I have a few bus questions.... *updated in original post:)

[joelkfla]

Do you know why SOG buses go to TTC, not MK?

Because:

1. SOG is not a Disney resort.
2. Bus service is not provided by Disney Transport; it's run by a third party.
3. Only Disney buses (or charter buses hired by Disney to help out) use the MK bus loops.

At all of the parks, buses for SOG and the Downtown Disney resorts load in the charter bus lots.

Now, "Wait a minute," you may be thinking, "what about the Swan/Dolphin?" They are a special case. I think they are owned by Disney and leased to the operators, and they have contracted for service by Disney Transport.

 

[imthatgirl]

Buses run until everyone is out of the park. As long as you are inside the park gates, or on the way from the gate to the bus area, you will be put on a bus.

BUT ... if you are an hour or so after the park has closed, be forewarned that you may have to wait for a while, sometimes sitting on the bus. When there are only a few hundred people left, the buses are dispatched as needed. That means a bus may sit there for a while waiting for more guests to come out, and also a bus may stop at as many as 5 resorts (which are not necessarily close to each other.)

This doesn't apply to boats and monorails, which don't always run until a park clears. If you're leaving a park and the boats or monorails have stopped running, you will be directed to a bus instead.

hmmm, a lot to think about, thanks. I think if we just hang back until most of the line is gone we should be fine. Maybe not so much staying in the park until an hour late.

I may very well find that once I'm there my anxiety relieves itself. Right now I am very anxious about all of this(as if you couldn't tell with all the questions) mostly because it's all an unknown. I obviously don't do well with unknowns.

 

[joelkfla]

hmmm, a lot to think about, thanks. I think if we just hang back until most of the line is gone we should be fine. Maybe not so much staying in the park until an hour late.

I may very well find that once I'm there my anxiety relieves itself. Right now I am very anxious about all of this(as if you couldn't tell with all the questions) mostly because it's all an unknown. I obviously don't do well with unknowns.

I added an edit after you replied, just to say that there probably won't be any taxis waiting an hour after closing; you'll need to call one.

 

[buffettgirl]

Do you know why SOG buses go to TTC, not MK?

Because:

1. SOG is not a Disney resort.
2. Bus service is not provided by Disney Transport; it's run by a third party.
3. Only Disney buses (or charter buses hired by Disney to help out) use the MK bus loops.

At all of the parks, buses for SOG and the Downtown Disney resorts load in the charter bus lots.

Now, "Wait a minute," you may be thinking, "what about the Swan/Dolphin?" They are a special case. I think they are owned by Disney and leased to the operators, and they have contracted for service by Disney Transport.

I know it sounds inconvenient but it really isn't. The charter lots at DHS and AK SEEM far..but so are the bus loops for regular resort buses. TTC is convenient for MK and Epcot. And frankly, knowing when the bus is coming and knowing we will have a seat and not have to wait through 3 or 4 buses just to get on, makes any slight perceived issue a non-issue.

 

[princesscharming]

Well it's good that the SOG buses in th charter lots aren't an issue. (I'm guessing the charter lots are where all the off property hotels drop off their guests.)

imthatgirl, you're going in a couple of weeks. Let us know if you try the buses! I'll be interested in hearing what you think.

 

[TDC Nala]

Do you know why SOG buses go to TTC, not MK?

Only Disney buses go to the bus stops near the MK entrance. Other hotel buses go to TTC.

The previous poster was correct about the Swan/Dolphin, they've contracted with Disney to use Disney's buses.

 

[goofy4tink]

Hanging in the parks for an addtl 40 mins or so will give you shorter bus waits...so go ahead and do that. Should work very well for you.

To everyone else...just because the OP doesn't want to take buses in the morning doesn't mean that we are all schmucks for taking buses. She pretty much knows what is going to work for her, and what isn't. We really do need to stop trying to convince her to 'just ride the buses'. Perhaps, after she gets to WL and sees how it is set-up, she will decide to give the morning buses a try. If not, no biggie.

Please let us know how it all turns out OP.

 

[CleveRocks]

They are not lined up near all the resorts, no. But every time we have ever called upon a cab it's been there within 2 minutes. I've never had an issue, especially near the MK.

Actually, they ARE lined up near all the resorts. It's considered "bad show" to allow taxis to line up within sight of the guests. They are there and lined up, just not in a visibly obvious place. A bell services or valet cast member can summon a taxi for you within a minute or 2. They do not need to be called from far away ... they're on the premises, they're just not in plain sight.

Those of us who live at the beach know that you NEVER see a baby seagull. Yet, seagulls obviously have babies, they just keep them out of sight. Same thing.

At Disney World as at any major tourist area, there's really no need to schedule a taxi in advance. Some people may choose to do so, but it's completely unnecessary.

 

[CleveRocks]

imthatgirl,
This is meant to be helpful, not snarky. When you're actually in Disney World, if you ever ask for advice or directions (or when talking to a taxi driver), please refer to your resort as Wilderness LODGE and not just as "Wilderness." Identifying it only as "Wilderness" will make people guess whether you mean Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness, and if someone listening to you makes the wrong guess or assumption, you won't get the answer/directions you want and deserve.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Actually, they ARE lined up near all the resorts. It's considered "bad show" to allow taxis to line up within sight of the guests. They are there and lined up, just not in a visibly obvious place. A bell services or valet cast member can summon a taxi for you within a minute or 2. They do not need to be called from far away ... they're on the premises, they're just not in plain sight.

Those of us who live at the beach know that you NEVER see a baby seagull. Yet, seagulls obviously have babies, they just keep them out of sight. Same thing.

At Disney World as at any major tourist area, there's really no need to schedule a taxi in advance. Some people may choose to do so, but it's completely unnecessary.

During my previous stays at the Contemporary sometimes the taxi's would just be parked outside it's main entrance incase the guests need to use one and they would always be within sight of everyone who was walking in that direction.

When they weren't parked at the main entrance then they would be parked in the front of the parking lot just by those signs which say taxi parking only or something like that.

 

[imthatgirl]

Hanging in the parks for an addtl 40 mins or so will give you shorter bus waits...so go ahead and do that. Should work very well for you.

To everyone else...just because the OP doesn't want to take buses in the morning doesn't mean that we are all schmucks for taking buses. She pretty much knows what is going to work for her, and what isn't. We really do need to stop trying to convince her to 'just ride the buses'. Perhaps, after she gets to WL and sees how it is set-up, she will decide to give the morning buses a try. If not, no biggie.

Please let us know how it all turns out OP.

I will thanks. I certainly never said anything bad about the buses or said anyone else shouldn't use them(nor did I even so much as hint an implication to that). I'm just trying to make MY vacation work for ME. Go figure

 

[maxiesmom]

Actually, they ARE lined up near all the resorts. It's considered "bad show" to allow taxis to line up within sight of the guests. They are there and lined up, just not in a visibly obvious place. A bell services or valet cast member can summon a taxi for you within a minute or 2. They do not need to be called from far away ... they're on the premises, they're just not in plain sight.

At Disney World as at any major tourist area, there's really no need to schedule a taxi in advance. Some people may choose to do so, but it's completely unnecessary.

Sorry, but that is just not always true. The last time we used a taxi we almost missed our ADR because it took so long for one to come.

 

[imthatgirl]

updated

 

[duffy]

So glad it all worked out!

 

[joelkfla]

IWe did use the bus system, which I very much disliked. I 'm not surprised...but, to my surprise there very much is a bus schedule. which was pretty much what I was looking for in this thread. It was very easy for us to go to the concierge every morning and find out when the next bus comes for any particular area. there was a CM at the bus stops with a schedule. After all the replies from this thread, I was quite shocked to find this out.

No, there is no schedule, in the sense of a timetable you could look at.

Something like a schedule is generated each day, based, I believe, on park hours, expected attendance, bus and driver allocations, etc. But those times are targets, and just for dispatch at the start of a run. Drivers are not given times to be at a particular location, and do not wait or try to make up time to stay "on schedule".

I was not aware they could do this, but it sounds like the concierge had a window into the bus dispatch system, which could estimate when a bus would arrive based on the location of a bus on the route or the next dispatch time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the greeters at the load zones have access to that system. If they do, it's a very recent enhancement. They do keep track of each bus that comes thru, and could estimate when to expect the next one from that data.

 

[imthatgirl]

No, there is no schedule, in the sense of a timetable you could look at.

Something like a schedule is generated each day, based, I believe, on park hours, expected attendance, bus and driver allocations, etc. But those times are targets, and just for dispatch at the start of a run. Drivers are not given times to be at a particular location, and do not wait or try to make up time to stay "on schedule".

I was not aware they could do this, but it sounds like the concierge had a window into the bus dispatch system, which could estimate when a bus would arrive based on the location of a bus on the route or the next dispatch time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the greeters at the load zones have access to that system. If they do, it's a very recent enhancement. They do keep track of each bus that comes thru, and could estimate when to expect the next one from that data.

The concierge had the same print out as the bus greeter. It was large white binder and was completely accurate. When I was told the bus will be here in about 8 minutes, it came in...about 8 minutes. They were dead on. How it works, I don;t know. but there was a schedule.

 

[joelkfla]

The concierge had the same print out as the bus greeter. It was large white binder and was completely accurate. When I was told the bus will be here in about 8 minutes, it came in...about 8 minutes. They were dead on. How it works, I don;t know. but there was a schedule.

This must be something new. Maybe they're getting a printout of the generated schedule, customized for their location.

There are changes happening in the way the buses are run. Dispatchers now have visibility into buses serving other parks, which they didn't have in the past. And we just switched to dispatching over the LAN instead of the radio.

Anyway, it's a welcome improvement.