Buses to DTD

[Mikey_B]

Do all resorts have buses that run to and from DTD until late? I'm thinking of staying at SSR with one of the benefits being I could walk to DTD and then get the bus to other hotels in the evening to use their restaurants. Does this sound like a good plan? Do the buses going from the resorts back to DTD also run late? I don't wan't to get stuck in the hotel!

 

[debbiedoo]

If I remember correctly busses run about two hours after last theme park closes. I wouldn't have dinner too late at another resort.

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[OhThePain]

The buses run until late, I think they run to the West Side until like 2AM. Since it is just my fiancee and I with no kids, we often choose the last ADRs of the night at other resorts and never had an issue getting back to our resort using Disney transportation through DTD. On our last trip, for example, we had a 9:55 ADR at Citricos (which was great because we were able to watch MSEP and Wishes before dinner) and had no problem getting a bus from GF to DTD then a bus from DTD to AKL. There have also been times where we left Jelly Rolls pretty late but before the direct to resort buses were running and never were stranded. Generally speaking, as long as something on the property is open, there should be Disney transportaton available to get you from point A to point B and back (except where buses don't usually go).

 

[lanejudy]

Do all resorts have buses that run to and from DTD until late? I'm thinking of staying at SSR with one of the benefits being I could walk to DTD and then get the bus to other hotels in the evening to use their restaurants. Does this sound like a good plan? Do the buses going from the resorts back to DTD also run late? I don't wan't to get stuck in the hotel!

Yes, buses to/from DTD and the resorts run until quite late into the night. This sounds like a great plan - good food and a nice way to visit various resorts. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Missytara]

Buses in the evening to and from DTD are much better than trying to do it in the morning. They deadhead buses to the parks in the morning, but run pretty consistently all evening.

Also, the water taxis run until 11:00 pm; the one to SSR leaves from the Marketplace stop and they run every 10 minutes after 4:00 pm.

I stay at POR, often end my evening with dinner at a resort and return to DTD around 10:00 pm, take a leisurely walk to the water taxi and head home before the last water taxi leaves.

So you have the extra option of taking the bus back to SSR; or the bus back to DTD and the water taxi back to SSR. Remember, the buses run much later than the water taxis; about 1:30 to 2:00 am.

 

[figment_jii]

Does this sound like a good plan?

You can do this, but be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time moving from place to place. Usually the rule of thumb is to allow about 45 minutes per leg of the journey. Also, some bus routes are busier than others (e.g., it's been several years, but the buses from DTD to the Epcot resorts were really crowded and waiting for one of more buses wasn't uncommon).

Personally, I would budget to use a taxi to get either to the resort of interest or back to your hotel. It'll probably cost about $20 plus tip and it would be much faster. Almost all of the resorts have taxis waiting out front (near bell services), so it's very easy.

 

[fla4fun]

Yes, it's an excellent idea. The buses from DTD go to resorts, not theme parks, so you won't have to change buses at any point to get to a resort or back to DTD. It doesn't matter what time the theme parks are closing. The buses run very late from DTD, so you shouldn't have trouble getting back and forth.

 

[OhThePain]

It also depends on what resort you are are trying to get to in the first place. For example, to get from SSR to, say, BWI, it should be quicker to just take a bus from SSR to DHS and then either walk or take a boat to BWI. To get from SSR to a monorail resort, it'll be easier to take a bus from SSR to MK then hop on the monorail. When you are talking about getting from one resort to another while the parks are open, it is usually a lot easier to go to the closest park rather than to DTD. If it is after the parks close, you have no choice but to use DTD. As a PP said, the all around quickest way to get from resort to resort is by taxi, but I personally don't mind using Disney transportation even with the transfering/traveling.

 

[Missytara]

It also depends on what resort you are are trying to get to in the first place. For example, to get from SSR to, say, BWI, it should be quicker to just take a bus from SSR to DHS and then either walk or take a boat to BWI. To get from SSR to a monorail resort, it'll be easier to take a bus from SSR to MK then hop on the monorail. When you are talking about getting from one resort to another while the parks are open, it is usually a lot easier to go to the closest park rather than to DTD. If it is after the parks close, you have no choice but to use DTD. As a PP said, the all around quickest way to get from resort to resort is by taxi, but I personally don't mind using Disney transportation even with the transfering/traveling.

What the OP is saying, if you re-read his post, he is thinking of staying AT SSR, so that he can take advantage of using the DTD transportation back FROM the resorts in the evenings, and then walk back to SSR. He can also take the water taxi.

I do this with POR as well, and it is very convenient, especially since the water taxis run every 10 minutes after 4:00 pm until 11:00 pm, when they leave for the last time from Marketplace. I usually always end my evening at a resort for a late dinner and then return via the hub at DTD.

After that, you can still use the buses until 2:00 am, but you do have to make the big loop. But again, he could still walk back from the DTD hub behind Marketplace. We did it a few years ago, and it was not that far.

 

[Mikey_B]

Thanks for the reply. Are the buses fairly frequent in the evening from resorts to DTD? And do they go via other resorts or are they all direct?

 

[Missytara]

Thanks for the reply. Are the buses fairly frequent in the evening from resorts to DTD? And do they go via other resorts or are they all direct?

No, they go directly to the hub at the Marketplace. I would say every 20 minutes at the most; I have never waited longer than 15 minutes for one.

To get your bearings when you get over to the hub, you can see the top of the volcano at RFC - just walk towards it. If you are with a "shopper", it may not be a direct route - you may have to make some stops along the way!

 

[lanejudy]

And do they go via other resorts or are they all direct?

Just to clarify...buses are direct between DTD and resort as long as your resort doesn't typically share buses anywhere. AllStar resorts share buses, POR and POFQ share buses (but also have the water taxi option). I'm not certain about the deluxe hotels - possibly BC/YC share a bus. So depending on which resort you are coming from, there could be other stops prior to DTD, but it should be a close resort - not driving all over WDW.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[OhThePain]

What the OP is saying, if you re-read his post, he is thinking of staying AT SSR, so that he can take advantage of using the DTD transportation back FROM the resorts in the evenings, and then walk back to SSR...

The OP asked about buses to and from DTD, mentioning walking to DTD to get a bus to another resort. If you re-read my post, I was just pointing out that to get to the resort the OP was planning on going to, it may be easier to just hop on one of the theme park buses from SSR and then get to their intended resort by walking, monorail or boat. In our expereince, for example (again), getting a bus to DHS and then walking or taking the friendship boat to say BWI has been quicker than taking a bus from DTD. Also, if you re-read my post I said that after the parks close, DTD is the only way to transfer from resort to resort.

No, they go directly to the hub at the Marketplace. I would say every 20 minutes at the most; I have never waited longer than 15 minutes for one.

To get your bearings when you get over to the hub, you can see the top of the volcano at RFC - just walk towards it. If you are with a "shopper", it may not be a direct route - you may have to make some stops along the way!

This is not 100% true. On our last trip in October, after a certain time (not sure exactly, my guess is about midnight) the buses stopped using the Marketplace hub and only used the Westside/PI hub.

 

[si-am]

Just to clarify...buses are direct between DTD and resort as long as your resort doesn't typically share buses anywhere. AllStar resorts share buses, POR and POFQ share buses (but also have the water taxi option). I'm not certain about the deluxe hotels - possibly BC/YC share a bus. So depending on which resort you are coming from, there could be other stops prior to DTD, but it should be a close resort - not driving all over WDW.

Enjoy your vacation!

DTD buses will also usually stop at Typhoon Lagoon when it's open. This wouldn't be a problem at night though.