bus question

[wdwmaw]

I have a family going next week for a first time visit and I want to make this as easy as possible. They are eating at O'hanas @ 8:20 and MK closes @8pm that night. Busses run 2 hours after park closing and I am afraid they will cut that close.

Should I have them monorail back to MK for bus to POP or catch the DTD bus @ Poly then bus to POP? Which is quicker?

Thank you for your replys

 

[TDC Nala]

It's never quicker to go through DTD, but if the MK buses have stopped running, that's probably what they'd need to do.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would have them take the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom and then from there getting on the Pop Century bus, because going through Downtown Disney will take a lot longer. Although another option is taking a taxi from the Polynesian to Pop Century, if they don't mind paying for one.

 

[DebbieB]

How long past park closing does the resort monorail stop at MK?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

How long past park closing does the resort monorail stop at MK?

Well it depends because you need to factor in nights when the Magic Kingdom has Evening Extra Magic Hour, however on a regular night I believe they run it until 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM.

 

[wdwmaw]

This would be a regular night with the park closing at 8pm. They are going this week and their is still seating at O'hanas.

So, do busses keep running past the 2 hours after a park closes for resort dining?

 

[kaytieeldr]

No, they don't. Disney won't strand a Guest in/at a park, but since there isn't resort-to-resort transportation, the same isn't true for getting from, say, the Polynesian to Pop Century.

Figure a taxi would cost about $20 with tip, tops; if Epcot or DHS has Extra Magic Hours that night, they'd be better off taking a bus from the Polynesian to the open park and transferring there - especially since both parks are pretty darned close to Pop!

 

[goofy4tink]

I would do one of two things......get a cab back to Pop, or find a park with EMHs and take the bus there from the Polynesian, and then transfer to the bus to Pop.
'Ohana should take about an hour, so that brings them up to 9:30, which is cutting it close to being able to get the bus from MK. I wouldn't even bother.

 

[seashoreCM]

I was going to suggest going to Epcot to get the Pop Century bus if the Magic Kingdom buses have stopped running but the time consumed will rival going to Downtown Disney to transfer because:
1. Get off the Monorail at MK.
2. Walk to the bus platforms at the other side of the wide pre-turnstile concourse past the ferry dock.
3. Find that the buses have stopped running*
4. Walk back to the other side of the MK concourse and get the monorail to TTC.
5. Take the Epcot monorail.
6. Wait through the exiting Epcot crowds for the POP bus.

* If you "just" missed the last bus out of the MK, would they send another bus for you? Anyone experienced that predicament to be able to report back with concrete findings?

 

[DebbieB]

Well it depends because you need to factor in nights when the Magic Kingdom has Evening Extra Magic Hour, however on a regular night I believe they run it until 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM.

But does it stop at MK that late if it's closed? I seem to remember a time when I was there that it skipped the MK stop after closing, just rode through the station.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

But does it stop at MK that late if it's closed? I seem to remember a time when I was there that it skipped the MK stop after closing, just rode through the station.

Yes it will still stop at the Magic Kingdom because what if there are guests who are on that need to get off at the Contemporary, TTC or Grand Floridian.

 

[safetymom]

You might be ok on the monorail but park busses usually stop 1 1/2 hours after park closing. You might want to take the resort monorail, transfer at TTC to Epcot line and get a bus from there.

 

[Tozzie]

Yes it will still stop at the Magic Kingdom because what if there are guests who are on that need to get off at the Contemporary, TTC or Grand Floridian.

IF the contemporay has its own stop and the TTC and Grand Floridian have their own stops no one needs to get off at the MK to get to those places. I know that you are not allowed to board a bus that is going to a park that is closed and I would bet it is the same for the monorail.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

IF the contemporay has its own stop and the TTC and Grand Floridian have their own stops no one needs to get off at the MK to get to those places. I know that you are not allowed to board a bus that is going to a park that is closed and I would bet it is the same for the monorail.

Well there also might be others waiting to board the Resort Monorail from the Magic Kingdom, so that's why they always need to stop at each station. However if there was no one else waiting to board then I guess the Monorail could just leave a lot faster then originally scheduled.

 

[DebbieB]

Yes it will still stop at the Magic Kingdom because what if there are guests who are on that need to get off at the Contemporary, TTC or Grand Floridian.

It still stopped at those 3 but it did not stop at MK later in the evening when MK closed at 7:00. If MK closed at 7:00 and it's 9:00, there's no reason for anyone to get off there. MK bus service will have stopped by then.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

It still stopped at those 3 but it did not stop at MK later in the evening when MK closed at 7:00. If MK closed at 7:00 and it's 9:00, there's no reason for anyone to get off there. MK bus service will have stopped by then.

Well I can see it doing that with the Magic Kingdom closing at that time, however I am sure it would be different it they closed at 10:00 PM.

 

[DebbieB]

Well I can see it doing that with the Magic Kingdom closing at that time, however I am sure it would be different it they closed at 10:00 PM.

Right, but the original poster's question was when the MK closes at 8:00.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes it will still stop at the Magic Kingdom because what if there are guests who are on that need to get off at the Contemporary, TTC or Grand Floridian.

If Magic Kingdom is closed, and has been for a couple of hours, it would tend to indicate there would be no Guests needing to board the monorail at the MK stop - so it would make no sense for even the Resorts monorail to stop there. It can/would/will still stop at the various resorts and at the TTC.

Even if it did stop, there would be no buses running that much later than park closing time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well I can see it doing that with the Magic Kingdom closing at that time, however I am sure it would be different it they closed at 10:00 PM.

But the Magic Kingdom DOESN'T close at ten that night. It closes at seven. Please go reread the original post. With an 8:20 reservation, the OP's family will likely not be out of the Polynesian until WAY more than two hours after Magic Kingdom closes, therefore, NO BUSES departing from the MK stop.

So taking the monorail to the MK will be futile - a huge waste of time and energy, especially if/that the monorail doesn't stop at the MK that long - two and a half or more hours - after the park closes.

 

[wdwmaw]

Thank you everyone for the insight and for helping me think this one threw. There will be 7 of them so I may have them bus to DTD or just get a cab. They arrive that afternoon so eating earlier is not much of an option.

We have used a taxi a couple of times several years ago. Will a van to accomodate 7 still be around $20 for a ride from Poly - POP?