In need of some planning help regarding timing

[hlm2007]

I have a girls trip coming up Nov 10-13 with two of my friends. We will be staying at the Swan and arrive by flight at MCO at 9:30am. We plan to drop our bags at the hotel and then walk to Epcot. I'm assuming we could be to Epcot by noon? My question is more about the next 3 days. With the new protocols and having not stayed at the Swan before, I don't know how to time when we leave for the parks in the morning and what type of transportation to use (we won't have a car). Our plan is
Nov 11 - HS 10a-7p
Nov 12- MK 9a-7p
Nov 13 - AK 9a-5p

Given that, what time should we leave our resort? I know we can walk to HS but should we take the bus or a Lyft/Uber to MK and AK? If bus, what time would we need to be in line for the bus and what time are we aiming to arrive at the parks? We are rope drop people and the most important thing for us is to be inside HS by 10am to try for the ROTR boarding group since we haven't done that before. Everything else, we can wait in line for obviously and isn't quite as important.

Thanks so much!!

 

[chris benton]

Epcot by noon should be doable if everything's smooth sailing, like no flight delays, delay getting trans to Swan, traffic. Regular travel day challenges we've all experienced. The beauty is that if you drop your bags by 11:50, you'll be at the IG by noon.

For HS, if the boats are not running, I'd walk. Leave the room at 9:15 for a very chill walk. It will be about a 20 minute walk at a totally regular pace, but if you plan to leave at 9:15 you'll have plenty of buffer, and a very chill walk. It can still get hot&sticky in early Nov. I wouldn't wanna be rushing the walk when it's hot&sticky.

The bus would be your best option for MK. I am not a fan of Disney Trans in the AM, because you have to give yourself plenty of buffer for snafus. If you wanna be at mk at a hard 9am, I'd be at the stop at 8am.

For AK, I'd use Uber/Lyft. The great thing about Uber/Lyft is that they are FAST in WDW. If I am at the bus stop, and there's a big crowd waiting for a specific bus, or if the board shows I just missed one, or if the bus is not expected to show up for a while, just call a rideshare. They'll be there in like 5 minutes. I've always used uber/lyft from Swolphin for AK - but we are hard rope drop people. I just don't like to leave it to chance. The ride is cheap, and drops you close to the entrance. Easy Peasy. So, for AK, I'd be at the bus stop at 8am, with a trigger finger on a rideshare app. OR, I'd just leave my room at 8:15 and order a rideshare when I closed my room door.

That's just what I'd do.
Enjoy Swan/Dolphin. I love that place. The pools are great, and the food is fantastic, although I don't think everything is open yet. If you have other questions, there's a big ol thread devoted to Swolphin in the Resorts section. It's a fantastic resort in a fantastic area.