If you've stayed at multiple resorts (transportation question)

[roliepolieoliefan]

IMHO the most convenient are the Epcot resorts. You really can't beat being able to walk to 2 resorts.

Yes, the monorail resorts are close to MK but are quite a hike to all the other parks. This is just our experience, but we have found the monorail to be extremely unpredictable. The only reservations and ADRs (14 total) we have ever missed in 25 years were because of being stuck on the monorail or in line waiting for a stuck monorail.

AKL is convenient to AK, but the same hike to all the other parks as the monorail resorts.

Totally agree
We stayed at the CR years ago
The monorail broke down and we ended up walking to make my daughters boutique reservation on time .

 

[djohn06]

Epcot resorts - LOVE that you can walk to Epcot, and take a boat to HS. HATE that you can be on a multi-stop bus when returning from MK or AK. We returned from AK one day and the bus stopped at (don't remember the order) Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan, Dolphin, and another villa complex, may have been Beach Club Villas. It was ridiculous! I remember distinctly because there was an exhausted, screaming child on the bus for the duration. Now, this was during a slower time at the parks, so that might have something to do with it but it was like that for our whole BW trip.

Prefer AK for dedicated busses, or OKW which has a few internal bus stops, but then it is a straight shot to whichever park you're going to.

My last trip from MK to BWV this year we had a dedicated bus to BWV. This may have changed.

 

[Nancyg56]

This is all helpful, thanks! So basically, at the end of the day, does it even matter? I tried to narrow it down by which park we might spend the most time in but even that doesn't really help. If my kids were little I'd say MK, but they'll probably be 9 and 10 by the time we go. We want to go after Avatar opens and that might make a huge difference in how much time we spend at AK, but who knows? And everything I'm reading says HS is sort of a half-day park while they're constructing Star Wars and Toy Story.

Personally, I don't think it matters. If I am planning a mainly Epcot vacation I would choose an Epcot resort, but if I was not booking a deluxe, it's all the same to me. I figure that ten or fifteen minutes one ay or another is not a deal breaker. WHen I choose a resort I chose based on cost and amenities I want.

Is there a bus from GF to Epcot? I thought that the only transportation from GF was via the monorail. We will be staying at the GF in December and plan to go to Wpcot several times during the trip.

There is a bus when the monorail is down. It is much faster than the monorail, but it is not offered routinely.

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

The Boardwalk now has a dedicated bus to the Magic Kingdom. They share with Swan and Dolphin for Animal Kingdom.

 

[TJA]

This is all helpful, thanks! So basically, at the end of the day, does it even matter? I tried to narrow it down by which park we might spend the most time in but even that doesn't really help. If my kids were little I'd say MK, but they'll probably be 9 and 10 by the time we go. We want to go after Avatar opens and that might make a huge difference in how much time we spend at AK, but who knows? And everything I'm reading says HS is sort of a half-day park while they're constructing Star Wars and Toy Story.

For us, the actual time it takes to get from a park to our resort is irrelevant in the scheme of things. It's more about the convenience and what our resort has to offer. We are not fans of a resort that only offers bus service or mainly just bus service. Rating high on our list of "convenient transportation" resorts is Poly. Having the TTC right there offers direct monorail to both MK and Epcot. I know a lot of people have had loads of monorail issues and I guess we're lucky because we really haven't had too many problems with the monorail. We've had far more problems with waiting for buses. Everyone will have different experiences regarding all transportation modes.

Having said all that, our favorite way to get to parks is by simply walking! Beach Club was our favorite for many years. If staying there, we'd plan a lot of meals in the countries because it was so convenient to simply walk there. We're not fans of HS of late and have actually skipped that park the last couple of trips. However, that's just a personal opinion.

Another walking path is at Contemporary. Wow did we love that walking path when our kids were in strollers! So very convenient.

Nowadays, we're in love with Poly and GF, even though neither offer a walking path to MK. We find the boat to MK very reliable. We also use the monorail without many issues. We also like the walking path between Poly and GF and frequently go back and forth for meals, shopping, snacks...

So in your shoes, know that you really can't go wrong with either a monorail MK resort or an Epcot resort. Maybe take a look at certain questions such as do you want to see the Castle and Wishes from the resort? Or do you care more about walking to Epcot from your resort. Also maybe start sketching down restaurants where you will want to eat -- that always helps me determine which resort area will work best for us. Maybe even DVC availability will determine your choices.

 

[vinotinto]

We've stayed:
AKL (twice)
BC (twice)
YC (twice)
Poly (twice)
WL (once)

I thought the best transportation was AKL. Never had to wait long and either went directly (MK) or only one stop (Kidani). We even had dedicated bus service to Blizzard Beach this past week, while other escorts had to connect in AK.

Poly shares with GF or CR depending on the route. Didn't think monorail was that convenient. It didn't take less time than a bus, and due to refurbishments, wasn't always running in the mornings. We preferred the ferry.

BC and YC share and sometimes share with the other resorts, although I did notice an improvement last time. I had a particularly bad bus ride a number of years ago where it stopped at all 5 Epcot resorts. But do love walking to Epcot and taking the ferry to DHS.

WL was also pretty good.

 

[Lupeix]

I am in a similar situation thinking about renting points for our upcoming vacation. You should take into account which parks you will be spending the most time, what is your touring style and the age composition of your family.
We are the kind of family that spends a lot of time at the resort and takes afternoon breaks. We have little ones, so we do at least 2 days at MK.

So far I have stayed offsite (WBC), at the AoA and at the Epcot resort area. I honestly prefer staying at WBC and driving to the parks than at AoA and have to wait for the buses. They are an extreme pain if you have strollers with you, and nightmare at the end of the day after the fireworks. After staying at AoA I swore I will only stay onsite again if I can avoid the buses 1/2 the time. I agree that the Epcot resort area is great, but the decision of whether to stay there or on a monorail resort really boils down to the age of your crowd and whether you will be spending most of your time at MK or not.

I am leaning toward the MK resorts this time for the following reasons:

- We will be celebrating DDs 3rd Bday, which means MK will be the park we visit the most. There isn't much to do at HS and Epcot for the under 5 crowd.
- My kids (and DH) cannot do a full day at the park, so it is either half days or a midday break. Because MK is open until later, it makes sense to take an afternoon break an come back in the evening, being closer makes this much easier.
- I really like the dining options at the monorail resorts, being on the monorail allows you to get to your dining reservations easily. Transportation between resorts is usually not very good and Uber is not a good choice if you need carseats

Villas at both areas book really in advance, so you really should contact whomever you will rent from a week from the 11 month mark.

 

[loves to dive]

We've stayed:
AKL (twice)
BC (twice)
YC (twice)
Poly (twice)
WL (once)

I thought the best transportation was AKL. Never had to wait long and either went directly (MK) or only one stop (Kidani). We even had dedicated bus service to Blizzard Beach this past week, while other escorts had to connect in AK.

Poly shares with GF or CR depending on the route. Didn't think monorail was that convenient. It didn't take less time than a bus, and due to refurbishments, wasn't always running in the mornings. We preferred the ferry.

BC and YC share and sometimes share with the other resorts, although I did notice an improvement last time. I had a particularly bad bus ride a number of years ago where it stopped at all 5 Epcot resorts. But do love walking to Epcot and taking the ferry to DHS.

WL was also pretty good.

YC/BC share a bus since they are basically the same resort but do not share with any other resorts. They used to share with Swan/Dolphin every once in a while but not any more. BW has it's own buses now. Swan/Dolphin share with each other but again, basically the same resort.