Does BWV or BCV have a shorter boat ride to Hollywood Studios?

[Water Sprite]

Which resort has the shorter (time) boat ride to Hollywood Studios? Approximately how long is the ride?

Is the return boat dock swamped at the closing hour of HS?

Thanks,

Tom and Pat

 

[mama03]

It doesnt really matter, the boat stops at Boardwalk, Beach Club and S&D. Actually we realized on our last trip that from boardwalk its quicker to walk toward the S&D resorts and catch the boat from their docks. Forget the buses, you have to make sooo many stops.

 

[BCV23]

The boat ride is shorter from BCV as the route is Epcot>BW>Y&BC>S/D>DHS. Simply reverses on the return trip. I'd guesstimate the ride from Y&BC to DHS in the 12-15 minute range. It is crowded at the end of the day so we normally drive if we will be traveling then. We've never stayed at BWV but some people there prefer to just walk.

Normally there are no buses from either Epcot or DHS to the Epcot resorts.

 

[Water Sprite]

Thanks BCV23 for that enlightening boat schedule. It was just what I was looking for.

Tom

 

[DVC Mary]

Depending on where your room is located in BWV, you may find it quicker to walk. We usually walk in the am & ride the boat in the evening (when everyone's tired) when we stay at BWV.

You can also take the bus. We also sometimes get off/on the bus at Swan & Dolphin & walk across the bridge if the bus stops there before BWV. It's quicker.

Experiment & you'll find what works best at various times of day for your family.

 

[Spine_DR]

We stay at BWV so if we are going to use a boat to MGM we will walk to Swan and Dolphin to catch it but we usually walk its 15 minutes at a leisure pace and the boat never beat us evan leaving from S&D.

 

[bpmorley]

The boat ride is shorter from BCV as the route is Epcot>BW>Y&BC>S/D>DHS. Simply reverses on the return trip. I'd guesstimate the ride from Y&BC to DHS in the 12-15 minute range. It is crowded at the end of the day so we normally drive if we will be traveling then. We've never stayed at BWV but some people there prefer to just walk.

Normally there are no buses from either Epcot or DHS to the Epcot resorts.

I don't think that it reverses on the way back. I think the boat goes directly from DHS to EPCOT then it make the resort stops. Although I've only taken it a couple times. usually we just walk when we're back there.

 

[dgaston]

Most often the order of stops reverses -- BW is last/first to Epcot. However, occasionally there is an express boat that goes from HS directly to Epcot. I think that one is rare.

I too think using the Swan/Dolphin stop saves time for BW folk.

 

[bpmorley]

Most often the order of stops reverses -- BW is last/first to Epcot. However, occasionally there is an express boat that goes from HS directly to Epcot. I think that one is rare.

I too think using the Swan/Dolphin stop saves time for BW folk.

then we must have only gotten the express. I don't ever remember making a stop when going from MGM to Epcot

 

[BCV23]

We stay at BCV 3 or 4 times a year and have never seen an express boat that didn't stop at the resorts.

Do you remember what time of the day you had an express? Or was it an unusually crowded day like NYE? And what did the boat captains say to all the passengers expecting a stop at their resorts?

We'll be back at BCV in a few weeks and I'll try to remember to ask a boat captain about this.

 

[dgaston]

My DS 19 and his friend got one the first week of January. They had just seen Lights Motors Action and were coming to Epcot to join me at LeCellier for lunch. Maybe because it was a holiday week?

 

[MinnieGi]

Our home resort is BWV and we have stayed there often and ridden the boats and have never seen or been on an "express" to Epcot from HS. This is the first I have ever heard someone mention it...I guess for very busy times?

Since we do stay at BWV we often take the boat over (the kids like to ride it) but walk back if we are coming back during closing as the line is super long and we easily walk back and are at BWV before the boat even makes its first stop.

 

[drusba]

I don't think that it reverses on the way back. I think the boat goes directly from DHS to EPCOT then it make the resort stops. Although I've only taken it a couple times. usually we just walk when we're back there.

Since we stay at BWV two to three times a year, I can confirm the first poster was right. The route is Epcot to BW to YC/BC to S/D to Studios to S/D to YC/BC to BW to Epcot. Since that routing started (about 6 years ago) I have never seen an express boat from one park to the other or any different route taken at any time (maybe it happened but I never witnessed it). Ride from BWV to Studios is about 30 minutes; ride from YC/BC is about 22. If staying at BWV you should consider walking to studios (20 to 25 minutes) and then at night take boat back to S/D and walk over bridge to BWV. Ride from studios to S/D is about 12 minutes.

Also someone mentioned above about "Forget taking the busses" because they take a long time. There are no busses to Studios or Epcot from any of those Epcot resorts that have the boat.

 

[bpmorley]

We stay at BCV 3 or 4 times a year and have never seen an express boat that didn't stop at the resorts.

Do you remember what time of the day you had an express? Or was it an unusually crowded day like NYE? And what did the boat captains say to all the passengers expecting a stop at their resorts?

We'll be back at BCV in a few weeks and I'll try to remember to ask a boat captain about this.

It was at least once during the day and then once at night. I remember taking the boat and making all the resort stops going from Epcot to MGM. Then after some time in MGM we were going to walk back. As we were leaving we ran into some people we had met at our resort and we told them we were going to walk back to BCV. They told us to take the boat and that it goes directly back to Epcot, and it did. That was during the day. At night we took a chance on seeing some of illuminations, we were actually hoping it would make the resort stop so we could see the fireworks from the boat, but it was directly to Epcot

 

[JFrey4240]

Last summer we only took the boat from the BC a few times and all I can remember is that it was long and hot. So we decided to walk back from DS and it was much better. It's much cooler in the evening and the line for the boat to go back to the resorts was crazy long. BW is much closer than BC but if you take your time it's a very nice stroll.

 

[wildernessDad]

Speaking of the boat ride, how long does it take the boat to go from Disney Hollywood Studios to Epcot? I am assuming that the boat will stop at the resorts along the way.

 

[drusba]

It is approximately 40 minutes but can go to 45 depending on how long they sit at each dock en route.

 

[crisi]

Last summer we only took the boat from the BC a few times and all I can remember is that it was long and hot. So we decided to walk back from DS and it was much better. It's much cooler in the evening and the line for the boat to go back to the resorts was crazy long. BW is much closer than BC but if you take your time it's a very nice stroll.

Its about .6 miles from the MGM gate to the Boardwalk closest door to MGM (its about .7 to Jellyrolls) Its about 1.1 miles to get to BCVs.

(walkjogrun.net is great for this "how far is it really?")

 

[Water Sprite]

I didn't realize this would be such a popular topic when I introduced it.

And thanks Crisi for those mileage numbers. A CM had told us that the BCV-->DHS walk was very long, but 1.1 miles seems entirely doable. I'll have to check on that BCV-->Monorail walk next, I hear that one is long as well.

Thanks again,

Tom and Pat

 

[crisi]

I didn't realize this would be such a popular topic when I introduced it.

And thanks Crisi for those mileage numbers. A CM had told us that the BCV-->DHS walk was very long, but 1.1 miles seems entirely doable. I'll have to check on that BCV-->Monorail walk next, I hear that one is long as well.

Thanks again,

Tom and Pat

I get about .9 miles - we do it all the time from the Boardwalk (actually the other way around - Monorail --> Boardwalk, almost never Boardwalk --> monorail)