Easier resort for transportation

[gottalovepluto]

I’m sure there’s actual data somewhere that shows how frequently it’s down. I suspect it’s not that often.

Yeah, no. Disney doesn’t post the info anywhere online when it happens so there is no data to build a data set from.

As PP stated the problem when it goes down (which is basically whenever there is lightening) is it’s a Freaking Disaster for anyone caught at IG. Every. Single. Time.

 

[brockash]

I would NOT recommend any of the Skyliner resorts for your trip, due to the fact that it often shuts down for weather in the summer. If you were going during our dry season, those resorts are great options.

I think for what you are looking for, one of the Crescent Lake resorts is your best bet. If looking at the Swan or Dolphin, make sure you read carefully so you know what extra fees you may need to pay (resort fee, parking fee, etc.). This will give you a more complete rate comparison to the other Disney owned resorts nearby.

How early in the day are you arriving? Perhaps using the free water park on check in day offer would mitigate some of the disappointment if SAB is not open and you only have access to the quiet pools.

I definitely 2nd no skyliner resorts duri g the rainier/stormy summer months. - We also have found that it goes down often and when it does it's a mess that Disney has not figured out or chosen to make a smooth transition.

We love BC/YC. - I do understand your hesitation on it being open in time. I would think Disney wouldn't give a date if they weren't positive. however we were there last week and the whole area was torn apart. - Lots of work to be completed but they still have a few months. I would also say Poly is pretty decent for transportation (you can walk to TTC for Epcot monorail) and monorail or boat to MK. Honestly CR is probably a lil better just because you can also walk to MK (quickly/short walk).

 

[brockash]

Yeah, no. Disney doesn’t post the info anywhere online when it happens so there is no data to build a data set from.

As PP stated the problem when it goes down (which is basically whenever there is lightening) is it’s a Freaking Disaster for anyone caught at IG. Every. Single. Time.

Yes, honestly it's embarrassing because I know Disney could do better(much better) but they choose not to.

 

[Ronaldo17]

If SAB was open then BC is a no brainer, but if in doubt I would book Boardwalk for easy access to DHS and Epcot.

 

[Disfamily55]

Please elaborate

Are you flying to Orlando? That, plus getting to the resort are way more difficult than anything you'll encounter in the bubble.

We drive and go 1-2x a year.

 

[Disfamily55]

I would NOT recommend any of the Skyliner resorts for your trip, due to the fact that it often shuts down for weather in the summer. If you were going during our dry season, those resorts are great options.

I think for what you are looking for, one of the Crescent Lake resorts is your best bet. If looking at the Swan or Dolphin, make sure you read carefully so you know what extra fees you may need to pay (resort fee, parking fee, etc.). This will give you a more complete rate comparison to the other Disney owned resorts nearby.

How early in the day are you arriving? Perhaps using the free water park on check in day offer would mitigate some of the disappointment if SAB is not open and you only have access to the quiet pools.

My husband was really keen on booking two rooms at CBR so we had plenty of space and the skyliner. We had a really wonderful experience there in November and then I reminded him of the storms (we also live in the south) and that was a quick nope!

 

[loves to dive]

I love the Epcot resorts, all of them BC is my least favorite of them though (it's the lack of balcony that bothers me). If I can't get BWI or YC, Swan/Dolphin are my go to. No there aren't a lot of balconies there and the ones that are are really small but I'm willing to forego that for the price difference. I have an upcoming trip to the Dolphin in less than 2 weeks. I do walk to both Epcot and HS most of the time (and for reference I'm a 68 year old woman and it's not too hard). If I'm just too tired for words, I will take the boat from HS back (or if it's raining too hard) but rarely take it from Epcot since it has to stop at BWI and YC first. Not a fan of the MK resorts, Epcot is our favorite park and since we always have either PHs or an AP we hop into Epcot every single day. Yes, I know you can take the monorail from the MK resorts but I'm one of the few who doesn't like the monorail, I actually prefer a bus over that. And, yes, I always have a car since we drive down from Georgia but I park that puppy as soon as I arrive and don't get in it again until we leave. I hate driving on property, been going for over 40 years and still get lost. We enjoy a refreshing adult beverage every now and again and I'm certainly not driving my car then.

 

[Dave006]

My husband was really keen on booking two rooms at CBR so we had plenty of space and the skyliner.

You might also want to consider (2) connecting rooms at the Swan or Dolphin. For the Swan it would be a 2 QB room connecting to a King room. You are able to book these as "Confirmed" reservations via the "Stay Connect" offer by calling the resort directly Phone Numbers: 800-227-1500 or 407-934-4000. Depending on the time of year we have booked this combination for rates comparable to 2 rooms at CBR.

The Dolphin also has a similar configuration and even a 2 DB and a King room at the end of the hallway that use a single door optional configuration where you have a shared outer door and you have the option to just keep individual room doors open (think of it as private mini-hallway).

Note: Since you mentioned driving, parking at the Swan / Dolphin is $36 per night but includes free parking at all parks if you like to drive to the parks for any reason. There is also a $50 per night resort fee.

Dave

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Yeah, no. Disney doesn’t post the info anywhere online when it happens so there is no data to build a data set from.

As PP stated the problem when it goes down (which is basically whenever there is lightening) is it’s a Freaking Disaster for anyone caught at IG. Every. Single. Time.

A couple of weeks ago a poster (bluezy) posted this (below). So maybe there is hope for WDW

bluezy

​

I will add that it is very sad with all the tech WDW has, that they cannot put a post on MDE

I've seen it noted on the app. We were at the resort and I was checking the transportation area of the app and I noticed that for DHS & EP, it indicated that Skyliner was down and to use busses. I looked out our window and the Skyliner was definitely not running.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion but the easiest way to get around Walt Disney World is to rent your own car and drive everywhere yourself, except for the Magic Kingdom.

I would go so far as to say a typically "inconvenient" resort like Old Key West with a car is more convenient than something like Boardwalk without a car. Old Key West is particularly helpful because you can park literally right outside your front door.

I also have personal hatred for Beach Club, as the whole place smells like fish from the seafood buffet and the decorations remind me of my mother-in-law. Yacht Club has a much better vibe in my opinion.

I agree. Whenever we drive down to Disney we take our car to the parks (except MK). This past trip we flew down and took Disney transportation and we all felt that driving was quicker. It is nice though being able to forget about driving for a while and just using Disney transport. As for a resort with easy park access I’d pick Poly. As for the “Epcot situation”, you can walk to the TTC and take direct monorail to Epcot. And you can push strollers directly on the monorail if you have one.

 

[_19disnA]

No one Disney resort is closest/most convenient to every one of the four parks, but if you often go to Disney you probably already know that. The entire Disney property is huge and also depends on which park(s) you intend to visit. The monorail resorts are great for transportation to/from MK but many find the long monorail ride to Epcot annoying, while others enjoy it. Depends mostly on personal preference. If I was only going to Epcot/HS, then staying on the other side of the property also wouldn't be my first choice.

Similarly, if mostly going to MK, then staying near Epcot wouldn't be my first option. Some people prefer to use their own vehicle to get around while others like to use Disney transportation, so the answer depends a lot on your personal preferences.

Regardless of what phone numbers you use, I don't believe you are actually reaching anyone onsite at any Disney property regardless of how the person might answer the phone. I believe off-site call centers handle all of the incoming calls.

 

[kylenne]

I've seen it noted on the app. We were at the resort and I was checking the transportation area of the app and I noticed that for DHS & EP, it indicated that Skyliner was down and to use busses. I looked out our window and the Skyliner was definitely not running.

It's not consistent though, just as often they don't send push notifications esp. when you're in the parks. That's really the crux of the problem with the Skyliner, especially at Epcot: lack of consistency. Disney doesn't have one set contingency process for outages there, and whatever they are using on a given day is usually poorly communicated to guests. I go a lot for a non-local AP and pretty much every time I've been to Epcot in the Skyliner era I've seen that thing go down and the process has been different each time--sometimes they send people to get buses at BC or BWI, sometimes they send people to the front of the park. It's entirely possible and not uncommon to head towards the IG and see a sandwich board near the bridge between France & UK telling Skyliner resort guests to get a bus at the main entrance. I've seen enough of these messes that I'd never stay at a Skyliner resort tbqh.

Re: what's "best" transportation wise, I think it depends on your priorities. I place high value on walking to parks because I prefer relying on my feet on those super early mornings when I'm trying to be front of pack for Early Entry, because I can control when I leave. Staying at Crescent Lake resorts I am always one of the first people at security, before Disney transportation even starts running. It's hugely advantageous at HS in particular. That said, I also find getting back at night from MK so onerous that I'm often willing to give up those easy EP and HS rope drops to have an easier time with it. This is why so often we do monorail/Crescent Lake split stays and it's my preferred setup on trips longer than a weekend. It's not so much for the monorail itself but the plethora of options to get home that don't involve crazy bus lines. MK leaves me the most wiped out at the end of the night and that's really important to me. Poly is point blank my favorite resort for transportation for that reason, and the one I like most for a non-split stay due to the direct access to the Epcot monorail.

 

[Brob2132]

People clearly have strong opinions about the Skyliner. I've never had an issue and have frequently traveled in the fall (hence why I mentioned the data being interesting above). Nothing is absolute.

I also think it was my 18-month-old's (at the time) favorite part of the trip.

 

[fla4fun]

I've seen it noted on the app. We were at the resort and I was checking the transportation area of the app and I noticed that for DHS & EP, it indicated that Skyliner was down and to use busses. I looked out our window and the Skyliner was definitely not running.

The key part of your statement is that you were at your resort. Disney does post transportation issues and wait times FROM the resort TO the parks and has for some time now. The app information matches the information posted on the screens at the bus depot for each resort. The problem is that they do not post anything on the app about the return transportation FROM the parks TO the resort (perhaps because there are no screens at the parks providing this info to guests either).

It’s frustrating. I don’t understand why they are able to do the one and not the other, but they don’t. It seems like the same infrastructure that tracks the transportation arrival time at the resort could be used to track their arrival time at the park. It would be very handy to be in MK on Main Street and know that your bus wasn’t going to be arriving to go back to your resort for another 20 minutes so you could leisurely walk to the depot instead of making a run for it, or to see when you are in the Connections Cafe at Epcot that the Skyliner is currently down and you need to go to the front of the park for a bus. They are making it much more difficult than it needs to be for both guests and CMs.

 

[Dave006]

Disney does post transportation issues and wait times FROM the resort TO the parks and has for some time now. The app information matches the information posted on the screens at the bus depot for each resort. The problem is that they do not post anything on the app about the return transportation FROM the parks TO the resort (perhaps because there are no screens at the parks providing this info to guests either).

And it took them quite a bit of trial and error to even get it to the point that it is sort of working today but still has challenges. As for why they have information from your resort to the parks is the first place to start. Based on your location you are only going to 1 of 4 park locations. It is easy by using Location Services to know where you are while using the app.

For return service from the parks how would they know based on your location which of the 30+ resorts you might want to travel to next. Yes the default might start with the resort listed in your MDE profile but it will require interactions to filter your choices down to 1 resort for confirmation. AI makes this all possibe in the future just like the MagicBand system was a major technolgy breakthrough but it took more than 1 Billion dollars of development and impletmention.

The Skyliner status is easier as it is either up or down status for now. They have tried it a few times with notification pop-ups in MDE but they have been very infrequent and very generic. For now we just plan for the Skyliner to be down when it rains and lighting is likely. For basic breakdowns that is more random and as @kylenne commented you will come across the dreaded Sandwich board near to bride at IG.


Dave

 

[Disfamily55]

People clearly have strong opinions about the Skyliner. I've never had an issue and have frequently traveled in the fall (hence why I mentioned the data being interesting above). Nothing is absolute.

I also think it was my 18-month-old's (at the time) favorite part of the trip.

My 2 yr old absolutely loved the skyliner in November. He is currently napping with his little plastic souvenir one!

 

[DizneyFamof4]

The key part of your statement is that you were at your resort. Disney does post transportation issues and wait times FROM the resort TO the parks and has for some time now. The app information matches the information posted on the screens at the bus depot for each resort. The problem is that they do not post anything on the app about the return transportation FROM the parks TO the resort (perhaps because there are no screens at the parks providing this info to guests either).

It’s frustrating. I don’t understand why they are able to do the one and not the other, but they don’t. It seems like the same infrastructure that tracks the transportation arrival time at the resort could be used to track their arrival time at the park. It would be very handy to be in MK on Main Street and know that your bus wasn’t going to be arriving to go back to your resort for another 20 minutes so you could leisurely walk to the depot instead of making a run for it, or to see when you are in the Connections Cafe at Epcot that the Skyliner is currently down and you need to go to the front of the park for a bus. They are making it much more difficult than it needs to be for both guests and CMs.

Technically, it was not my statement, I copied a post from Bluezy who posted that when I complained that WDW does not add it to MDE. Yes it is very frustrating that they have not done this yet.
I personally, have no issues when the skyliner goes down, it happened to us twice and one of those, it was obvious that it would be down so we just went straight to the buses. The 2nd time, we saw it was closed and then just headed to the front, to us, that is not a big deal. We expect to do a ton of walking and if we have to back track, so be it. It is what it is. LOL

 

[DisneyDadBod]

What happens if you get to the back of Epcot and the Skyliner is closed? Do you have to walk all the way back through the park to get to the bus stop at the front?

This was two years ago (June 2023), and could have changed.

We were in line almost all the way to the front when the Skyliner got shut down at IG. CM came around asking numbers of people in group and where we were going back to.

They then took the closet people first and took them down and out past a building where busses would take you to the resorts of everyone on board.

We got onto the 2nd load of people and did not have to wait too long overall.

 

[Anthony1971]

I think the poster will get every opinion under the sun.
And my answer is:
Best transportation to what?
BW if you walk is the best option for both EPCOT and HS.... With a few downfalls in the morning its great Mid after-noon on hot months not so great Rain better have flip flops or like as sneakers will get soaked through especially the HS walkway nights if you really want to walk to another mile for HS. Great for EPCOT closing. The MK and AK bus takes time like all other resorts -non peak- stopping at BW, YC and BC is a journey. DS is a fast bus ride. - we are staying at BW this year so not a hate thing but overall we like the theming at MK resorts by far with better resort food options and more but park hoppers so EPCOT will be visited a lot. The pool at BC hands down has the fastest slide - only one better is the Poly because it is partially in the dark and also fast.
As a comparison for HS we were staying at BW my brother SSR (he decided a few months before and it was free for him my points) we both left the room the same time we walked - out the side entrance of BW already on the HS walkway- they took the bus. We beat them by exactly 3 minutes in line as HS was not open yet. Staying at BC you would have been there later.
Staying at all Deluxe (DVC) and prior 2 moderates and 1 value.... there is just no fastest period... If you spend or end your days at EPCOT then BW, BC swan etc is great. MK your thing -I prefer the POLY as you can easily walk to the EPCOT monorail- But any MK resort including WL works great. AK then AKL is amazing. HS is hit and miss but Carribean beach (closest) or Riv should serve you well. Otherwise there is just no real time savings going to all 4 parks from any resort. Pick a resort based on the theme you like and if you spend an extra 5-10 minutes going to EPCOT (and I can easily point out the walk to the front of the park in the morning is not as fun or as fast as it sounds) you will make it up going to another park.

 

[Disfamily55]

I think the poster will get every opinion under the sun.
And my answer is:
Best transportation to what?
BW if you walk is the best option for both EPCOT and HS.... With a few downfalls in the morning its great Mid after-noon on hot months not so great Rain better have flip flops or like as sneakers will get soaked through especially the HS walkway nights if you really want to walk to another mile for HS. Great for EPCOT closing. The MK and AK bus takes time like all other resorts -non peak- stopping at BW, YC and BC is a journey. DS is a fast bus ride. - we are staying at BW this year so not a hate thing but overall we like the theming at MK resorts by far with better resort food options and more but park hoppers so EPCOT will be visited a lot. The pool at BC hands down has the fastest slide - only one better is the Poly because it is partially in the dark and also fast.
As a comparison for HS we were staying at BW my brother SSR (he decided a few months before and it was free for him my points) we both left the room the same time we walked - out the side entrance of BW already on the HS walkway- they took the bus. We beat them by exactly 3 minutes in line as HS was not open yet. Staying at BC you would have been there later.
Staying at all Deluxe (DVC) and prior 2 moderates and 1 value.... there is just no fastest period... If you spend or end your days at EPCOT then BW, BC swan etc is great. MK your thing -I prefer the POLY as you can easily walk to the EPCOT monorail- But any MK resort including WL works great. AK then AKL is amazing. HS is hit and miss but Carribean beach (closest) or Riv should serve you well. Otherwise there is just no real time savings going to all 4 parks from any resort. Pick a resort based on the theme you like and if you spend an extra 5-10 minutes going to EPCOT (and I can easily point out the walk to the front of the park in the morning is not as fun or as fast as it sounds) you will make it up going to another park.

This is such a great analysis! Thank you (and everyone else!) for the opinions!! It has given me so much to think about. We are pivoting from Disneyland Paris this summer so I’m trying to make up for it the best I can!

Right now we are considering a split stay between PQFQ and Poly because based on what you said we absolutely love the theming and pool areas of both. The one bus stop at PQFQ has always served us well and we love the boat to Disney Springs (we truly hate the bus stops and walking to and from them at DS) I might even make Poly a surprise for my kiddos!