Buses @ Port Orleans Riverside

[Chris Connelly]

We were at WDW last year, but stayed offsite so we used UBER pretty much exclusively and therefor have very limited experience using Disney transportation (limited to the monorail and ferry at Magic Kingdom and we took a boat from Hollywood Studios to Epcot).

I have read plenty of places that the buses come to this resort with a regularity of between 10 to 20 minutes daily, but I cannot find any "real world" data to support this.

My question is what are the kind people of the Disboards real world experiences using the transportation at WDW, not just the buses, but all transportation. Especially from the Riverside resort?

 

[hereforthechurros]

That it’s completely hit or miss. Our bus experience at CBR was atrocious but at POR it was wonderful... and POR gets a lot of knocks for their buses. It should be every 20 minutes or so but sometimes you walk right up and there’s a bus, sometimes you could be stuck waiting 30+ minutes. There are monitors at the bus stations that give real time arrivals so if one is still far away you could try to book an Uber.

 

[Chris Connelly]

I didn't realize that they had the real time monitors to update wait times. Thanks that's exactly the kind of information I'm looking for

 

[hereforthechurros]

I didn't realize that they had the real time monitors to update wait times. Thanks that's exactly the kind of information I'm looking for

Oh yeah once you’re at the stop you’ll know exactly when a bus will be there. Happy to help!

 

[piratepride]

We have stayed at POR three times and always had good experiences with the busing there!

 

[Karen46]

We just stayed at POR in April. Buses are really hit or miss at any resort. The first day we wanted to get to MK early in the morning so we got to the bus stop at 8am for a 9am opening. It was very upsetting that three MK buses passed our stop because they were full. The board would just adjust to a new time. We called a MinnieVan and got to our reservation on time. That being said the rest of the week the buses were fine for all parks coming and going. One incident doesnt really make for a bad experience, we adjusted.

 

[StageTek]

We have used the Disney buses on almost every trip. My "real time" experience is the buses are reliable - about every 15 to 20 minutes. When you travel during peak periods it can feel longer because there are so many people waiting to get a bus - and buses can fill up before you get on.

Public transportation is never as easy and convenient at private (Uber/Lyft, taxi, MiniVan) but in my experiences the Disney bus system is very good.

Full disclosure: we have never been in a hurry when using Disney transportation so with no need to be somewhere at a specific time the buses are an excellent way to travel around the World.

 

[tinkerbella16]

Having stayed at POR many times, I can only speak for our experiences and we have never had issues with the buses there. The bus time monitors are great and tells you when the next bus is coming for each park. But as others have mentioned, it can be a hit or miss when it comes to the buses to/from any resort.

 

[SarahC97]

I've stayed at Riverside twice and have had no complaints about the transportation from POR to the parks. They are packed to the gills to and from the parks, but that's been my experience with buses at every single resort I've stayed at.

 

[SarahC97]

We just stayed at POR in April. Buses are really hit or miss at any resort. The first day we wanted to get to MK early in the morning so we got to the bus stop at 8am for a 9am opening. It was very upsetting that three MK buses passed our stop because they were full. The board would just adjust to a new time. We called a MinnieVan and got to our reservation on time. That being said the rest of the week the buses were fine for all parks coming and going. One incident doesnt really make for a bad experience, we adjusted.

What bus stop were you waiting at? I've always worried about this so I have always requested to be near the first bus stop.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We were at WDW last year, but stayed offsite so we used UBER pretty much exclusively and therefor have very limited experience using Disney transportation (limited to the monorail and ferry at Magic Kingdom and we took a boat from Hollywood Studios to Epcot).

I have read plenty of places that the buses come to this resort with a regularity of between 10 to 20 minutes daily, but I cannot find any "real world" data to support this.

My question is what are the kind people of the Disboards real world experiences using the transportation at WDW, not just the buses, but all transportation. Especially from the Riverside resort?

There is no hard and fast rule to bus arrivals at any of the WDW resorts or parks. Our approach to using the buses when on property is hope to get to the bus depot and have the bus waiting on you (but that's rare) or come soon but we've waited as long as 30 min for buses and that's at parks and a ton of different spots/resorts on property. We've never had a really, really long wait but it's a toss up. I have no major complaints on our bus experiences at POR. We were in the magnolia section during our last trip and the walk to the bus stop is short even from the river view rooms. There are monitors at the bus depot that will give you the updated arrival time for the different park buses but they aren't always right but at least you have a general idea of arrival. I would say that if it's a busy time of year the buses will fill up quick and it will be standing room only so just pack your patience and you'll be good. If you need to be somewhere by a specific time, just allow yourself a good bit of cushion or do a Minnie Van/Uber if you're concerned.

 

[buzznina]

Last month there was word and screen shots, that WDW is working on adding the wait times to the MDE app. This will be great once they do it.
Like others have mentioned, all WDW transportation (bus, boats and monorail) is hit or miss. Luck plays a big factor as well, you could get to the bus stop just before a bus pulls up and have minimum wait time OR you arrive at the bus stop and you just missed it and you have to wait 15-20 minutes. We always drive to WDW but rarely use our van, we think WDW transportation does a great job most of the time.

 

[jpeterson]

Oh yeah once you’re at the stop you’ll know exactly when a bus will be there. Happy to help!

In my experience the arrival times are completely inaccurate. At our last stay in WDW, we would show up and the monitors would have an arrival time of 5-6 minutes from the current time. However, every minute that went by, the expected arrival time would tick forward to the next minute. Very frustrating.

 

[hereforthechurros]

In my experience the arrival times are completely inaccurate. At our last stay in WDW, we would show up and the monitors would have an arrival time of 5-6 minutes from the current time. However, every minute that went by, the expected arrival time would tick forward to the next minute. Very frustrating.

For sure that can happen but it still updates in real time. I’ve only had that happen twice in about 30++ bus rides but it is frustrating when it happens.

OP: side note that only the resorts have the monitors, the parks and DS do not.

 

[Tonberry]

From our August trip last year:
Busses had their good days, and their bad days.
At one time, we just narrowly missed the bus going to Disney Springs and waited over 30 minutes for the next one. In the meantime, the Magic Kingdom bus came and went twice while we were waiting. Aggravating.
Our first morning, we were going to Animal Kingdom and waited only 3 minutes before a bus came.
We had great luck with the busses from to parks to Riverside. Just about every time (with the exception of once at Animal Kingdom) there was either a bus waiting for us, or one showed up within 10 minutes.
A note of advice, AVOID the South Depot bus stop if at all possible. It's always the last stop to pick up and the last to be dropped off. If you get on from the South Depot, it's usually standing room only.

 

[StageTek]

Busses had their good days, and their bad days.
At one time, we just narrowly missed the bus going to Disney Springs and waited over 30 minutes for the next one. In the meantime, the Magic Kingdom bus came and went twice while we were waiting.

We, too, have found that the buses to DS from the resort are less frequent than buses to the parks - especially MK. Typically 25 to 35 minutes rather then 15 to 20 minutes. Especially from POR and POFQ where there is a boat doing that route.

 

[unrequited23]

If you are used to riding public transportation and see it as a benefit when you vacation vs driving in an area you are unfamiliar with, you will have no problem with the buses. If you are used to having your own space/vehicle and being in charge of your transportation destiny, the odds are that you will not enjoy the bus.

 

[WEDWDW]

I didn't realize that they had the real time monitors to update wait times.

And they "recently" greatly improved the displays.


New Display

Old Display

 

[Karen46]

What bus stop were you waiting at? I've always worried about this so I have always requested to be near the first bus stop.

Sorry we were at a Royal Room so we used the East Depot. Buses went to West, North, East and South.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We usually just walk to south to head to the parks.