Just had to share this with you...DTD bus from MK???!!!

[goofy4tink]

So...my dd just texed me to ask 'why is it so bloody difficult to get to DTD?' I give her the best ways to get there from each park. She texts me back, saying...are you ready for this??..'We were told by a CM that we could get a bus from the the TTC so we took the express monorail, and then there was no bus, so now we're on a bus to DHS to get a resort bus to get a DTD bus'.
Seriously?? What the heck kind of CM tells a guest this??? So, yet again, I say...trust no one but a bus driver when it comes to getting around WDW. Those poor girls!! It's probably going to be a 90 min tour by the time they get to DTD. Told them to go to DHS and hop on the bus to Pop, then over to DTD from there.

 

[wdwrich]

AFAIK, there hasn't been bus service between DTD and any of the WDW theme parks for a number of years. I was once told by a CM that it was due to guests using the free DTD parking for theme park access (avoiding the parking fee at the parks), and guests actually going to DTD had a hard time finding parking spaces.

 

[skeeter31]

It's still a pain to get a spot at DTD on the weekends. We normally have to circle around for about 10-15 minutes if we want a spot in Lot 1 or Lot 2 (because really, who wants to park in Lot 5?).

My guess as to what would be the simplest way to get there would be to get to the closest resort and bus to DTD. If they were still at MK, they could have walked to Contemporary (or monorailed there) and taken the bus from there. If they are now headed to Hollywood, they could take the boat from there to Boardwalk or one of the YC/BC resorts and bus from there. Or take the bus from Hollywood to one of the DTD resorts and take the boat from there (or walk from Saratoga Springs).

 

[Traveliz]

Oh my miles of transportation before they get to DTD. Too bad they just didn't walk over to the Poly to catch that bus. Of course what is obvious to us isn't to someone right in the middle of the situation.

And I DO remember when you could get a bus from TTC to DTD...in fact if you were staying at the Poly and it was before 4:00 that was your only option! Been a LONG time though.

Liz

 

[Brian Noble]

What the heck kind of CM tells a guest this???

One that spends their day selling popcorn, never uses the transportation system themselves, and assumes that there is a direct bus anywhere from the TTC/MK.

I totally understand your frustration, but honestly these people are paid a few bucks an hour to do whatever it is they do. Unless it was a *Transport* Cast Member who gave that advice, I would not expect them to get it right---and even then, someone in Monorail might or might not know the right answer for a bus route.

 

[MissManda]

Seriously?? What the heck kind of CM tells a guest this???

Probably the same CM (who was the concierge at POFQ) that told my DH and I the best way to get to the ESPN Zone at the Boardwalk was to take a bus to Epcot, walk through the park, and take the boat. Being Disney first timers, I wasn't aware that this was probably the worst way to go. Now that I know my way around more, I really don't know why this person didn't tell us to take the DHS bus and ride the boat over. Would have saved a lot of walking and time. Heck, I could have taken the DTD bus and transferred over to one of the Boardwalk hotel buses and that probably would have been faster.

 

[Traveliz]

One that spends their day selling popcorn, never uses the transportation system themselves, and assumes that there is a direct bus anywhere from the TTC/MK.

I totally understand your frustration, but honestly these people are paid a few bucks an hour to do whatever it is they do. Unless it was a *Transport* Cast Member who gave that advice, I would not expect them to get it right---and even then, someone in Monorail might or might not know the right answer for a bus route.

Mu daughter is an Attractions CM (not at Living with the Land) and had a guest ask her where they could buy a papaya tree (in all seriousness). Honestly she can tell you whatever you want to know about her attraction and can look up times for parks, parades and fireworks but she does not know every single thing about the parks, resorts, transportations systems, recreations options, etc. That said I doubt she would just tell someone to go to TTC for a bus but I don't know.

I think sometimes people expect CMs to know the answers to every single question. It's true they should just say if they don't know but its amazing (to me) how people will hound CMs if they don't like the answer to the question they are getting. Last week she had a man wanting her to tell him where his family would be waiting for him. .. and he would not let up when she could not give him an exact answer.

Additionally even though it might not be obvious to the theme park visitor the Attractions run on a schedule and try to get xxxxxxxxx people through in an hour and those CMs are under pressure to get that to happen (not to figure out where a guest can buy a papaya tree).

Oh and btw you cannot buy a papaya tree on property.

Liz

 

[chartle]

It's probably going to be a 90 min tour by the time they get to DTD. Told them to go to DHS and hop on the bus to Pop, then over to DTD from there.

So did they get there?

Three buses, 90 minutes really, I would think they are just pulling up now.

 

[DebbieB]

One time I was in the candy shop at MK and a guy walked up to 2 cm's standing there, they looked like college age and asked how to get to Small World. They both looked at each other and had no clue.

 

[ironz]

So...my dd just texed me to ask 'why is it so bloody difficult to get to DTD?' I give her the best ways to get there from each park. She texts me back, saying...are you ready for this??..'We were told by a CM that we could get a bus from the the TTC so we took the express monorail, and then there was no bus, so now we're on a bus to DHS to get a resort bus to get a DTD bus'.
Seriously?? What the heck kind of CM tells a guest this??? So, yet again, I say...trust no one but a bus driver when it comes to getting around WDW. Those poor girls!! It's probably going to be a 90 min tour by the time they get to DTD. Told them to go to DHS and hop on the bus to Pop, then over to DTD from there.

Now...you've been there enough....why didn't they just text and ask you in the first place? You know better than that! Get that girl of yours on the DIS!

 

[SaraJayne]

So...my dd just texed me to ask 'why is it so bloody difficult to get to DTD?' I give her the best ways to get there from each park. She texts me back, saying...are you ready for this??..'We were told by a CM that we could get a bus from the the TTC so we took the express monorail, and then there was no bus, so now we're on a bus to DHS to get a resort bus to get a DTD bus'.
Seriously?? What the heck kind of CM tells a guest this??? So, yet again, I say...trust no one but a bus driver when it comes to getting around WDW. Those poor girls!! It's probably going to be a 90 min tour by the time they get to DTD. Told them to go to DHS and hop on the bus to Pop, then over to DTD from there.

She could have also taken the monorail to the CR and taken a DTD bus from there.

Or go to DHS, grab a bus to Saratoga Springs and walk to DTD from there. Lots of different options.

Hope they made it there, finally!

 

[goofy4tink]

Now...you've been there enough....why didn't they just text and ask you in the first place? You know better than that! Get that girl of yours on the DIS!

Being the smart little moderator I am, I seldom have headed to DTD from a park...so, dd hadn't really thought about it in the past.
She did text.....once they got to the TTC!! Dopey kid!! I wish she had texted me sooner, rather than asking a CM. I thought I had trained her better..never ask any CM about transportation unless they are driving a bus!!! Again, dopey kid!! I did tell her, when she texted me about it that she should have walked over to the CR and taken their bus to DTD.
The funny thing is that we actually had an experience published in the PassPorter. She got stuck behind the 3pm parade at MK..and we needed to be out of there. She knew exactly what to do...she cut through shops and took all the 'shortcuts'....so, I never thought she would try to get to DTD from a park.

Then, she texted later about how 'the bus service is so convenient and quick and delightful' at DTD!! Nothing like first hand experience to teach you something!!!

 

[Alexander]

It's still a pain to get a spot at DTD on the weekends. We normally have to circle around for about 10-15 minutes if we want a spot in Lot 1 or Lot 2 (because really, who wants to park in Lot 5?).

People who aren't lazy and don't mind walking a little bit!

We don't even attempt to park in lots 1 or 2 unless we are arriving at DTD before 10 AM. It honestly ends up being faster and less stressful to just park in the further lots and walk a little (and it really is only a little).

 

[goofy4tink]

People who aren't lazy and don't mind walking a little bit!

We don't even attempt to park in lots 1 or 2 unless we are arriving at DTD before 10 AM. It honestly ends up being faster and less stressful to just park in the further lots and walk a little (and it really is only a little).

I have to agree. I haven't had a huge issue finding a parking spot when driving to DTD. Now....I don't drive over there on a Sat midday....then all bets are off. I have actually parked over by Cirque on occasion. Yeah, it's a hike to the Marketplace, but there are plentiful spaces. And if I just have to park over by Marketplace??? I just take a slightly more distant spot.
Just hasn't been an issue for me.

 

[gmeh1]

I once had a server at the ESPN location at Boardwalk tell me I could take a boat from Boardwalk to the MK. I tried to correct her, but, she was totally sure you could do that.

 

[goofy4tink]

I once had a server at the ESPN location at Boardwalk tell me I could take a boat from Boardwalk to the MK. I tried to correct her, but, she was totally sure you could do that.

Hmmm, who knew Disney had duck boats???? That would be about the only way you could do that!!!
Boggles the mind, doesn't it??? One would think that if you work in a particular spot at WDW, you would want to be able to hand out correct info, so would go out and get the correct info. Obviously that is not the case.

 

[WillAustin]

Last week, we had a reservation for HDDR at 7:15. Around 6, we got ready to take the boat to FW from CR. It was pouring rain.

1. A CM told us the boats weren't running in the storm, so we needed to catch a bus from CR to FW.

2. Thinking that sounded strange, I asked another CM who told us to go to the TTC and catch a bus there.

3. Monorail to the TTC, then a CM there says we are in the wrong place and need to go to MK to catch the bus to FW.

4. Monorail to MK. Run through the rain to the bus stops. CM there tells us we need to take the boat, which was now running again, from MK to FW.

5. We waited for the boat to FW, still in the rain. Boat finally arrived but filled up so we couldn't get on. It was now 7:10.

6. We gave up and rode the monorail back to the CR so I could get a refund for our reservation.

7. At the CR, the CM asked if we still wanted to go to HDDR, and they paid for a taxi to take us there. We arrived at HDDR around 7:45, and the show was just getting started, so after all that running through the rain, we still made it.