HORRIBLE bus service.....

[genebart]

Okay, just back from a week at OKW and since I assume I am not the first person to complain to Disney about the bus service at OKW, could some kind souls give the snail mail addresses of those I should send my complaints to?

I assume, the manager at OKW, whomever is in charge of transportation in general, and a general overseer of the resort should be in the wrath queue...


I mean, come on......An hour and 20 minutes for a Magic Kingdom bus?!?! An hour and 15 for a downtown disney bus?!?! Rude bus drivers? The hits just kept on coming!!!!

 

[BobBrazeal]

Wow, I'm very sorry that you had that happen. I've only been to OKW once (although to WDW many, many times) and I've never had that happen to me. I guess that I should count myself fortunate as I never have a rental car and really rely on the bus service. I was there in September and never waited more than 15 minutes for any bus.

Sorry I don't have the addresses for which you are looking. Let us know if you hear back. I've had to write such letters on other topics in the past and always got good response when I tried to cool off some before writing them. I would try to stick to the facts and convey how disappointed and upset I was with the poor service but always tried to keep the tone of the letter away from the anger that I might actually have felt at the time.

Good luck to you and again I'm sorry that this happened to you. I can certainly understand how upsetting that would be. I know it would upset me as well to have that happen.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We also just got back from OKW and had absolutely no problems with the bus. They were very prompt and the drivers were delightful. Were you traveling at late hours or at peak times? One night we were waiting at MK for about 10 minutes and a bus pulled up - a special just to take us back to OKW.

 

[genebart]

The delay for the MK bus was for the MVMCP night.....While we were waiting on the MK bus, we saw 4 MGM buses, 3 Downtown Disney, and 3 EPCOT buses.... MK closed at 6 that night and the party was for 7....even if the excuse is used that there should be smaller crowds for MVMCP, you would think the people at MK leaving at closing would need to get back to OKW right? Yet no buses from 610 to 7:25......To make matters worse, we were told when the 610 bus left that it was too full and he would call for a special...half of our party went on the bus and was waiting at the MK bus stop for us for the hour and fifteen, without knowing what was going on either....btw, no special ever came..

The downtown disney wait was from noon to 1:30......the noon bus couldnt take a member of our party because the wheelchair lift was broken, but he promised he would call for a special....... From noon to 1:30 no other DTD bus came, and the special arrived after an hour and a half...

There were other problems also..

 

[eva]

I hope this improves by our trip in May. Even though we drive every year we still like to use the buses to get to the parks. Friends of ours just returned from a week at OKW on this past Sunday and they said the bus service was horrible. They said they had to wait for a bus to EPCOT one day for over an hour. We've stayed at OKW a number of times and never had a wait over 30 minutes. Also our friends stayed at Coronado Springs over the weekend and said there they never had to wait for a bus more than 10 minutes there. What happened to the new program? Aren't they supposed to have someone at the bus stops that radios if someone has been waiting a long time?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think your problem was the time you were going. We have never had much trouble with the bus to any parks, but we often have trouble with the DTD bus. This bus is often late and slow and doesn't run as often. We usually find it much easier to take the pontoon (if it is running) or to walk on the walkway. The walk is only about 12 minutes and only a problem after dark since the walk isn't lighted.

 

[Donna]

I know, for myself, i would never wait that long without calling or walking up to the front to see what's going on. Did anyone go back to the room and make a call? What happened to the "bus on demand" system. I know party nights, the bus service is much worse than usual. Actually, you have MORE that need the bus that day/night because no one drives their rental car to MK and most of the people are going to the party, where during the day, the crowds tend to spread out among parks. We waited over an hour at the BW one time going to the halloween party. Even though, we called, we did not get a bus for well over an hour. It's also harder for anyone that needs that lift. I don't think they all work right, or some operators aren't as good as others operating them.

 

[DVCajun]

I have had terrible bus experiences every time I have stayed at OKW. To me that's what makes that resort unappealing. Sure, it's a beautiful place but you can't get out!!!

Seriously, it doesn't seem to matter WHAT time of day we try to get a bus. We know every concrete crack and paint chip at the bus stop by the end of our stay. This is not a result of recent cutbacks, either. This has been an ongoing problem.

Sorry for your experience! Hope it didn't ruin your trip.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I have stayed at OKW many times. I drive ,rarely using the bus. I for one do not want to pay higher dues for more buses. As members we should all know how to drive to the various locations. If you are a member you will soon learn the ropes. If you are not than I would suggest staying at another resort that has better transportation service.

 

[RobDoc]

We always use the buses at OKW and have rarely had any problems. I always get an approximate schedule from the drivers and find that they are pretty close.

Having said that, there are still times when the system is slow. If a bus is unable to load a wheelchair- either due to mechanical trouble or already having the access area filled, it can't accept any other riders either and another bus will need to be dispatched. There are certainly other causes for delay, but, in my experience, delays are the exception rather than the norm.

The "on-demand" system is in effect, but is not present at each stop. At OKW, they are only at the Hosp House stop and only during the rush time in the morning. I think that stops at 11 each morning.

We stayed at the Contemp last weekend and will happily take a bad bus day at OKW for any day at the monorail resorts. At Cont (and GF and Poly), there is no bus at all to DD until after 4PM (you have to monorail to TTC and get a bus there earlier than 4). After 4 and all day for AK and MGM, the Contemp riders first make a stop (in each direction) at the TTC to pick up off-site guests and others there. The Contemp is fine to get to MK (walk or monorail) and Epcot transport is only by monorail (have to switch at TTC).

Each resort has it's challenges with the transportation system. It is not unique to OKW, BWV or VWL. It is the system itself. We have chosen to think of the bus as another attraction and enjoy the ride, but it can certainly be a bumpy ride at times!

 

[DVCajun]

We have chosen to think of the bus as another attraction and enjoy the ride, but it can certainly be a bumpy ride at times!

Well said, Doc! I agree. I don't drive to WDW, and I don't rent a car, so driving from place to place is not an option for me. Actually, I guess I could choose to rent a car, but I would rather deal with the WDW transportation system than with traffic, finding a parking spot, etc. To me, that's part of the magic. So, while I might complain about the bus service, it's obviously still better than driving for me.

Of course, BWV is within walking distance to two of the parks -- or a very pleasant boat ride to either-- which I would obviously choose over a bus ride!!

 

[Niagara2]

Two weeks ago we were leaving MGM and me and one son jumped on OKW bus, sitting waiting and it took right off, My DH and other DS were taking boat to Beach Club where we had car as we ate at Beaches and Cream and checked out construction and then decided to check out parade at MGM (shame on us!)
I noticed as bus pulled away that I had car keys in my fanny pack and DH was on a trip to get car. The bus driver over heard me and called his dispatch who called the boat from MGM. My driver took me to Beach Club to meet boat and DH got the message.
This is an example of Disney going literally the extra mile. I am sure that the 5 minutesd this took made someone wait but you never know when you will be on the receiving end too.

 

[StephenKay]

If you think OKW has a problem you should look at the VWL, I have stayed in mant resorts but was wholy disappointted in the transportation problems at the VWL. We did stay 9 days at the OKW in the summer and found not a great problem.

Swings and Roundabouts as we say in Scotland:

Stevie Kay

 

[Regina]

Sorry that you ran into problems. We just returned from OKW, and didn't have a single bus glitch.

On one trip, there were 6 of us on the bus from MK. When I returned to MK at 4:30, I had the bus to myself. The longest wait that we had was 20 minutes, and that was because we just missed getting the bus back to OKW.

I'll never understand these inconsistencies.

 

[TnRobin]

After taking the bus from the Contemporary to MGM this weekend, all other bus systems seem wonderful.

When we decided to go to the MGM Studios from the contemporary, I though it would be a quick bus ride over - NOT. There is no bus that goes directly to MGM. ALL busses from the contemporary must go through the TTC.

Catching the monorail to the TTC was not bad, but once we got to the TTC, we had to walk out the front gate and FIND the semi-hidden bus stop. Once we go there we did manage to find the no-so well marked MGM line. Then stood in the full sun for 25-30 minutes waiting on a bus to MGM. (I am so glad this was not July). Once we were allowed to board the bus, it stayed at the TTC for another 10 minutes before pulling away.

Our trip from a Deluxe hotel to MGM took almost 1 hour.