Can I use Disney's free transportation to get to the swan from another resort?

[Rykah84]

If I am staying at one of Disney's moderate resorts and want to visit the Swan (for restaurants, the spa, etc) and don't have a car, how would I get there? I would think a lot of people travel to Disney by airplane and expect they won't need a car because of the free transportation system.

The only information I can find is that guests at the Swan or Dolphin resort can use complementary transportation to and from the Disney parks. I can't find anything about a non-guest traveling from a Disney park to the Swan though. Does anyone know if it's possible? I know you can always get a taxi, but I was just wondering if anyone has tried to do it this way.

 

[DOOM1001]

If you're staying at a Disney resort and want to get to the Swan what you want to do is grab a bus from your resort to DHS and from there take one of the boats to the Swan.The boats run from DHS to the Swan and Dolphin,Y&B Club,the Boardwalk and EPCOT.You could also walk from DHS to the Swan which should take about 10-15 minutes.

 

[DOOM1001]

You can basically get anywhere on Disney property without a car by taking Disney transportation but you have to know the different ways to get from one location to the other.For example since you can't go from some resorts to other resorts someone might tell you to get a bus from your resort to DTD and from there get another bus to the resort you want to visit,but that's not always the case,if the other resort is convenient to a park it makes sense to get to that park and then from the park go to the hotel.An example is someone staying at the All Stars who wants to go to the Grand Floridian,what they'll do is grab a bus to the MK and take the monorail to the GF,much easier transfer and a lot quicker than going to DTD.Another example is the one I gave you to get to get to the Swan.Also since there are no buses to or from DTD to the parks to get to DTD what you'll do is find the most convenient resort to the park and transfer there.

 

[Rykah84]

Thanks. I knew about using the buses to go to other resorts since I've done it before when we used the dining plan, but I wasn't sure how the Swan worked since it's not technically operated by Disney. I agree, you do have to be smart when you decide what park to go to in order to get to the right resort. We also found out to avoid whatever park is having the extra magic hours that day or you will spend forever in line waiting for a bus.

 

[skiingfast]

Also if you work it out so you are in a park. The Swan and Dolphin are right next to the Boardwalk and Beach Club. You can walk over faster than taking a boat from DHS or EPCOT.

 

[Sugardimples]

Also if you work it out so you are in a park. The Swan and Dolphin are right next to the Boardwalk and Beach Club. You can walk over faster than taking a boat from DHS or EPCOT.

If you are coming from a park, the bus stops right at the Swan/Dolphin. There are Swan/Dolphin bus stops at the parks.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Depending on the time of day sometimes the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan & Dolphin share bus service. However other times they split the stops among the resorts, however no matter what the buses will stop at the Swan & Dolphin.

 

[Missytara]

Depending on the time of day sometimes the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan & Dolphin share bus service. However other times they split the stops among the resorts, however no matter what the buses will stop at the Swan & Dolphin.

Yes, and that can make for quite a long ride. I stayed at the Dolphin one year and nearly every one of my rides ended up being on the loop and the Dolphin was always the last stop. In addition, around the dinner hour, with people getting to other places, the busses are crowded beyond belief - standing room only.

 

[cranbiz]

The Dolphin is only the last stop if the route is BW, SW, DO which is usually only a Magic Kingdom route.

If demand makes for an extra to be run, that may start at BW and go backwards but the DO would be second to last as the SW is the last stop in that circumstance.

Normal afternoon/evening runs from a park that lumps all Epcot resorts together will run SW,DO,YC,BC,BW.

 

[Missytara]

The Dolphin is only the last stop if the route is BW, SW, DO which is usually only a Magic Kingdom route.

If demand makes for an extra to be run, that may start at BW and go backwards but the DO would be second to last as the SW is the last stop in that circumstance.

Normal afternoon/evening runs from a park that lumps all Epcot resorts together will run SW,DO,YC,BC,BW.

Thanks so much for the clarification, it has been a few years since I stayed there (2002) and I only did it once.

So how's that new uniform working out for ya!

 

[cranbiz]

Its growing on me, I still feel like a skycap or a general in the Bolivian Army but the guests seem to like the change.

 

[DOOM1001]

Its growing on me, I still feel like a skycap or a general in the Bolivian Army but the guests seem to like the change.

Let me tell you I think they're 100% better than the purple pants.

 

[Jett456]

So, if I am staying off-site and Park at Downtown Disney can I then take a free Disney bus to one of the parks from there? Can I take the free bus from one park to another if I am not staying at a Disney resort? It's been a long time for me and I'm not up on all the new terminology!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

So, if I am staying off-site and Park at Downtown Disney can I then take a free Disney bus to one of the parks from there? Can I take the free bus from one park to another if I am not staying at a Disney resort? It's been a long time for me and I'm not up on all the new terminology!!

What you are asking about is the reason they stopped buses from Downtown Disney to the parks, because people were parking at Downtown Disney to avoid paying the parking fees at the parks. Now if you wanted to you could take a bus from Downtown Disney to one of the resorts and from there take another form of transportation to the parks, however it's not fair to leave your car parked at Downtown Disney for those who wish to shop and eat there, because depending on the day and time it's very hard to get a parking spot.

 

[Jett456]

That makes sense, didn't think of it that way. If I took my hotel's free transportation would I be able to use the Disney bus to get to another park?

 

[NotUrsula]

RE: the sharing of bus routes and the time it takes.

If you are going to the S/D, the Y/BC, or the Boardwalk, waiting until the bus makes its way to your resort isn't necessary if you're still up for a little walk, because all of them are close together. This is especially true of the Swan and Dolphin, because they are only about 100 yards apart if you walk from one to the other.

Our rule is that we make sure that we're on the appropriate side of the lake, but we get off at the first stop that otherwise works, and walk the rest of the way. I personally don't mind walking from the BW to the Dolphin, but I prefer not to walk from the BW to the YBC on most occasions. (I will walk from the YBC to the Dolphin, though.)

This is also really useful when staying at the Dolphin if the Boardwalk-area resorts are sharing in the morning and you want a seat. Walking across to the Swan's stop will almost always net you one easily because it is normally the first stop, while the bus may be SRO by the time it reaches the Dolphin.

 

[TheWog]

That makes sense, didn't think of it that way. If I took my hotel's free transportation would I be able to use the Disney bus to get to another park?

Yes, you can do that. There are stops outside each park to different parks. To get to the MK though you would go via TTC.