Disney Springs Hotels Bus Information

[writerguyfl]

Here is the official transportation flyer given to guests staying at the seven Disney Springs Hotels. This covers the following hotels:

• B Resort and Spa: http://www.bhotelsandresorts.com/b-resort-and-spa/
• Best Western Lake Buena Vista: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/b...y-springs-resort-area/propertyCode.10288.html
• DoubleTree Suites Lake Buena Vista: http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/ho...rlando-disney-springs-area-MCOFHDT/index.html
• Hilton Buena Vista Palace: http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/fl...palace-disney-springs-area-MCOBUHH/index.html
• Hilton Lake Buena Vista: http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/fl...-vista-disney-springs-area-ORLDWHH/index.html
• Holiday Inn Disney Springs: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/lake-buena-vista/dislb/hoteldetail
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wyndh...a-resort-downtown-disney-resort-area/overview

Link to the Disney Springs Hotels marketing website: http://disneyspringshotels.com/

Shuttles leave every 30 minutes all day long at designated times. The shuttles are run by Mears Transportation, which has been a Disney partner for decades. (They run Disney's Magical Express service.)

Updated Information (Added August 15, 2018)
Each shuttle runs to two different parks. In the past, those two parks have been consistent:

• One bus to Epcot, then Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• Another bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center (transfer to monorail/ferry for Magic Kingdom), then Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In Summer 2018, a different combination seems to be happening:

• One bus to Disney's Animal Kingom, then Epcot.
• Another bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center (transfer to monorail/ferry for Magic Kingdom), then Disney's Hollywood Studios.

During a trip in August 2018, I was told by one bus driver that this change was permanent. A second bus driver said the park combinations change based on hours of operation and other factors. To state the obvious: Look at the electronic signs on the buses to make sure you get on the correct one.
(End of Updated Information)

Although each bus stops at multiple hotels, these stops usually only take 2-3 minutes each. The exception would be if there are wheelchairs or ECVs to load/unload. All of these hotels are literally next to each other. In some cases, it only takes 1 minute to go from one hotel to the next.

Link to Bing Maps: https://binged.it/2yfpHqf

Note: Although the current flyers do not mention Extra Magic Hours, the buses begin running 60 minutes prior to any scheduled morning times and continue for 90 minutes past any scheduled evening times.

If anyone has questions, please ask.

 

[HopperFan]

Good info. Bump.

 

[HopperFan]

Seeing some questions about this ... bumping it up again.

 

[karibritt01]

Out of curiousity... its been awhile, but Disney used to increase bus frequency when there was higher demand. Do you think these will be monitored and adjusted as well?

 

[writerguyfl]

I was staying at the DoubleTree Suites over New Year's, which is one of the busiest times of the year. That hotel is the last pick-up on the "A" side. I didn't see any issues while I was there. Although, I'm a night owl, so it's conceivable that any problems would have been early in the morning.

I can say that every time I've ever left Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios at park closing, I've always seen a Mears Transportation employee present at the bus stop. Once I saw a family panicking because they thought there wouldn't be room for them on the last bus. The Mears employee assured them that they didn't have to worry. If the bus was completely full, he said he could call in a backup. That's one of the benefits of Mears...it's a huge company that has buses and drivers on the road at all times of the day and night.

(I'm assuming Mears staffs Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center in a similar manner. I've just never paid attention and looked for them.)

 

[shocker]

I'm noticing the TTC isn't the drop off for both MK and Epcot. If you were going to Epcot, wouldn't you just take the first bus that arrives and either be dropped off by bus or transfer to monorail? Maybe this is another AM EMH questions we're waiting for current users to report on.

 

[writerguyfl]

I'm noticing the TTC isn't the drop off for both MK and Epcot. If you were going to Epcot, wouldn't you just take the first bus that arrives and either be dropped off by bus or transfer to monorail? Maybe this is another AM EMH questions we're waiting for current users to report on.

In my experience, the vast majority of the time has one bus the goes to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios (in that order). The other bus goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (transfer to Magic Kingdom) and then Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Only once in 100+ trips over the past few years have seen anything different. I was staying at a Disney Springs Hotels for the first two days of the Extra Magic Hours change. The only different in transportation that I noticed was the change in hours to match extended hours.

 

[DisVegas]

In my experience, the vast majority of the time has one bus the goes to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios (in that order). The other bus goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (transfer to Magic Kingdom) and then Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Only once in 100+ trips over the past few years have seen anything different. I was staying at a Disney Springs Hotels for the first two days of the Extra Magic Hours change. The only different in transportation that I noticed was the change in hours to match extended hours.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn a few years ago in February. The bus was practically empty during the week. They seemed to change which combination of parks they stopped at everyday though.

 

[shocker]

In my experience, the vast majority of the time has one bus the goes to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios (in that order). The other bus goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (transfer to Magic Kingdom) and then Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Only once in 100+ trips over the past few years have seen anything different. I was staying at a Disney Springs Hotels for the first two days of the Extra Magic Hours change. The only different in transportation that I noticed was the change in hours to match extended hours.

I'm just sayin', why would I wait for the Epcot bus if the MK bus pulls up first, I could just catch the Epcot monorail from the TTC?

 

[writerguyfl]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn a few years ago in February. The bus was practically empty during the week. They seemed to change which combination of parks they stopped at everyday though.

That's interesting. As I mentioned, I've only seen a different combination once in over 100 days.

I'm just sayin', why would I wait for the Epcot bus if the MK bus pulls up first, I could just catch the Epcot monorail from the TTC?

Maybe I wasn't clear. In my experience, one bus goes to Epcot followed by Disney's Hollywood Studios (in that order). The other bus goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) followed by Disney's Animal Kingdom. Unless you're dying to ride the monorail, there would be zero benefit to adding a stop in your trip instead of just taking the bus that will be going directly to Epcot as it's first stop.

One thing to note is that unlike Disney Transportation, the Disney Springs Hotels shuttles are scheduled. They leave each hotel at a specific time every 30 minutes. They are quite punctual in my experience. In most cases, both buses will be at your hotel to pick-up guests within 1 or 2 minutes of each other.

 

[shocker]

What about where they pick up? I've seen the printed bus schedule with spot numbers for pick up and I'm wondering how far out those are exactly (even looking for Robo maps of bus areas). I'm wondering if a monorail drop off just outside the Epcot gate might be preferred?

 

[shocker]

I'm also reading other reports that say things like "3 buses came for one destination before we saw a bus for the other destination" and "we waited over an hour for a bus." So, I'm thinking about alternatives! I know there's always the unforeseen delays in transportation but there are options!

 

[writerguyfl]

What about where they pick up? I've seen the printed bus schedule with spot numbers for pick up and I'm wondering how far out those are exactly (even looking for Robo maps of bus areas). I'm wondering if a monorail drop off just outside the Epcot gate might be preferred?

You're way overthinking this stuff. You're essentially adding 20-40 minutes to the trip just to avoid walking a couple hundred feet. Unless you have severe mobility issues, you're overcomplicating what really is simple.

Here's a quick and dirty edit of a Bing Map:

A: Epcot Entrance
B: Monorail Station
C: Approximate Location of Disney Springs Hotels Bus Stop
D-G: Locations of Disney Resort Bus Stops

The Disney Springs Hotels bus location is only about 20 yards from some of the Disney Resorts bus stops. So, you're not walking that much further than some guests staying on-site. The only major difference between the two is that the Disney Springs Hotels bus location isn't covered.

I'm also reading other reports that say things like "3 buses came for one destination before we saw a bus for the other destination" and "we waited over an hour for a bus." So, I'm thinking about alternatives! I know there's always the unforeseen delays in transportation but there are options!

I've never experienced anything like what you quoted. I've never seen a Disney Springs Hotels bus more 5 minutes late. If you are in the correct location, you will never be waiting over an hour for a bus.

Are you sure you weren't reading about Disney Resort buses? A few weeks back, I experienced the annoyance of seeing three buses heading to the "wrong" location before my bus came. But, that was Disney Transportation at Disney's Contemporary Resort.

 

[pooh2001]

Does the Disney Springs hotel tell you what time the bus will arrive ?

So if first hotel pick up is at 8 am - then next hotel is 8:10 am ? - and then 8:20 am - and last 8:30 am - then drive to a WDW Park about a 8:50 am arrival ?

 

[writerguyfl]

The buses are on a schedule, but they tell you to be at the bus stop about 5 minutes ahead of schedule. I believe the first hotel pick-up is on the hour and half hour. The "A" side goes: Hilton Lake Buena Vista --> Holiday Inn Disney Springs --> B Resort and Spa --> DoubleTree Suites. The "B" side goes: Best Western Disney Springs --> Wyndham Disney Springs --> Hilton Buena Vista Palace.

The distance between each hotel is pretty short. For example, I measured the distance between the bus stops at the Holiday Inn and the B Resort using Google Maps. It's only about 500 feet (150 meters) between the two.

Although the other hotels are a little further apart, we're not talking about huge distances. Unlike Disney Resort, the Disney Springs Hotels are smaller. With fewer rooms, there are fewer people getting off/on the bus at each stop. As long as there isn't a wheelchair or ECV to load, each stop only takes 2-3 minutes.

(Both Hilton properties are larger. The Hilton Lake Buena Vista has 814 rooms and the Hilton Buena Vista Palace has 1,011 rooms. Both hotels have large convention facilities, which means that many guests will be there on business and won't be using the shuttle buses.)

Honestly, I've never paid much attention to the exact times. Maybe someone else can chime in to provide some more concrete times.

 

[meagarunt22]

Can anyone weigh in with their opinions of whether they enjoy Disney transportation or the Disney Springs resorts transportation more than the other? I've only experienced Disney buses and sometimes they're amazing but my experience in November/December had me considering renting a car for the next trip. I would love to hear from those of you that have done both.

 

[writerguyfl]

I can't say I enjoy either option. For me, taking the bus at Disney World is just something that you put up with because I don't typically have a car during my trips. Here are my two pros and cons:

Pros of Disney Springs Hotels Transportation:

• Scheduled: Unlike Disney Transportation, the Disney Springs Hotels buses are scheduled. In my experience, they are fairly punctual. You won't have to wonder if you'll be waiting 2 minutes or 32 minutes like with a Disney bus.
• Uncrowded: With the exception of closing times, I've always found the Disney Springs Hotels buses to be fairly uncrowded (even over New Year's when I was there). Although each bus serves multiple hotels, each of those hotels is smaller (and some guests at those hotels are on business and therefore won't use the buses).

Cons of Disney Springs Hotels Transportation:

• Magic Kingdom: For Magic Kingdom, the Disney Springs Hotels buses use the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) for their stop. From there, you must transfer to a ferry or monorail to reach the entrance. That extra transfer can be annoying for repeat visitors.
• Two Parks per Bus: My biggest gripe is that each bus serves two parks. If you are heading to the second park on a given route, the detour can be a huge pain. But, the longest trip from hotel to second park is probably around 50 minutes. At a Disney Resort, you may end up waiting 30 minutes and riding a bus for 20 minutes, too.

Honestly, the cons far outweigh the pros here. But, I've found that I can generally get a much nicer hotel at a lower price at one of the Disney Springs Hotels than at a Disney Resort. So, I put up with less than perfect bus transportation.

Personally, I wouldn't rent a car and stay at a Disney Springs Resort because of the costs. You'd be paying for the car plus parking at the hotel and parking at the theme park. Plus, I don't like to drive when I'm on vacation.

That said, there's no wrong answer here.

 

[NJlauren]

Staying for one night at the Best Western, wanted to some feedback/info on getting to Disney springs to walk around and get something to eat. Is the bus a good option or should we just uber?

 

[MommyinHonduras]

The bus or walk, Uber would be quite short. I would be curious if you plug it into the app what the cost would be.

 

[writerguyfl]

Staying for one night at the Best Western, wanted to some feedback/info on getting to Disney springs to walk around and get something to eat. Is the bus a good option or should we just uber?

The nightly bus service to Disney Springs operates a little differently from the theme park buses. Unless it's changed in the past 2 months, it's one bus that goes to all 7 hotels. There aren't a ton of people that use the service, so the stops tend to be 1-2 minutes. Unlike the theme park buses, this bus doesn't have a set schedule. Essentially, it just keeps doing the loop all night.

Disney Springs Bus Stop Orders

• Hilton Lake Buena Vista
• Holiday Inn Disney Springs
• B Resort and Spa
• DoubleTree Suites Lake Buena Vista
• Best Western Lake Buena Vista
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
• Hilton Buena Vista Palace
• Disney Springs West Side (between Watermelon and Strawberry parking lots)

If you're using the bus to go to Disney Springs, you'd only make two stops prior to arriving. If you use it to return, you'd make four stops prior to arriving at your hotel.