Experts: TTC or Poly bus?

[wdw&sonny]

OK, so I've read where some of you experts have said that when staying at Poly, to take the TTC or Poly bus...whichever comes first. I understand the logic but, I just happened upon a picture of the sign for the AK bus stops and TTC is to the left and Poly to the right. It appears you would have to decide which to wait for prior to being able to see which bus arrives first.

Is this true for AK?
What about HS?
What about TL?

Thanks.

 

[grimley1968]

First of all, I wouldn't look for buses that say "TTC", but "Magic Kingdom". If coming from another park, I believe MK buses drop you off at the TTC, while they take you to the front gate from the resorts.

Also, just because you're not in the queue when the bus arrives doesn't mean you can't get in it once it arrives, at the end of the line. More than likely there will be plenty of room on either of those buses to accommodate you, especially if it's the middle of the day. Just get in one line, and if the other bus comes first, hop at the end of the other line. It's not cutting line as long as you're getting in the back of the line (which will likely be short anyway).

 

[DisMonorail]

I'm a Monorail Cast Member, so I can help you here. The only busses you can take from the Polynesian are for Downtown Disney, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. If you wanted to go to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you would have to take the monorail back to TTC (or walk, it's just a 5 min. walk), and take a bus from there. If you were at Hollywood Studios, and wanted to get back to the Poly, you would need to take the bus back to TTC, then the monorail back to the Poly. Since the resort is connected to the monorail system, there are no direct busses to it from the parks. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions! Have a magical visit!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Well in December 2007 when my famiy and I were staying at the Polynesian we were waiting at Hollywood Studios for the bus back to the Polynesian, however we ended up taking the bus back to the TTC and walking to the Polynesian. Now it just so happened that the TTC bus section was located right next to the Contemporary/Polynesian/Grand Floridian bus section and the TTC bus arrived 1st and we decided to get on.

 

[grimley1968]

I'm a Monorail Cast Member, so I can help you here. The only busses you can take from the Polynesian are for Downtown Disney, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. If you wanted to go to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you would have to take the monorail back to TTC (or walk, it's just a 5 min. walk), and take a bus from there. If you were at Hollywood Studios, and wanted to get back to the Poly, you would need to take the bus back to TTC, then the monorail back to the Poly. Since the resort is connected to the monorail system, there are no direct busses to it from the parks. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions! Have a magical visit!

Is this a new development? Because the last time I stayed at the Poly, there were buses to and from AK and DHS. The only park we had to walk over to the TTC to catch a monorail for was EPCOT. This was as of October 2008.

 

[Tara]

I'm a Monorail Cast Member, so I can help you here. The only busses you can take from the Polynesian are for Downtown Disney, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. If you wanted to go to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you would have to take the monorail back to TTC (or walk, it's just a 5 min. walk), and take a bus from there. If you were at Hollywood Studios, and wanted to get back to the Poly, you would need to take the bus back to TTC, then the monorail back to the Poly. Since the resort is connected to the monorail system, there are no direct busses to it from the parks. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions! Have a magical visit!

This is absolutely not true. All the monorail resorts (Poly, GF, CR) have bus service to the parks not connected to the monorail, in addition to bus service to non/lesser park locations like DTD and water parks.

 

[DisMonorail]

Is this a new development? Because the last time I stayed at the Poly, there were buses to and from AK and DHS. The only park we had to walk over to the TTC to catch a monorail for was EPCOT. This was as of October 2008.

Not sure on that one, I've only been with the company for a few months. To my knowledge, you can only get busses to HS and AK from the TTC. Some busses MIGHT go to the individual resorts, but technically they shouldn't, since they are connected by the monorail system, and the busses constantly service the TTC. Cast Members have little booklets we carry around with transportation routes and this is what it says for this scenario:

"Theme Park Transportation:
Busses to Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disneys Hollywood Studios and the monorail to Epcot from the TTC"

 

[Minniemama350]

We just came backa few weeks ago and used TTC on all but one occasion. Our room was in the Tahiti building and it really was much simpler to go to TTC for everything. I wouldn't use the Poly monorail unless I was at the "Big House" as we called it(Great Ceremonial Hall), already or had a reservation there that I was trying to get to quickly.

 

[grimley1968]

This is absolutely not true. All the monorail resorts (Poly, GF, CR) have bus service to the parks not connected to the monorail, in addition to bus service to non/lesser park locations like DTD and water parks.

Tara is right. The only park, besides MK, that you cannot get a bus from Poly is EPCOT. That is the only case where you need to walk over to the TTC to catch the direct monorail. Anything else not available by monorail or boat, you can catch a bus.

 

[Lewisc]

Not sure on that one, I've only been with the company for a few months. To my knowledge, you can only get busses to HS and AK from the TTC. Some busses MIGHT go to the individual resorts, but technically they shouldn't, since they are connected by the monorail system, and the busses constantly service the TTC. Cast Members have little booklets we carry around with transportation routes and this is what it says for this scenario:

"Theme Park Transportation:
Busses to Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disneys Hollywood Studios and the monorail to Epcot from the TTC"

I think you're misreading your booklet. The section you're quoting refers to transportation between the parks (park hopping). The bus from MK to DHS and to the AK leaves from the TTC and not directly from the main gate of the MK.

That section has nothing to do with transportation from resorts to the parks. I think we can agree guests at the Allstars don't have to take a bus to the MK, monorail (or ferry) to the TTC and then a bus to DHS. Likewise guests staying at POLY don't have to go the the TTC to catch a bus to DHS. Of course guests in the POLY may chose to walk over to the TTC to catch said bus.

 

[DisMonorail]

So I just called the Poly, and Tara is right. I learned something new today!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

This is absolutely not true. All the monorail resorts (Poly, GF, CR) have bus service to the parks not connected to the monorail, in addition to bus service to non/lesser park locations like DTD and water parks.

You are 100% correct.

 

[DisMonorail]

I think you're misreading your booklet. The section you're quoting refers to transportation between the parks (park hopping). The bus from MK to DHS and to the AK leaves from the TTC and not directly from the main gate of the MK.

That section has nothing to do with transportation from resorts to the parks. I think we can agree guests at the Allstars don't have to take a bus to the MK, monorail (or ferry) to the TTC and then a bus to DHS. Likewise guests staying at POLY don't have to go the the TTC to catch a bus to DHS. Of course guests in the POLY may chose to walk over to the TTC to catch said bus.

Well I'm not an idiot, I wasn't misreading. During training, I was told that any resort connected by the monorail system would have to go to TTC to take a bus to DHS or AK. I know that people at the Allstars wouldn't take a bus to TTC to go to HS. I was under the impression that only GF, Poly, and CR would have to go to TTC for bus transportation. I was only trying to help and pass on information I thought was correct. Let's not hate!

 

[Lewisc]

Well I'm not an idiot, I wasn't misreading. During training, I was told that any resort connected by the monorail system would have to go to TTC to take a bus to DHS or AK. I know that people at the Allstars wouldn't take a bus to TTC to go to HS. I was under the impression that only GF, Poly, and CR would have to go to TTC for bus transportation. I was only trying to help and pass on information I thought was correct. Let's not hate!

You were given bad information during training. I'll try not to hate but there really isn't any excuse for the CMs training new CMs providing wrong information. This isn't anything new. POLY has always had bus service to the Studios.

You were misreading the brochure. The section you quoted had nothing to do with transportation from any resort to a park.

Maybe that information was intended for the general public. It's possible Disney doesn't want guests not staying at the POLY taking the monorail to the POLY and then taking a bus to DHS. Drivers (almost) never ask to see resort ID.

edited to add my post wasn't intended as an attack. I first though you just misread the brochure. I didn't realize training was giving you bad information. We now know why guests can't even trust Disney CMs for accurate transportation information.

 

[grimley1968]

You were given bad information during training. I'll try not to hate but there really isn't any excuse for the CMs training new CMs providing wrong information. This isn't anything new. POLY has always had bus service to the Studios.

You were misreading the brochure. The section you quoted had nothing to do with transportation from any resort to a park.

Maybe that information was intended for the general public. It's possible Disney doesn't want guests not staying at the POLY taking the monorail to the POLY and then taking a bus to DHS. Drivers (almost) never ask to see resort ID.

edited to add my post wasn't intended as an attack. I first though you just misread the brochure. I didn't realize training was giving you bad information. We now know why guests can't even trust Disney CMs for accurate transportation information.

I didn't read your post as an attack, and I agree with all of it.

I can also better understand now why some of the information that comes from CM's when we're there can be so confusing. It appears that transportation CM's are probably extremely well-trained in their own specific transportation mode: buses, monorail or boats, and in the routes they all move in, but may be very distinctly separated from the other modes as far as what training they're given as to routing, etc. For this reason, it's probably best to stick with transportation questions in the mode the CM actually works in.

I hold no grudge against the CM posting. After all, the CM apparently wasn't given the right information to begin with, and was trying to help. Otherwise the only way to really know about a particular resort's transportation is to stay there.

There really should be kind of a "transportation concierge" system, where you could ask a CM at any of the bus stops, monorail stations, or even boat docks, specific questions about routing on any of the modes WDW uses. They need not be actual operators, but trained in how to get from A to B in the most efficient way possible, and explain that to guests wherever they are. And a transportation map just won't cut it, I don't think. The routes change, and it's better to have a live person talking to you if you're not as familiar with the layout of WDW as, say, the users of these boards are.

 

[DisMonorail]

You were given bad information during training. I'll try not to hate but there really isn't any excuse for the CMs training new CMs providing wrong information. This isn't anything new. POLY has always had bus service to the Studios.

You were misreading the brochure. The section you quoted had nothing to do with transportation from any resort to a park.

Maybe that information was intended for the general public. It's possible Disney doesn't want guests not staying at the POLY taking the monorail to the POLY and then taking a bus to DHS. Drivers (almost) never ask to see resort ID.

edited to add my post wasn't intended as an attack. I first though you just misread the brochure. I didn't realize training was giving you bad information. We now know why guests can't even trust Disney CMs for accurate transportation information.

Again, I was not misreading the brochure. I was reading you the information I was provided. Also, the route I originally explained is not incorrect. It may not be the fastest way, but I did not provide inaccurate transportation information. I know what's going on here, and so does every other cast member. And if we are unsure (because we are all new at some point), we have resources to check, phones to call people, and managers to consult. Also let me point out, when I was informed that the information I believed to be correct was not the fastest route, I called and got the best answer for everyone right away. I'm sorry for any confusion, but now you can sit back, relax, smile, take a deep breath, and have a magical day!

 

[Tara]

We now know why guests can't even trust Disney CMs for accurate transportation information.

Very true. There was a poster here who was advised something crazy when she called the GF front desk* to ask about getting to a certain location - I can't remember what it was, but the actual staff out front set her straight.

When I was at the GF recently waiting for the boat to the Poly, a family came up to the dock, husband and wife fussing at each other and clearly annoyed. We eventually got to talking and they said they were going to MK but the monorail platform was packed, so a CM told them they could get to MK faster if they went out to the boat dock. They were not happy when I gently told them that the boat chugging its way toward us at that moment was going to go to the Poly first, then back to MK. They should have just stayed where they were and taken the next monorail, and would have if the CM hadn't "helped."

*it's difficult to get the actual front desk

 

[grimley1968]

Very true. There was a poster here who was advised something crazy when she called the GF front desk* to ask about getting to a certain location - I can't remember what it was, but the actual staff out front set her straight.

When I was at the GF recently waiting for the boat to the Poly, a family came up to the dock, husband and wife fussing at each other and clearly annoyed. We eventually got to talking and they said they were going to MK but the monorail platform was packed, so a CM told them they could get to MK faster if they went out to the boat dock. They were not happy when I gently told them that the boat chugging its way toward us at that moment was going to go to the Poly first, then back to MK. They should have just stayed where they were and taken the next monorail, and would have if the CM hadn't "helped."

*it's difficult to get the actual front desk

Often the boat is faster than the monorail, especially on the return trip from MK back to GF (1st stop) and the Poly. This is even more true when the monorail is packed. Normally the trip to MK would be faster by monorail than by boat, but in extreme crowding situations on the monorail at the Poly we've gone ahead and taken the boat.

 

[Tara]

Often the boat is faster than the monorail, especially on the return trip from MK back to GF (1st stop) and the Poly. This is even more true when the monorail is packed. Normally the trip to MK would be faster by monorail than by boat, but in extreme crowding situations on the monorail at the Poly we've gone ahead and taken the boat.

Yes, the RETURN to GF from MK is faster by boat. But when the monorails are running regularly (as they were the week I was there), by the time you walk out to the boat dock, wait for the boat, take the boat all the way to the Poly and then back to MK, you could have taken another monorail or even the next one depending on how long you had to wait at the GF dock. I think "often" is stretching it way too far - I'd say "on rare occasions, the boat to MK is faster than the monorail."

And you are talking about leaving from the Poly. If you are leaving from GF, you have to go to the Poly first and then to MK. It's a nice little trip, but by no means efficient.

 

[seashoreCM]

any resort connected by the monorail system would have to go to TTC to take a bus to DHS or AK. !

To me this would be a severe inconvenience.

Even going to Epcot, it would be unreasonable for Poly' or Grand Flo' guests to have to wait in line with Magic Kingdom day guests to catch the monorail; there should be some kind of priority for the resort monorail.