Disney Springs bus service

[ag.allen]

Hello! When taking a bus from the Disney Springs hotels (using the free shuttle offered), do you have to show proof that you're staying at the DS hotel in order to board the bus?

I'm curious if it's worth staying at another hotel closer to Disney Springs and just walking to the DS hotels to catch the shuttle.

Trying to find the best economical approach to making a Disney World holiday a reality!

Thank you!

 

[ArielRae]

When I did my stay at the Wyndham which is the hotel right over the pedestrian bridge from Disney Springs I was never asked for proof before boarding a bus to or from the resort. Of course the buses were never full during my stay. They may ask if you are traveling during a more crowded time and the buses fill up. I will say I usually liked starting my day earlier then the buses started running for the hotel in the morning so I would walk over to Saratoga Springs and catch a park bus from the Congress Park stop.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Which off-site hotels are walking distance to Hotel Plaza Boulevard?

 

[ag.allen]

ArielRae,
Great, thank you for letting me know and thanks for the tip. We've been to Disney world once and stayed on site. Back then things were way cheaper. That helps me plan for what best works for us.

 

[ag.allen]

Which off-site hotels are walking distance to Hotel Plaza Boulevard?

I was looking at the Radisson on the other side of the street from the Double Tree Inn. I was thinking we could walk across the street to catch the shuttle from the DS hotels.

 

[nkereina]

When are you going? Its possible some hotels will be changing their policies in light of social distancing requirements. I know Disney is not permitting resort entry unless you have a resort or dining reservation. I would not be surprised if some DS area hotels start requiring ID so that their shuttles are limited to current guests only.

 

[ag.allen]

When are you going? Its possible some hotels will be changing their policies in light of social distancing requirements. I know Disney is not permitting resort entry unless you have a resort or dining reservation. I would not be surprised if some DS area hotels start requiring ID so that their shuttles are limited to current guests only.

Good point. I guess time will tell. We were planning for January 2021 and have a Disney resort reservation I booked this past January. I was thinking if they didn't have fastpass or magic hours, that there wasn't a real need to stay on site. But if that is required for park access, then that would be the way to go. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!

 

[nkereina]

Good point. I guess time will tell. We were planning for January 2021 and have a Disney resort reservation I booked this past January. I was thinking if they didn't have fastpass or magic hours, that there wasn't a real need to stay on site. But if that is required for park access, then that would be the way to go. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!

Just to clarify, the current procedure (at least during reopening) will be that you need a Disney resort or dining reservation to set foot on any Disney hotel property - not necessarily the parks. I was just using that as a comparison to potential restrictions the DS hotels may roll out, if they decide to restrict hotel/shuttle access to hotel guests only.

The parks will have a separate reservation system in place for entry into the parks. Its my understanding that on-site guests will be given priority in the reservation system, but it may still be possible to obtain a park entry reservation even if you're not staying on-site. More to come on that, so definitely keep an eye on how things evolve between now and January.

 

[ag.allen]

Just to clarify, the current procedure (at least during reopening) will be that you need a Disney resort or dining reservation to set foot on any Disney hotel property - not necessarily the parks. I was just using that as a comparison to potential restrictions the DS hotels may roll out, if they decide to restrict hotel/shuttle access to hotel guests only.

The parks will have a separate reservation system in place for entry into the parks. Its my understanding that on-site guests will be given priority in the reservation system, but it may still be possible to obtain a park entry reservation even if you're not staying on-site. More to come on that, so definitely keep an eye on how things evolve between now and January.

Thank you for your help! Yes I was aware of their new reservation requirement for park access and have been obsessively checking updates to see how things are evolving and going to work for now. I made the hotel reservation but did not purchase the park tickets, as I was waiting until closer to our trip. Now I'm not sure if I can get them. That said, it's highly likely our trip will be postponed until covid-19 passes or we have a vaccine. It's hard for me to accept our new reality!