boardwalk villa transportation issues

[lenshanem]

We will ahve a car so if we go to DTD we'll drive. We do prefer though to use the bus. We don't like to drive our car whiel on vacation. Since we have littel ones we will be at MK at least 2 of the days that week and AK probbaly once.
I just started another thread hoping to get soem suggestions for our sitaution -
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=464140

 

[KANSAS]

shen
if you are going to rent a car, to drive to downtown disney, where are you going to park it, on a friday or saturday evening?
this is what I have been told, is a big problem.
Please correct, me if I am not correct.

 

[Cruelladeville]

As an owner at BWV, I agree that the busing is a problem. It's also a problem at BCV, since they share buses. OKW frequently has problems with their buses, too. I think the VWL has the most efficient busing, although I don't know why that would be so.

However, I find it ludicrous that an able-bodied person would want a bus from Epcot to BWV. Please!!! If an able-bodied adult or child can't walk for 5 minutes to get to Epcot, then you probably shouldn't be walking around Epcot or any other park. I would scream bloody murder if my dues went for a bus to Epcot, when busing to the other places around Disneyworld clearly need the attention instead.

 

[zurgswife]

if you are going to rent a car, to drive to downtown disney, where are you going to park it, on a friday or saturday evening?

Are you refering to parking at the hotel or at DTD.....???

We have never found it a problem to park at the lots at the BW...either self park or valet....and as far as DTD on a Friday or Saturday night....those of us with little ones don't usually get there that often on those days...LOL

 

[KANSAS]

cruellaa
I bring my mother, who is 79.

 

[KANSAS]

cruella
your point about the bus, to epcot, from boardwalk, on the future world side, has merit.

then why do we have boat service, from Boardwalk to Epcot??

 

[jcodespoti]

Kansas,
As I BW owner you should write a letter and express how you feel.
I know I did when I stayed at OKW and had to wait over an hour for a bus to MK. I think that the busing issue can be at any resort at any time (at least thats what I found).

We stopped using the buses and rent a car. Thats what works for us.

Joe in CT

 

[Cruelladeville]

Kansas,
I agree with your implied criticism of the boat to Epcot. But I disagree strongly with your implication that a 79 year old woman can't be able-bodied! "mother" is 83, and after two hip replacements would beat me with her cane if I dared to suggest that she is not able-bodied, and she walks everywhere--slowly, but she gets there eventually. Dad, at 82, gets along well with his scooter. Neither one would benefit from a bus to Epcot. Both are pleasantly middle-aged, in their opinion, and are driving--on their own--from Michigan to spend Thanksgiving in Florida.

My comment about bus service from BWV to Epcot stands.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Have been going to OKW for 5 years and have never had these type of transportation problems

. We always have a rental car for DD but use the busses to go to the parks from OKW.

 

[FredS]

Originally posted by Nick@ VB+OKW
Have been going to OKW for 5 years and have never had these type of transportation problems

. We always have a rental car for DD but use the busses to go to the parks from OKW.

I am with Nick on this (well, except that we take the boat to DD!). I find OKW bus service to be very good, but have found bus service to both BWV and BCV to be horrible. Extremely long waits and packed buses seem to be the norm. I love the resorts overall at both BWV and BCV. However, it is a significant deterrent to my staying there, knowing that I will have to deal with the poor transportation unless we are going to walk or take the boat to MGM and Epcot. I honestly think service to Fort Wilderness takes less time and is less hassle than to and from the "Epcot resorts", which strikes me as ridiculous.

 

[lenshanem]

and as far as DTD on a Friday or Saturday night....those of us with little ones don't usually get there that often on those days...LOL

That is correct!!! DTD at night?!? Doesn't ahppen for us yet.

 

[KristiKelly]

We stayed @ BCV 9/27-10/4, just about everytime the busses picked up @ BW they were full and those folks had to stand. We decided we probably would not ever stay there for that reason (not with kids anyway), if I did stay, I think I'd walk across to BC to catch the bus. I don't know if it's the time of year and they are cutting back on busses or what. I think Swan & Dolphin should have their own transportation, Y & BC and BW have theirs. 5 hotels is entirely to much for 1 bus. I didn't think that Swan & Dolphin were Disney resorts, packages aren't delivered there.?.

 

[Bob H]

I own BWV. We walked to MGM (~15 min.) and EPCOT (~10 min.). From EPCOT, we took the monorail to the MC.

I have never gotten on a bus. If the service was tolerable, I still would not. I stand in enough lines at the parks, I am not going to get shoved into a hot sweaty bus to end a long day.

For the days that we visited AK, and SeaWorld, a National Car van picked me up at the front door to BWV and took me to the on-property rental facility where I picked up my reserved car (at a discount for staying on property) and drove to those properties.

We also drove to Downtown Disney for our reservations at the Fulton Crab House, Circ du Sole', and Pleasure Island. We had no problem parking, but we also planned ahead to arrive during mid afternoon in order to spend an evening of it.

 

[crisi]

We thought BWV transportation to be servicable. The buses were crowded, but with only one exception (AK back to the Epcot area resorts) one arrived within 20 minutes that was boardable. Which is what my expectation is for bus service - I don't expect to sit. I just expect a bus to arrive within 20 minutes that I can get on.

But we took a lot of cabs after discovering that our small children and the seniors we were traveling with were not as good at standing on the bus as we were. We worked the numbers, and the cab/monorail/boat/bus/towncar combination doesn't come to much more than a rental car (unless you get a great deal on a rental) and we don't like to rent. The extra $30 a day in cab fare really doesn't add that much in the overall scheme of our Disney budget.

When it is my husband and I we tend to do a lot of odd things to get around without a rental. We will take the bus from the AK to MGM if it arrives first, then walk or take the boat. We've stayed at WL and have been known to get on a bus or monorail to the MK and then take the boat, rather than bother with the bus. While we have found the buses relatively efficient, they aren't Disney's most elegant, fun, or comfortable mode of transportation - and it doesn't make any difference what resort you stay at.

The walk to Epcot was great - and I think not having buses is fine. After all, most of us are in WS towards the end of our day anyway when our feet are tired - eating dinner, watching Illuminations. Its less of a walk that watching Illuminations from the back of the WS and then heading for a bus back to a different resort.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Nanajo1
You get no criticism from me. I would be very unhappy with those wait times. As a BWV owner I am not satisfied with the bus service, particularly with sharing with so many other hotels and being the last for pick up. I think Disney needs to reassess the bus situation for the EPCOT area hotels.
We usually walk to EPCOT and MGM so I can't comment on the boat service.

I also agree as a BWV owner. At peak times like you describe, Disney Transportaion needs to provide more buses. That is ridiculous! And BWV should not share with all those other places any longer. Maybe BCV and BWV should have their own buses.

We usually walk to International Gateway, and plan our day so we end up there at night. I never thought of this as anything but a convenience, not a problem.

 

[KANSAS]

crisi
THank you for your post. I agreed with many of yoru points.

I feel that when you are staying at one of the most desirable resorts in the world. I should not have to pay $30 per day, for cabs, when I am paying dramactically more to stay at Boardwalk than the guests staying at the ALL STARS.

 

[SHELL]

I am a DVC owner and have gone to the BW twice now with points in Sept (off season). Both times the bus situation was terrible. I complained both at the front desk both years as well as wrote a letter. Neither was addressed or obvously nothing has changed. We went to the Halloween party on October 3rd and we left at 10:30 we were the only bus that had 7 hotels combined and the only stop with a long line. It took 3 buses to come before we were able to get on board and then it took 40 minutes to get to our hotel. It was a discrace. All the other hotels had there own bus. They even split the All stars Movies from the others. I don't understand why we pay top rates to stay there and we have to deal with this. The Swan and Dolphin should have there own bus esp. since they are not even owned by disney. The other resorts are deluxes I don't see the Swan and Dolphin as a deluxe??
What can we do? I have tried to write letters but nothing. Anyone have any suggestions???

 

[Pa@okw95]

This will not mean much to those staying at BWV but I am a member of OKW and long ago I stopped using the bus service to go to the parks from OKW. The only park I will go via bus is MK. I drive to all the rest.

 

[crisi]

KANSAS,

I understand, but we just look at it differently.

The only way I would be truly "happy" is if the buses came every five minutes and everyone got a seat. Realistically, that ain't happening. Actually, the way to make me truly happy is to run a monorail to the Epcot area resorts, but that has less of a chance of happening than five minute waits and everyone getting a seat.

On the other hand, I can afford to stay at a Deluxe Disney hotel and have a deluxe experience. Since I can afford to stay at a deluxe hotel, and expect deluxe amenities, I figure dropping an extra $30 a day on cabs to get the transportion experience I desire isn't a big deal. I really don't want to go from my roomy two bedroom with the whirlpool tub to a seat on a bus - even a prompt uncrowded one. As I said, the buses just aren't Disney's most elegant or fun form of transportation. We do it, but I suspect we will do it less and less - although I'm going to make my husband and kids take the buses on occation - just because when the kids get to be teenagers I want them familiar with the bus routes - I'm not planning on handing a sixteen year old cash for a cab - they can wait and stand.

The more people who think like I do, the less crowded the buses will be.

I figure I'd be more upset staying at the All Stars with bad bus service - out there you are completely dependant on the service, and many of the people staying out there don't have $30 worth of room a day in their budgets - that's their food budget for the day.

(and yeah, I think they should split out the Swan Dolphin stop - even if just to change the perception about BW having bad bus service.)

 

[pumpkinboy]

I am in full agreement with folks on the unfortunate 5 hotel/1bus route policy. In my family our transportation isssue is my wheelchair-bound 6 yr old (who, by the way, becomes Royalty when he arrives at WDW). We had a choice of BCV, BWV and waiting for resales or SSR, and we went with BWV. This was our reasoning:

-Most of our favourite resaurants are in the World Showcase or over at the Swan/ Dolphin, so BWV is nicely positioned for a pleasant walk before and after dinner. Also, we're close enough to Epcot that we could cut thru to catch the monorail to MK (about 1.3 miles, not too bad for first thing in the AM and since the grown-ups are in decent shape).
-both my son and 4 yr old DD Love riding the boat, and it's pretty easy rolling on and off the boats in a wheelchair. Plus my son gets to sit right up front in his wheelchair and flirt there is a lady piloting said boat. The boat gets up to 2 of the four parks.
-Given the unfortunate 5 hotel route policy as it is, we figured to board a bus to MK or AK we would simply cross the bridge and board at the Swan. Note that with a wheelchair, you really do have to get on at the first stop, or else the bus may become too full. We figured BWV would be closer to the Swan than BCV.
So that was our reasoning for buying in there, those plus the lovely rooms, nice views and all that other stuff. I certainly understand Kansas' frustration given her experience there. I really hope you write a nice detailed letter, Kansas, as Doc suggested. Even more, I hope that Disney will improve the Bus situation, so it doesn't start (or keep) turning folks off of this wonderful location.