Ft Wilderness to Epcot on an EMH Morning

[YodaGirl]

We've never been early birds, so I don't know much about when transportation starts.

I've checked the transportation thread, but I really haven't found exactly what I'm looking for.

The only time that I could get breakfast at Akershus was on a day with AM EMH. We've never made AM EMH before, but thought about trying this time around. The ADR isn't until 10:45, so it's not a MUST that we get there early. Just thought it'd be nice to try.

I know that buses start running one hour prior to park opening, which would mean that the buses for Epcot begin running at 7am.

What about the internal buses? It would stand to reason that there wouldn't be as many running first thing in the morning as there would be later in the afternoon, right? Internal buses start running at 6am?

Where does the bus to Epcot leave the Fort from? Outpost or Settlement?

To be at Epcot at 8am, what time would you suggest trying to get an internal bus?

 

[lklasing]

If it were me, I'd try to be waiting for an internal bus by 6:30, but again that's just me. If a park opens at 8:00, I really want to be pulling up to the park no later than 7:30 to go thru security, etc. I would think that that timing would work, but we always have a golf cart so I really don't know the timing of the internal buses as well.

Hope this helps!

 

[Nayan]

When we were there in May we woke early to hit AK for EMH and the first bus I heard drive by was around 6:30.

 

[clkelley]

Yep, 6:30 am internal to Outpost, and the first Epcot bus should be no later than 7am.

 

[Magicbus]

Once in a while I read the transportation board for fun but I don't post there. It's not a fun board. Let's just say that too much of the info, posted by anyone other than the moderators, can be wrong, is incomplete, or not the best advice. The moderator, Goofy4tink is very reliable. But some of the frequent posters there think that because they've been to WDW a couple of dozen times, think they know the system, but they really don't. I've been a lot more than a couple of dozen times and I'm not even close to knowing it all. And most CMs know even less. It's just too much.
I'm not suggesting you do this, but it's what I do. I go to the source, the WDW published info. When I'm at the parks, I pick up a WDW Transportation info sheet at the transportation booth located at each park. Each park has their own. But keep in mind that the times are on the conservative side. For example, the published starting time for buses shows that buses start one hour before parks open. They actually start earlier. Because when I start at 7AM at MK, I'm at the resorts by 7:30. Character buses, published time 7AM, actual about 6:30. If you go with the published times though, you should be ok.
If you do go to the booth and they tell you they don't know what you're talking about, ask them for the info sheet that the bus drivers use.
I don't understand why they don't give them out when you check in. Maybe they do but in a different form.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

YodaGirl- If I am trying to get to a rope drop, especially on an EMH morning, I drive to the park. I like the bus transportation, but if you happen to arrive at the Outpost bus stop right after the bus for your park has left, you could be waiting 20 minutes or more for the next one. That can be frustrating, especially when you are trying to get to the park before the crowds. Also, the bus to Epcot picks up at WL first (just to make sure us lowly campers remember our place), so on a busy morning, you may find yourself standing for your ride to Epcot, as the WL folks may have taken all of the seats. And, when you drive yourself and arrive early at a park, you typically will get a parking space very close to the gate, and it is easy to leave when you are ready to go.

Magicbus- Thanks for the tip about picking up one of these information sheets. I didn't know there was a transportation booth at each park. I will have to look for those, and I would be very interested to see what kind of information is on these sheets. There most definitely would be information on there that I could use. Also, what is a Character Bus?

TCD

 

[Magicbus]

Magicbus- Thanks for the tip about picking up one of these information sheets. I didn't know there was a transportation booth at each park. I will have to look for those, and I would be very interested to see what kind of information is on these sheets. There most definitely would be information on there that I could use. Also, what is a Character Bus?

Most people are not aware of the Transportation booths. They're staffed only by transportation CMs. At TTC, it's between the rest rooms and the bus lot. At Epcot, it's between the two bus lots. At MK, it's between the bus lot and the docks. At DHS, it's where both bus stop load zones merge. Not sure where the AK and DTD booths are.

Those sheets have a ton of info. It's a single sheet folded to fit in a pocket. They're called the Tell-A-Cast. And as the name implies, they're meant mostly for CMs, but if you ask for one, they'll give it to you. Just tell them you're a driver, which you are. You drive a car.

Character buses are the buses that start earlier than the park buses. They're used if you have a character breakfast to go to. I don't know what is on the marquee for those buses. They don't run as frequent as the regular buses so be there early because you don't want to miss it.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Just tell them you're a driver, which you are. You drive a car.

You are my kind of guy, Magicbus!

Thanks for this info. I can't wait to get a Tell-A-Cast!

TCD

 

[Magicbus]

TCD,
The real handy Tell-A-Casts are the ones for the parks. Each park and DTD have one too. They have so much info on those things. And it still fits in your pocket. Now if you can get those, which you can't, wait, what am I saying, this is TCD I'm talking to. I think I may have set up a challenge for you during your next stay.

 

[YodaGirl]

If it were me, I'd try to be waiting for an internal bus by 6:30, but again that's just me. If a park opens at 8:00, I really want to be pulling up to the park no later than 7:30 to go thru security, etc. I would think that that timing would work, but we always have a golf cart so I really don't know the timing of the internal buses as well.

Hope this helps!

Yep, 6:30 am internal to Outpost, and the first Epcot bus should be no later than 7am.

Thanks, guys. I was thinking 6 or 6:30. We'll aim for being ready and waiting by 6, which should allow us to actually be ready at 6:30.

Once in a while I read the transportation board for fun but I don't post there. It's not a fun board. Let's just say that too much of the info, posted by anyone other than the moderators, can be wrong, is incomplete, or not the best advice. The moderator, Goofy4tink is very reliable. But some of the frequent posters there think that because they've been to WDW a couple of dozen times, think they know the system, but they really don't. I've been a lot more than a couple of dozen times and I'm not even close to knowing it all. And most CMs know even less. It's just too much.
I'm not suggesting you do this, but it's what I do. I go to the source, the WDW published info. When I'm at the parks, I pick up a WDW Transportation info sheet at the transportation booth located at each park. Each park has their own. But keep in mind that the times are on the conservative side. For example, the published starting time for buses shows that buses start one hour before parks open. They actually start earlier. Because when I start at 7AM at MK, I'm at the resorts by 7:30. Character buses, published time 7AM, actual about 6:30. If you go with the published times though, you should be ok.
If you do go to the booth and they tell you they don't know what you're talking about, ask them for the info sheet that the bus drivers use.
I don't understand why they don't give them out when you check in. Maybe they do but in a different form.

Wow! Thanks for all the info!

YodaGirl- If I am trying to get to a rope drop, especially on an EMH morning, I drive to the park. I like the bus transportation, but if you happen to arrive at the Outpost bus stop right after the bus for your park has left, you could be waiting 20 minutes or more for the next one. That can be frustrating, especially when you are trying to get to the park before the crowds. Also, the bus to Epcot picks up at WL first (just to make sure us lowly campers remember our place), so on a busy morning, you may find yourself standing for your ride to Epcot, as the WL folks may have taken all of the seats. And, when you drive yourself and arrive early at a park, you typically will get a parking space very close to the gate, and it is easy to leave when you are ready to go.

We had thought about that, but we usually prefer to take WDW transportation...even if it can be slow at times. We're not too worried about making rope drop. If we're there 30 minutes to an hour after park opening, I think we'll be okay.

Nice to know about the WL stop prior to FtW.