Drury Plaza Shuttle Experience/Walk to SSR

[Last91]

Hi, we usually stay on property for our WDW trips (Value Resorts... All-Stars usually) but was looking into the Drury Plaza Disney Springs for our potential August 2024 trip. The included amenities are all very tempting and seems like amazing value. I was wondering in regards to personal experience with the shuttles to the parks and how they compare to Disney resort transportation.

Also, how realistic is it to walk to/from Saratoga Springs or Disney Springs to catch a bus from there to wherever we need to go? And how long would it take?

It seems that the shuttle times and the timing for the included "Kickback" amenity don't match up for a midday break (essential for us in August) so was just wondering if it would be worth it to keep as an option vs. a Disney Value

Trying to make this trip as budget friendly as possible without sacrificing too much on convenience!

Any insight is helpful!

Thanks

 

[hsmamato2]

It's about a 15 minute walk over to the nearest SSR bus stop (briskly) so it's doable, I assume the Drury shuttle is similiar to the other DS hotel buses,which work just fine overall (MK bus goes to/from TTC which is annoying) so IMHO I'd transport directly from hotel using their shuttle if possible, the only exception would be the MK bus. So if your goal was to leave a park to get the evening happy hour food, you could do the SSR bus and walk back, just allow about 20-30 minutes to walk back etc.

 

[jimmymc]

It's not a short walk over to SSR, but I did it once when coming home from a Christmas party, since most of the Disney Springs hotels don't offer party transportation. The included busses are good if you can make the schedule work. They will get you there early enough to ropedrop early entry and you'll have plenty of time to get to them after the fireworks, but you're right about not being great for a midday break. When I stayed there, I made some dining reservations at resorts, or just sat in the lobby with a drink instead of doing a break at the hotel. But if you really need to nap or hit the pool in the middle of the day, I would do the Disney values.

 

[twocat]

There is absolutely no way I would make that walk in August. Day or night it is ridiculously hot.
And I live down here.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

The shuttle wasn't too bad, but we also used uber a couple of times when we took a mid day break as the scheduled times didn't work for us. We didn't have young kids that needed carseats though. I'm not sure what the makeup of your group is.

Walking from SSR IMO or from Disney springs would take up a lot of time. And as someone said, walking that in August - no way!

 

[SL6827]

Do some guest at the DS hotels walk over and use the bus stop at the Congress Park section of SSR? A few of those hotels would be close enough, right?

 

[DisneyTexan]

The walk from Drury to the Congress Park stop at SSR is 1.0 miles, according to Google maps. The buses at that stop often fill up because of people who come from outside of SSR.

 

[SL6827]

The walk from Drury to the Congress Park stop at SSR is 1.0 miles, according to Google maps. The buses at that stop often fill up because of people who come from outside of SSR.

View attachment 805015

Ya, I am not surprised. The guards not say anything?

 

[CarolynFH]

Ya, I am not surprised. The guards not say anything?

What guards? There are no guards along that walkway nor any at the bus stop.

 

[SL6827]

What guards? There are no guards along that walkway nor any at the bus stop.

Ohhhh, ok. I was thinking there was.

So the DVC owners at SSR have to pay for those guest transportation then?

 

[Upatnoon]

Ohhhh, ok. I was thinking there was.

So the DVC owners at SSR have to pay for those guest transportation then?

Transportation at Disney is available to all guests, thus you could say all of them are paying for the transportation system.

However, could Disney make it more inconvenient for people not staying at Saratoga Springs to use the Congress Park bus stop? Perhaps, but creating some barriers might limit how guests can get over to Disney Springs.

However, I recall Congress Park is the next-to-last stop, so it isn't a surprise is it more crowded. How many of those are walking over from a neighboring hotel? I have stayed at Saratoga Springs many times and don't think it's a great number.

 

[DisneyTexan]

However, I recall Congress Park is the next-to-last stop, so it isn't a surprise is it more crowded. How many of those are walking over from a neighboring hotel? I have stayed at Saratoga Springs many times and don't think it's a great number.

The bigger problem is the people who leave the parks, take the bus to SSR, and walk to Disney Springs. I really wish Disney would bring back the afternoon buses that would go directly from the parks to Disney Springs. I blame Disney for not providing adequate transportation to the place everyone wants to go in the evening, which is Disney Springs.

Full disclosure: I'm an SSR owner.

 

[CarolynFH]

Ohhhh, ok. I was thinking there was.

So the DVC owners at SSR have to pay for those guest transportation then?

The SSR owners pay for the buses, same as monorail resort owners (and cash guests) pay for the monorail that is used by others. Once you’re on property, you’re considered a guest of the WDW Resort, no matter how you arrived there, and you can use the transportation.

 

[fla4fun]

The bigger problem is the people who leave the parks, take the bus to SSR, and walk to Disney Springs. I really wish Disney would bring back the afternoon buses that would go directly from the parks to Disney Springs. I blame Disney for not providing adequate transportation to the place everyone wants to go in the evening, which is Disney Springs.

Full disclosure: I'm an SSR owner.

I agree that they should bring those buses back. They didn’t run them until late afternoon (around 4:00 pm, wasn’t it?) so it shouldn’t cause a problem with people parking at DS and heading to the parks. In fact, with their current dispatch system, they could run buses from the parks to DS, but not run buses back to the parks. I would go to DS more often if I could easily go for just a couple of hours after a park day instead of going back to a resort first.

 

[Lewisc]

The bigger problem is the people who leave the parks, take the bus to SSR, and walk to Disney Springs. I really wish Disney would bring back the afternoon buses that would go directly from the parks to Disney Springs. I blame Disney for not providing adequate transportation to the place everyone wants to go in the evening, which is Disney Springs.

Full disclosure: I'm an SSR owner.

I thought DVC pays Disney transportation costs based on total room capacity, not actual utilization. If true non resort guests taking buses won't affect dues. It could result in more frequent bus service.

 

[DisneyTexan]

It could result in more frequent bus service.

I hope so. All I know for sure is that large numbers of people get off in Congress Park, and head towards Disney Springs.

 

[Upatnoon]

I hope so. All I know for sure is that large numbers of people get off in Congress Park, and head towards Disney Springs.

Many guests at SSR also hop on the bus to get off there as a shortcut to Disney Springs, also adding to its popularity.