DTD Bus "change" ?

[livndisney]

Yesterday at DTD, there was a CM stopping and asking everyone at the Bus Stop where they were going. It seems they are not running busses from DTD back to resorts until later in the morning.

So to get back to AKL he said to take the POFQ bus from DTD, then at POFQ take the Epcot bus, then an Epcot take the AKL bus. (How is that for direct transportation LOL)

So anyone who wants to hop over to DTD for a morning of last minute shopping before you leave, you might want to take a cab back to your resort.

 

[Missytara]

The DTD bus system has always intrigued me - I used it to get over to OKW for breakfast not too long ago from POR - I had taken the water taxi over to DTD.

I noticed several buses with the letters "DH" and then the initials for the resorts. So for instance, DHFQ was the French Quarter. I finally asked the bus driver that finally came along for OKW, what DH stands for. It was "dead heading."

In other words, they are heading from the parks back to another location and have been told by the dispatcher that a CM at DTD has said they need a bus for a certain resort because the queue is filling up.

DTD doesn't seem to have service similar to the parks.

Another option besides taking the bus or water taxi over to POFQ (which would be the closest to get to by boat) and take a park bus to transfer to a resort, is to also walk over to SSR and take a park bus. Beware though, at certain times of days, since they share with THV, that the buses can get rather crowded.

 

[seashoreCM]

Are there posted hours for bus service at Downtown Disney? How early was this?

"Downtown" connotes where the shopping is and where the money is made. In the case of DTD there is very little in the way of attractions nowadays and the last thing Disney should want is discouraging people from going there.

Or given the hassle of bringing more baggage on the plane, is DTD aimed more at local folks, who drive?

On my last trip (Dec 2010) I did not get water park fun and therefore did not go to Disney Quest or Typhoon Lagoon. I did not go near DTD at all.

 

[livndisney]

Are there posted hours for bus service at Downtown Disney? How early was this?

"Downtown" connotes where the shopping is and where the money is made. In the case of DTD there is very little in the way of attractions nowadays and the last thing Disney should want is discouraging people from going there.

No posted hours that I saw. The resort buses start running at various times. We were there about 10:30-10:45am.

To clarify-you could get a bus from your resort, you just could not get a bus back.

 

[Missytara]

The bus from POR for DTD showed up at 9:00 am each morning, which is when the Marketplace opens.

I didn't see any posted hours either at the queues, but you would think that they would run similar to the parks and start about a half hour before everything opens.

 

[Gigi22]

If I recall correctly, The Unofficial Guide advises people staying at WDW not to use DTD as a hub because doing so often results in a longer bus trip. It advised guests travelling between resorts to take a bus/monorail/boat to the TTC, then take a bus to the other resort.

 

[Missytara]

If I recall correctly, The Unofficial Guide advises people staying at WDW not to use DTD as a hub because doing so often results in a longer bus trip. It advised guests travelling between resorts to take a bus/monorail/boat to the TTC, then take a bus to the other resort.

That is correct!

 

[seashoreCM]

Except that resort buses don't go to the Transportation & Ticket Center and Magic Kingdom parking lot area.

However all park to park buses only stop there as the MK stop.

 

[livndisney]

If I recall correctly, The Unofficial Guide advises people staying at WDW not to use DTD as a hub because doing so often results in a longer bus trip. It advised guests travelling between resorts to take a bus/monorail/boat to the TTC, then take a bus to the other resort.

Resort buses don't go to the TTC.

So for this to "work" you would need to take a bus from your resort to MK, then ride the monorail or boat back to the TTC to find the resort buses go to MK.

Perhaps what they "meant" was take a bus from your resort to a park and then ride the resort bus of choice from the park. There are limitations to this plan (park hours,etc).

I have always heard WDW recommend using DTD/PI as a hub to get to resorts. In later hours this would work well. (Just not in the morning LOL)

 

[Missytara]

I have always heard WDW recommend using DTD/PI as a hub to get to resorts. In later hours this would work well. (Just not in the morning LOL)

Now that I am thinking about it, I have to agree with you.

I use the DTD as a hub quite often, because I can take the water taxi back to my resort and it runs quite often.

I did all resort things this year and NO parks, so I was using this a lot.

Since the water taxi from POR doesn't start until late morning now, because the restaurant is closed for breakfast - I used the DTD bus from POR. It seemed like sure enough it arrived at exactly 9:00 am the several mornings I was out there.

But once I got the hub, things completely slowed down and it was hard to get to a resort - without relying on the Dead Head buses. You would have three for the same resort, and then nothing for about twenty minutes. Geez.

However, at night, it seemed to flow much more smoothly - I don't know if it is because DTD has late hours every night or there was more activity from people staying at the resorts - but it seemed like most nights there was a CM or two there radioing back to dispatch what buses they needed.

In any case, it seems to work better coming back because I have had no trouble either getting a bus back to DTD or taking the bus back to a park, hopping on the SSR bus and then walking over to the water taxi stop for POR.

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

This happened to our kids this morning. We drove over to DTD to do some shopping. When the kids had enough, they were going to take a bus to the Grand Floridian and take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, where we would meet them later.

My daughter texted me to tell me that they were on a bus to POFQ and explained that there was a CM at the bus stop telling them that bus service to the GF did not begin until 11:00am.

It seems very odd to me. Are they seriously saying that guests at GF or other resorts can get to DTD in the morning but can't get back?

 

[livndisney]

This happened to our kids this morning. We drove over to DTD to do some shopping. When the kids had enough, they were going to take a bus to the Grand Floridian and take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, where we would meet them later.

My daughter texted me to tell me that they were on a bus to POFQ and explained that there was a CM at the bus stop telling them that bus service to the GF did not begin until 11:00am.

It seems very odd to me. Are they seriously saying that guests at GF or other resorts can get to DTD in the morning but can't get back?

Actually I think they are trying very hard NOT to say that. But the truth of the matter is you can't get back. Atleast not directly. For whatever reason they are routing resort guests to POFQ.

 

[Magicbus]

Yup, it's not the most user friendly bus transportation from DTD to some, not all, resorts in the AM. The top priority for the WDW bus transportation system as a whole in the morning is to get people from the resorts to the parks. DTD takes somewhat of a back seat during that time. So what does the AM rush have to do with DTD buses? DTD buses in the AM actually do runs from the resorts to the parks.
The sequence is:
DTD to some resorts
Those resorts to a park
Park to some resorts
Those resorts to DTD

If you need to get to a resort other than the resorts that the DTD buses concentrate on, you'll have to transfer, and as the OP wrote, sometimes more than once.

The transportation CM at the MP is actually supposed make things easier for guests returning to their resorts. Things revert to normal operations after the AM rush.

Except for the addition of the transportaion CM, this is not new. DTD bus service has been like this for as long as I can remember. That's not saying much. At my age, that's not that long.

 

[seashoreCM]

Unintuitive unfavorable bus scheduling should be documented and publicized.

So guests will know what to expect and not make seemingly unnecessary or petty complaints at Guest Relations.

 

[Magicbus]

Unintuitive unfavorable bus scheduling should be documented and publicized. Otherwise guests will be expecting recovery (pixie dust) later after consuming extra time unexpectedly.

I'm a little slow, not following you.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

This is another example why it's great that my family and I always have our own car when we are at WDW and can drive ourselves to Downtown Disney, instead of using the WDW buses.

 

[joelkfla]

Every person who encounters this should complain to their resort and follow up with a letter to resort management.

Remember, it is the resorts who pay for the buses and who have the most say in service issues.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Yesterday at DTD, there was a CM stopping and asking everyone at the Bus Stop where they were going. It seems they are not running busses from DTD back to resorts until later in the morning.

So to get back to AKL he said to take the POFQ bus from DTD, then at POFQ take the Epcot bus, then an Epcot take the AKL bus. (How is that for direct transportation LOL)

So anyone who wants to hop over to DTD for a morning of last minute shopping before you leave, you might want to take a cab back to your resort.

They have not run buses back to the reorts early for quite a while. A bus driver told me it's generally an hour or two after opening.

Cuts down on the "let's park for free at DTD" scheme!

And generally you have to wonder why the family of four is sitting there at 8 am waiting on the bus BACK to CR with a stroller full of "Supplies"

(By the way this is also true from the parks. the buses doen't always go in a circle right back to the resort they just left!)

 

[Magicbus]

By the way this is also true from the parks. the buses doen't always go in a circle right back to the resort they just left!)

It was making the drivers dizzy.

 

[livndisney]

They have not run buses back to the reorts early for quite a while. A bus driver told me it's generally an hour or two after opening.

Cuts down on the "let's park for free at DTD" scheme!

And generally you have to wonder why the family of four is sitting there at 8 am waiting on the bus BACK to CR with a stroller full of "Supplies"

(By the way this is also true from the parks. the buses doen't always go in a circle right back to the resort they just left!)

We have never had a problem popping over to DTD(fmaily member claims the only drinkable coffee on property was at Mcdonalds LOL) and getting a bus back to the resort well before 11am.

This really doesn't stop those that still want to park for free at DTD, all they need to do is hop a bus to POFQ!