Dolphin resort to 'Ohana

[dizzyblonde]

I will be attending a convention at the Dolphin soon & have a reservation for 'Ohana one evening. My H & I plan to use Disney transportation during the trip, but will have our car. Looks like driving from the Dolphin to the Polynesian is going to be our best best, correct? I've not been to Disney often & have driven there even less, so I am intimidated by getting around by car. That being said, if it's a 10 minute car ride versus an 1.5 hour commute via Disney transportation, we will drive! Any words of wisdom?

 

[goofy4tink]

The drive will be about 15 mins. But, Disney transportation shouldn't take you 90 mins!!! Bus to the MK and then monorail or boat to the Polynesian. Or, you can just walk to DHS (or take the boat) and hop on the bus to the Polynesian there.
If you want to drive, go for it. Just wanted to clear up any misconceptions about Disney transport!

 

[dizzyblonde]

The drive will be about 15 mins. But, Disney transportation shouldn't take you 90 mins!!! Bus to the MK and then monorail or boat to the Polynesian. Or, you can just walk to DHS (or take the boat) and hop on the bus to the Polynesian there.
If you want to drive, go for it. Just wanted to clear up any misconceptions about Disney transport!

Thx! The transport wizard I used gave options showing we could get there in about 50 minutes using different options, I was just going by an estimate I read somewhere to give yourself 1-1.5 hours for dinner res.

 

[sam_gordon]

Thx! The transport wizard I used gave options showing we could get there in about 50 minutes using different options, I was just going by an estimate I read somewhere to give yourself 1-1.5 hours for dinner res.

The "rule of thumb" is to allow an hour if you use Disney transportation. This is because you could end up waiting 20+ minutes for each mode of transportation.

A car or cab would be the QUICKEST, not necessarily the cheapest. There are plenty of threads regarding whether using a car is good or not.

 

[figment_jii]

My family drives from the BW to the Poly when we're having a meal there. It's an easy drive. Getting to the Poly is pretty easy, but depending in your ADR, getting home might be harder. We take a taxi when we plan to spend the day at MK.

 

[dizzyblonde]

My family drives from the BW to the Poly when we're having a meal there. It's an easy drive. Getting to the Poly is pretty easy, but depending in your ADR, getting home might be harder. We take a taxi when we plan to spend the day at MK.

My current reservation is for 2 at 8pm but I'm hoping to get one closer to 7
When you say getting home might be harder, does that refer to MK closing time? I hadn't thought of that!

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Just a tip, if you decide to drive to the Poly you will go threw the MK parking gate. Be sure to get over to the right side of the lanes, but not in the farthest right lane, that one is for buses only. You will have to stop at the booth and tell them you are going to the Poly to eat. After going under the MK gate you will be joining that lane that the buses use.

 

[figment_jii]

My current reservation is for 2 at 8pm but I'm hoping to get one closer to 7
When you say getting home might be harder, does that refer to MK closing time? I hadn't thought of that!

Yes. Depending on when MK closes (or actually the last park), there might not be as many buses available. If MK is still open, I'd hop the monorail from the Poly to MK and then a bus back to the Dolphin (usually shares with Swan and Boardwalk). If MK has closed, then the "safest" (i.e., most likely to be available) option is to take the bus from Poly to DTD and then a bus back to Dolphin. However, the last time I did that (albeit it was several years ago), the bus was horribly crowded from DTD to the Epcot resorts (all five were on the same bus route). You could also take a bus from Poly to DHS and the walk/boat back to Dolphin, but when I've been there, DHS seemed to close before MK. Finally, you could catch a bus to Epcot, but you would need park tickets to get through Epcot.

When my family has a late-ish dinner at a resort we either drive or use Disney transportation to get there and then take a taxi home. We've never had problems getting a taxi (it'll be about $20 plus tip).

 

[dizzyblonde]

Just a tip, if you decide to drive to the Poly you will go threw the MK parking gate. Be sure to get over to the right side of the lanes, but not in the farthest right lane, that one is for buses only. You will have to stop at the booth and tell them you are going to the Poly to eat. After going under the MK gate you will be joining that lane that the buses use.

Thank you, great info!

 

[dizzyblonde]

Yes. Depending on when MK closes (or actually the last park), there might not be as many buses available. If MK is still open, I'd hop the monorail from the Poly to MK and then a bus back to the Dolphin (usually shares with Swan and Boardwalk). If MK has closed, then the "safest" (i.e., most likely to be available) option is to take the bus from Poly to DTD and then a bus back to Dolphin. However, the last time I did that (albeit it was several years ago), the bus was horribly crowded from DTD to the Epcot resorts (all five were on the same bus route). You could also take a bus from Poly to DHS and the walk/boat back to Dolphin, but when I've been there, DHS seemed to close before MK. Finally, you could catch a bus to Epcot, but you would need park tickets to get through Epcot.

When my family has a late-ish dinner at a resort we either drive or use Disney transportation to get there and then take a taxi home. We've never had problems getting a taxi (it'll be about $20 plus tip).

Thank you for all the info! We will have park hopper passes but it seems like driving our car is going to be our best bet.