Someone explain to me... Buses

[the_bUg]

Hi, the wife and I are hitting disney world in about a week and I was wondering if anyone could clue me in on what to expect from resort to park buses, etc. We are not renting a car and will only be using disney transportation.

I've seen people mention having to do wierd things to get around, IE: take monorail to TTC, ride bus to port orleans, catch boat to DTD, walk 15 miles east, do the hokey pokey, etc. It all seems pretty confusing. Is there any sort of graphic that shows the different bus routes?

Is there any wisdom the experienced ppl can impart so I can better understand what I'm getting myself into? We're not beyond paying for the occasional cab ride if the transportation options through disney are ridiculous.

bUg

EDIT: FYI, we are staying at pop century.

 

[Barnhill9586]

That is a great question and was one our biggest concerns on our first Disney trip but it ended up being much easier than we thought it might. The CMs and bus drivers are very helpful if you have questions. For the more complicated routes there is an iPhone app called OLP WDW Transportation Wizard for Walt Disney World by Laughing Place Communications, LLC that we have played around with for fun and it is pretty cool.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/olp-wdw-transportation-wizard/id322395516?mt=8

 

[ErinsMommy]

If you go to "resorts" on the Disney website, each resort/park will show what the available transportation is to/from a particular park/resort.

Pop Century you're going to be on a bus no matter where you want to go. But if you're already in one of the parks and want to go to a different park or resort, in some cases you can hop the monorail or boat to get there.

 

[Mommy2TwoMickeys]

Hi, the wife and I are hitting disney world in about a week and I was wondering if anyone could clue me in on what to expect from resort to park buses, etc. We are not renting a car and will only be using disney transportation.

I've seen people mention having to do wierd things to get around, IE: take monorail to TTC, ride bus to port orleans, catch boat to DTD, walk 15 miles east, do the hokey pokey, etc. It all seems pretty confusing. Is there any sort of graphic that shows the different bus routes?

Is there any wisdom the experienced ppl can impart so I can better understand what I'm getting myself into? We're not beyond paying for the occasional cab ride if the transportation options through disney are ridiculous.

bUg

EDIT: FYI, we are staying at pop century.

In a nutshell...Every Disney Resort will have transportation from your hotel to a specific park. Ex. The Poly has the Monorail To MK..A bus to DTD, HS,& AK. I assume it also has a bus to Epcot, but we prefer to walk to the TTC and get on the Monorail, so i cannot confirm that one. Their is also a boat to MK as well.

Just saw your edit,: POP should have a Bus to All Parks, MK-HS-DTD-AK-Epcot. If you are trying to get to a resort from POP(Ex. To the Poly for an ADR at 'Ohana, you would take the BUS to MK and get on the RESORT MONORAIL to the Poly. There is no resort to resort transporation besides a cab.

 

[sydneysmom]

We've always used the buses and never had an issue. Each resort has a main bus stop (or more than one depending on the size of the resort). For example, the GF has one bus stop and POR has a few stops. (I don't remember how many though)

Each bus will have the park name listed in the front window of the bus. The buses "usually" run every 20 min or so, depending. But they're pretty frequent to each park. So you'll go to the bus stop nearest your building (or if you stop to get coffee first, you can get the bus at any other stop at your resort). Then you just kind of sit and wait for "your" bus to come. Once a MK bus comes (and you're going there) you just hop up and people kind of form a line. They let people off first, then you get on. It's super easy.

At each park there's a "bus station" and the station is clearly listed which resort the buses are going to. You'll get off your bus there and walk (short walk) to the main entrance. When your day is over at the park, you'll go back to the "bus station" and find your "bay", marked for your resort,and pick up your bus there to return back to your resort (or wherever else you're headed). If you are at AK and want to go back to the MK, you can hop a GF bus (or one of the other monorail resort buses) and get off at the GF and then hop the monorail to MK.

Now, what people refer to when they're saying they go to the TTC, and all that jazz... if you're going to have a meal at one of the monorail resorts, you can hop the monorail or take a boat right from the MK. You would take your resort bus to MK, then get on the monorail or boat to the CR, Poly or GF (or WL). If you want to go from MK to Epcot in a day, you could hop the monorail to the TTC and get on the Epcot monorail. Or take the ferry / monorail to the TTC to pick up the AK or HS bus. (does that make sense?)

Personally, we've never felt the need to drive to any park or take a cab. If you just have a little patience, the Disney transportation is fantastic, and will get you to your destination without the hassle of having to park / walk too far.

The other thing is, if you're at Epcot, you can also catch a boat to the Epcot resorts or to HS. It's really convenient, actually. But all of the buses are clearly marked as they're coming through your bus stop, so you shouldn't have any issues getting one to a park. They can get crowded during peak times, so you may have to stand. But it's really never that long of a trip from a park to your resort, so I've never really thought it was that big of a deal.

Once you check in, they'll give you a resort map so that you can see where the bus stops are at your resort. Then you can have some idea which is closer to your room or the main building.

I hope this helps a little! Have a great trip!!

 

[CanadianGuy]

The one that threw me on the last trip was catching a bus from MK to another park. I thought we could do that at the bus load area near the actual park. But no, we had to go over to the Ticket & Transportation Centre to catch a bus to DHS from MK.

 

[stargazertechie]

Is there any wisdom the experienced ppl can impart so I can better understand what I'm getting myself into?

No need to panic! It's really not that bad. It's only as complicated as you can make it.


There will be a bus from your resort to EVERY theme park, waterpark, and Downtown Disney. There will be a bus from each Theme Park, Downtown Disney, and Water Park back to your resort.

If you need to get from your resort to another resort, you will have to connect at a Theme Park or Downtown Disney, or take a cab.

If you need to get from Downtown Disney to a Theme Park, or from a Theme Park to Downtown Disney, you will have to connect through any of the resorts. There are no direct buses from DTD to the Parks to discourage people from parking for free to skirt the parking fees.

To get from Theme Park to Theme Park is where it becomes a bit more convoluted.

Epcot to MK- Monorail
MK to Epcot- Monorail

Epcot to DHS- Bus, Boat, or Walk (15 minute walk)
DHS to Epcot- Bus, Boat or walk (15 minute walk)
DHS to MK- Bus


Animal Kingdom to any park- Bus
Any park to Animal Kingdom- Bus


There are several RESORTS that have alternative transportation methods to the parks. This most likely will not apply to you. But for your reference

You can Walk or Boat from the Epcot resorts to Epcot and DHS
You can Walk from Saratoga Springs to Downtown Disney
You can Walk from the Contemporary to MK
You can take a Boat to the MK resorts (including Wilderness Lodge)
You can take the Monorail to the monorail resorts
You can WALK from the Polynesian to the TTC.

 

[monorailsilver]

Well I can tell you I don't like the buses since I love the monorail...

But we have had to use them to get to Downtown Disney or the studios or AK. We just get there early & wait like the rest of the people & upon returning we do expect to have to wait but sometimes are thrilled if we are first.

Also, we tend to stay at the Poly & I have taught my dh to look for the TTC bus. If that one comes first we take that one. It's a bit farther walk to the Poly but we can use that walk to burn off a bite of the ice cream we just ate.

Late at night they are crowded & everyone is quiet/tired so it is nice until the lights get flicked on then it's not so nice!

I will say DH & I have avoided the bus back to the Poly pre kids from the studios.

We would take the water taxi to Epcot, have lunch & then the monorail back to the Poly for our mid day break. It takes longer but sometimes we like to just relax.

 

[nkereina]

As PPs have said, your resort will provide transportation to all 4 parks, the two waterparks and DTD. If you want to get to another resort, you will have to use a park as a transfer point. That's when people start doing funky things because you have a few options. For instance, if you are staying at Pop but want dinner at WL, you could take the bus to MK, then the boat over to WL or the bus to WL, etc.

 

[the_bUg]

Awesome. Thank you so much everyone! Sounds pretty straightforward to me. I'll probably still do a taxi to get to our 7:40 AM ADR at 'Ohana and maybe on park-park transfers where we would otherwise have to do a transfer at a resort (ie: Animal Kingdom to Epcot).

Thanks a whole bunch! I can't wait, as it's my first trip!

bUg

 

[goofy4tink]

The one that threw me on the last trip was catching a bus from MK to another park. I thought we could do that at the bus load area near the actual park. But no, we had to go over to the Ticket & Transportation Centre to catch a bus to DHS from MK.

Wow...thought you were better informed than that. I am very ashamed...thought I had taught you better.

In any case...to the OP. Staying at Pop will give you decent bus service to all parks. There is an individual bus stop for each park and DTD. When you take a bus to a park, you need to look around as you get off that bus. Familiarize yourself with the bus area for that park. When you leave the park, there will be signage that tells you where to go for each resort. Then, there will be a resort sign at the appropriate bus stop for your return ride.

It's the getting to various resorts that can be confusing. Most often, you have to get to a park and then transfer to the resort bus (or boat or monorail) that will get you to your resort destination.
For instance...you're at Pop and you want to eat at Chef Mickey's. You would take the bus to MK, then walk over to the CR via the sidewalk that runs beneath the monorail line. Very easy.
Or.....you want to get from Pop to BC to eat at Cape May. Bus to DHS and then walk or boat to BC.

If you have specific questions, head over to the Transportation Board. We love telling people 'where to go'!!!! You'll get lots and lots of great info over there. It's really easy once you get to WDW and start traveling around. It just 'seems' confusing when you read about it!!!!

 

[AppleSister1]

Once you are there, it becomes much easier to understand.

We do indeed use cabs on occasion. For example, we needed to go from POFQ to WL for dinnner...we wanted to get there a bit early to look around, so we just took a cab, and took one back as well. Sometimes, even if we aren't staying YC/BC, we'll take the IG out of Epcot after Illuminations and cab it back to our resort from the Beach Club. Most of the resorts have cabs waiting, so it's generally pretty quick to get one and can be a real lifesaver if you are tired, or even worse, have tired kiddos.

 

[alecshawn]

You get in a line....wait a few minutes. Gernerally no more than 5-10 and a bus picks you up. You get off and goto park. It is simple and a nice perk.
Sadly..someone will always whine and complain about the disney transport. They should rent cars.

 

[disnut8]

Awesome. Thank you so much everyone! Sounds pretty straightforward to me. I'll probably still do a taxi to get to our 7:40 AM ADR at 'Ohana and maybe on park-park transfers where we would otherwise have to do a transfer at a resort (ie: Animal Kingdom to Epcot).

Thanks a whole bunch! I can't wait, as it's my first trip!

bUg

I'm fairly sure there are buses from park to park. I don't think a taxi would be needed.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Disney's transportation system is EXCELLENT. The buses will get you to all parks. If you need to go to another resort for a dinner reservation, etc, - just go to a park first & take their bus back to that resort.

 

[danceintherain]

Awesome. Thank you so much everyone! Sounds pretty straightforward to me. I'll probably still do a taxi to get to our 7:40 AM ADR at 'Ohana and maybe on park-park transfers where we would otherwise have to do a transfer at a resort (ie: Animal Kingdom to Epcot).

Thanks a whole bunch! I can't wait, as it's my first trip!

bUg

I'm fairly sure there are buses from park to park. I don't think a taxi would be needed.

Yes, there is a bus that goes straight from Animal Kingdom to Epcot.
The only park that doesn't have other park buses that drop you off right outside the gate is the Magic Kingdom, in which case you must take the ferry or monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center. The only buses that will drop you off outside the Magic Kingdom gate are the Disney resort buses.

Otherwise, the only big issues are if you're trying to get from any park to Downtown Disney, or from hotel to hotel.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

we always stay at CR but still use the buses. But if we have an early morning ADR at a park then we cab it, to be safe and if it is EMH we cab it. one time we waiting 45 min for a bus to AK and missed half the EMH. I'm sure it was a fluke but I was ticked So if getting somewhere quick is important to us we pay the $20 for cab, worth it for us but we always take the bus back to the resort

 

[thorphin]

I don't know that it's exactly helpful to understand what is going on, but if you are looking some visualization of transportation options, this is the best I've seen:

http://www.arthurdewolf.com/downloads/maps/wdw-transport-map-full.png

I'm pretty familiar how the system works, but I always forget little things like what direction the boats servicing the MK resorts do, and this helps me remember.

 

[the_bUg]

I don't know that it's exactly helpful to understand what is going on, but if you are looking some visualization of transportation options, this is the best I've seen:

http://www.arthurdewolf.com/downloads/maps/wdw-transport-map-full.png

I'm pretty familiar how the system works, but I always forget little things like what direction the boats servicing the MK resorts do, and this helps me remember.

This is awesome. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[dminnie]

stargazertechie gave a great summary of Disney transportation. The only things we have found tricky if going to DTD from a park, or going from a resort to another resort.

Park to DTD: it works really well to take the bus to Saratoga Springs and then walking from there...or, if you have more time, taking the bus to POFQ and taking the boat from there.

Resort to resort is probably generally easiest to get a taxi.