egg. People won't ride the bus if the service is bad. The bus company won't add service if no one is riding.

 

[mankinduk]

I just know if you go to pretty much any major tourist attraction in any city, they are usually well served by public transport. And WDW is *the* tourist attraction, isn't it? And so despite the US being a nation of drivers, despite it being slightly out of town and whatever other reasons we have, it still strikes me as slightly odd there's not a better easier way in. That's all I'm saying, guys.

Anyway, I got the answer I was looking for...there isn't really a better way to get from I Drive and as someone else suggested, I'll likely just end up staying LVB way.

Thanks for all the input though and perhaps I'll see you out there.

 

[chartle]

I just know if you go to pretty much any major tourist attraction in any city, they are usually well served by public transport. And WDW is *the* tourist attraction, isn't it? And so despite the US being a nation of drivers, despite it being slightly out of town and whatever other reasons we have, it still strikes me as slightly odd there's not a better easier way in. That's all I'm saying, guys.

Anyway, I got the answer I was looking for...there isn't really a better way to get from I Drive and as someone else suggested, I'll likely just end up staying LVB way.

Thanks for all the input though and perhaps I'll see you out there.

Just to complete a thought I had after I posted. There are only two destinations in the US that I could imagine anyone goes to thinking they will be taking public transportation anywhere, New York City and Washington DC. Just because its very expensive to park downtown and a traffic nightmare. We are planning a trip to DC and fully plan to take buses and the Metro.

And yes WDW is THE tourist destination but its near only a medium sized city ,79th in the nation, and only 40 years ago there were more alligators then people in the area.

But anyway I hope you get where you need to go.

 

[NotUrsula]

You can add Chicago and Boston to that "public transit is easier for the tourist" list, but that's about the end of the list.

As to Disney wanting better bus service for employees, I wouldn't disagree with that, but we KNOW that they don't want any kind of better off-property transport for guests, because they want to keep guests and their money on property for as long as possible. ME is an example of this. Surely it would cost them a lot less to band together with the other theme parks to fund a "tourist triangle" bus system, but they didn't, because it is to their advantage to keep tourists staying onsite from easily reaching either place.

I've never been a CM, but I wonder how useful public transit is for them, since the park hours change so frequently and even vary from one week to the next. It would work for resort CM's, but I'm thinking that those who work in the theme parks and for parking services would have a hard time reliably commuting by bus.

 

[Dodge34]

You can add Chicago and Boston to that "public transit is easier for the tourist" list, but that's about the end of the list.

As to Disney wanting better bus service for employees, I wouldn't disagree with that, but we KNOW that they don't want any kind of better off-property transport for guests, because they want to keep guests and their money on property for as long as possible. ME is an example of this. Surely it would cost them a lot less to band together with the other theme parks to fund a "tourist triangle" bus system, but they didn't, because it is to their advantage to keep tourists staying onsite from easily reaching either place.

I've never been a CM, but I wonder how useful public transit is for them, since the park hours change so frequently and even vary from one week to the next. It would work for resort CM's, but I'm thinking that those who work in the theme parks and for parking services would have a hard time reliably commuting by bus.

I'M not a CM but judging by the schedule of the Lynx 111, I would guess it is made to accommodate Disney CM, the first run is at 5:30am each morning so the CM can be there earlier than the normal opening hours. And if I'm correct, I think some Disney shuttles are picking up CM at various places too.

 

[chartle]

You can add Chicago and Boston to that "public transit is easier for the tourist" list, but that's about the end of the list.

I was actually going to shrink my list to only DC. We went with two in a stroller and thought how great it was that the gates were built for strollers and it just seems like it was built with tourists in mind.

While NYC's system is certainly used by tourists, I still think that its mostly for everyone that lives there and just need to get around.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'M not a CM but judging by the schedule of the Lynx 111, I would guess it is made to accommodate Disney CM, the first run is at 5:30am each morning so the CM can be there earlier than the normal opening hours. And if I'm correct, I think some Disney shuttles are picking up CM at various places too.

Oh, I don't disagree, but I'm guessing that the primary users of the service are going to be the resort housekeeping staff and perhaps the resort groundskeepers, who start early and finish early, because the last LYNX buses run at 10:30 pm, and during busier seasons the parks and restaurants stay open much later. I'm sure that some CM's do commute by bus, but I'm equally sure that the majority of them do not; it just takes too much time if there is any other alternative, and if you live in largely suburban city like Orlando, not having a personal car is a major handicap.

As to the CM shuttles, yes, there are a lot of those, but they only circulate around the property and to places like the CP living complexes.

 

[mankinduk]

Well, i got back at the weekend and I since there's definitely a higher percentage than 0.01% of people visiting Orlando without a car, I thought I might do a little guide for people staying on I-Drive and hopefully this will help at least someone.

The first problem is of course getting from the airport to I Drive once you arrive. Technically there is a public bus (Lynx 42) that runs from the airport to I Drive but it's not a particularly suitcase friendly service and to be honest would be a complete nightmare for a family to negotiate. Not to mention it could be a bit hit and miss to take a bus ride through a city you've not visited before trying to work out where you're supposed to get off nearest your hotel. I would say though that although I never asked any bus drivers directions myself, I was witness to dozens of other people doing it and the drivers were always very courteous and helpful. Also, a lot of people have GPS on their phone which I suppose would perhaps make taking the public bus from the airport a viable option...but I wouldn't recommend it.

A (pre-booked) car or shuttle is probably your best bet. We took a car there that ended up costing $100 all in but a shuttle back which was $37 including tip.

Once you're settled in to the hotel, there's a few choices for getting to the major attractions.

Most (not all) hotels have shuttle services to Universal, Seaworld and Disney. Although they are pretty handy, you will be restricted to only 1 or 2 pick up times which may not suit. For example, the latest Disney closed during the week during our trip was 9pm but our hotel's shuttle didn't leave until 10.45pm which meant waiting around at the end of each night we were there. And then not getting back to the hotel until 11.30pm which isn't ideal if you plan to be back at another park for 9am the next morning...

The I Trolley serves pretty much the length of International Drive. For only $10, you can get a 7 day pass which gives you unlimited use. As well as all the other attractions on I Drive itself, the I Trolley has a stop in the Seaworld car park (Seaworld itself has a free shuttle between Seaworld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove, although they are all within walking distance from Seaworld anyway) and right outside Wet & Wild. Wet & Wild also happens to to be the nearest stop to Universal/Islands of Adventure, which is only about one mile away by foot and really is deceptively close.

Infact, wherever you stay on I Drive, you're probably going to find one or more out of Wet & Wild, Seaworld and Universal are within walking distance. For instance, we stayed quite far up International Drive and walked to Universal/Islands of Adventure multiple times. Conversely, Seaworld was a bit too far to walk from there. If we had stayed further south, the opposite would have been true.

Busch Gardens has it's own free shuttle that you can get each morning aslong as you have a ticket for Busch Gardens that goes from various different points on I Drive. You are advised to make a reservation in advance (also free)

Getting to Disney using public transport is a bit harder. There are two buses that run from International Drive to Disneyworld,....Lynx 50 and Lynx 111 however they can only be boarded on I Drive quite far south, close to Seaworld. Both the stops are served by the I Trolley and by Lynx 8 (worth noting that Lynx buses do free transfers)

Disneyworld itself has it's own internal, free transportation system that will get you from the Transportation Center (where the Lynx buses drop you off) to any of their parks, resorts, Downtown Disney or anywhere else you could possibly need to go.

The last Lynx 50 bus leaves the Disney Ticket and Transportation Centre back towards I Drive at just after midnight.

So, it all sounds pretty good, convenient and easy to get around Orlando without a car? Well, in theory, yes. I don't know when the quietest time of the year is in Orlando but it can't get much quieter than the 2 weeks we were there just now leading up to Presidents' Week. And the majority of the time, the buses and trolleys were pretty quiet. However, even then the buses would get packed at peak times (like just before the parks open in the morning or just after a park closes). I can't imagine what it would be like trying to negotiate your way round Orlando on buses, trolleys and shuttles during peak season, for instance. All the drivers seem quite happy to pack on as many passengers as they possibly can but there will be times some passengers will get turned away.

 

[disneykittin]

Getting to Disney using public transport is a bit harder. There are two buses that run from International Drive to Disneyworld,....Lynx 50 and Lynx 111 however they can only be boarded on I Drive quite far south, close to Seaworld. Both the stops are served by the I Trolley and by Lynx 8 (worth noting that Lynx buses do free transfers)

Thanks for all of the info. Are the Lynx 50 and Lynx 111 within walking distance from Sea World?

 

[kaytieeldr]

The 50 stops at SeaWorld as long as there are passengers waiting, or passengers on the bus let the driver know they need to exit there.

 

[mankinduk]

Thanks for all of the info. Are the Lynx 50 and Lynx 111 within walking distance from Sea World?

Yes, definitely.

And that reminds me about something that I meant to put in my little guide...in my opinion if you are going to Orlando without a car then the best place to stay is one of the hotels within walking distance to Seaworld, of which there are several. From there all the major attractions, Downtown, Florida Mall, the airport and the majority of minor attractions are never more than 1 bus or trolley ride away.