Disney Busses during non peak times.

[Mama Mouse]

I've used the busses once in the past when we stayed onsite and we really enjoyed the convenience. However, that was in 2001 and since then I've read more and more stories of extreme overcrowding and terribly long lines and wait times.

I realize this is going to be much worse during peak times but I'm wondering how manageable Disney transport is during off times. Specifically, we want to try to go the week before President's Day. I know the crowd levels are lower at that time and I'm hoping that also means the transport issues are less intense.

 

[madalex]

I've have gone to Disney every year since 1997 (and often more than once in a year). I have not noticed a significant change in Disney bus service during that time. Sometimes there are long waits and overcrowded buses (especially if you try to catch a bus right at park closing time or after a fireworks show or something like that) and sometimes there aren't. Everyone has stories about long waits for buses, but just as frequent are thew times where there is little or no wait for a bus. I would not spend a lot of time worrying about the bus service for your trip next year.

 

[Finally08]

I've always thought it relates to your resort...value resorts = crowded buses. Deluxe resorts - nice, sometimes mostly empty buses.

I've been there at very slow times and been jammed in a bus when staying Value....I have never been on a crowded bus on any of the trips when we stayed deluxe...even at busy times.

 

[SaraJayne]

I've always thought it relates to your resort...value resorts = crowded buses. Deluxe resorts - nice, sometimes mostly empty buses.

I've been there at very slow times and been jammed in a bus when staying Value....I have never been on a crowded bus on any of the trips when we stayed deluxe...even at busy times.

Not necessarily. I've stayed Mod and deluxe/DVC and never noticed a difference in either one. Where you stay has no bearing on how crowded the buses are.

If you go at a non-busy time, the only time you'd have an issue would be at park closing...when ALL of the buses are crowded, regardless of what resort they are going to.

 

[dzneelvr]

We've gone annually for over 10 years and stay at the Values exclusively. There isn't a consistent bad/good about buses. During peak seasons they run more both from a time and vehicle perspective. Our worst wait was once at the Poly and sometimes at DTD marketplace and west end exits at closing because of the sheer mass of folks going back to the resorts at the same time. Ways to get around bus issues park to resort is don't exit the park immediately after an event or "park closer". Shop a bit....take a last stroll through an area; the flip side resort to park is don't wait until the last minute to que up. Give yourself some time, maybe 15 minutes. From park to park is pretty fast. CMs are good resources too. If you tell them a bus hasn't been by in 10-15 minutes, they will contact transportation and relay the message.

 

[chuckml]

Not necessarily. I've stayed Mod and deluxe/DVC and never noticed a difference in either one. Where you stay has no bearing on how crowded the buses are.

If you go at a non-busy time, the only time you'd have an issue would be at park closing...when ALL of the buses are crowded, regardless of what resort they are going to.

I agree. The worst bus service we have had was at AKL by far, and the best was at Pop, hands down. I think its more just luck of the draw than anything else.

 

[Finally08]

It must be random then. The deadest time we ever visited was early Sept. '08...there were hurricanes and tropical storms swirling all around us and the parks were SO dead. We just walked aimlessly from one attraction to another, doing everything as a walk on....we did rides many times over each day. We stayed at Pop that trip and the resort wasn't crowded either....but the buses always were. I think they just didn't have many buses running for the resort.

One day we waited nearly an hour for a bus to get us from AK....and when we finally did get picked up it was by another resort bus that they had switch over to us....because by then quite a crowd had built up. We stood a lot on buses...the bus rides were the only times it felt at all busy within the whole resort.

The most crowded trip I've done was when Pres & Mardi Gras weeks collided (Feb '10). We stayed at WL, and used buses for all parks except MK of course, and it was never jammed. We always had seats and never waited long.
Our stays at Contemporary and AK also had dead buses...like buses with just us on them some days! And I have been as ASMo once and never even attempted to get in those bus lines.

 

[GiJohnsGirl]

Yeah, we stayed at All Star movies last September and the buses were not bad at all. There was little bit of wait (not much though). However, like some one else said the buses from the parks are a bit horrendus. MK was always the worst.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I've always thought it relates to your resort...value resorts = crowded buses. Deluxe resorts - nice, sometimes mostly empty buses.

I've been there at very slow times and been jammed in a bus when staying Value....I have never been on a crowded bus on any of the trips when we stayed deluxe...even at busy times.

This is not true. Bus service can be wonderful or poor at any resort whether it's the GF or Pop or anything inbetween. The worst we had was at the AKL during value season. The best was at AS Movies during the beginning of summer.

That said, we prefer to avoid the buses altogether as we like to go places other than at park opening and closing. When I first read the title, I thought the post might be about mid-afternoon breaks. For me, the service is horrible mid-afternoon. You stand in line and look at a half a dozen empty buses with their drivers on a mid-day break. The resort bus you want seems to be busy. I have a great picture of a bunch of ducks waiting in the bus line at the MK with us one afternoon while we waited nearly 30 minutes for a bus with no one else around. And this doesn't even include trying to go to DTD from a major park or even from your resort (at least 45 minutes to DTD from your resort so if you want to eat at DTD after a day at AK, you might as well count on an hour and a half commute. With a car, it'd take 15-20 minutes. Our worst bus ride though was from resort-to-resort (nearly 1.5 hours!) during VALUE season.

If all you want to do is go from your resort to a major park in the morning and return in the evening, the buses are fine. If you try to do anything else, they're quite frustrating IMO.

 

[pigletto]

We went the week after Presidents Day this year! We stayed at Coronado Springs and at the Polynesian.
Bus service was absolutely fine 99 percent of the time.

Twice we waited over half an hour at DTD for a bus back to the resort, but I think we had just missed the previous one.

Another time we took the Monorail to MK to get a bus to our Whispering Canyon reservation. We waited a looooooooonnnnnngggggg time. Bus after bus came until the lady beside us went and complained to a cast memeber and then one was there in about 5 minutes.
Honestly.. we left the hotel at 4 for a 5:35 reservation and we were still 5 minutes late!

That being said, those were our only two issues the entire trip with buses. And we took a lot of buses. So honestly I think you will find it just fine

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.