Getting to DTD Restaurants

[jesse]

I just learned on the Strategies Board that there are no buses between DTD and the Parks, and that the buses from the hotels to the DTD and back are super long rides. Posters gave some tips like take the bus from a park to POFQ and then the boat to DTD. How do you to DTD to visit the restaurants if you don't have a car? We were hoping to eat several meals at WPE, but logistically it's beginning to sound difficult and a real time eater to get there.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I wouldn't go to DTD for a meal from a park if the meal was the only reason for going. The bus system isn't nearly as efficient from resorts to DTD as it is from resorts to the parks and back.

If you're set on eating several meals at DTD, your best bet may be a taxi.

 

[DCDisney]

You are much better off walking to the closest resort to a park and then taking the bus to dtd. There is a huge port orleans thread about huge long waits for the boats because there are so few of them. Waits of an hour are not uncommon. The boat ride is 25 minutes. Even if you wait awhile for a bus to dtd which is fairly common it won't take an hour and a half. During the day the before 2-3pm the boats are not overcrowded but after that all bets are off because they serve 2 huge resorts and don't hold that many people.

 

[jesse]

I wouldn't go to DTD for a meal from a park if the meal was the only reason for going. The bus system isn't nearly as efficient from resorts to DTD as it is from resorts to the parks and back.

If you're set on eating several meals at DTD, your best bet may be a taxi.

we've never used a taxi- there are 7 of us, so I assume we need 2 taxis. Not sure how cost effective that would be, but we could look into it.

 

[cdsmom]

You are much better off walking to the closest resort to a park and then taking the bus to dtd. There is a huge port orleans thread about huge long waits for the boats because there are so few of them. Waits of an hour are not uncommon. The boat ride is 25 minutes. Even if you wait awhile for a bus to dtd which is fairly common it won't take an hour and a half. During the day the before 2-3pm the boats are not overcrowded but after that all bets are off because they serve 2 huge resorts and don't hold that many people.

Now with this in mind, how do you think my luck would be from DTD to Kidani in the evening?
Plan on a DHS night, boatride for dinner at Turf Grill (SS), then bus to DTD for a nice stroll after hefty dinner to catch a bus back. You think it would be too much of a hassle?

 

[Cin]

We tried the boat route from Port Orleans once but it was such a time eater! It was a nice side trip though and we got to see the Treehouse villas and daydream about what it would be like to stay in one of those. It was a nice relaxing boat ride and we enjoyed seeing the other resorts. We went to downtown Disney a few times and for us the bus was faster from our resort straight there and back. Wolfgang Puck Express was indeed very good and the best value we found for the quick service dining plan, but not the westside location! We did some shopping while there and toured the area we didn't just hop over for a meal and leave though so I couldn't tell you an estimate of how long it would be round trip if that is all you did. It is worth the trip though and the shops are cute and very well themed and just fun to look at, and the scenery is really pretty too with the lake and canals.

 

[marivaid]

Now with this in mind, how do you think my luck would be from DTD to Kidani in the evening?
Plan on a DHS night, boatride for dinner at Turf Grill (SS), then bus to DTD for a nice stroll after hefty dinner to catch a bus back. You think it would be too much of a hassle?

You can walk from Saratoga Springs to DTD so you don't even need to take the bus (but you can if you want).

To the OP, getting to DTD from a park is never easy, it also depends on which park you're in.
MK -> Walk to the Contemporary
EP -> Walk to the Beach Club, through the International Gateway at World Showcase
MGM -> You could walk to the Boardwalk, Yacht Club or Beach Club, or take a bus to Saratoga Springs and walk to DTD from there.
AK -> Can't walk to any resort. You'll have to take a bus to a resort and then another bus to DTD.

In any case the bus service to DTD leaves a lot to be desired. In many cases, you will also have to wait while the bus makes a stop at one of the water parks. Once it took us nearly an hour to get back to the Poly from DTD... we've had better luck when staying at CSR but it still takes a while.

 

[purple figment]

Now with this in mind, how do you think my luck would be from DTD to Kidani in the evening?
Plan on a DHS night, boatride for dinner at Turf Grill (SS), then bus to DTD for a nice stroll after hefty dinner to catch a bus back. You think it would be too much of a hassle?

There is no boat from DHS to Saratoga Springs. You would need to take a bus from the Studio.

 

[SweetSpot]

From my experience last weekend getting to DTD and back is not an easy thing to do. I started at Epcot and decided to stop at the Poly by monorail to check out the resort and then catch a DTD bus from there. I waited there almost 1/2 for a bus to come. Every other location had several buses come except DTD. Finally 2 came at the same time. I was in search of a gift for my DD and after I found what I needed I went to take a boat back to my resort POR. I waited it line for close to an hour. No boats were coming, definitely longer than the one every 10 minutes its suppose to be on Saturday nights. When we finally got on a boat the driver (who was wonderful) told us they were seriously in the weeds and trying hard to catch up. It's a long, but relaxing ride and I would probably try for a bus next time. The people in front of me waiting for the boat said they were waiting for the bus back home because they took the bus over earlier and had an hour wait for a bus from POR to DTD so they were hoping the boat was better but it wasn't. I think if you really need to go to DTD by Disney transportation, especially on weekends, have great patience. You'll get there and back but you will most likely eat a great deal of time in the process.