DCL Bus question - enough time to get Passholder cheeseboard before pickup?

[masylimed]

I am a first-time annual passholder. We will be staying at AKL and using DCL bus to get to our cruise from the resort.

We are only going to be at parks for 3 days (Wed, Thurs, Fri). As crazy as it sounds, I would really like to get the AP Wine Festival cheeseboard. Not sure if I will ever buy an AP again so it would be a nice souvenir for me.

We arrive too late on Tues night for me to pop into EPCOT to count as a visit (plane lands at 8:30pm and EPCOT closes at 9pm that night). So...my only real option to get my 4th visit is Saturday morning before the DCL bus picks us up at AKL.

The plan - leave DH at AKL, take bus to EPCOT for 9am RD, run to the festival tent to get cheeseboard then take bus back to AKL lodge.

Any idea what time to expect the DCL bus at AKL to see if this plan might work? Thoughts appreciated!

 

[bumbershoot]

Forget the epcot bus. Can take too long. Get a taxi or rideshare.

You’ll know the timing of your dcl bus the evening before the cruise.

Or wait, different idea. Forget the dcl bus, and leave on your own schedule once you’re done at Epcot.

By the time you’ve paid for rideshare/taxi and the Disney bus, you probably have spent as much as a one day car rental with dropoff at canaveral.

 

[MomOTwins]

When we stayed at AKL our DCL bus pickup time was 11am, but we had to check in at the lounge no later than 15 minutes before departure. I think you could manage it if you had a similar time and took a rideshare back. At Beach Club our pickup was not until noon, and if that is your time, I think you would definitely have plenty of time to get there and back, even with using the bus system. But I have heard of the DCL bus picking up from resorts as early as 10am which would be cutting it wayyy too close in my opinion because you would have to be back by 9:45.

Are you going to HS on one of your other days? If so, why not take a break from HS and hop to Epcot for a little while via the friendship boats? HS has fewer attractions than a lot of the other parks, so it shouldn't be too hard to park hop for an hour or two and still have time to do most of what you want to do in HS.

 

[Sytrace]

I am a first-time annual passholder. We will be staying at AKL and using DCL bus to get to our cruise from the resort.

We are only going to be at parks for 3 days (Wed, Thurs, Fri). As crazy as it sounds, I would really like to get the AP Wine Festival cheeseboard. Not sure if I will ever buy an AP again so it would be a nice souvenir for me.

We arrive too late on Tues night for me to pop into EPCOT to count as a visit (plane lands at 8:30pm and EPCOT closes at 9pm that night). So...my only real option to get my 4th visit is Saturday morning before the DCL bus picks us up at AKL.

The plan - leave DH at AKL, take bus to EPCOT for 9am RD, run to the festival tent to get cheeseboard then take bus back to AKL lodge.

Any idea what time to expect the DCL bus at AKL to see if this plan might work? Thoughts appreciated!

DCL Buses usually start picking up at 11:30 AM or the second bus would be around 1:30 PM depending on which one you were assigned the night before.

It is workable but totally dependent on the crowds waiting to get into the park on a Saturday morning during the Food and Wine festival.
However, the festival center is in Future World right near old Ellens adventure building so you could make a dash for it once you enter the park.

I would hesitate to take the bus back and forth from the resort.
Uber is an option, or a Minnie Van could be easier and more efficient getting back and forth. You have to figure Disney transportation around property suggests 90 minutes of travel time each way. Whether that is needed or not, that is what is suggested. Consider that the resort to park bus would make a couple of stops at AKL picking up passengers and dropping them off before actually heading for EPCOT. Then the pesky wait times and how many people are going to EPCOT in the first place, might have to wait for a couple of buses to even get there and get back.
So at the end of the day, pay for private transportation to and from EPCOT to allow yourself some relief.

 

[Cheerio]

I'd say rent a car, leave the resort, park at Epcot and head to port when you are done. Lots of time, and will probably cost the same.

 

[lanejudy]

DCL Buses usually start picking up at 11:30 AM or the second bus would be around 1:30 PM depending on which one you were assigned the night before.

Second bus? Is that new? I’ve never heard of more than 1 pick-up at a WDW resort.

OP - i’ll Join the chorus saying use a taxi/Uber/Lyft rather than WDW buses. But if you get your pick-up time and find it’s on the early side, be prepared to drop the plan.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[masylimed]

Thanks everyone. This is our first time staying at AKL and wasn't sure of all the resort stops. I'll probably opt for Uber, Taxi or Minnie van option to get back to resort. My DH just shakes his head and says "all that for a cheeseboard?" Silly I know. That's why I'll leave him patiently waiting at the resort while I'm off on my crazy adventure!

 

[Sytrace]

Second bus? Is that new? I’ve never heard of more than 1 pick-up at a WDW resort.

OP - i’ll Join the chorus saying use a taxi/Uber/Lyft rather than WDW buses. But if you get your pick-up time and find it’s on the early side, be prepared to drop the plan.

Enjoy your cruise!

I would think that they have turn around buses to transport guests as I have seen them arrive as late as 2:30 before from WDW. First buses would leave at 11:30, drop off at around 12:30, go back and grab more passengers at 1:30 ish and then take them to the port by 3:00. Just seems logical that would be why they give you a time frame.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would think that they have turn around buses to transport guests as I have seen them arrive as late as 2:30 before from WDW. First buses would leave at 11:30, drop off at around 12:30, go back and grab more passengers at 1:30 ish and then take them to the port by 3:00. Just seems logical that would be why they give you a time frame.

While an early bus may have time to turn around and go back for more people, I doubt they will stop at the same resorts. Each resort only has one pick up. That's why some are later (1:30 or 2:00) and some are early (10:45 or so).

 

[Sytrace]

While an early bus may have time to turn around and go back for more people, I doubt they will stop at the same resorts. Each resort only has one pick up. That's why some are later (1:30 or 2:00) and some are early (10:45 or so).

Good point...I will have to pay attention in a few weeks when watching bus arrivals to port.

 

[Quellman]

Thanks everyone. This is our first time staying at AKL and wasn't sure of all the resort stops. I'll probably opt for Uber, Taxi or Minnie van option to get back to resort. My DH just shakes his head and says "all that for a cheeseboard?" Silly I know. That's why I'll leave him patiently waiting at the resort while I'm off on my crazy adventure!

Of course for a cheese board! He must not love the mouse quite as much as you do. I think your plan is fine indeed. We have done parks before cruises before, but we had our own car. Your plan of rope dropping the park and grabbing a minnie van for the ride back to the resort isn't a bad idea. Buses from the parks to the resorts are scarce in the morning. My anecdote before minnie vans is we were staying at Bay Lake Tower and had a breakfast reservation at Cape May over at Beach club. We walked to Magic Kingdom and got in the Beach Club bus line. A cast member comes over and asks where we are going, and we say to breakfast. He calls over a white 12 passenger van. We pile in and are driven to our breakfast.

 

[kiford]

DCL Buses usually start picking up at 11:30 AM or the second bus would be around 1:30 PM depending on which one you were assigned the night before.

I've never heard of a "second bus". AFAIK, there is one bus time per resort. And we've been picked up as early as 10:30 am. Never been picked up as late as 1:30 pm. The latest we've ever been picked up was 12:30.

 

[RobWreck]

With all the money for the cruise, the stress of running around that morning, and the cost of an Uber or car rental, wouldn't it just be cheaper, easier and less-stressful to get the cheeseboard on eBay afterwards?

I am a first-time annual passholder. We will be staying at AKL and using DCL bus to get to our cruise from the resort.

We are only going to be at parks for 3 days (Wed, Thurs, Fri). As crazy as it sounds, I would really like to get the AP Wine Festival cheeseboard. Not sure if I will ever buy an AP again so it would be a nice souvenir for me.

We arrive too late on Tues night for me to pop into EPCOT to count as a visit (plane lands at 8:30pm and EPCOT closes at 9pm that night). So...my only real option to get my 4th visit is Saturday morning before the DCL bus picks us up at AKL.

The plan - leave DH at AKL, take bus to EPCOT for 9am RD, run to the festival tent to get cheeseboard then take bus back to AKL lodge.

Any idea what time to expect the DCL bus at AKL to see if this plan might work? Thoughts appreciated!

 

[Sytrace]

I've never heard of a "second bus". AFAIK, there is one bus time per resort. And we've been picked up as early as 10:30 am. Never been picked up as late as 1:30 pm. The latest we've ever been picked up was 12:30.

I will pay closer attention in a couple weeks to see where the buses are coming from when they arrive at 2:30 and 3:00 PM.

I just figured that there would be at least a couple of buses from the WDW resort as well as many from the airport since they arrive at various times before all aboard.
I also figured that they would have a little turn around time from when they left Port Canaveral to drop off arriving guests to when they pick up new cruisers.
For example. Port to resort buses leave PC starting at 9 AM, which gets them to WDW resorts at around 10 to 10:15 AM, they have several drop offs to make at the resorts before they would turn around and pick up new passengers heading to port at 11:00 or 11:30 AM and arriving at Port at 12:30 or 1:00.

Like I said, I will have to pay really close attention to where those buses are arriving from this time and not assume they are all from the resorts.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I will pay closer attention in a couple weeks to see where the buses are coming from when they arrive at 2:30 and 3:00 PM.

I just figured that there would be at least a couple of buses from the WDW resort as well as many from the airport since they arrive at various times before all aboard.
I also figured that they would have a little turn around time from when they left Port Canaveral to drop off arriving guests to when they pick up new cruisers.
For example. Port to resort buses leave PC starting at 9 AM, which gets them to WDW resorts at around 10 to 10:15 AM, they have several drop offs to make at the resorts before they would turn around and pick up new passengers heading to port at 11:00 or 11:30 AM and arriving at Port at 12:30 or 1:00.

Like I said, I will have to pay really close attention to where those buses are arriving from this time and not assume they are all from the resorts.

There are multiple buses from MCO, beginning around 9:15, and departing every 20 minutes or so.

There is, typically, only one pickup at each resort. But a bus may stop at up to 3 resorts, as they try to fill the bus as much as possible before heading to the port. So one bus may pick up at resort #1 at 10:45, resort #2 at 11:30, and resort #3 at 12:30 before heading to the port, arriving around 1:30 or 2:00.

 

[Sytrace]

There are multiple buses from MCO, beginning around 9:15, and departing every 20 minutes or so.

There is, typically, only one pickup at each resort. But a bus may stop at up to 3 resorts, as they try to fill the bus as much as possible before heading to the port. So one bus may pick up at resort #1 at 10:45, resort #2 at 11:30, and resort #3 at 12:30 before heading to the port, arriving around 1:30 or 2:00.

That makes total sense and would explain all the buses in and out...I figured the airport buses would be back and forth all day. I love watching the buses, trucks and deliveries happen on embarkation day. So much happening!

 

[EvilQueenLairen]

Just be careful if you're flying back home with your cheeseboard...

https://thedisneyblog.com/2018/09/05/tsa-attempts-to-confiscate-epcot-food-wine-cheese-board/