We stayed at POR last year in June. I can't speak about being far away from bus stops....since we were in building 85 facing the parking lot....we only had to head down the stairs and cross the small parking lot to catch a bus at the East Depot.
Looking at the map....I do see where places like building 27 or 38 that are located towards the center of the property might be a 5 to 10 minute walk to the bus stop. Also...maybe building 95 since you'd almost have to walk to the main building to catch the bus.
My advice would be to try to get building 14, 15, 16 or 18 to catch the bus at the main depot. I did not like our room location at all. We were a good 7 minute walk from the main building which was a little tough for me to get breakfast for everyone and return to the room in the morning.
We would also take the bus from the East Depot. Every bus was either standing room only or was completely full and would just pass us by. Since you are going in October, it may be a different story...but, in early June it was terrible. In the mornings....we did not sit in a seat one time in 7 days on a bus going to the parks....always standing room only.
Then...on the return....we were the last to be dropped off.
Of course...everyone's experience is different. I'm sure you have some people post that they never had to wait for a bus and that the service was great. That's how I feel about Pop Century.
Like CleveRocks said....we decided to try POFQ this year. First to be picked up and first to be dropped off....woohoo!
Speed
from POR (Mansion Section 8/7-8/16). I cannot say enough GOOD things. We had a rental car for 8 of these days and we barely used it, although it was our means of transportation to Hoop Dee Doo and a stop at Winn Dixie and to church. Even at the most crowded to return home from MK after the fireworks, the most we waited in line was 20 minutes to get on a bus. Granted, some were SRO. At the hotel itself, we never waited more than 10 minutes to catch a bus. The French Quarter has only the 1 bus stop while POR has 4. We tried different stops while we were there and even if we waited at the stop closest to our room (East Stop) which was actually the 3rd stop on the bus route around the hotel, we never had any problems. You should also be aware that there will be buses that will not stop at French Quarter. During busy times, there were buses specifically marked for Riverside therefore bypassing French Quarter altogether upon your return from the parks. Also, another thing to note is that on one particular day, DH & DS took the rental car back from MK and DD and myself rode the bus just to see who would get back first. Well, guess who made it back to the room first and already in our swimsuits by the time the boys came back? Hope this helps.
