Anyone Else Have Problems With Buses at SSR?

[famsen]

We stayed there Wednesday through Sunday.
We did not get our room request which was asked for six months ago(we just wanted a view of Downtown Disney OR at least a room close to the path to DTD.
We were put in the Paddock. The bus stop was a good hike from our room and the bus service was terrible. We had to count on at least a 1 hour time allowance to anywhere we wanted to go. The bus took nearly a half hour ride to any park and we also has to wait at a minimum of at least 20 minutes for a bus. One day I waited 40 minuted for a bus to MK. After standing there for 30 minutes, I used the phone at the bus stop to contact the front desk to see if they could get a hold of the dispatchers. They told me that after 25 minutes for a bus, we were to use the phone to call. I did not know that. She checked and said a bus was on property and should be 3-5 more minutes and if it doesn't come to call back. After waiting about 8 minutes, I called again. After a few more minutes the bus finally came. Then it was a half hour to get to MK.
This wasn't the only incident everyone was commenting on the lack of bus service and I saw many people get on the buses at stops asking if the driver could radio in because they had been waiting for a bus for their destination for a very long time. I know the buses were not like this the last time we stayed at SSR three years ago. Is this due to cutbacks or is there some other issue?

 

[simba20]

We had some longish waits during Spring Break (first week of April). We learned about halfway through our vacation to use the phones to call dispatch and get another bus out. Once at MK we waited an hour for a bus to take us back to SSR. After we complained about that (at the front desk of SSR), we noticed at every SSR bus stop after that there was a transport person there for assistance and noting times and such......

We've stayed at SSR 3 times this past year, and that was the only time we had a problem.

One thing I love about Disney, is their customer service, but you have to use your voice. Don't go through your vacation and wait until your home to make a complaint, do it then. I've noticed Disney is very "fix the problem now" and will do what it takes to make your stay and enjoyable one. My runnign joke is that you can ask for a plate of green olives with the pimentoes removed and Disney will do it for you.....I'd never go that far, but when I have even mentioned to a cast memeber that somethign was not what I expected, they tried their best to make it up to me.

 

[jboysen]

We just stayed there 11/28-12/5 and this was the best bus service we've ever had! We were at the THV also, so we were on more buses than I care to admit, but we never waited more than 15 minutes the whole time.

 

[cvjw]

We had our first ever stay at SSR the Sunday - Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Although, we did not care for the resort as a whole, we thought the bus service was the best we have ever had on property. We too, had asked for a DD view. We did get the Congress Park section, which we liked, but not the view requested. Every single time that we went to the bus stop, a bus was there within 5 minutes, most times, a bus was waiting. We did have to wait about 15 minutes one night for a SSR bus leaving the MK. We had just left the BWV, where bus rides are always SOOOO long because you have to stop at the Swan and the Dolphin before you can even start driving to the parks.

 

[rabit]

i have never had to wait very long for a bus to arrive but over time i have discovered that i can get to Studios, Epcot,both water parks and AK a lot quicker by car and DD is at most a 20 minute stroll .

 

[Anal Annie]

We thought the bus service at SSR was stellar! This poor description DOES sound like the bus service we experienced at OKW the time we stayed there. That is one factor why I'm in no hurry to go to OKW again. I don't remember seeing any phones at the bus stop there. We literally waited for 1 1/2 hrs one evening for a bus to MK!!!! The first bus that came thru had some sort of problem & she wasn't accepting passengers. There was a lot of smoke coming out of it. She paused at the stop just to say "You'll have to wait on the next bus." We were fuming! It was August. It was hot and that was ridiculous. They didn't send out another bus right out to replace hers - we had to wait thru the rotation again!

 

[cdmickey]

My last experience at SSR (at Congress Park) mimics the problems that the OP mentioned, though keep in mind, my last visit was last January (so things may have improved since). Since the Congress Park stop is towards the end of the bus run (and most of our delays occurred at early/busy pickup times) it was still very disheartening to see full buses (with our destinations) drive by without even stopping at the Congress Park pickup. Of course, being full, there was no need to stop (but a timely second bus wasn't forthcoming either). Later in the day buses were somewhat better (but I couldn't rate them at 'stellar' in any event). Again, hope things have gotten better.

 

[dburg30]

I just think the location of SSR sometimes messes things up. I was there Nov 08 and Jan 09, and while we never waited for a bus to go where we wanted to more then the mentioned 20 minutes, it just seems like all the trips to and from there take longer. Have been at CSR, POP, and ASMu and have had better bus service with them, but again, I couldnt say SSR was bad as I never got stuck waiting that long for a bus.