Best and worst bus service

The buses at Pop have always been fine. We've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. When we leave the park at mid-day it seems that it is a longer wait for a bus, than when we leave the resort in the morning.
 
There is a veteran Diser who goes by the name of CleveRocks who wrote an opinion on the WDW bus system back in 6/12. I think it should be required reading for any newbie coming to stay at WDW, and for some who whine and complain about the buses without any sound knowledge to base them on. Here it is:

Too funny - I clicked on this thread with the intention of quoting this post myself. (I have it bookmarked.) :thumbsup2
 
I feel the wait on a bus has been equal no matter where we stay - the every 20 minute concept and our timing in arriving in that mix has been our experience and was better than driving our car.

A few things we found that made a difference for us...

I liked the one-stop at PoP for everyone - for that, PoP get's an A+ in my book. I would conclude AoA would be the same.

At CSR, we found during a heavy convention time - meaning multiple conventions with evening activities, equaled empty buses. The resort holds X number of guests, and if a higher percentage of those guests are in conference related functions vs going to the parks, this equaled lower volume on the buses with higher odds of having a seat. We never had to stand one time in 8 days at all times of the day including park close - during a busy time of year. That was a huge bonus for us too. I also wished the buses at POR worked like CSR in that you could catch any of the park buses to the main building. Walking is not a problem for us - but having that option was nice.

Buses that share multiple resorts can feel annoying to me. We have visited some deluxe hotels after going to a park. We felt those that shared buses added to the commute times especially if you had to stand - shift around and wait for the loading and unloading process. We felt that was a huge negative for staying at those resorts with bus only choices for parks like AK.
 
I have found that the bus service can vary greatly at the same resort, so there is no way to anticipate what you will get.
In 2011 DD and I stayed at POP in May, and the buses were super. Never a long wait at the resort (although leaving the parks at night is always an ordeal). Based on that experience, I persuaded DH to try POP when we went to WDW 5 months later (October). It was a disaster! Most days we waited in the hot sun for at least 30 minutes. Some days we just gave up and boarded whatever bus finally arrived. DH now hates POP and won't return.
It is also a matter of perception. When we stayed in a 2-BR villa at SSR, I thought the bus service was fine, but DSis felt it was terrible.
Just goes to show you never can tell!
 


There is a veteran Diser who goes by the name of CleveRocks who wrote an opinion on the WDW bus system back in 6/12. I think it should be required reading for any newbie coming to stay at WDW, and for some who whine and complain about the buses without any sound knowledge to base them on. Here it is:

I am the OP and I completely disagree with this post. Having stayed 3 times at YC/BC and loving those resorts, I will not be staying there again due to the bus service. Sure, you don't wait *that* much for the bus, but most buses stop at all 5 Boardwalk area resorts. So, my experience is that even if you get picked up in 5-15 minutes, it will still take you an hour to reach your destination, due to all the stops.

When we stayed at AKL the wait for the bus may have been the same, but there were only two stops (Jambo and Kidani), and they were *very* close to each other, so in effect you were going direct from your stop to all destinations. And because the bus didn't break down or needed to stop in the way, overall, it took us less time to get to Epcot than taking the monorail from Poly. It also took us less time to get to other parks than from the Poly, because we stopped at GF to pick up guests (and Poly and GF are not as close lobby to lobby as Kidani and Jambo). So, I know, because I have experienced it, that if I were to rate the resorts I have stayed at, there would be a clear pecking order in terms of bus:
1. AKL
2. Poly
3. BC and YC

I am not basing my review on how long to wait for the bus, but on the bus schedule and routing setup of shared bus service. And I am not an experienced Diser like many here who have stayed in multiple places and can make further comparisons.
 
The worst by far was AoA, especially after MNSSHP. They were not prepared for the crowd & when we left the park at closing, we waited for about 2 hours before we were able to board a bus & head back the resort. It was awful.

That does sound awful! I hope the rest of the transportation was better!
 
I love the values, but I gotta say that the bus service to the All-Stars is the worst. There are three resorts using one bus. Especially if you are in Movies, which is the last to be picked up and dropped off. Many times the bus pulls up already full from the other two resorts, so you. And they are usually the last bus stop at the parks- they want to remind you you are staying in the cheap hotel!

Best would be SOG- they arrive and depart on a set schedule, every hour so you know when it is coming. And if you miss that one, no worries. Just take the bus to the TTC which arrives every 20 minutes.

I also liked the bus service at Fort Wilderness. We stayed in the cabins, i don't know if that made a difference. But the internal bus wait was never more than a 10 minute wait, and the park buses ran pretty regular and were never very packed- I guess since most people drive into the fort, they would rather drive than take Disney transportation.
 


We love staying at the Epcot hotels for the easy boat/walking access for 2 of the 4 parks. Just back from our 1st stay at Wilderness Lodge and although the boat to MK was nice, we had some HORRIBLE wait times for the bus. It seemed to go beyond our timing. We also had stops at the GF as well.
 
I don't think bad busing is related to any certain hotel, I really do think it's luck of the draw & timing. I think transport in am seems quicker probably because I'm so excited to get there & transport back to resort seems to take longer because I'm tired! Also I think if you wait until closing when everyone's leaving lines for buses are of course longer!! I like the Epcot area for the boats! I'll never been a bus fan, but they serve their purpose, drop us off close to admission doors & I like that. The bus I detest the most is to DTD, so we drive there in our car. Otherwise our car stays put in the hotel parking lot! I'm so happy to just be at Disney that I can put up waiting for a bus!!!:cool1:
 
I think all star movie was the worst. Had to share with the other values and movies was the last stop
 
You can use the buses even if you don't stay onsite. It really is free.

People who stay off site are paying crazy high prices for tickets. Part of those transportation costs are embedded there. Maybe that is what is covered with the hopper fees. but I don't think it is fair to say anything at Disney is free. I guess, if someone parked at DTD, rode a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge, walked around the resort, and then took the bus back to DTD and left. That might be considered free.
 
I can't say whether they're good or bad, but the lines for the All Star buses were ALWAYS 4-5 rows deep. :scared1:

I agree....We frequently have stayed at POR and found the size of the resort doesn't necessarily effect the timeliness of the busses, but sometimes the number of people in line make your wait longer
 
I am the OP and I completely disagree with this post. Having stayed 3 times at YC/BC and loving those resorts, I will not be staying there again due to the bus service. Sure, you don't wait *that* much for the bus, but most buses stop at all 5 Boardwalk area resorts. So, my experience is that even if you get picked up in 5-15 minutes, it will still take you an hour to reach your destination, due to all the stops.

When we stayed at AKL the wait for the bus may have been the same, but there were only two stops (Jambo and Kidani), and they were *very* close to each other, so in effect you were going direct from your stop to all destinations. And because the bus didn't break down or needed to stop in the way, overall, it took us less time to get to Epcot than taking the monorail from Poly. It also took us less time to get to other parks than from the Poly, because we stopped at GF to pick up guests (and Poly and GF are not as close lobby to lobby as Kidani and Jambo). So, I know, because I have experienced it, that if I were to rate the resorts I have stayed at, there would be a clear pecking order in terms of bus:
1. AKL
2. Poly
3. BC and YC

I am not basing my review on how long to wait for the bus, but on the bus schedule and routing setup of shared bus service. And I am not an experienced Diser like many here who have stayed in multiple places and can make further comparisons.

I agree about AKL and Kidani. Only two stops at the resort. Plus it is a comfortable place to wait, unlike most of the value resorts. I toured Pop last summer and AoA and I didn't like the chains and queues while waiting for a bus.
 
We have stayed at CBR, WL, AKL, BC, GF, & Poly and while all resorts have their share of "not-so-good" bus service, our best was at CBR and our worst was at BC. With that said, we are go with the flow kind of people and are never in a hurry when on vacation, so we don't mind if it takes a little longer to get somewhere. Also, our bad experience at the BC wasn't that bad to where it would keep us from staying there again or try another Epcot resort, we would just be more prepared.

It has been several years since we stayed there, but CBR was our worst experience. I think it has a lot to do with your island at that one since it is so spread out. Ours was one of the last stops and it seemed like every bus was already full by the time they got to us.

Frankly, they are all pretty good since i don't have the stroller anymore. That was never fun (for me or anyone next to me). :rolleyes1
 
Well, off subject here, but I have THEE absolute WORST timing, when it comes to getting in ANY checkout line, ... in ANY store. Doesn't matter if it's a target, or grocery store... if I get in line? Something happens to the customers in front of me, that stops the line cold. Long price check, someone's credit card declines.... something. I am cursed, and my husband can verify this. :rotfl:

Praying this curse does NOT follow me to disneyworld! We're going Feb 24th-March 4th, and I'm hoping it does not affect my ride lines, OR the bus lines!
 
One of the reasons I like staying at Epcot deluxe resorts is because I have to use the bus service half as much as I would at the moderates/value. I can walk or boat to Epcot and DHS, so I only need to really worry about MK and AK for the bus. When Dixie Landings existed I thought the bus stop was far away from our hotel and then with CBR I think it only felt like we waited a lot for a long time because we had to count on the bus service so much vs Beach Club where it probably happened half as much because we only used it half the time.
 
It has been several years since we stayed there, but CBR was our worst experience. I think it has a lot to do with your island at that one since it is so spread out. Ours was one of the last stops and it seemed like every bus was already full by the time they got to us.

......

That sounds like our first, (and our only), stay at CBR. While we loved the beauty of the resort, the bus situation really hammered us the whole time we were there. We usually have a rent car, but this was a spur-of-the-moment trip, and we thought we'd go sans rental car. Probably will try to avoid that situation in the future.
We've also had extremely long wait times and commutes from MK to POR after a hard ticket event...well over an hour just to get a seat...but we try to plan accordingly now. Thankfully, we too are out of the "stroller toting/toddler holding" stage of our vacations now. ;)
As always, your "mileage" will vary on any given day!

;)
 
I'm sure the buses start out on 20 minute intervals in the morning, but so many things happen with a bus during a day, evc loading and unloading takes alot of times and if the same bus does it everytime in a day, that takes up alot of time and throws it out of sync and off its 20 minute interval. We stayed at BWV in 2011 and they are on the end of the pickups at all the epcot hotels. I normally don't mind the bus rides, glad to give up the car for a week, but stop after stop after stop, in the moring and the evening. You would think maybe they could run it in reverse in the evening so those staying at BW could get a break and get to go first once in a while. I think I remember once or twice not having to go all the pick ups, not sure. We started getting off the bus at the Dolphin and walking over the bridge. My husband stayed on the bus one night just for comparison sake to see if we really were saving any time and I beat him back to the resort by 20 minutes. Otherwise, the buses are great. I go to Disney to relax so I try not to sweat anything, go with the flow. We did have to have the security guard call us a bus one evening after waiting at BB for an hour and a half, which really stunk because we had dinner ressies that we missed. Buses are always hit and miss so please don't try to pick a resort based upon that. I have always heard that OKW has awful bus service, we have stayed there twice and it has always been great, but my great may be someone else's awful. You will just have to give it a whirl and see what you get. Regardless, have a good trip and don't let any of that stuff bother you.
 
I've had really bad bus experiences at the Poly since it often shares a bus with both CR and GF. Usually pick up is great but drop off takes forever. Thankfully the rest of the Poly's features make up for the bus system but we end up driving when the monorail isn't an option.
 

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