DTD transpertation questions

[harleyquinn]

HI!

I'm planning my honeymoon for next June and I'm thinking of staying at the Grosvenor.

I stayed at POR in August and loved every minute including the bus service.

I was wondering about the DTD hotel bus services. I know I get to use the WDW buses, but what about that initial bus.

Any other opinions about the Grovenor would be appreciated.

I'll save about $600 by staying there instead of a disney moderate.

Thanks!
Sarah

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

The Grosvenor does not use Disney Transport. Instead, Hotel Plaza contracts out to Fleetwood Limousine for thier transportation. Buses run usually about every half hour to and from the parks, on a fixed schedule. It should be noted that buses do run for MNSSHP and MVMCP. Also, buses use the TTC for the MK.

At this present time, they have bought some new medium duty shuttle buses, to replace the beat up VanHool motorcoaches that they were using.

Fleetwood does not have a good DOT inspection rating (50% out of service), and those VanHools are in horrible shape. I sure hope they take better care of the new buses!

 

[seashoreCM]

Not sure whether this is still true, but I have an unofficial WDW travel guide from a few years ago that menti9oned that, at park closing time, guests at some of the off site hotels have not been able to get transportaion back because the last shuttle bus was full.

Which means, if you are staying offsite and relying on their park shuttles, leave the park before closing time.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm


Since this thread is titled "Downtown Disney Transportation" I might as run a question by Tyler:

What steps can Disney Transport take to reduce impact on service between Pleasure Island and the resorts if there is a traffic jam within TYphoon Lagoon such as when it rains?

For example, are extra buses added to maintain the 20 minute headway seen at the resort end? Not to mention maintaining a reasonable headway seen at the TL end.

Is there an easy way for the guest to choose at PI a bus that won't get hung up in TL (you [Tyler] mentioned in another post that some DTD buses skip TL during TL traffic jams)?

Has it ever been tried, running all TL service as a shuttle between TL and DTD West Side during problem hours, and resort buses picking up the TL guests at West Side?

 

[harleyquinn]

Thanks for responding.

I guess it was too good to be true. I'm gonna try to save enough to stay onsight. It is my honeymoon, so I shouldn't skimp.

Sarah

 

[lentesta]

Hey Harleyquinn,

Congratulations on yor wedding!

My sister's stayed at a number of the DTD resorts, including the Grosvenor. She prefers the Hotel Royal Plaza (HRP) and the Hilton over the Grosvenor. She didn't like the theming of the Grosvenor, nor the restaurants. IIRC, don't most DTD hotels share the same transportation system?

I think Mary Waring and the folks at Mousesavers.com often have discounts available at the HRP. I've stayed there over Christmas, when it was about half the cost of the All Star resorts, and it's better than the AS.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Len

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by seashoreCM
Not sure whether this is still true, but I have an unofficial WDW travel guide from a few years ago that menti9oned that, at park closing time, guests at some of the off site hotels have not been able to get transportaion back because the last shuttle bus was full.

This can be true of some companies. However, I beleive that the Hotel Plaza shuttles run frequently enough after a park closes, that this would not be a problem for them. There are many times that I've seen them waiting for the last stragglers, as the park clears of all day guests. Of course, since they aren't officially Disney, there are no guarantees.

Originally posted by seashoreCM
What steps can Disney Transport take to reduce impact on service between Pleasure Island and the resorts if there is a traffic jam within TYphoon Lagoon such as when it rains?

For example, are extra buses added to maintain the 20 minute headway seen at the resort end? Not to mention maintaining a reasonable headway seen at the TL end.

When the traffic starts to jam up, and buses get stuck in TL, an all-call is made over the radio for buses to skip Typhoon Lagoon unless otherwise instructed. Usually things jam up right about the same time as the start of the heavy inbound traffic. By taking TL out of the loop, buses will continue to run through the resorts every 20 minutes, on schedule.

As for the folks IN Typhoon... other buses are still sent into TL, but only on an as-needed basis. There will be a CM/Manager within the area, and as needed will call for buses inside TL.

Aside from building a more free-flowing exit, I'm not sure what else we can do to alleviate the problem.

Originally posted by seashoreCM
Has it ever been tried, running all TL service as a shuttle between TL and DTD West Side during problem hours, and resort buses picking up the TL guests at West Side?

This would just cause mass confusion between folks. Remember, we have folks who might not speak English, and might not understand the concept. Transfers are never a good idea, and should be avoided if at all possible. (You'd be surprised at how much confusion the MK to Epcot transfer at the TTC causes)

 

[DaveH]

Don't hit me but a last resort method would be go to any Disney resort and then take a bus to DTD and walk over to your hotel.