BWV/BCV Owners Re: Transportation

[mbhoxsie]

I voted for no increase....

It shouldn't be within DVC's scope to charge extra dues to its members in order to increase the number of busses that will run to the non DVC resorts like YC/BC/BWI/Swan/Dolphin...

 

[Desperado]

The problems would certainly be eased if Swan/Dolphin stops were out of the loop.

Yep.

I guess BCV has an advantage over BWV by being able to get on the bus first. The bus problem needs to be corrected. At busier times, more busses with more direct routes. 5 resorts on one bus line for peak times is too many. It's not rocket science.

 

[PKS44]

When they opened BCV they claimed the extra guests would make SAB just too crowded for poolhoppers yet what have they done to adjust for the added strain on the buses???It sounds like not much from the reports I am hearing...It is not just 5 resorts it is 7 :YC/ BC/ BCV//BWI/ BWV/ S/ D --and it is actually in their interest to be somewhat inefficient in the transportation--guests standing at the bus stops are not in the parks riding the rides but they will be so attendance stays the same with fewer guests/hours actually spent taxing the expensive park rides, etc....if it were super easy to get back and forth and from park to park you could do more in a day--surely they prefert that you spend an extra day to do more...Cutbacks in transportation are pretty easy to cover up---"Oh this is very rare and unusual...usually a bus comes every 20 minutes..." and of course no guarantees are ever made---
The only way transportation ever improves is if it affects bookings and then only if they were AWARE that it was affecting bookings...I doubt either will ever happen...which is why we will always have a car from now on....

 

[Disney Doll]

My guess is that soemwhere along the line, someone said "Well, we don't need as much bus service on the Epcot resorts run because they can walk/boat to two of the four major parks."

Obviously, they were wrong.

I think that WDW should rework the busses to have more busses on the Epcot resorts run, and I don't think that DVC should pay for it. After all, as other posters have said, the YC,BC,Swan, & Dolphin guests would be using them too!

 

[JimC]

Would want to see a proposal with total costs, cost allocations between DVC and the non-DVC resorts as well as the associated service changes prior to considering an increase in dues. I suspect that an increase in park attendance coupled with a lowered need to discount rooms will bring improved service.

 

[DebbieB]

I checked the 2003 BWV budget, the dues for transportation is .1832 per point. I assume this also includes a chargeback to WDW for members use of the boats. I voted no increase. I think the Swan/Dolphin should be taken off the route, they aren't even WDW owned! I'm sure they have to pay a fee to WDW for use of the busses, but they should have to pay for their own dedicated busses.

I don't know what was charged at BCV, but I think BWV owners get the short end of the stick. The busses stop there last plus our parking lot is shared with the BW entertainment area. So if you do decide to drive, you have a heck of a time trying to find a parking spot in the evening.

 

[crisi]

If I multiply that .1832 per point by our last stay, we paid $51.66 for Disney transportation.....

We took the bus to and from the MK. To once. From twice.

We took the bus to and from the AK.

We took the boat from MGM twice and the boat from Epcot twice.

We took the monorail from MK to Epcot twice, and once the other direction.....

The rest of the time we took a cab.

Six people, 12 trips.....I'm getting .72 cents a trip per person. A bargain. Course there will be those that pay their $50 and never get on a bus at all. And those that never drive or take a cab and take a lot more buses than we do.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by DebbieB
I checked the 2003 BWV budget, the dues for transportation is .1832 per point. I assume this also includes a chargeback to WDW for members use of the boats. I voted no increase. I think the Swan/Dolphin should be taken off the route, they aren't even WDW owned! I'm sure they have to pay a fee to WDW for use of the busses, but they should have to pay for their own dedicated busses.

I don't know what was charged at BCV, but I think BWV owners get the short end of the stick. The busses stop there last plus our parking lot is shared with the BW entertainment area. So if you do decide to drive, you have a heck of a time trying to find a parking spot in the evening.

Great info, thanks for sharing cost per point. You've got a point about BW being the last stop. Also, apparently, some of the evening BW parking problems are also due to other members using BW parking facilities as a shortcut for Epcot parking as discussed in another thread.

I voted that some additional cost was OK, if it would improve service levels, $0.05 isn't too outrageous. Just so the problem is fixed. Certainly one of the advantages busses should have over light rail or monorails is flexibility and the ability to add direct routes at peak times to reduce waits and crowds. The system is not being well managed. Extra buses first thing in the morning and other peak times taking direct routes could easily solve the problems.

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by CaptainMidnight
Great info, thanks for sharing cost per point. You've got a point about BW being the last stop. Also, apparently, some of the evening BW parking problems are also due to other members using BW parking facilities as a shortcut for Epcot parking as discussed in another thread.

I don't believe the problem is other DVC members. The problem is offsite people using the Boardwalk lot to avoid the parking fee. When we park in the BW lot, when walking out of the self park lot I somtimes glance at the dashboards, few have ANY WDW resort parking permit. Valet parking is usually no where near full, so members valet parking is not causing a problem.

 

[bobbiwoz]

A year or so ago, before I knew about these boards or owned DVC, Frommer's Budget Travel magazine included a tip to reduce costs that told people to park for free at WDW by using the Boardwalk parking lots. I thought that would cause Disney to tighten up the parking pass situation but apparently it hasn't, it just brought more cars into the area and more people. Do you think that people park free there, and take buses to MK? That seems awfully tight with the bucks. Disney should at least be sure that bus riders do have the privelege of using the transportation. Years ago, I do remember showing the pass to get on the boats and busses, one per family.

Bobbi

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by bobbiwoz
Years ago, I do remember showing the pass to get on the boats and busses, one per family.

Bobbi

I remember this, too. I'm not sure why they stopped the practice. It seemed like an easy way to keep some control over who is using the transportation. Even if they aren't "strict" about enforcement, it would make folks who don't belong there think twice if weren't so easy.

 

[HookdonWDW]

I'd be willing to pay .25- .50/ point, but here's the catch... if we're paying that much, I would like to see dedicated DVC busses during peak times. Charge us an increase, and then give us our own busses. It would be easy to monitor who was riding the bus, since people would have to show either their membership cards or their room keys with "Member" on them.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by DebbieB
I don't believe the problem is other DVC members. The problem is offsite people using the Boardwalk lot to avoid the parking fee. When we park in the BW lot, when walking out of the self park lot I somtimes glance at the dashboards, few have ANY WDW resort parking permit. Valet parking is usually no where near full, so members valet parking is not causing a problem.

Here's the other thread where this is discussed:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467533

You've got better info than I have, I haven't checked the self parking lot to know as you have, but it certainly is dissheartening to learn that travel guides are recommending this practice. I hate to see resort guests have parking problems at thier resorts, that doesn't seem right. I've certainly seen offsite pool crashers causing problems and heard them bragging about crashing the pools, so you have a good point.

Perhaps DVC needs to increase their dues and non-DVC room rates need to increase for better transportation.

 

[DVCPAT]

Originally posted by crisi
If I multiply that .1832 per point by our last stay, we paid $51.66 for Disney transportation.....

We took the bus to and from the MK. To once. From twice.

We took the bus to and from the AK.

We took the boat from MGM twice and the boat from Epcot twice.

We took the monorail from MK to Epcot twice, and once the other direction.....

The rest of the time we took a cab.

Six people, 12 trips.....I'm getting .72 cents a trip per person. A bargain. Course there will be those that pay their $50 and never get on a bus at all. And those that never drive or take a cab and take a lot more buses than we do.

If the All-Star budget resorts can provide efficient transportation, I think it’s expected the deluxe resorts can meet or exceed the lower cost resort transportation system.

 

[crisi]

Well, see there I disagree. I think all Disney guests should expect the same level of transportation. I suspect the amount paid to Transportation is pretty much the same per room - the reason a BW room is $250 a night and the All Starts is $90 is not to pay for bus service - but because BW has interior hallways, sits on a great piece of real estate, has larger rooms, etc. The Boardwalk (both the Inn and Villas - this isn't strictly a DVC issue) may not currently be getting it, but we shouldn't get or expect better than the All Stars. I know of nothing that implies that you get better bus service staying at a Deluxe resort - better park access, yes - all of the Deluxes except AKL have pretty direct park access, but not better bus service.

When I stayed at the WL a few years ago, the bus loop was WL, CR, Poly and GF. As bad roomwise as the current S/D, Y&BC, BW situation. And the GF was last. Disney did respond to complaints - the WL now shares it loop with FW.

 

[DVCPAT]

Originally posted by crisi
Well, see there I disagree. I think all Disney guests should expect the same level of transportation. I suspect the amount paid to Transportation is pretty much the same per room - the reason a BW room is $250 a night and the All Starts is $90 is not to pay for bus service - but because BW has interior hallways, sits on a great piece of real estate, has larger rooms, etc.

Disney locates expensive deluxe resorts next to the parks for one reason, and one reason only, logistics. It makes perfect sense to give the higher priced resorts easy access to the theme parks. You can easily rent a house offsite if interior hallways and room size is the priority.

Due to the logistics, I do expect better transportation service from the deluxe resorts. It seems foolish to locate the resorts so close to the parks, and then diminish the experience by adding a maze of bus stops.

 

[PKS44]

I could not disagree more with crisi---deluxe resort guests pay more for a higher level of service-all sorts of services and to exempt transportation from that list is foolish on Disney's part...it cheapens the experience and will hurt bookings as they try to sell transportation as perk those who have experienced it will know it is not the perk it claims and the brand is further devalued...they should fix this problem but they won't because as I noted they have no adequate way of measuring the effect and they have no vision of what service should be anymore...

 

[Desperado]

************
Due to the logistics, I do expect better transportation service from the deluxe resorts. It seems foolish to locate the resorts so close to the parks, and then diminish the experience by adding a maze of bus stops.
************

Great point. Part of the savings that all-star resorts guest get may include a little longer wait for the busses. Location is not as important as it is to guests staying a deluxe resorts, that's part of the premium they are paying for. You get what you pay for. Economy transportation (within reason of course), moderate transportation (a bit faster) or deluxe transportation (45 minute waits for crowded buses, 7 bus stops, and not being room on the buss when it finally arrives).

I gotta tell you, I've never stayed at the all stars, or economy resorts and I don't plan to, and don't feel a need to defend their transportation. People vote with thier dollars. It transportation times are too long, they will vote not to stay there. In our situation however, Disney already got a whole bunch of our votes or $$$, the next 30+ years worth. The issue needs to be raised to correct the problem.

 

[DVCPAT]

Originally posted by Desperado
[B In our situation however, Disney already got a whole bunch of our votes or $$$, the next 30+ years worth. The issue needs to be raised to correct the problem. [/B]

I agree. The transportation issue is my only DVC complaint. It seems once a resort sells out, the transportation gets diluted or the budget seems to get cut. I noticed this at VWL with the boat route to MK. It now takes a longer route stopping at the camp grounds first and then off to MK .

I think if enough members voice their dissatisfaction with the current set-up, Disney will fix the problem. OKW members should complain too, once SSR sales get to a certain point, OKW may some how get tied into the bus circuit to save on transportation costs

 

[DeeP]

Unfortunately, Disney seems to have the bus transportation a little backwards. It seems as though the lower priced the resort the better the bus transportation. Example: value resort vs deluxe resorts or OKW vs BWV, BCV & VWL.