If you stay off-site, can you use Disney buses?

[tjmw2727]

Excuse me, but I beg to differ that all passengers on a TTC bus were offsite visitors. I can clearly recall on several occassions taking a bus that stopped at TTC when I was staying onsite. Sometimes I would get off at the TTC and walk to the Polynesian. Sometimes the bus would stop there on the way to the Contemporary or the Wilderness Lodge.

Such a broad assumption simply supports this argument

ITA - we stay at the Polynesian as often as we can and somtimes take a bus to the TTC as it is a quick walk to the Polynesian.

I have always been under the impression that a park ticket also includes resort transporation. Esp - from the TTC, AKA the MK parking lot to of course the MK via boat or monorail or to Epcot as well as to the other parks.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

This is my opinon on off site guests using Disney buses. At times it was annoying & here is why. A few years ago when the Contemporary Resort would have their bus to Downtown Disney, it would only share with the TTC & those guests would get on from there was off site guests. How did I know they were off site guests? When going back to the Contemporary the bus would always stop 1st at the TTC & everyone but my family would get off the bus. So these people were obviously going to their cars, because at 10:30 & 11:00 PM the only guests who are there have to be off site guests going back to get their cars. What was annoying is sometimes we would have had to stand all the back from DTD & only got seats when everyone else got off at the TTC. Yes I know we could have waited for another bus, but the Downtown Disney - Contemporary bus takes forever, my family & I did not want to wait another 25-30 minutes for another one. The other thing that was annoying is if these off site guests had their own cars, why could they not drive them to Downtown Disney? It would save them a lot more time then leaving them at the TTC & taking the Disney bus back to get them. Thankfully the Contemporary bus now shares with the Polynesian & Grand Floridian, when going to Downtown Disney, this way we did not have off site guests taking our seats & if that sounds selfish & rude, sorry but that is the way I feel about this.

Also I don't remember reading anything in WDW books that says you need to have a valid park ticket to use WDW Transportation. All I remember reading is WDW Transportation is a free perk for onsite guests, so if that is what it's meant to be how can you call it that if off site guests can use WDW buses & etc? So I would like to see writen proof where it says you can use it with a valid park ticket, eventhough we all know bus drivers & CM's who let you on the Monorail never check for them.

Wow - I beg to differ esp with your statements I boldfaced. We often stay at the Polynesian - a quick walk from the TTC. Not the CR I understand but still a very nice resort and certainly not an off site resort nor was I "going to my car". You know what happens when you assume don't you?

There have also been times when we have been staying on site but our plans had us ending or evening at MK. So we would park at the TTC and head off to say Epcot for a while before hitting the MK. This would put us at the MK at the end of the day - yes we needed WDW transportation to get back to the TTC and our car to drive to our WDW resort. Yep going to our car and none of your business that we were going to drive to a WDW Resort or even a - gasp offsite resort.


TJ

 

[torinsmom]

Your right that I can't speak for all Contemporary guests, however I was saying logically it did not make sense for them to park at the TTC. Also the Contemporary & the other Magic Kingdom Resorts do not stop at the TTC anymore & have not gone there for at least 5 years or more. Now there is a direct bus from MGM, AK & I assume DTD which has a direct bus to the TTC.

But you were talking about when this happened to you, right? So, at that time, how can you KNOW what the people who got off at the TTC were doing, and whether they were on site or off site guests?

Obviously, you have your own opinion and that is just fine. Since I am not staying at CR and probably never will(even if I can afford it) I'm sure I'll probably never run into you on a resort bus. I always plan my Chef Mickey days for when we are at MK, so no need to ride your bus, we'll just hop in the monorail.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

But you were talking about when this happened to you, right? So, at that time, how can you KNOW what the people who got off at the TTC were doing, and whether they were on site or off site guests?

Obviously, you have your own opinion and that is just fine. Since I am not staying at CR and probably never will(even if I can afford it) I'm sure I'll probably never run into you on a resort bus. I always plan my Chef Mickey days for when we are at MK, so no need to ride your bus, we'll just hop in the monorail.

All I was saying is that I was guessing that around a certin time like 11:00 PM why would a load of people be getting of a Disney Transport bus at the TTC? By then the parks would be closed, WDW does not run buses which go to other Disney Resorts from there & the only other buses there would be for off site hotels. However like I said I was only guessing that those guests were staying off site. At that time I did not know there was a walkway from the TTC - the Polynesian, so I am not doubting that maybe some guests were staying there & decided to walk there. However I find it hard to believe that it everyone who gets off at the TTC was walking towards the Polynesian, when they could have taken the Polynesian bus. So by process of elimination they had to be off site guests going to their cars or to an off site hotel bus.

 

[bavaria]

So by process of elimination they had to be off site guests going to their cars or to an off site hotel bus.

As several of us have pointed out, they could be onsite guests going to their cars at the TTC. One of them could have been me.

Again, as we pointed out several times, both onsite and offsite guests are permitted to use WDW transportation. You may not like this fact; if so, you may want to address it with WDW directly.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

As several of us have pointed out, they could be onsite guests going to their cars at the TTC. One of them could have been me.

Again, as we pointed out several times, both onsite and offsite guests are permitted to use WDW transportation. You may not like this fact; if so, you may want to address it with WDW directly.

You maybe correct, however I stand by what I have already said.

 

[torinsmom]

How did I know they were off site guests? When going back to the Contemporary the bus would always stop 1st at the TTC & everyone but my family would get off the bus. So these people were obviously going to their cars, because at 10:30 & 11:00 PM the only guests who are there have to be off site guests going back to get their cars.

See, you didn't say you GUESSED, you said you KNEW. That was my problem with what you wrote; obviously others have said that they got off there for other purposes than what you KNEW they were doing.

In "Your Handy Guide to All the Magic", which I got when checking into Pop in September, it is stated "No matter which Disney resort you're staying in, you have a convenient and COMPLIMENTARY means of Disney transportation. You could enjoy traveling by monorail, bus or water launch to the Disney fun."

Notice it doesn't say exclusive, just complimentary.

 

[clkelley]

This is my opinon on off site guests using Disney buses. At times it was annoying & here is why. A few years ago when the Contemporary Resort would have their bus to Downtown Disney, it would only share with the TTC & those guests would get on from there was off site guests. How did I know they were off site guests? When going back to the Contemporary the bus would always stop 1st at the TTC & everyone but my family would get off the bus. So these people were obviously going to their cars, because at 10:30 & 11:00 PM the only guests who are there have to be off site guests going back to get their cars. What was annoying is sometimes we would have had to stand all the back from DTD & only got seats when everyone else got off at the TTC. Yes I know we could have waited for another bus, but the Downtown Disney - Contemporary bus takes forever, my family & I did not want to wait another 25-30 minutes for another one. The other thing that was annoying is if these off site guests had their own cars, why could they not drive them to Downtown Disney? It would save them a lot more time then leaving them at the TTC & taking the Disney bus back to get them. Thankfully the Contemporary bus now shares with the Polynesian & Grand Floridian, when going to Downtown Disney, this way we did not have off site guests taking our seats & if that sounds selfish & rude, sorry but that is the way I feel about this.

Also I don't remember reading anything in WDW books that says you need to have a valid park ticket to use WDW Transportation. All I remember reading is WDW Transportation is a free perk for onsite guests, so if that is what it's meant to be how can you call it that if off site guests can use WDW buses & etc? So I would like to see writen proof where it says you can use it with a valid park ticket, eventhough we all know bus drivers & CM's who let you on the Monorail never check for them.

Also, during that same time period, to get to Ft. Wilderness or Wilderness Lodge you had to take that TTC bus and transfer. There was no direct transportation from DTD to those resorts. They both had to go through the TTC. Also there is a Shades of Green bus running back and forth to the TTC.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I am just saying in my opinion it's false advertising for WDW to say transporation is an exclusive use for on site guests, when they advertise it can be for anyone with park tickets, when some of those guests stay off site.

Also I would not be so stupid & tell someone to move because my family & I are Contemporary guests.

You have obviously misread WDW literature.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

All I was saying is that I was guessing that around a certin time like 11:00 PM why would a load of people be getting of a Disney Transport bus at the TTC? By then the parks would be closed, WDW does not run buses which go to other Disney Resorts from there & the only other buses there would be for off site hotels. However like I said I was only guessing that those guests were staying off site. At that time I did not know there was a walkway from the TTC - the Polynesian, so I am not doubting that maybe some guests were staying there & decided to walk there. However I find it hard to believe that it everyone who gets off at the TTC was walking towards the Polynesian, when they could have taken the Polynesian bus. So by process of elimination they had to be off site guests going to their cars or to an off site hotel bus.

They could have been Poly guests, sick of waiting for a Poly bus, so they grabbed the first DTD to monorail resort bus they could.

I remember one year, going from Poly to DTD, we waited an hour and a half for a bus, even after asking multiple bus drivers where the heck it was.

 

[MiaSRN62]

CR Resort Fan 4 Life says : The other thing that was annoying is if these off site guests had their own cars, why could they not drive them to Downtown Disney? It would save them a lot more time then leaving them at the TTC & taking the Disney bus back to get them.

Disney would like to discourage guests (on and offsite) from parking at DD and visiting the parks all day. I've read "rumors" of "proposed" future policies to perhaps charge a fee to park at DD/Marketplace which would be waved if the guest could show a receipt for shopping or dining in DD area. This would be in an effort to discourage offsite/onsite guests from parking in the often crowded DD parking lots to use them as a way to get to the parks.

Also, I can vouch that MANY, MANY onsite guests park at the TTC and ride their to their cars at park closing. We've been among them. Several times it was during an EMH night at the MK (but I've seen it on non EMH nights as well at park closing). I was literally shocked how many onsite guests prefer to use their own cars (heck, I'm sometimes one of those) for whatever reason : convenience, those with small children/strollers, quicker commute, not standing on crowded busses leaving from the parks etc. Walked out to the MK parking lot from the TTC in August around 1:30 am after a EMH night and there was a sea of cars in the parking lot. I'm sure 90% were onsite guests because offsite guests can't do much during EMH---they're even being asked to leave the shops now if they don't have an EMH wristband.

On and offsite guests are permitted to use wdw transportation between the theme parks etc. CM's have even told me, I can hop on a resort bus from a theme park if I wish to dine or shop at a certain resort. For instance, I may be spending the day in Epcot but have dinner reservations at the AKL. I can hop on a bus from Epcot to AKL, have my dinner and return to Epcot for Illuminations. You could confirm this directly with disney I'm sure.
So I may have been one of those onsite guests riding the bus with you to the TTC and getting off there to go to my car and then on to whichever disney resort I happen to be staying at.

 

[the_princess]

Can you get from the transportation center to Downtown, or can you only go to Downtown from the resorts???

 

[goofy4tink]

This is my opinon on off site guests using Disney buses. At times it was annoying & here is why. A few years ago when the Contemporary Resort would have their bus to Downtown Disney, it would only share with the TTC & those guests would get on from there was off site guests. How did I know they were off site guests? When going back to the Contemporary the bus would always stop 1st at the TTC & everyone but my family would get off the bus. So these people were obviously going to their cars, because at 10:30 & 11:00 PM the only guests who are there have to be off site guests going back to get their cars. What was annoying is sometimes we would have had to stand all the back from DTD & only got seats when everyone else got off at the TTC. Yes I know we could have waited for another bus, but the Downtown Disney - Contemporary bus takes forever, my family & I did not want to wait another 25-30 minutes for another one. The other thing that was annoying is if these off site guests had their own cars, why could they not drive them to Downtown Disney? It would save them a lot more time then leaving them at the TTC & taking the Disney bus back to get them. Thankfully the Contemporary bus now shares with the Polynesian & Grand Floridian, when going to Downtown Disney, this way we did not have off site guests taking our seats & if that sounds selfish & rude, sorry but that is the way I feel about this.

Also I don't remember reading anything in WDW books that says you need to have a valid park ticket to use WDW Transportation. All I remember reading is WDW Transportation is a free perk for onsite guests, so if that is what it's meant to be how can you call it that if off site guests can use WDW buses & etc? So I would like to see writen proof where it says you can use it with a valid park ticket, eventhough we all know bus drivers & CM's who let you on the Monorail never check for them.

I truly don't believe it says anywhere that the WDW transportation is for the 'exclusive' use of WDW resort guests!! Yes, all their advertising says that when you stay at a WDW resort you get free transportation from your resort to the parks. But, no where does it say that it is 'exclusive' to resort guests. I have spoken to WDW, both on the phone, and in person, and have gotten the exact same info....all transportation at WDW is available to all who hold park passes....that's it. I don't much care what you have found in a guidebook. I saw a guidebook say you could take a boat from CBR to DTD...ah, don't think so!!!
Disney wants everyone to be able to go freely about the entire place...to shop, to eat, whatever. I would really appreciate it if the 'talk' about who is entitled to use of the buses would cease and desist. Saying, 'well, that's the way it used to be' isn't cutting it. You used to be able to pool hop also, but not anymore!!! It's a moot point. EVERYONE who has a park pass is entitled to ride on any bus. The only time that may not be true is at the TTC, for MK EMH in the morning, then they will check resort IDs since only resort guests can get into the EMHs.

There is no way you can tell if someone is an 'off-site' or 'on-site' guest..not unless you ask them, or you overhear them talking about it. They have every right to be on that bus. Sorry you have to stand occasionally but we all do at times. That's life at WDW. If you don't want to wait or to have to stand, drive a car. There are many reasons someone may want to park at the TTC, even though they are a resort guest.

 

[the_princess]

if you stay off-site, is it ok to take a bus to a resort, just to have a look at it?

 

[torinsmom]

if you stay off-site, is it ok to take a bus to a resort, just to have a look at it?

Yes, you can get on any Disney bus you want. We rode a bus to WL last trip because we were supposed to eat there(changed our minds and went back to DTD though) Disney encourages people to visit all the resorts, in hopes that you will stay there next time. You can walk around, eat there and do some of the paid activities. In September, we went pole fishing at POR.

Marsha

 

[waltfan1957]

Relax, I was just kidding about that, LOL

Does it say anywhere that the use of WDW transportation is an EXCLUSIVE privilege for resort guests? Maybe it says it is one of the privileges and it is, but it also a privilege afforded to ticket holders.

yet bavaria says its only for annual pass holders see post 50

 

[clkelley]

Your right that I can't speak for all Contemporary guests, however I was saying logically it did not make sense for them to park at the TTC. Also the Contemporary & the other Magic Kingdom Resorts do not stop at the TTC anymore & have not gone there for at least 5 years or more. Now there is a direct bus from MGM, AK & I assume DTD which has a direct bus to the TTC.

Actually, there is no longer a bus from DTD to the TTC. All of the DTD buses go directly to the individual resorts.

 

[KyDerbyMan]

Yes, it is a benefit. If you stay onsite, you can walk out of your hotel and immediately hop onto one of Disney's own vehicles. Fast and convenient.

Someone staying offsite can't do that. They would first have to arrange for private transportation from their hotel to the TTC. SO you are saving time and money by staying onsite.

This does NOT mean, however, that someone staying offsite must arrange their own private transportation between the parks and DTD if they want to go shopping, or one of the hotels if they want to eat at the restaurants there. That would be foolish of Disney. They want to encourage everyone to spend their money at Disney shops, restaurants, and entertainment as much as possible.

This should have been the end of the thread. The "morality" police need to get over themselves.

I was there over last summer during an incredibly crowded period and there was never a situation where anyone couldn't get on a bus.

If the Disney buses were a resort-only benefit, then I'm pretty darn sure Disney would figure out a way to be sure only resort guests could get on-board. As it is, someone even without a park ticket could park at DTD and ride around and tour the resorts or something if they wanted to.

When Disney detects a problem with overcrowding or abuse, you can rest assured they will do something about it. Until then, sheesh, let everyone ride!

 

[bavaria]

yet bavaria says its only for annual pass holders see post 50

I did not say that it was ONLY for AP holders - CR Resort Fan 4 Life was looking for 'official' word from WDW and this was quickly available online. As others have pointed out several times, it is a benefit for all ticket holders.

FWIW, my first two trips to WDW I stayed offsite; took the busses to visit all the resorts and to dine. Now I stay onsite and own DVC, so those who point out that it encourages guests to spend money at WDW resorts are correct.

 

[ducklite]

I don't think it is fair for people staying off site to use the resort transportation system as they please. Thoses of us who are paying premium price is for several perks one being the WDW transportation system. Years ago they required all guests to show their room key to get on the resort buses and I hope this comes back VERY soon!
All people that feel this way as well should put that on their comment card as they leave WDW resorts.

Let me give you the reason that this doesn't work. DH have AP's, so parking at a theme park is free. I'm saying that to make sure you realize we aren't trying to scam free parking. Sometimes we take a car service so we can imbibe responsibly.

We often go to WDW for the day. We live local. We usually visit in cooler months for a variety of reasons, so we wear chino's and polo's, or something along those lines. In warmer months we'll bring clothes to change into and stuff to freshen up with and stash it in a locker for the day.

We like more upscale dining, and usually cap a day at WDW with a meal at one of the signature restaurants.

We prefer to eat dinner earlier than later.

So we often spend the day at Epcot, parked in their lot, then take the monorail to the GF to dine at Citrico's. After dinner we go back to Epcot.

If we weren't allowed to use the WDW transportation, we wouldn't leave Epcot. If we didn't leave Epcot we wouldn't spend $150~ at Citrico's.

Do the math.

Anne