Disney Transportation to parks etc.: lessons learned and strategies moving forward

[goofy4tink]

Well, I agree that Disney could improve their bus system, but I think your post was a wee bit over the top, and inflammatory!!!
I've stayed at POR....4 times to date. Never once had an issue with buses. There are at least 4 bus stops throughout the resort..shouldn't take very long to get to the nearest one!!
Crowded buses? Of course they were...it would seem that you were there for Marathon Weekend..one of the busier times of year! The buses are scheduled, basically, every 15-20 mins, so your wait times weren't out of the ordinary.
Too many people on each bus? Well, do you really want to pay the higher room rates to get more buses? I doubt it. That's what would happen if more buses/drivers were put on.

Rental cars in Orlando are extremely cheap? Most here will disagree with you. It's a very popular place to rent cars, so the costs are usually higher..supply, demand. I can rent the same car, for the same time at other locations in the country for significantly less than in Orlando!

And that monorail? Has more and more issues every day. Nothing I would ever count on using.

So sure, rent a car. That's your choice. And it's one I've been very tempted to make at times. But overall? Disney does an incredible job of getting thousands and thousands of guests around it's 'resort' every day. But be aware, driving to MK isn't a time saver. If the monorail is down, you now have to use the ferry. And that's after driving to the park, getting a parking spot, taking the tram to the ferry/monorail area, waiting to board and then going to MK. Most experienced park goers recommend against doing this.

 

[anonymousegirl]

In 2008 I visited WDW after a 15 year absence. Stayed at POR. Loved the convenience of the buses. Had a rental car and used it in the mornings, but used buses at night (after a refreshing rest at the hotel).

I have had my share of bad bus stories (like the bomb scare a few years ago when Disney took EVERY bus out of service to thoroughly sweep them for additional devices--what were they thinking inconveniencing thousands of people!) I have been packed in so tight on a hot September night that I almost fainted standing up. But in 5 years of frequent bus rides, those experiences are few and far between.

I usually go solo, so the buses are fine for me. For a family with strollers, young children, etc. the car is probably a better option. But you sure can't beat the price of the Disney buses!

 

[999DoomBuggies]

After reading this I am even more confused as to what I want to do. We will be staying at coronado for 5 nights last week of April. I have been going back and forth trying to decide if we should rent a car or rely on Disney transportation.

Rent a car if you have kids. It is generally cheap and you will ride in a civilized manner.


I was just talking to an acquaintance about my recent visit and my observations were hers in terms of everything I said about POR.

 

[goofy4tink]

If I were to rent a Ford Focus for my June trip to WDW (1-7), the cost would be $276. I don't consider that 'cheap'. If I can find a weekly rental for $200, I consider myself lucky...in Orlando anyway.
And while you may have spoken to an acquaintance that has had the same bad experience you had....many here have had opposite experiences. Those experiences are just as valid as those bad experiences.

 

[aubriee]

If I were to rent a Ford Focus for my June trip to WDW (1-7), the cost would be $276. I don't consider that 'cheap'. If I can find a weekly rental for $200, I consider myself lucky...in Orlando anyway.
And while you may have spoken to an acquaintance that has had the same bad experience you had....many here have had opposite experiences. Those experiences are just as valid as those bad experiences.

Yes, if you book this far out, rental car prices will be expensive. However, if you check again about a week or two out from your trip and use one of the many car rental codes that will be out or for that matter just book through Costco or Priceline, you will find that same car for less than half that price. In Dec we booked a full size (Impala) through Costco for eleven days for just $148.00 total price (including all taxes and fees). In Sept I was down there solo and still went with a rental car. I bid on Priceline and round up paying about $120.00 for nine days.

 

[Brian Noble]

The plural of anecdote is not data, so one person's experience may not be that of another's.

In general: driving to/from MK is about the same as taking Disney transportation on average, but driving is more predictable. Driving to/from the other three major parks is a little faster than using Disney transportation. Driving to/from the minor attractions or between resorts is usually quite a bit faster.

TouringPlans did an interesting analysis of transportation time for a hypothetical vacation from each resort, Disney transport vs. self-driving. That hypothetical vacation may not match your plans for your vacation, but it was still reasonably interesting.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/0...spending-the-least-amount-of-time-in-transit/

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes, if you book this far out, rental car prices will be expensive. However, if you check again about a week or two out from your trip and use one of the many car rental codes that will be out or for that matter just book through Costco or Priceline, you will find that same car for less than half that price. In Dec we booked a full size (Impala) through Costco for eleven days for just $148.00 total price (including all taxes and fees). In Sept I was down there solo and still went with a rental car. I bid on Priceline and round up paying about $120.00 for nine days.

I understand that...and yes, you can get better rates booking closer to the date. But.....I've been looking at renting a car in Ft Lauderdale, for instance, this coming weekend, for a week. The rate hasn't changed much from the $180 that I saw 3 months ago..it's actually at $170 at the moment. I don't think that's a hugely cheap rate for a Ford Focus.
Not to mention...some of us are forced to use certain car rental companies, for a variety of reasons. Which kind of puts Priceline out of the picture.

 

[dmunsil]

In general: driving to/from MK is about the same as taking Disney transportation on average, but driving is more predictable.

Quoted for truth. It's the unpredictability and variance of the bus system that drives me nuts. There is much less variability with the monorails and boats. So even to the MK, driving beats bus for us, because we can predict with some degree of precision how long it's going to take. I've had one too many situations where we waited for a bus for a very long time, or had multiple buses come by full, etc. It's been more common that buses have come in a reasonable (sub-20-minute) time frame and have not been full, but when you're tired and trying to get back to the hotel, extra-long waits are just awful.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Quoted for truth. It's the unpredictability and variance of the bus system that drives me nuts. There is much less variability with the monorails and boats. So even to the MK, driving beats bus for us, because we can predict with some degree of precision how long it's going to take. I've had one too many situations where we waited for a bus for a very long time, or had multiple buses come by full, etc. It's been more common that buses have come in a reasonable (sub-20-minute) time frame and have not been full, but when you're tired and trying to get back to the hotel, extra-long waits are just awful.

Unpredictability is definitely the greatest issue, then garnish this unpredictability with treating the patron as common livestock and you have a perfect formula for why it is important to drive or go to disneyland.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Yes, if you book this far out, rental car prices will be expensive. However, if you check again about a week or two out from your trip and use one of the many car rental codes that will be out or for that matter just book through Costco or Priceline, you will find that same car for less than half that price. In Dec we booked a full size (Impala) through Costco for eleven days for just $148.00 total price (including all taxes and fees). In Sept I was down there solo and still went with a rental car. I bid on Priceline and round up paying about $120.00 for nine days.

I got a nine day rental from the thrifty airport location for 190. I consider this really cheap for that many days. This was for a mid size.

 

[NotUrsula]

Rental cars in Orlando are extremely cheap? Most here will disagree with you. It's a very popular place to rent cars, so the costs are usually higher..supply, demand. I can rent the same car, for the same time at other locations in the country for significantly less than in Orlando!

Orlando used to be almost the cheapest rental-car market in the US, due to the sheer volume of vehicles that moved in and out. That all changed when Magical Express went into service. The demand dropped like a rock and a large part of the fleet was moved elsewhere. Now that volume has gone way down, prices have gone up -- they just cannot turn over the number of rentals that they used to, and the per-car overhead has gotten higher.

In my recent experience, Orlando is still a fairly cheap market, especially if you work the coupon angle. If I'm traveling there for business, I naturally use my company's contracted vendor, but then it's their dime, so I don't really care. For leisure, if I cannot find a good deal on a conventional rental, I use Priceline; most of the time the difference in cost will make up for any additional days, parking charges, etc.

Florida beach destinations tend to have lower rental costs from Dec-Mar than they do the rest of the year (except over Christmas break), since so many of the tourists are actually snowbirds, and the vast majority of those people bring their own cars.

 

[JanaDee]

POR has 4 bus stops. You couldn't have been "790 miles" away from the nearest bus stop.

You are obviously one of the people that should have a car while on vacation at Disney.

We aren't.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

POR has 4 bus stops. You couldn't have been "790 miles" away from the nearest bus stop. You are obviously one of the people that should have a car while on vacation at Disney. We aren't.

So it was 789 miles. Sorry I was so far off.

 

[JanaDee]

So it was 789 miles. Sorry I was so far off.

Your exaggeration and hyperbole isn't helping anyone take you seriously.

FTR, I have stayed at POR twice, so I'm quite familiar with the resort.

 

[goofy4tink]

So it was 789 miles. Sorry I was so far off.

Okay....I've used 3 out of the 4...the Main stop, the East and the West depots. None of them were more than a 5 min walk. Now, if you stay in Partierre Place, you may have a hike, but that would be maybe 8 mins.
It's just not right to lead people to believe that it's going to take them forever to get to a bus stop at POR...it doesn't.

You obviously are better off with a car. And that's okay. But, many here have no issues with the buses. And that whole being treated like cattle? Maybe at park closing or just prior to opening. I tend to avoid using buses at those times...so don't have that cattle-like feeling. But, it is public transit....basically. It's going to get crowded at busy times.

 

[gdrj]

Well I think this shows that everyone can have different experiences and opinions. Also IMO there is no one answer or way, everyone has a different experience AND based on when you go where you stay, your knowledge of the parks and Disney Property and how you like to vacation all impacts the decision. We have stayed with a car and without a car. Even when we have a car I tend to use the busses. If you don't set rigid plans, Disney Transportation may be more convenient. We have started the Day at MK, it would get busy so we would Mono-rail to Epcot, we are walking in France and decide to go out the International exit and take a boat ride to Hollywood Studios and finish the day there. We just jump on the bus back to our resort. I also like to just not see a parking lot. We were there at Xmas and stayed off property and had to drive. Getting into HS took forever as cars were backed up. We didn't have an issue but Parking Lots do get closed...just saying. Of course driving directly to Jambo House for dinner reservations was quick!

This is my first thread of several threads addressing strategies and lessons learned from my most recent visit to WDW. In this thread I will address Disney transportation to and from parks.

Disney Transportation:
Disney transportation is very similar to a cattle call. If you are staying onsite, you will more than likely take the Disney bus system. Bus stops are conveniently located 790 miles from your room if you are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. When going to the parks expect to wait a long time for bus pickup for Epcot, HS, and AK.

When waiting for a bus at Port Orleans expect to be treated as someone that has just announced they have AIDs and the year is 1985 (basically completely shunned), sorry if I offend anyone here, I take that stuff seriously too but this is what kept running through my head at the time. Expect to wait at least 20 minutes for a bus. Sometimes you will get lucky and the bus will come within a reasonable time.

When boarding buses, in all cases, what you will find is the desire for cast members to stuff as many humans onto a bus. When leaving theme parks, you will be initially corralled into a holding stockade and then prodded onto a bus where you will be stuffed inside. The similarities between disney transportation stuffing 700 humans onto one bus and ruthless human trafficking rings cannot be denied.If you're dream is to be a comedy writer...don't give up your day job

Side note, if you are a capable male then stand up and give females, children, and those with mobility issues your seat. I cannot believe how many times I watched adult males not give up their seat. In once case, my wife heard a male say that he would give up his seat if he did not have a stroller. The lady had a stoller too and ended up standing, whatever, just saying, be a gentleman. That also goes for teens, and young healthy females, this isn't Gone for the Wind

Expect to spend a minimum of 15 mins on a bus to go pretty much anywhere in Disney, especially if staying at Port Orleans. Not sure how that is different than a car, except there is not a parking lot and a tram

Strategy going forward: my suggestion is to rent a car to get to parks and maintain some level of human dignity, especially if you have young kids like me. Renting a car will be the most consistently steady and likely quickest method to get to the important parks if staying anywhere the monorail does not reach. Rental cars in Orlando are extremely cheap. At times they can be at times not, Please take a car especially if you have young kids and you decide you need to be at the park for 18 hours straight and you have no control over your kids


My next thread will focus on Marathon week crowds, a review, what to expect, and how to navigate. FYI, I am available to do trip report interviews or whatever just message me.No offense(I'm sure you won't be since it can't be as insulting AIDS patients, but is your expertise based on 1 trip? In each of my 20+ years of trips and the 4 or 5 in the past 2 years, no experience is same.

You'd think they'd care more.
After all, time sitting at a bus stop is time you aren't using to buy "Disney Parks" t-shirts or $10 turkey legs.

They might, I have no idea, but I think the expanding of the bus loops at MK, the parking garages, being added at DTD, and the maintenance work being on the monorail does show they are working on more than $10 Turkey legs

After reading this I am even more confused as to what I want to do. We will be staying at coronado for 5 nights last week of April. I have been going back and forth trying to decide if we should rent a car or rely on Disney transportation.

IMO, don't listen to my rants or others as gospel, I always say a bad day at Disney is still better than a day at work. Read up look at Blogs and there are some great Disney World guide books

Well, I agree that Disney could improve their bus system, but I think your post was a wee bit over the top, and inflammatory!!!
Crowded buses? Of course they were...it would seem that you were there for Marathon Weekend..one of the busier times of year! The buses are scheduled, basically, every 15-20 mins, so your wait times weren't out of the ordinary.
Too many people on each bus? Well, do you really want to pay the higher room rates to get more buses? I doubt it. That's what would happen if more buses/drivers were put on.

Rental cars in Orlando are extremely cheap? Most here will disagree with you. It's a very popular place to rent cars, so the costs are usually higher..supply, demand. I can rent the same car, for the same time at other locations in the country for significantly less than in Orlando!

And that monorail? Has more and more issues every day. Nothing I would ever count on using.

So sure, rent a car. That's your choice. And it's one I've been very tempted to make at times. But overall? Disney does an incredible job of getting thousands and thousands of guests around it's 'resort' every day. But be aware, driving to MK isn't a time saver. If the monorail is down, you now have to use the ferry. And that's after driving to the park, getting a parking spot, taking the tram to the ferry/monorail area, waiting to board and then going to MK. Most experienced park goers recommend against doing this.

Agreed !!

The plural of anecdote is not data, so one person's experience may not be that of another's.

In general: driving to/from MK is about the same as taking Disney transportation on average, but driving is more predictable. Driving to/from the other three major parks is a little faster than using Disney transportation. Driving to/from the minor attractions or between resorts is usually quite a bit faster.

Agreed


If you want my trip reports interviews don't message me they aren't available and I know I am not that funny.

 

[sotoalf]

After reading this I am even more confused as to what I want to do. We will be staying at coronado for 5 nights last week of April. I have been going back and forth trying to decide if we should rent a car or rely on Disney transportation.

Coronado Springs has its own bus. No sharing.

 

[Leigh123]

[

I have had my share of bad bus stories (like the bomb scare a few years ago when Disney took EVERY bus out of service to thoroughly sweep them for additional devices--what were they thinking inconveniencing thousands of people!)



Just wondering if this was in Sept, we were there for that staying at AKL ad they were actually sending people via taxi where they needed to go.