Freezing on the bus

[Lady Hiss]

This is probably a dumb question, but why is it SO cold on the WDW buses? I was there 2 weeks ago and dreaded having to take the buses anywhere - it was really uncomfortable. Yes, it was very hot and humid outside, but do we have to freeze while on the buses? Do they really have to have the AC cranked up so high?

Pam

 

[iteachlit]

I would imagine that the air conditioning is on maximum to keep ahead of the heat. Think about your own car in the summer. When you leave it outside, it gets really hot inside the car. This is due to the glass magnifying the sun's rays, creating a virtual oven in your car. The car's plastic surfaces, which are usually dark, absorb the heat.

Now, imagine that same phenomenon on a motorcoach. One window on a WDW bus has nearly as much glass as an entire passenger car. In the Florida sun, all of those windows are going to magnify a whole lot of light into heat. Now, put 60 people on that bus, each with his or her own 98.6 degrees of heat. Who knows, some may even have fevers.

Disney likely needs to keep the air on full blast to counteract all of those factors. When you board a bus that was running nearly empty, it will feel even colder.

In all seriousness, if you want to stay as warm as possible, sit on the back seat. That bench is directly over the motor. The seat bottoms and backs radiate a little bit of that heat.

 

[DIS1130]

Yes they are cold, however, I prefer to be cold rather than feel the 107 degree humidity. So my rule of thumb with this is that I will stick with being cold because the busses are FREE! I would rather be cold and have free transportation for a 15 minute bus ride rather than have to pay for a rental car.

 

[AnitaDisneyVacation]

Empty buses always feel colder than the ones that are jam packed at park closing.

 

[ncsbracergp94]

Empty buses always feel colder than the ones that are jam packed at park closing.

They smell a lot better too lol... just rent a car!

 

[Tara]

I agree that it's almost always uncomfortably cold for me on the buses. We rarely take them anyway since we rent a car, but that's one more reason I ALWAYS carry a light cardigan or jacket with me - even in the heat of summer, I'm freezing on buses and attractions and in restaurants. I'll even put on my rain poncho or cover up with it if needed.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I cannot imagine how hot the inside of a car would be after sitting so many hours in the Florida sun. It would take a very long time to bring down the car temperature to anywhere near comfortable.

Be glad the buses are so well maintained!

 

[Tara]

I cannot imagine how hot the inside of a car would be after sitting so many hours in the Florida sun. It would take a very long time to bring down the car temperature to anywhere near comfortable.

Be glad the buses are so well maintained!

It takes no time at all, really. You'd be surprised! If you open the windows so that the hot air gets sucked out to some degree, the cool air blowing makes a big impact quickly. IME

 

[tami82]

I think that it is much better to be freezing on the bus than to be hot sticky & sweaty. They probably have to have it that way as alot of people on the bus must generate heat and also when they make stops and have to open up the doors you lose alot of it.

 

[goofy4tink]

The bus sits there, boarding guests, with the doors open, for quite a bit. Then, same thing when it reaches it's destination. And if that bus has to make multiple stops, each time it stops and opens those two sets of doors, the hot air rushes in, the cold air out...surprised there aren't more thunderstorms inside the buses. Anyway.....if the bus wasn't kept colder than you would think, it would heat up very quickly. Then, it would never cool down.

 

[Lady Hiss]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I realize that the drivers need to stay ahead of the Florida heat & humidity. I think part of the problem on my most recent trip was that we were often traveling on nearly empty buses (not a lot of stinky, sweaty bodies to generate some heat). I always take a jacket or sweater with me - I just feel sorry for the little kids shivering in their tank tops. From now on, I'll try that back seat idea, too.

Pam

 

[truck1]

As a former bus driver I can tell you a couple of things abut the a/cs on the busses.
1. The temp is preset at maintanance and there is nothing I repeat nothing that the driver can do about it. Around the spring and fall, at certain times of the night, the a/c will turn off, as it is too cool for the a/c but not cold enough for the heat. Its real fun when it rains since the a/c also pulls the humidity from the guests on board out. But wont when the a/c cuts out automatically.The windows fog up real quick.Been there done that one too many times.

2. Depending on what bus type you are on, the newer busses may seem colder than the older busses. It has to do with the way that the air is blown into the bus. On the older style busses, the ones you have to step up 3 steps on,up to bus number 4814, the cold air is blown thru the interior of the bus thru a channel towards the center of the bus. The window vents, are not as good as they were when the bus was delivered. Generally the closer you sit to the front on these busses, the warmer it is.The newer busses, 4815 and up, the ones that look like boxes on wheels and sit really low to the ground, the ac vents are pointed at the windows and blow down across the windows.


In the newer busses there really is nothing you can do about the cold feeling, in the older busses, sit in one of the aisle seats, or nearer the front of the bus. Sitting on the back seat has a disadvatage. The a/c intake is in the center of the bus, over the rear seats so youll have the incoming air blowing past you.

 

[TheWog]

We'll have to get you on one of those boats instead. Apparently they are not cold at all.