Bus transportation is terrible!

[MasterGracey84]

October crowds aren't what they used to be :/

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Sorry to hear that, I sometimes think it is all in the timing. We were there Sept 8 thru the 22, relied on Disney transportation the whole time. We stayed at Coronado and it was fabulous. I think the longest we waited for a bus was one morning for Magic Kingdom, we were running a little late and knew that it was going to be busy. That said, I think we waited like 25 minutes. Other times, we hit it just right, even leaving at night. I have no desire to drive a car at Disney, that is one of the things I am avoiding while being there!

I agree with most of your post.

The problem of slow buses isn't new. Some trips we never waited more than a few minutes.

Other times were really bad. If you ever try to hop during a transportation worker shift change, your waits can really add up. Once we tried to hop from Epcot to MK. We waited forever for the first monorail, then got diverted to the resort monorail- and waited a long time at both Poly and GF.

Another time, we got to AK for EMH, then had a late breakfast ADR at GF. We left AK right about 9am, and waited over an hour for a bus to SHOW! It was crazy.

Breakdowns are also not fun.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I either have good bus karma or good patience. Not sure which. The bus service never bothers me. I never felt like I waited a very long time, but I also don't time it, so who knows.

 

[NavyDad]

I think these things are just hit or miss.

We have gone during the busiest times of the year and had no problems at all (kind of like Disney knew it was going to be busy and had extra busses ready)

We have also gone in "low crowd" times and had nightmare waits for busses.

We heard lots of complaints about the busses at Beach Club but when we stayed there in June 2013 we never waited more than 15 minutes and most of the time less than 5.

At AoA we sometimes didn't get on the first bus but it always turned out that there were 2-3 busses right after the next.

At Pop Century we usually had no problems getting a bus within a few minutes of walking up to the queue, but one morning we were going to AK and waited 40 minutes while bus after bus showed up for every other park.

Our recent stay at FW Cabins we mostly drove but the times we rode busses it worked out great with little to no wait. In past stays we loved the boat transportation but this last trip the busses were much more reliable.

 

[kandb]

a few hundred dollars can make or break a trip. for many people



there are many reasons why people don't want to drive (or can't). if you drove all the way to florida from thousands of miles away (used to be us) you don't want to touch the car while you're there.

some people can't see as well as they did when they were younger.

many people are uncomfortable driving in the dark, esp, on raods they are not familiar with.

manypeople would like to enjoy their vacation with and adult beverage or 2.

OK, I can see your point on those issues. I think it's important to take buses at off times and then they are not as bad from what I see.

 

[goofyernmost]

I am an X-bus driver. Not at Disney, but, in a municipality. I have ridden the buses and frankly they operate just exactly like a city bus does except that you don't have to pay to ride them. The drivers have always been friendly and quite skilled at their job. I don't ride them often because I had enough time in those seats that I would rather drive my own car. I do, however, fully understand what they are up against and find that the people that complain the most have never ridden in a city bus. They expect the bus to always be sitting there ready for them like they are the only people that they exist for. The idea that they have to wait for a few minutes (and sometimes longer when the crowds are big enough) is unreasonable to them. They want their free transportation to be ready when they are like they are limo's instead of public transportation.

They get upset if the driver doesn't spend their time "entertaining' them, when their concentration on driving should be Job One, considering the consequences of their losing focus. The job is to get you to your resort safely. If they did that then they did their job and did it well. When you do run across a driver that is able to multi-task and talk trivia or ask questions then consider yourself dusted with Disney Magic. That isn't their primary job.

Even though buses are big, they cannot drive through other traffic. If they get caught up in a random accident or the typical slow moving tourist, there is nothing they can do about it other then to get to you as quickly as physically possible. Try to understand that when you get upset that it is taking a long time to see a bus and if you cannot tolerate it, then use your car or rent one for your stay and drive your own vehicle there. It's faster and you will also have the benefit of really seeing just how much of a challenge that they have to deal with operating a vehicle that is 5 times bigger then your tiny little car. Appreciate it instead of criticizing something that you have no idea of how it operates and how there is very little that can be done about it during peak times.

 

[smidgy]

we have been to WDW quite often.. and all in all, the bus transportation has been good.. there are times it has been great. there are times it has been horrible.. but mostly good. and, as others have said, it's free. now if you have special needs where you absolutely have to have a seat, or your children can't stand or can't be woken, then, yes maybe you should rent a car or take a taxi.
we have taken a taxi from resort to resort quite a few times. pretty reasonable.

 

[pepe of ohio]

I either have good bus karma or good patience. Not sure which. The bus service never bothers me. I never felt like I waited a very long time, but I also don't time it, so who knows.

IN all our trips, 55, we rely solely on Disney Transportation and generally it's been decent...there are a few times the DTD bus seems to take forever but I believe it's all in the eyes of the beholder....you walk to bus stop as the bus you're after just pulls out and now the 20 minute average wait begins....seems like forever but in reality, it's less than 20 minutes.....we don't care, we're on vacation, not in any hurry and all transportation on property is free...

 

[SaraJR]

keep in mind its a free bus service, obviously free is going to be busy. the good news, you don't have to take it if you hate it lol

 

[maxiesmom]

I will say it seems obvious that Disney is running fewer buses than they used to. At least at park closing. Back 20 years ago when I started going to WDW at park close it would be one bus after another after another. It was kind of cool, watching the parade of buses picking up park guests. That hasn't been true for a few years, and was really noticeable during my recent trip. At park close at Epcot I got into the queue for Pop. One bus came, picked up guests, and took off. I was next in line. By the time that bus showed up the line was out the end of the queue and so far down the sidewalk I couldn't see the end of it. And it was that way for multiple resorts. I shudder to think how long it took those people to get back to their resort that night.

 

[goofy4tink]

Really? Not that we may be staying deluxe again any time soon, but we hope to return to the Epcot area resorts at some point. We stayed at BWI last year and BC the year before and the majority of both trips were shared with all 5 resorts. I think at BWI MK skipped Swan and Dolphin but still went to YC and BC (or maybe that was reverse) but we always shared with other resorts.

That said I still thought the bus service was good, but anything to shorten those trips further would be a plus. Especially no sharing at all to MK. That would be awesome.

I stay at BW frequently, and sometimes at the S/D. BW hasn't shared a bus, with any regularity anyways, with YC/BC for awhile now. BW was sharing a route with the S/D. YC/BC had their own route. I don't think I've been on a bus that stopped at YC/BC, either heading to a park, or back from one, in a very long time! Now, perhaps I just got lucky. It used to be that BW shared a route with the S/D and YC/BC when going to MK, AK and DTD. Now it might just be DTD.

The buses certainly aren't 'free'...every single person that is staying on-site is paying for them...even if they drive their own car!! The buses are part of each resort's budget. I suppose that if a resort wanted to get better bus service, they could always do so by charging more for their rooms! And yes, I do think that they are running fewer buses lately. And I'm not sure why. The resorts are crowded, the parks certainly are!! Wait times have been longer than I remember. But overall, it's a good, workable system. I will say that Pop and AoA have the very best bus service on-site!!!! Just the one stop, and then directly to a park. Nice.

 

[tjmw2727]

Just got back yesterday and had excellent bus service! Wed 10/7 to Tues 10/13 spit between ASMusic and Boardwalk. Never waited more than 15 for a bus to or from a park including closing out the MNSSHP on Friday night. Stood once and generally found that everyone was courteous and saw both men and woman, young and old, offer up a seat for someone if they thought it would be helpful. (I was paying more attention than usual based on prior threads!)

 

[joelkfla]

I will say it seems obvious that Disney is running fewer buses than they used to. At least at park closing. Back 20 years ago when I started going to WDW at park close it would be one bus after another after another.

The number of buses in the fleet is the largest it's ever been. But there are also more parks, more resorts, more rooms at resorts, and more Guests than 20 years ago. There also seem to be an increasing number of mobility scooters, which means buses take longer to complete their runs.

Expect to see the number of Disney buses steadily increasing over the next few years, hopefully starting before the end of this year. But starting next spring, AK will be staying open late, and so competing with the other 3 parks and DS for closing buses.

 

[maxiesmom]

The number of buses in the fleet is the largest it's ever been. But there are also more parks, more resorts, more rooms at resorts, and more Guests than 20 years ago. There also seem to be an increasing number of mobility scooters, which means buses take longer to complete their runs.

Expect to see the number of Disney buses steadily increasing over the next few years, hopefully starting before the end of this year. But starting next spring, AK will be staying open late, and so competing with the other 3 parks and DS for closing buses.

I believe all that you are saying. However, I think they need to increase the number of buses they are running at close. It is ridiculous to have a line out of the queue and send only one regular bus to pick up. And what was strange is that you could see buses sitting there with drivers, I'm guessing waiting for instructions.

 

[perchy]

Complaining about the buses at closing is like living in a large house...hard to get around it.

If you can afford the monorail resorts, awesome! I can't imagine Disney without bus service. And I'm not sure I'll ever afford monorail accommodations.

 

[DisneyRobin]

I hate the disney busses. They really take away from the magic.

When we can't walk, take a monorail or boat, we always take a cab.

I wish we could pay for cabs with our magic bands since I don't always bring my wallet.

Would be nice if disney could arrange that. They could make money off of it and guests could get around quicker and be happier making the most of their vacation time.

 

[joelkfla]

And what was strange is that you could see buses sitting there with drivers, I'm guessing waiting for instructions.

That, I can't defend. Some of the dispatch decisions make no sense to me, either, but I am not privy to the reasoning.

 

[cranbiz]

And the strange dispatch decisions existed prior to the MIMs implimentation.

 

[NotUrsula]

Trick is never to leave a park at closing if you are a bus rider. Either leave at least 45 min prior, or hang around the park for an hour after closing and allow the bulk of the crowding to ease up. We like to walk around and take photos after closing.

 

[goofyernmost]

I will say it seems obvious that Disney is running fewer buses than they used to. At least at park closing. Back 20 years ago when I started going to WDW at park close it would be one bus after another after another. It was kind of cool, watching the parade of buses picking up park guests. That hasn't been true for a few years, and was really noticeable during my recent trip. At park close at Epcot I got into the queue for Pop. One bus came, picked up guests, and took off. I was next in line. By the time that bus showed up the line was out the end of the queue and so far down the sidewalk I couldn't see the end of it. And it was that way for multiple resorts. I shudder to think how long it took those people to get back to their resort that night.

The number of buses in the fleet is the largest it's ever been. But there are also more parks, more resorts, more rooms at resorts, and more Guests than 20 years ago. There also seem to be an increasing number of mobility scooters, which means buses take longer to complete their runs.

Expect to see the number of Disney buses steadily increasing over the next few years, hopefully starting before the end of this year. But starting next spring, AK will be staying open late, and so competing with the other 3 parks and DS for closing buses.

I believe all that you are saying. However, I think they need to increase the number of buses they are running at close. It is ridiculous to have a line out of the queue and send only one regular bus to pick up. And what was strange is that you could see buses sitting there with drivers, I'm guessing waiting for instructions.

As of 2014 the bus count at WDW was over 300. They have two major peak times and that is at opening (but that is usually spread out in demand because everyone goes at a different time) and the other is at close which is when it gets swamped. No company can man that many things for something that is usually over in about an hour. It just isn't a reasonable request, nor can they really plan ahead and know for sure how many people are going to stay until closing or leave early. They have four parks and I've lost count of how many resorts to service not to mention traffic conditions at closing which is also at peak.

The organization of a bus service that size is nightmarish. You cannot just throw buses at it because that just creates gridlock. Buses looking idol may have drivers that are on a bathroom break or have a job of backup in the case a bus gets into problems (accidents or heavy traffic), but, they aren't going to just send them out because there is a line because it totally screws up the planned confusion and replaces it with a mess that cannot be sorted out and when a bus is needed because of a real problem they won't be available. Not every driver works the evening shift, they have way more then one shift working during any given day. We see a bus sitting there and wonder why they don't just pick us up. Believe me it is a very complex exorcise to move that many people in such a short period of time.

But the good news is that we don't have to be in that mess. We are free to leave earlier or wait until the crowd thins out or have our own transportation, but, to expect instant pickup is just an exercise in frustration. No transportation system can function with that degree of volume.