Bus from Disney Springs to Resorts

[bebelle]

We are planning a resort and DS tour to see the holiday decorations. We will be parking in Disney Springs and taking a bus to the first resort. I know DS doesn’t open until 10 am. I was wondering if anyone knew how early the buses would run to the resorts from DS. I am hoping we don’t have to wait until 10 am.

 

[Hopefully]

You may find a quicker answer to y our bus question on the Transportation Forum here on the DIS

 

[NJ Goofy]

The Disney website says the bus service STARTS 45 minutes before DS opens. So, the buses would start leaving the resorts at 9:15 am. I would guess you probably wouldn't get a return bus back to the resorts until @ 9:45. if you want an early start, I suggest for the 1st resort you use Uber / Lyft and then take Disney transportation from there on.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Why not just drive to the individual resorts?

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Why not just drive to the individual resorts?

This ^ ?

There are no resort to resort busses so if you’re planning on hitting more than one resort you’ll have to go back to DS and then hop on the next resort of choice bus. That’ll take loads of time.

I would start the day by driving to the individual resorts. Plan it so you’re at a place where the lunch menu is enticing. And end the day at DS. The Christmas tree trail is much better at night IMO.

 

[JoJoGirl]

Buses to and from DS can be notoriously unreliable, especially in the morning hours. If you really want to park there, because it sounds like a great place to finish your tour and hang out afterward , I would strongly suggest catching an Uber/Lyft to your first resort destination.

Here’s how it would unfold in my head:

Park at DS
Uber/Lyft to Beach Club
Tour Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk on foot. If it’s lunchtime by then, there are plenty of good places to eat nearby.
From the Boardwalk, catch a bus to the MK. Hop on the monorail and tour the Poly, GF, and CR.
From the CR, take the blue flag launch to the WL. Rest, relax and enjoy the ambience there for a while!
From there you can decide whether you would like to take an Uber/Lyft to AKL (or boat back to MK and catch the bus from there, which would be free, but would take a LOT longer). AKL is spectacular, but you will have seen a LOT of great decorations by then and may want to call it a day.
Catch a bus from your last destination back to DS.
Have a delicious supper and enjoy your evening!

Wow, that sounds fun! Now I wish I were going with you. Have a great time!

 

[buzznina]

You can get to a lot of the resorts without driving to each one (like jojogirl has shown). So if you are not in a super rush then catching a bus from DS will work. OP, I am not sure if you will be staying at a resort, but when we do our tour, we just catch WDW transportation to either Epcot for BC/YC/BW or to MK and take the rail to those resorts. If you do decide to drive, it would be best to valet park at the first resort so this way you will can use valet at the other deluxe resorts without any extra charges (if they are not super packed).

 

[WEDWDW]

Why not just drive to the individual resorts?

And also Disney Springs parking is just intended for DS use only.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can get to a lot of the resorts without driving to each one (like jojogirl has shown). So if you are not in a super rush then catching a bus from DS will work. OP, I am not sure if you will be staying at a resort, but when we do our tour, we just catch WDW transportation to either Epcot for BC/YC/BW or to MK and take the rail to those resorts. If you do decide to drive, it would be best to valet park at the first resort so this way you will can use valet at the other deluxe resorts without any extra charges (if they are not super packed).

You'd be tipping at every resort you park at. It would be cheaper to park at the theme park and take a bus or other Disney transport to the resorts.

Plus there are times when valet parking isn't permitted unless you are guest of that resort or you have an ADR at that resort. I've seen them turn people away at the Contemporary when all they wanted to do was valet park, not dining, not a guest there.

 

[bryanb]

Buses to and from DS can be notoriously unreliable, especially in the morning hours.

Do you know at what hour they become reliable? The reason I'm asking is that I've had the opposite experience, but I think that's when Typhoon Lagoon was open. All Typhoon Lagoon-bound traffic has a layover at Disney Springs... so when I was there it seemed like there were more DS-bound buses than any other kind, loading up beach bag and flip-flop carrying families in the morning. I don't know about coming back that early, though.

 

[JoJoGirl]

Do you know at what hour they become reliable? The reason I'm asking is that I've had the opposite experience, but I think that's when Typhoon Lagoon was open. All Typhoon Lagoon-bound traffic has a layover at Disney Springs... so when I was there it seemed like there were more DS-bound buses than any other kind, carrying away beach bag and flip-flop carrying families in the morning. I don't know about coming back that early, though.

It’s mostly our personal experience from 25+ trips, and from reading others’ similar experiences. The worst waits we’ve ever had have been at DS trying to get a bus back to a resort. Not every single time, but often enough to stand out. Perhaps not all the inbound buses head directly back to the resorts, but instead get directed elsewhere based upon demand. I can imagine this being the case especially in the mornings. Again, just personal experience. If this has changed recently, that would be great news!

 

[nkereina]

There are no resort to resort busses so if you’re planning on hitting more than one resort you’ll have to go back to DS and then hop on the next resort of choice bus. That’ll take loads of time.

From the first resort, they can go to any park to transfer to another resort. If they are at Beach Club (for example), it would also be easy to walk or boat over to DHS to catch a bus to another resort. So while I agree its still time consuming, they don't have to go back to DS for every transfer.

Do you know at what hour they become reliable?

I agree with PP. The later in the day it gets, the more frequent the buses are. But even then, it could still be a wait. Generally speaking, DS is more of an evening destination so buses don't ramp up until the later hours. Few people going to DS at 10am and even fewer people returning from DS at 10am. IMO, it could very well be a long wait.

If you don't want to drive to every resort, you could park at DS, walk over to SSR and check out the decor there, then hop on a bus to MK. From MK, walk over to CR, then monorail to Poly/GF. OR you could walk over to SSR and then hop on a bus to DHS, then boat over to BWI/BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin. None of these would be the most time efficient, but it eliminates the need to drive yourself, pay for valet, or Uber.

 

[bryanb]

It’s mostly our personal experience from 25+ trips, and from reading others’ similar experiences. The worst waits we’ve ever had have been at DS trying to get a bus back to a resort. Not every single time, but often enough to stand out. Perhaps not all the inbound buses head directly back to the resorts, but instead get directed elsewhere based upon demand. I can imagine this being the case especially in the mornings. Again, just personal experience. If this has changed recently, that would be great news!

To be honest, I haven't observed it enough to know... it was just my very limited observation watching buses come and go 20 minutes at a time over the recent two years' visits. I'm not sure how much it has changed versus your experience. But since there are a lot of people going to Typhoon Lagoon in the morning, that might have shifted the buses going via Disney Springs. However, coming back that early in the morning is probably not nearly as simple.

 

[sndral]

It’s mostly our personal experience from 25+ trips, and from reading others’ similar experiences. The worst waits we’ve ever had have been at DS trying to get a bus back to a resort. Not every single time, but often enough to stand out. Perhaps not all the inbound buses head directly back to the resorts, but instead get directed elsewhere based upon demand. I can imagine this being the case especially in the mornings. Again, just personal experience. If this has changed recently, that would be great news!

Agree, I don’t know why, but our worst bus experiences & longest waits have been trying to get back to our resort from DS - but I have no experience with morning visits there.

To be honest, I haven't observed it enough to know... it was just my very limited observation watching buses come and go 20 minutes at a time over the recent two years' visits. I'm not sure how much it has changed versus your experience. But since there are a lot of people going to Typhoon Lagoon in the morning, that might have shifted the buses going via Disney Springs. However, coming back that early in the morning is probably not nearly as simple.

Typhoon lagoon doesn’t open until 10 am in Dec. - and depending on temp. it’s not nearly as in demand in wintertime when the Christmas decorations are out.