Another transportation question for all you experts

[Disneyforus]

You all helped me out with my POFQ to Boma question, now I have another.

We are planning to see illuminations at epcot at 9 and would like to jump on the monorail and head to the contemporary to catch the 10:15 electric water pagent. So, if MK closes at 9:00 that night, how late do the buses run? I was thinking we could catch a bus from there back to POFQ? Or, is there a better way? I don't want to be stuck at the contemporary at 10:30 with no way back to our resort, and really don't want to take a cab.

You guys are the best!
Thanks,

 

[free2div]

buses run 2 hours after that park closes

 

[MickeyMancuso]

1. In order to take the 15 minute monorail ride back to the TTC, and then move to the 17 minute ride over to the Contemporary to see the water show you will need to exit the 30 minute Illuminations show and then hope the Monorail is on the half-hour. Possible yes, but dependent on lots of factors.

2. Ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and take a resort bus back...faster than any other system...and the right price!

Have fun planning and keeping the troops motivated at 10PM!

 

[grimley1968]

Why go to Contemporary just to see the Electrical Water Pageant? It goes by GF, the Poly, WL and MK as well. The quickest thing to do would be to get on the EPCOT-TTC monorail just as fast as possible after Illuminations (you'd have to be on the way to the monorail during the show I'm afraid), ride the monorail to the TTC, then walk from the TTC over to the Poly (5 minutes) and watch EWP from the Poly beach.

After EWP, get on the resort monorail at the Poly and ride to MK, and catch a POFQ bus there.

 

[Disneyforus]

Why go to Contemporary just to see the Electrical Water Pageant? It goes by GF, the Poly, WL and MK as well. The quickest thing to do would be to get on the EPCOT-TTC monorail just as fast as possible after Illuminations (you'd have to be on the way to the monorail during the show I'm afraid), ride the monorail to the TTC, then walk from the TTC over to the Poly (5 minutes) and watch EWP from the Poly beach.

After EWP, get on the resort monorail at the Poly and ride to MK, and catch a POFQ bus there.

The reason we were going to watch it at the Comtemporary is that we would have more time after illuminations to get there. The water pagent doesn't go by the contemporary until 10:15. I just wanted to make sure we could leave the contemporary and still find a bus. Sounds like buses should be running until 11:00 that night if MK is open until 9pm.

 

[grimley1968]

The reason we were going to watch it at the Comtemporary is that we would have more time after illuminations to get there. The water pagent doesn't go by the contemporary until 10:15.

That may be true, but you can expect the trip to Poly from EPCOT to be a LOT faster than getting to CR. No transfers and a lot shorter walk to the Poly from the TTC than the ride on the monorail would take to get all the way around to CR (all the way around the resort loop from TTC).

I think the time difference in the trip to the Poly versus the trip to CR more than makes up for the few minutes later the EWP goes by CR than it goes by the Poly. That resort monorail loop gets CROWDED after MK closing. I'd avoid that as much as possible at that time if you're in a rush to see EWP (and you will be if you watch Illuminations at EPCOT), and getting off at the TTC and walking to the Poly allows just that.

 

[joelkfla]

Buses don't necessarily run 2 hours after a park closes; they run until the park is clear of guests. The Resort Monorail does run until 2 hours after the MK closes on non-EMH nights (or after Epcot closes, when the MK closes earlier.)

The EWP is scheduled for the Poly at 9:00; I think it runs right after Wishes when Wishes is at 9. So there's no way you could watch it at the Poly after Illuminations.

It's scheduled for approx. 10:10 at the CR. If you were among the first out of Epcot after Illuminations, you might get on the monorail at 9:30, which might get you to the TTC at about 9:40. That leaves only 30 minutes to cross under to the Resort Monorail queue, wait for a train, travel to the CR, get downstairs to the lobby and out the back doors. If it's doable, it's cutting it close.

Afterwards, you could walk over to the MK to see if the buses are still running. If not you could walk or ride the Resort Monorail back to the CR and transfer at DTD, or just take a taxi from the CR to your resort. DTD is the official late night transfer point, so buses run from resorts to DTD at least until 12 a.m., and from DTD to the resorts until 2 a.m.

 

[sam_gordon]

IMO, you're calling it too close. As others have mentioned, you'll need to leave DURING Illuminations. Otherwise you'll be fighting a crowd a people to get to the exit, much less on the monorail.

 

[Disneyforus]

Darn, it seems like it is going to be a problem. Unfortunately of the 4 nights we are at Disney>>>
1st night we won't arrive until after 10pm
2nd night open
3rd night is Night of Joy at MK
4th night is Night of Joy at MK

Unless we want to exit MK during NoJ and view the Water pagent, then it might just not happen this trip.

How long is illuminations? If we left at 9:30 and got a monorail to TTC, and there happened to be a boat there ready to go back to MK....would we be able to see the water pagent from the boat? There isn't any EMH that night so I know they won't do the pagent in front of MK.

I LOVE the water pagent, but we didn't get to see illuminations the last two trips we made to Disney. What to do, what to do....

I guess we could try, and if we miss it...just stop in at the CR for a drink.

 

[sharadoc]

If it's really important, then you could watch Illuminations by International Gateway and walk to the Beach Club and grab a cab to the Contemporary. It would probably cost you less than the drink you'll be buying if you arrive at the Contemporary too late.

Good luck!

 

[joelkfla]

How long is illuminations? If we left at 9:30 and got a monorail to TTC, and there happened to be a boat there ready to go back to MK....would we be able to see the water pagent from the boat? There isn't any EMH that night so I know they won't do the pagent in front of MK.

I think the show is about 15 minutes.

The EWP is scheduled to be at WL at 9:35, so it would probably be out of sight from 7 Seas Lagoon before you got there.

 

[Disneyforus]

If it's really important, then you could watch Illuminations by International Gateway and walk to the Beach Club and grab a cab to the Contemporary. It would probably cost you less than the drink you'll be buying if you arrive at the Contemporary too late.

Good luck!

True....

 

[CarolMN]

My advice is to take a bus from the CR to Downtown Disney & transfer there to the POFQ bus.

It may take longer than trying to catch a bus from the MK, but the DD buses operate until at least 2 am.

FWIW, I'd spend the $20 & take a cab. Faster & less hassle.