Best DVC resort bus service?

[hotveggy]

Considering renting points to stay DVC. We have a 2yo and 4yo so ease of buses for afternoon nap is a must.

I am considering okw though we will spend 3 days at MK so BLT may be better (if available).

Who has the best service and doesn't share a bus?

Should I be turned off by the size ok okw?

 

[MEK]

BLT is obviously very convenient to MK and Epcot, but I waited 45 minutes for a HS bus when I stayed there.

At OKW the buses ran very regularly. No issues.

My experience may not be representative of others. I think the bus service is pretty similar between the different resorts.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I think AKV has the best bus service although it is a little longer ride itself to get to some parks. OKW and SSR are good but they have numerous internal stops whereas AKV has only 2 stops - 1 at Kidani and 1 at Jambo.

But if not BLT then you might also consider another MK resort - VWL. Direct boat or bus to MK and usually just one additional bus stop to the other parks - except for AK because of the mandatory stop at Blizzard Beach when it's open.

 

[lilpooh108]

The transportation forum folks have a thread where it lists the ride times to the parks from each resort. I found that helpful when planning. With 2 little ones, will folding the stroller be a PITA? I find it to be. I'd stay at BLT if I were doing MK for 3 days. We usually stay AKV and the ride is l-o-n-g, but that is our favorite resort.

 

[crisi]

Personally, I think that bus service is more a matter of luck than anything. We usually stay at BWV, which has a reputation for lousy bus service (but we walk to two parks, so the amount of time on them is limited). We've had trips where the bus service has seemed magical, every time we reach the bus stop, a bus is pulling up. And other trips where it seems like we wait a lot.

Wilderness Lodge is another choice with little ones - its the boat - no stroller folding - rather than the bus for MK.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think OKW has the best bus service. I've never had a problem there and have stayed there many times. I've stayed in all locations there and always got a seat heading to the parks.

 

[holula]

Out of OKW, AKL, SSR... SSR and OKW have always had good bus service and our experience with AKL has been horrible (normal waits of 45 mins, once 90 mins!) SSR and OKW both had about 10 mins wait from everywhere except DAK where it was closer to 20. But still not bad at all.

 

[hapablap21]

We took our 2 yo last fall, and the best advice I can give you is (if you can) to not even worry about the buses - just drive.

- Staying on-site allows you to park for free.
- When you have a 2 year old who needs a nap, waiting 15 minutes for a bus and then another 20 on the road sucks.
- It's not just the naps - when they get to the bus stop in the morning, they realize where you're going and they start bouncing off of the walls. So then you have to wait 15 minutes for a bus while they're losing their mind with excitement. Then another 20 minutes of trying to keep them calm while you're on the bus ride.

In general, much better to just strap them in a car seat and go straight there.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Honestly, in 15 years of DVC visits we have found the transportation to be about equal from all resorts. Sure, some are closer to a park (BLT/BWV/BCV/AKV) but far from others and their bus service to other parks - aside from AKV - always seems to be the least frequent/most crowded. Others (OKW/SSR) are not close to a particular park but have consistent bus service to all of them.

If it were me I would decide which resort I like the best and go with that. Getting back for an afternoon nap is easy to do with any of them.

 

[gibbow]

When we visited in May, we stayed at SSR which had pretty consistent bus service. We normally waited about ten to fifteen minutes.

We did DHS one morning and then went to Epcot after Via boat, and the bus from Epcot was only about a 10 minute wait.

One night we watched Wishes from the beach at the Poly, then headed over to the CR to walk around and relax a little as we are interested in owning at BLT. We decided to take a bus to DTD from BLT and then walk the short path to Congress Park in SSR where we were staying. We waited over an hour and fifteen minutes at BLT and were wondering if a bus would ever come. Twice, a bus with a "DTD" sign told us they were ending their runs for the night and that a bus would be coming shortly. It was the most painful and frustrating time waiting for that bus. Perhaps it was just a bad luck situation. But SSR seemed to be great. They also have numerous pools, and seemed to be a nice and quiet resort for kids.

Also, if you have ADR at a resort, you can take the boat to DTD then take the bus to the resort, granted the buses are running at the time of the ADR. If not...a cab may be much much easier.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

When we visited in May, we stayed at SSR which had pretty consistent bus service. We normally waited about ten to fifteen minutes.

We did DHS one morning and then went to Epcot after Via boat, and the bus from Epcot was only about a 10 minute wait.

One night we watched Wishes from the beach at the Poly, then headed over to the CR to walk around and relax a little as we are interested in owning at BLT. We decided to take a bus to DTD from BLT and then walk the short path to Congress Park in SSR where we were staying. We waited over an hour and fifteen minutes at BLT and were wondering if a bus would ever come. Twice, a bus with a "DTD" sign told us they were ending their runs for the night and that a bus would be coming shortly. It was the most painful and frustrating time waiting for that bus. Perhaps it was just a bad luck situation. But SSR seemed to be great. They also have numerous pools, and seemed to be a nice and quiet resort for kids.

Also, if you have ADR at a resort, you can take the boat to DTD then take the bus to the resort, granted the buses are running at the time of the ADR. If not...a cab may be much much easier.

DTD buses are notoriously the worst at all resorts. Unless you're looking to go somewhere else. Then they arrive every 5 minutes.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

OKW had excellent service when we went for 9 days in May

 

[hakepb]

DTD buses are notoriously the worst at all resorts. Unless you're looking to go somewhere else. Then they arrive every 5 minutes.

 

[tjkraz]

Ask 10 people, you'll get 10 different answers. And even if you find a consensus as to the "best", there's no guarantee you won't be waiting 30 minutes from/to that resort at some point.

Really have to come to grips with the reality that WDW bus service is hit-or-miss. If the greatest amount of control is essential, rent a car.

 

[seashoreCM]

Each day a different resort is best, and which one cannot be predicted.

Still, if you wait 40-45 minutes let alone one hour 15 minutes, it's worth filing a complaint.

To help ensure that the complaint actually goes somewhere, ask for a perk such as extra use-anywhere-anytime fastpasses.

Anyone remember the Disney Transport phone number so you can call for a bus without having to go in to the concierge and then the bus comes and leaves before you get back out to the platform?

The technology exists to have a sign board showing at least approximately when the next bus for each destination will arrive.

Guests can learn to live with just one bus every hour but there must be printed schedules that are adhered to and all guests waiting must be accommodated.

 

[ludari]

I've never waited long for any bus service from/to DVC resorts. Depending on what my vacation plans are when I stay at WDW I always consider all transportation services offered by WDW such as bus, monorail, boat and even walking.

 

[gibbow]

DTD buses are notoriously the worst at all resorts. Unless you're looking to go somewhere else. Then they arrive every 5 minutes.

Just saying what I was told. My experience with DTD buses hasn't been bad actually... guess that's the only place I've been lucky.

Guests can learn to live with just one bus every hour but there must be printed schedules that are adhered to and all guests waiting must be accommodated.

Or even if they gave a time range of about +/- 5 minutes to accommodate strollers and such.

"The new longer articulated buses will begin a test around Walt Disney World property July 23, 2013. These buses have a pivoting joint in the middle, allowing them to have a smaller turning radius. Their longer length gives them a higher passenger capacity."

Perhaps you'll be lucky to get to try these as well!

 

[nalajms]

It also depends on what time of the year you're going. We've run into super crowded buses where they jam as many people as you can in. My DH ends up holding the folded stroller, my 3yo is hugging my leg, I've got one hand holding a poll and the other hand carrying my 1yo! That happened once back from DTD to BCV and another time from BWV to AKV.

I was also told that OKW does not have elevators. That's one of the reasons we've never stayed there.

 

[hotveggy]

It also depends on what time of the year you're going. We've run into super crowded buses where they jam as many people as you can in. My DH ends up holding the folded stroller, my 3yo is hugging my leg, I've got one hand holding a poll and the other hand carrying my 1yo! That happened once back from DTD to BCV and another time from BWV to AKV.

I was also told that OKW does not have elevators. That's one of the reasons we've never stayed there.

Good to know about the elevators! Hadn't thought about that!


I appreciate all the feedback. I know that every situation is different. We are going jan 11-18th... I know the first weekend won't be good transportation wise bc of the marathon. At this point, I have to see what I can get less than 6 months out. The people we are renting from own at ssr.

 

[2binak]

We took our 2 yo last fall, and the best advice I can give you is (if you can) to not even worry about the buses - just drive.

- Staying on-site allows you to park for free.
- When you have a 2 year old who needs a nap, waiting 15 minutes for a bus and then another 20 on the road sucks.
- It's not just the naps - when they get to the bus stop in the morning, they realize where you're going and they start bouncing off of the walls. So then you have to wait 15 minutes for a bus while they're losing their mind with excitement. Then another 20 minutes of trying to keep them calm while you're on the bus ride.

In general, much better to just strap them in a car seat and go straight there.

I 2nd renting a car if you can. We started renting after our first trip with DD. She was 8 months old at the time and we experienced some wait times at the resort (SSR) of almost an hour for a park bus. When it was just Dh & I, we'd deal with the long wait times, but when you have a baby or child, those wait times can be brutal! After that trip we decided to take control of our transportation and rent a car and we've never regretted it. It's especially nice at the end of the day when buses from the parks can be standing room only.