Bus transportation is terrible!

[kydisneyfans]

We were there 9/29-10/6 and were extremely happy with the busses. We never waited more than 9 minutes for a bus anywhere. The majority of the time the bus was there when leaving a park or was there within 2-3 minutes. The 9 minute wait was at the resort (POFQ) and heading to MK.

We were at Animal Kingdom Kidani from 10-3 thru 10-9 and only waited for a bus longer than 5 minutes once. As a frequent bus grumbler, it was an amazing week for bus riding for us. 3 times we were the only family on the bus, another time there was just 1 other couple.

We love, love, love the time monitors at Kidani also.

 

[angel0321]

We were at ASMu from Sep 28 - Oct 10, and we had pretty good experience with bus service, both from the resort and from the parks. I can recall just 1 morning when the line for the Epcot bus was pretty long, and all buses were running late (i.e. estimated arrival times kept increasing). As far as leaving the parks went, we had very little waits any day/night, whether there were a relatively small number of people waiting or a large number (like after MNSSHP). I partly believe some of this is luck on the part of our arrival times, which coincided with buses coming. The only time we "just missed" a bus and had to wait, it was maybe 15 minutes tops.

 

[AntJulie]

We were there 9/29 to 10/6---Caribbean Beach bus transportation definitely needs to be improved--numerous times we waited 30 minutes or more for a bus to one of the parks (as numerous buses for the same parks passed us nearly empty)---on our day to go to MNSSHP the bus broke down at one of the bus stops---well 2 hours later we finally arrived at the party very annoyed---it seems the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing down there at WDW---we also were given incorrect information from one of the Disney bus drivers on how to get to another resort for an ADR---we stood at a bus stop where no bus was due to arrive for an hour and a half---another Disney employee noticed us waiting and drove us to our destination in a van so we wouldn't miss breakfast!! And the scooters---don't have a problem with them if you know how to maneuver them safely---witnessed many near misses by inexperienced supposed scooter drivers---maybe there should be a lane for scooters (like a bike lane)---People with strollers are usually courteous but one day at MK an older woman "grandma" (I am also a grandma) literally ran my foot over with it and got annoyed with me when I reminded her that it's not okay to run people over with a stroller---My foot blisters are almost healed---my legs don't hurt as much---I will return to Disney again---maybe the buses will be running better (I hope)!!!

 

[ebpak]

How much time should you give yourself at each park to park and get into the actual park?

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm at wdw now and have only had 1 time where I waited over 20 minutes for a bus. Even closing Epcot last night I walked out and right on to a bus.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

It is a shame really. With the amount of money Disney must spend on this benefit (I'm sure it must be super expensive) it seems sad to see so many who can't rely on it. I really want to like the buses. I really do. Most of the time they are great. But when I really need to be somewhere, like for an ADR or a rope drop, I don't feel I can rely on them.

We only had one issue on our last two trips this year. We wanted to make rope drop at AK. We were at the bus stop at AKL at 8am. Bus never came until 8:40. At least two buses for all other parks came. Akl was literally around the corner and it took us 45 minutes to get there.

We will use the buses some on future trips, but not when we have strict time plans.

 

[goofyernmost]

If you really don't want to wait for a bus, bring a car. Otherwise you are getting free transportation and the only problem is that thousands of others are doing the same thing at the same time. Buses usually can hold 60 people at one time (and that's packed) I'm not sure what should be happening for your free ride. Should they have about 50 or 60 buses just sitting there empty to bring you back to your resort. (add on to the the number that are already on the road while you wait) You should leave before closing, don't wait for everyone to be leaving at the same time. Understand that they don't exist in a vacuum. They have to operate along with the rest of the traffic on the highways. I never rely on buses and I am always happy.

 

[BudgieMama]

OP, sorry to read things didn't work out for you.

We heard nightmare stories about the buses at SSR, but were pleasantly surprised at how reliable and efficient they were. Of course, occasionally we had just missed the bus we wanted as it went past as we were on our way to the bus stop, and so we waited a bit longer than we wanted, but for us we were impressed.

I wish they'd roll out the wait time screens everywhere, as I think that would help people plan accordingly... but I catch buses regularly at home and found WDW no more or less reliable than any public transport network.

 

[ArwenMarie]

OP, sorry to read things didn't work out for you.

We heard nightmare stories about the buses at SSR, but were pleasantly surprised at how reliable and efficient they were. Of course, occasionally we had just missed the bus we wanted as it went past as we were on our way to the bus stop, and so we waited a bit longer than we wanted, but for us we were impressed.

I wish they'd roll out the wait time screens everywhere, as I think that would help people plan accordingly... but I catch buses regularly at home and found WDW no more or less reliable than any public transport network.

I agree, I don't think they are any worse than any other public bus system. I think the wait screens will help immensely. Just knowing how long it will take helps a lot.

 

[lustergirl]

My bus experiences have been great. Leaving MK or EPCOT after the fireworks I am in no rush to get on the bus. I usually wait back and let the crowds go ahead of me. By the time that I hit the bus to get back to my room I have no trouble getting on one.

 

[sukhakuli]

We had terrible bus service at the Beach Club getting to the Magic Kingdom. We frequently waited 45 mins or more for one bus to show up. It was a disgrace.

The bus service from the Magic Kingdom, even at closing, was fine. We hardly had to wait. But every morning we tried to get to the Magic Kingdom from the Beach or Yacht Club it was an unbelievable wait.

 

[North of Mouse]

Seems like threads like this pop up regularly and lots of times right before our own planned trips. It's nothing new that you will occasionally have long waits for busses. There are lots of people transported daily at Disney, and stands to reason there will be glitches.

We always rely on Disney transportation and rarely have any issues, but when we do, just take it in stride as unavoidable at times. Have been going to WDW since forever and have always depended on their transportation - part of the experience for us, and it's relaxing and enjoyable.

To those that are in a hurry, it's probably best just to rely on your own vehicle or taxi.

 

[Pooh2]

We rented a car on our last two trips and will plan on a rental for all future trips.
Love being able to just jump in the car and go when we want rather than plan for long bus lines at the end of the day.

 

[sukhakuli]

Hiccups in transportation are one thing. We got stuck on the monorail for an hour because of some kind of technical issue. But when you have the same issue with the buses time and again, it is a problem that Disney should fix. It should not take an hour and a half or more to get to the Magic Kingdom because they aren't running any buses.

 

[kandb]

If people don't like the bus system, rent a car. You are paying thousands of dollars for your trip, what's a few hundred dollars for a rental car? Why get aggravated when a rental car is an easy fix?

 

[BudgieMama]

If people don't like the bus system, rent a car. You are paying thousands of dollars for your trip, what's a few hundred dollars for a rental car? Why get aggravated when a rental car is an easy fix?

I can understand people not wanting to drive during their holiday. We won't rent a car as we're not comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road or driving a left hand drive car. We don't have a problem with the bus system, but renting a car isn't an option for everyone. Not everyone drives!

 

[kandb]

I can understand people not wanting to drive during their holiday. We won't rent a car as we're not comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road or driving a left hand drive car. We don't have a problem with the bus system, but renting a car isn't an option for everyone. Not everyone drives!

Maybe not everyone drives, but the majority of the people complaining, do drive.

 

[BarbieGal457]

We were at All-Star Sports in June and had fantastic transportation times all 8 days. That said, we always left a bit later for the parks after their opening and seemed to miss that crowd, and we always hung back until the very end after any fireworks and such to avoid those rushes. We never waited more than 10 or so minutes for a bus at all except for Disney Springs which was about 20-30, but from reading the boards we were prepared for that. It definitely depends on timing and as always there are travel glitches, but I think if you (you in general, not OP here) plan just a smidge around opening/closing times it seems to work out better.

 

[lugnut33]

Long wait times for buses would be a sign that Disney is maximizing it's money for investors, so this should be allowed.

 

[KBoopaloo]

We were there 10/3-10/8 and had great bus luck and great bus drivers. On our arrival night we were trying to get to Disney Springs for a 10:00 pm reservation and there was a ton of traffic on that route as we neared the Springs (often the case at night). Our driver told us to call the restaurant and tell them we were on a bus so they would hold our reservation. Then he gave us the guest services number to call if we had any issues with the restaurant itself. Then when we pulled into Disney Springs, he called over one of the bus stop cast members and asked him to direct us the fastest possible way to the Boathouse. He was fabulous and got our trip off to a great start.

I often find that my bus luck seems to stay consistent through any given trip - it tends to be either all bad or all good. But as someone who relies on public transportation to get to work every day, even a bad day on Disney buses can't compare to the nightmares I often deal with getting to work. LOL