Best bus experience?

[dianeschlicht]

To answer the OP's original question, we find the best bus service is probably a tie between OKW and AKV/Kidani. Both those resorts seem to have frequent buses and mostly on time.

I know some think the ride around OKW is L-O-N-G, but it really isn't bad if you know how to use the system. Worst case scenario is Turtle Pond, since it's the 3rd of 5 bus stops and "in the middle". For the others, there are options. If you don't want to get on and ride the resort from Penninsular Road (1st stop), just walk a few feet across the street and get on at HH (the last stop). By the same token, if you don't want to ride through the whole resort coming back in and you are staying either at HH or Miller's Road, we have found getting off at the 1st stop is an easy walk to both of those, and you WILL get back to your villa before the bus does. Our favorite location is South Point because it's the second stop. While this means we do have a longer ride on the way out of the resort, we are also home early coming back. Plus if we are staying in buildings 45 or 46, it's almost as easy to just walk to HH. Believe me, walking outside at OKW is no longer than walking the hallways of AKV, and better because you are outside!

 

[luv2sleep]

To answer the OP's original question, we find the best bus service is probably a tie between OKW and AKV/Kidani. Both those resorts seem to have frequent buses and mostly on time.

I know some think the ride around OKW is L-O-N-G, but it really isn't bad if you know how to use the system. Worst case scenario is Turtle Pond, since it's the 3rd of 5 bus stops and "in the middle". For the others, there are options. If you don't want to get on and ride the resort from Penninsular Road (1st stop), just walk a few feet across the street and get on at HH (the last stop). By the same token, if you don't want to ride through the whole resort coming back in and you are staying either at HH or Miller's Road, we have found getting off at the 1st stop is an easy walk to both of those, and you WILL get back to your villa before the bus does. Our favorite location is South Point because it's the second stop. While this means we do have a longer ride on the way out of the resort, we are also home early coming back. Plus if we are staying in buildings 45 or 46, it's almost as easy to just walk to HH. Believe me, walking outside at OKW is no longer than walking the hallways of AKV, and better because you are outside!

Wow for someone who has only been to WDW once and stayed at BLT, this is really overwhelming, lol. I have SSR booked and AKV wait listed.

Very nice detailed descriptions though.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Probably required a left turn....

Still had to left turn into Ft Wilderness from Vista Blvd. But the bus does pick up at the entrance and not back near the cabins. And left turn out of Ft Wilderness back onto Vista Blvd to get to Bonnet Creek Parkway.

 

[Pleglech]

For the life of me, I can't understand why people staying at BWV don't realize that it sometimes makes more sense to get on or off the bus at the Swolphin. It's what, a slow five-minute stroll?

 

[spiceycat]

For the life of me, I can't understand why people staying at BWV don't realize that it sometimes makes more sense to get on or off the bus at the Swolphin. It's what, a slow five-minute stroll?

depends sometimes BW is the first stop not the last - then it goes to s&d - so it is not too bad. at least they are all fairly close together.

 

[drusba]

For the life of me, I can't understand why people staying at BWV don't realize that it sometimes makes more sense to get on or off the bus at the Swolphin. It's what, a slow five-minute stroll?

The walk is not that short, particularly if you are older and need to use the elevator. or if your room is closer to the lobby. Also, the usual bus run is BWV to Swan to Dolphin to and from the park and thus it does not make sense to go to S/D to board or get off the bus. Then they don't tell you when YC/BC is added, it just happens and then it is BWV, S/D, YC/BC going and you never know what you are going to get coming back when they add YC/BC. The three stops take long enough but adding those two more makes it much worse, since we are not talking about bus stops that are all near each other. Also, the problems we have had with BWV buses that we never seem to experience elsewhere always seem to happen multiple times when we are there. You go to the bus depot and watch four AK buses and four DD buses come in an hour and none for MK, or if going to AK it is the AK bus that never comes. In fact, often you will see those other buses to one park come almost right on top of each other with only a few minutes between them. We were there in May and it happened then. I was apparently the first to the bus stop at about 1:30 in the afternoon to go to MK. Slowly but surely the crowd waiting for the MK bus increased. Right around 2:20 someone asked how long was it supposed to take waiting for a bus and I said, "Don't worry, the next one will probably be coming along in less than twenty minutes" and then added, "because I have already been here for 40."

In every trip I have had to BWV (past May included and I have been a BWV owner for 16 years), I have had a wait at MK or AK at least once for over 50 minutes for a bus to return to BWV, and that has happened sometimes twice per trip with the longest wait we have had being 1 hour 40 minutes. Whenever it happens, we just stand there watching bus after bus after bus come for every other resort but ours. Then when ours finally comes, the driver never has any idea that there was any delay. Also, for no apparent reason, when going from BWV, the driver gets to Swan or Dolphin and then, after the bus loads, sometimes just sits there for five to ten minutes. No explanation is given but I suspect it is just part of the plan to make sure guests are stranded at MK.

 

[luv2sleep]

For those that stay at the BCV and BWV resorts, why don't more people walk to Epcot and hop on the monorail up to MK? I've never stayed in those resorts so I wouldn't know. When we took the monorail from Epcot to MK it was 20 min with only about a 5 min wait.

 

[jcemom]

The walk is not that short, particularly if you are older and need to use the elevator. or if your room is closer to the lobby. Also, the usual bus run is BWV to Swan to Dolphin to and from the park and thus it does not make sense to go to S/D to board or get off the bus. Then they don't tell you when YC/BC is added, it just happens and then it is BWV, S/D, YC/BC going and you never know what you are going to get coming back when they add YC/BC. The three stops take long enough but adding those two more makes it much worse, since we are not talking about bus stops that are all near each other. Also, the problems we have had with BWV buses that we never seem to experience elsewhere always seem to happen multiple times when we are there. You go to the bus depot and watch four AK buses and four DD buses come in an hour and none for MK, or if going to AK it is the AK bus that never comes. In fact, often you will see those other buses to one park come almost right on top of each other with only a few minutes between them. We were there in May and it happened then. I was apparently the first to the bus stop at about 1:30 in the afternoon to go to MK. Slowly but surely the crowd waiting for the MK bus increased. Right around 2:20 someone asked how long was it supposed to take waiting for a bus and I said, "Don't worry, the next one will probably be coming along in less than twenty minutes" and then added, "because I have already been here for 40."

In every trip I have had to BWV (past May included and I have been a BWV owner for 16 years), I have had a wait at MK or AK at least once for over 50 minutes for a bus to return to BWV, and that has happened sometimes twice per trip with the longest wait we have had being 1 hour 40 minutes. Whenever it happens, we just stand there watching bus after bus after bus come for every other resort but ours. Then when ours finally comes, the driver never has any idea that there was any delay. Also, for no apparent reason, when going from BWV, the driver gets to Swan or Dolphin and then, after the bus loads, sometimes just sits there for five to ten minutes. No explanation is given but I suspect it is just part of the plan to make sure guests are stranded at MK.

We had the same problems with BW buses. I don't mind the S/D stop so much, but adding in YC/BC is the pits. Last year we split our stay between BWV and AKV, hit Epcot and DHS while at BWV, then MK and AK while at AKV. That worked really well for us.

For those that stay at the BCV and BWV resorts, why don't more people walk to Epcot and hop on the monorail up to MK? I've never stayed in those resorts so I wouldn't know. When we took the monorail from Epcot to MK it was 20 min with only about a 5 min wait.

That would be a pretty long walk. The Epcot resorts are at the back of Epcot, and the monorail is outside the front entrance. I'd guess that it's probably more than a mile from BWV to the Epcot monorail. Even if you were willing to make the trek, there would be no way to make MK's rope drop or anything like that, since you can't get into the IG until 9:00ish.

 

[drusba]

For those that stay at the BCV and BWV resorts, why don't more people walk to Epcot and hop on the monorail up to MK? I've never stayed in those resorts so I wouldn't know. When we took the monorail from Epcot to MK it was 20 min with only about a 5 min wait.

Yep, that walk takes about 25 to 30 minutes from BWV and then you have to do two monorails including any waiting for those. So trip is about an hour or more which the buses are theorectically supposed to be faster than. Though you can get into the park at the International Gateway before rope-drop at Epcot, you cannot get into Future World and thus cannot get to the monorail until there is rope drop at Epcot.

 

[luv2sleep]

We don't do rope drop, stay late, ADRs more than once, or rush at all. I can see of you wanted to make rope drop or make appointments like ADRs that it wouldn't help. Was wondering if it was an occasional option though.

 

[spiceycat]

when staying at BWV - try to only go to studios and epcot

staying at blt - only MK and Epcot - okay studios also.

elsewhere - AK - and sometimes all the parks.

 

[mamaprincess]

AKV Kidani.

 

[vandy]

Always seems like the resort that has the best bus service is the one I am NOT staying at

 

[OKWMom]

Always seems like the resort that has the best bus service is the one I am NOT staying at

Exactly how I have felt. Which is why DH insists on driving now.