hidden disability & the buses....

[Maren1111]

I am getting a little nervous. We will be staying at the All Star Movies for a week stay with no car. I keep reading about ASM being the last on the bus route for pick-ups. I have a "hidden disability" with my MS. It would be very hard for me to stand for the bus ride but no one would know this to look at me. I am young and won't be needing a cane. We will also have three kids with us, our youngest is 3, he's a bit of a handful.

How full are the buses? If we let one go by, will the next one be just as full?

 

[Schmeck]

It would help to know what time of year you are going? Also, do you plan on doing the rope drop/parking closing?

 

[LilyWDW]

Buses can be VERY full depending on the time of year and what resort you are staying at. Sometimes due to those factors multiple buses can be standing room only. You can not be guaranteed a seat (unless you were transferring from an ECV/chair possibly and only then if they have room for the mobility device).

If you can not stand no matter what, I would rent a car. This would really be the only way to guarantee a seat without waiting possibly for multiple buses.

 

[KPeveler]

It looks like according to your ticker you will be going at the height of summer (July) - The buses will be very crowded and it will be VERY hot and crowded waiting for them. There is no guarantee that you will get a seat, especially if you go at rope drop and park closing.

In general you might find touring the parks more difficult than you think - there is a LOT of walking and it can be very hot - I know heat is a MAJOR trigger for MS problems, so you really do need to be careful. Most people walk 6-9 miles a day at Disney.

You may want to think about renting a car (parking is free if you stay onsite) to guarantee getting a seat while traveling.

 

[livndisney]

I am getting a little nervous. We will be staying at the All Star Movies for a week stay with no car. I keep reading about ASM being the last on the bus route for pick-ups. I have a "hidden disability" with my MS. It would be very hard for me to stand for the bus ride but no one would know this to look at me. I am young and won't be needing a cane. We will also have three kids with us, our youngest is 3, he's a bit of a handful.

How full are the buses? If we let one go by, will the next one be just as full?

If the bus is full you can wait for the next one then you will be close to the front of the line and have a better chance at a seat. (May vary at hotels with more than one bus stop or resorts that share buses)

 

[KPeveler]

Something else to think remember is that you will have to remove the kids from strollers and hold them/have them stand or sit on the bus and I know that can be a handful for your spouse to handle alone, if you have balance/mobility problems...

 

[Maren1111]

Fixed it: my ticker was from our last trip, from September free dining last year. We did buses then at Pop but were always able to be seated. Yes, folding the stroller is a pain! I usually take the youngest, my husband takes the stroller, and our older two make it on by themselves.

We'll be going right after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving crowds the first day or two, then less crowds (but maybe fewer buses running), then Pop Warner the following weekend. We'll be doing some park closings but no rope drops.

I'd rather not rent a car if we can avoid it, it all adds up, plus with three kids we're not too comfortable in a regular car so we'd be looking at a third row suv or minivan.

We could also try to get the Mighty Ducks hotel and walk across to the All Star Music bus stop if our odds would be better there.

Our last three trips were in September, early October, and May. All three were too hot! I knew to avoid summer, but late spring/early fall are pretty much still summer. So December is a good change.

It is harder doing Disney with the kids than it was when we were Disney nuts without them...but it is worth it.

 

[marmalade]

Yes Movies is the last stop. We have stayed there 3x's, once during easter and the other 2 times during September free dining. Getting to the parks was always a standing option for us, at least to Magic Kingdom. But we are also the kind of visitors who sleep in a little and board the bus at around 10ish.

I would recommend trying to get on the bus as early as possible, or going to a park with the shortest line. Honestly though if someone asked me if they could have my seat for whatever reason I would, without hesitation get up and let them sit. Even if they looked 10 years younger than me and 50lbs lighter.

There is no guarantee you will get a seat, but most people are nice and will give up their seat to someone who needs it. Just ask

 

[onnawufei]

A lot of people will get up for mothers with children too, so that could be helpful.

Unfortunately the bus situation is why we won't stay at one of the cheaper resorts. It has nothing to do with being a "resort snob" or anything, which I'm always afraid people will think I am. I'd actually love to stay at some place like Pop Century since I'm a sucker for fun colorful things, but there's no way I'd be able to handle standing on the bus anymore since developing fibro.

 

[Schmeck]

A lot of people will get up for mothers with children too, so that could be helpful.

Unfortunately the bus situation is why we won't stay at one of the cheaper resorts. It has nothing to do with being a "resort snob" or anything, which I'm always afraid people will think I am. I'd actually love to stay at some place like Pop Century since I'm a sucker for fun colorful things, but there's no way I'd be able to handle standing on the bus anymore since developing fibro.

We've had standing room only for the BC/YC buses, as they commonly share with Dolphin/Swan and BW. Of course you only need a bus there for MK and AK. CBR has been standing room only as well a few times when we stayed there, as well as POR/POFQ (because they sometimes share buses too!)

The only resort we've stayed at without this issue is AKL - but that was before the DVC section opened.

 

[MSSANDRA]

The week-end of POP, the all star buses are terrible. Sometimes people wait for several buses just to get on, much less get a seat. We changed reservatons from all stars during this time to avoid it. We have stayed at All stars and I agree that being the last bus stop could be a real problem. Often there are NO seats left when it gets to your stop. Sometimes people do get up for women, but often a young women that "apears" to have no needs, they will not. I really think you would be happier renting a car if that is an option.

 

[mickeyluvsjess]

I'm sorry, I reread but I didn't notice how you handle walking in the parks. Do you rent a scooter inside the parks? If so renting offsite will get you loaded on bus first and might even be more convenient to get around your resort. On the other hand if you are just worried about times when your disease may flare up or on the way back when you are more tired... sometimes just having a family member talk to the bus driver will help. Also my children have a nonvisable disabillity and there have been times I have just shown my GAC and explained my needs for different circumstances while in the World and it seems cast members as well as in most cases fellow travelers help out.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am getting a little nervous. We will be staying at the All Star Movies for a week stay with no car. I keep reading about ASM being the last on the bus route for pick-ups. I have a "hidden disability" with my MS. It would be very hard for me to stand for the bus ride but no one would know this to look at me. I am young and won't be needing a cane. We will also have three kids with us, our youngest is 3, he's a bit of a handful.

How full are the buses? If we let one go by, will the next one be just as full?

Here is my super secret trick that may help you out. If walking isn't much of a problem for you, just the standing/balancing on a moving bus (been there, done that), then walk to the Music resort to catch the bus. It is really not that far, you go down past the Mighty Ducks pool, past the last building across the parking lot and you are at the side of Music where the buses are. By lining up over there you may have a better chance of getting a seat as long as the bus doesn't fill up at Sports.

We found this out one night when the line for the dedicated Movies buses were several buses long but there was just a short line for a combined Sports/Music bus. DH said come one, lets just get on that one! We were back in our room in the Toy Story section before we would have even gotten on a bus for Movies--less time walking than we would have been standing.

Don't tell! This is our secret!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Unfortunately the bus situation is why we won't stay at one of the cheaper resorts. It has nothing to do with being a "resort snob" or anything, which I'm always afraid people will think I am. I'd actually love to stay at some place like Pop Century since I'm a sucker for fun colorful things, but there's no way I'd be able to handle standing on the bus anymore since developing fibro.

Pop Century only has 1 bus stop so you know that nobody will be getting on before your stop. If there's standing room only on the bus, you can easily tell people behind you to go on past you and just wait for the next bus. You'll be right at the front of the line for the next bus, guaranteeing that you get a seat. It's one of the few resorts where you really can guarantee yourself a seat, as long as you're willing to wait for the next bus if you're not close enough to the front of the line to get a seat on the first bus. The stop even has a queue unlike at the moderate and deluxe resorts so you really do line up in order in which you arrive which can guarantee you that seat on the next bus if you choose to wait for the next one.

 

[PatsMom]

A lot of people will get up for mothers with children too, so that could be helpful.

Unfortunately the bus situation is why we won't stay at one of the cheaper resorts. It has nothing to do with being a "resort snob" or anything, which I'm always afraid people will think I am. I'd actually love to stay at some place like Pop Century since I'm a sucker for fun colorful things, but there's no way I'd be able to handle standing on the bus anymore since developing fibro.

We've stood on the bus quite a bit at deluxe/DVC resorts. For example, Saratoga Springs if you are at the last stop (the Springs) during busy times, the bus is generally full when it gets there. Old Key West has the same issue - multiple stops in the resort mean that if you don't get on at one of the first stops, you may be standing. And waiting for the next bus won't guarantee you a seat either. When my arthritis is bothering me and we want to make sure I have a seat, we walk to the first stop which can be a bit of a haul at some of the resorts. But since I don't usually have trouble walking, just balancing, it works out pretty well.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Let the bus go by & wait for the next one. You will get a seat without worries of falling.

Or - as others have said - rent a car.

I will not put myself in any situation where I can fall & get hurt.