Calling all those with bus transportation only resort experience! Timing for early morning bus crowds?

[SaintsManiac]

Take a car if you can. The free bus service that Disney provides is a really nice perk, but I've just found that in a week long vacation you will end up spending so many hours just waiting for a bus. I love the speed, convenience and freedom of having a car.

Lyft is cheaper and easier than dealing with a car now that you have to pay to park at the resorts. Also, MK is easier to do by bus.

 

[EEEEE]

Lyft is cheaper and easier than dealing with a car now that you have to pay to park at the resorts. Also, MK is easier to do by bus.

Agree that MK is easier, but easier isn't neccessarily faster in my experience. I often go to Disney with other friends/relatives that don't have a car. Unless their MK bus comes right away I pretty much always get to MK before them if we leave the same time. In one instance almost an hour faster.

Agree that the fee for parking is a horrible money grab by Disney, but having the car means that I can go to a local supermarket to get groceries and snacks, which saves a lot of money compared to buying everything on property.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Agree that MK is easier, but easier isn't neccessarily faster in my experience. I often go to Disney with other friends/relatives that don't have a car. Unless their MK bus comes right away I pretty much always get to MK before them if we leave the same time. In one instance almost an hour faster.

Agree that the fee for parking is a horrible money grab by Disney, but having the car means that I can go to a local supermarket to get groceries and snacks, which saves a lot of money compared to buying everything on property.

I don't disagree. It was so nice to have a car on our recent trip, but staying on DVC points meant we didn't have to pay for parking.

We are renting a car in November and returning it when we get from Universal to WDW. The parking fee is so irritating. It is nice to have, though!

 

[Ohanaof3]

Good to hear the transportation has improved! MDE didn’t have transportation on the website that I knew of in 2016, but there was the screens showing the next bus arrival time. It would read 15-20 min away, then when it got to 3-4 min away, it would change to 15-20 min again. So frustrating!

 

[kaytieeldr]

so you shut the resort door, and head to the bus stop, 10 to 20 minutes walking maybe longer if you stop to take pictures or forget something and someone has to go back to get it...

which resort bus stops are a ten+ minute walk from any rooms? Taking pictures, opting to go back to the room for a forgotten something, even a bathroom stop - these are all choices made by the individual party, and shouldn't reasonably be counted in transportation time.

But if you're going to count door to door from a resort you have to count, if not from where you're standing when it's time to leave, at least the exact step out through the tapstile. It's believable but surprising that someone leaving a park would incur none of the resort-based deviations - no pictures, no purchases, no pitstops...

There are all kinds of things that take up time, taking pictures, forgetting something, needing to buy something, someone needs to head to the restroom, waiting for the buses....You can't just count the ride time on the bus... its all the other stuff that you need to take into consideration...

Respectfully, again, if you are counting that from the resort, you need to also count it from the park. Apples to apples.

 

[LovesTimone]

which resort bus stops are a ten+ minute walk from any rooms? Taking pictures, opting to go back to the room for a forgotten something, even a bathroom stop - these are all choices made by the individual party, and shouldn't reasonably be counted in transportation time.

But if you're going to count door to door from a resort you have to count, if not from where you're standing when it's time to leave, at least the exact step out through the tapstile. It's believable but surprising that someone leaving a park would incur none of the resort-based deviations - no pictures, no purchases, no pitstops...

Respectfully, again, if you are counting that from the resort, you need to also count it from the park. Apples to apples.

Everyone's travel style is completely different.. So for me you just can't compare apples to apples as everyone is so different, different things happen... I just added in what my family has experienced and how we plan, This is the point of this type of information highway... to get as much info as you can, then you as an individual can decide what will or will not work for your family.... I put it out there so that other guest can see that you need to look at the bigger picture... there are alot of things that can get you side tracked... unforeseen delays... that's all I am saying...

 

[Searc]

Lyft is cheaper and easier than dealing with a car now that you have to pay to park at the resorts. Also, MK is easier to do by bus.

 

[Eeyore daily]

Last year during the Star Wars Marathon we stayed at CSR and always left around 8 am to get to the parks, we always made it before RD and the bus only was full one morning by the time it got to the last stop. It ultimately depends on when and how quickly you move. Since you're going in May (from other posts) I don't think it's something you would have to worry about, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[vinotinto]

Last year during the Star Wars Marathon we stayed at CSR and always left around 8 am to get to the parks, we always made it before RD and the bus only was full one morning by the time it got to the last stop. It ultimately depends on when and how quickly you move. Since you're going in May (from other posts) I don't think it's something you would have to worry about, but I'm not 100% sure.

Yeah, but they have added 545 tower rooms, which can sleep about 2,000 additional people since May, and the reports indicate that buses now around CSR are FULL.

If May is full of conventioners, then there won't be as many people getting on the bus. If it's regular WDW park visitors, there will be many more people getting on. The OP is just trying to come up with a pleasant morning strategy and schedule her FPs for the time that it makes most sense with that strategy.

 

[Farro]

Thanks all for tips and suggestions!

Our plan of attack is to arrive at parks after the rush period. I'm going to make fast passes starting after 10:30 and plan to get to our bus stops around 10:15 (give or take). According to prior posts that seems like a good time to fit on the buses and have a nice ride over to the parks.

We don't feel the need to rope drop due to a longer stay, fast passes, maybe doing an after dark, but if we do we will follow your tips.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So for me you just can compare apples to apples

Ah, okay. I missed where that post indicated personal experience. I only caught the part where the lengthy timeline is recommended.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I use Disney transportation exclusively, and usually stay at the values. I find the worst bus lines to be about 8:45-10 when the park opens at 9. I'm a firm believer in being at the bus an hour before park opening. Sometimes a bit earlier, if I'm trying to get to the front of the lines. This strategy has always worked very well for me.

 

[YawningDodo]

Are the multiple bus stops at the moderates always served in the same order? When I went in 2018 I assumed the lobby's bus stop at CSR would be picked up first and nearly abandoned the stop near my room to go there...but then I got on the first bus to AK and it turned out it served the lobby last. So I lucked out, but I don't know if there's rhyme or reason to it.

Honestly, the bus situation is one thing that makes me not feel so bad that I can only afford a value. It's crazy to me that you get worse transportation options when you pay more to stay at a moderate--the system of multiple bus stops at one resort is a bit infuriating. At least at POP and AoA you can actually see how many people are in line ahead of you and don't have to worry about the bus being full when it gets to you.

 

[dansdad]

Are the multiple bus stops at the moderates always served in the same order?

In our experience, for a specific park yes. If my memory is correct, at POR/POFQ and CSR there is one destination that has a different order than all the others. But for that destination it's always the same.

When I went in 2018 I assumed the lobby's bus stop at CSR would be picked up first and nearly abandoned the stop near my room to go there...but then I got on the first bus to AK and it turned out it served the lobby last. So I lucked out, but I don't know if there's rhyme or reason to it.

That's a very common assumption.

Honestly, the bus situation is one thing that makes me not feel so bad that I can only afford a value. It's crazy to me that you get worse transportation options when you pay more to stay at a moderate--the system of multiple bus stops at one resort is a bit infuriating. At least at POP and AoA you can actually see how many people are in line ahead of you and don't have to worry about the bus being full when it gets to you.

I'm just glad there are different options for people's different tastes. We much prefer to have a seat in the shade while waiting for a bus at a Moderate or Deluxe than spend any more time in the people corrals than we have to.

 

[kaytieeldr]

At least at POP and AoA you can actually see how many people are in line ahead of you and don't have to worry about the bus being full when it gets to you.

Not only that, but everybody has a place in line. At the Moderate resorts, if you just missed a bus and sit to wait, people who walk up much later jump on the bus first.