Nervous about transportation from GF . . .

[mrswh]

We will be staying at the GF in early February (me, DH and kids 1 and 3). Last trip we stayed off property and rented a car. I thought that being on the monorail would be much more convenient for mid-afternoon naps, etc., especially since we will spending much of our time at MK. However, I am nervous about MGM, AK and Downtown Disney, where we'd have to take a bus - it would leave from the TTC, correct? I have heard horror stories about waiting for 45 minutes for buses from other Disney resorts (not the monorail resorts) and do not want to sign up for that. If I am on a monorail resort, and I want to go somewhere the monorail can't take me, is it going to be smooth sailing, or a nightmare? TIA for any info!

 

[Sammie]

We will be staying at the GF in early February (me, DH and kids 1 and 3). Last trip we stayed off property and rented a car. I thought that being on the monorail would be much more convenient for mid-afternoon naps, etc., especially since we will spending much of our time at MK. However, I am nervous about MGM, AK and Downtown Disney, where we'd have to take a bus - it would leave from the TTC, correct? I have heard horror stories about waiting for 45 minutes for buses from other Disney resorts (not the monorail resorts) and do not want to sign up for that. If I am on a monorail resort, and I want to go somewhere the monorail can't take me, is it going to be smooth sailing, or a nightmare? TIA for any info!

The buses leave from the front of the Grand Floridian not the TTC. You can also take the boat to the MK which is very nice and you can monorail to the TTC and then take the Epcot Monorail.

Regardless of where you stay transportation to Downtown Disney is slow.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

You can also easily get to MGM from Epcot so take the monorail to there and then the boat outside the International gateway to MGM.

That leaves only needing the bus or taxi to AK or DTD.
Remember you need to take a RESORT bus to DTD and back.

Oh and you are aware the to get to Epcot you have to change monorails at the T&T center right? you don't stay on the resort monorail for that. you ride it to the T&T center get off then go up the other ramp and get on the EPCOT monorail.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can also easily get to MGM from Epcot so take the monorail to there and then the boat outside the International gateway to MGM.

That leaves only needing the bus or taxi to AK or DTD.
Remember you need to take a RESORT bus to DTD and back.

But if you didn't get park hopping on your ticket, you'll have to use your ticket to go through Epcot. And it could be a long, warm walk through Epcot to get to the International Gateway.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

Yes what Deb & Bill posted is correct.

 

[mrswh]

I did know to switch monorail lines to get to Epcot. When taking a bus to AK or MGM, for example, from the GF, does it usually run on time? Will we have to go to 10 other resorts to pick people up on the way? I'm wondering if a cab is a better option for those & DTD. Are there cabs generally available out front at GF or do I need to arrange for that in advance with the bellman?

Good to know I can get from Epcot-MGM w/o a bus ride. Not sure if we will end up doing that but we do have hopper tickets so not a problem on that issue.

Thanks for all the great info, everyone!

 

[goofy4tink]

The transportation at the GF is no better, no worse than any of the other resorts. Obviously, getting to and from the MK is easy...either monorail or boat. Use the buses for other parks. I don't recommend using the monorail to Epcot, then walk to MGM...that takes way too long. You would have to get to the TTC, get off that line, go down and back up again to get the Epcot line,perhaps have to wait for it to come in, travel to Epcot, walk to entrance,go through security, walk all the way through Epcot/WS, then walk or take the boat to MGM..could total about 90 minutes!!! Just take the bus to MGM.
As someone already said, using Disney transportation is not the fastest way to get someplace (other than MK), but unless you have a time constraint, it works just fine.

 

[mrswh]

I looked at our schedule (with dining, etc.) and I think we'll just go to Epcot one day, MGM one day, and possibly DTD another day. Other than that we are going to MK or other monorail resorts. I assume that getting from the GF to either CR or Poly is easy, right? It sounds like a cab might be the way to go (I don't want to rent a car for 3 trips) for the other trips? Or does the GF have a car rental desk?

 

[DVC Mike]

We stayed at the GF for 9 nights this past May. We didn't have a car.

Jumping on the monorail to go to MK or Epcot was fantastic. We took the bus to AK and DS without any long waits. Our experience with the bus transportation from GF was that it was great!

Enjoy the GF -- we did.

 

[disneyholic family]

transportation from the GF is great - obviously monorail to the MK and Epcot, and bus to MGM and AK....

we always rent a car, but we still mostly use Disney transportation to get to the parks....

the buses to MGM and AK were very efficient.....and we never had to wait too long....

i wouldn't worry about transportation from the GF....it's the top WDW hotel and disney doesn't let you down in any way, including transportation...

 

[Lynne M]

I did know to switch monorail lines to get to Epcot. When taking a bus to AK or MGM, for example, from the GF, does it usually run on time? Will we have to go to 10 other resorts to pick people up on the way? I'm wondering if a cab is a better option for those & DTD. Are there cabs generally available out front at GF or do I need to arrange for that in advance with the bellman?

There's no such thing as 'on time' with Disney buses. They don't run on a set schedule, but are dispatched on an as-needed basis.

In the vast majority of cases, a bus for your destination will pull up within 15 minutes of your arrival at the bus stop. Often less. Yes, buses can break down, and drivers can call out sick and leave them shortstaffed, and you may have to wait a bit longer than 15 minutes on occasion, but 45 minute waits for buses are NOT the norm at any WDW resort. No way. Sure, mishaps occur, but by and large, the Disney transportation is remarkably efficient.

If you do pick up guests at another resort on the way to your destination, it'll add about 5 minutes to your trip for each resort. And it would only be from 1 or 2 resorts in your immediate vicinity, certainly not 10.

All you need to do when you want to go to MGM, AK or DTD is just walk to the GF bus loading area, and a bus will be there in a matter of minutes. You'll most likely be at your destination in under 30 minutes.

Sure, you'll read complaints about transportation, and many other things on this board. But, you need to remember that people usually only post the extremely bad experiences, or the extremely good experiences. No one starts a thread to say that 'the GF buses were fine', or 'housekeeping cleaned my room well every day', or 'I got the room category I paid for'. After a while reading these boards, it starts to look like the buses are AWFUL at every resort, and housekeeping never cleans anyone's room properly, and everyone gets a free upgrade to concierge.

 

[kirbsam]

dont even think about not taking a bus to mgm. it will take two hours to get there monorailing and walking throught epcot and boating. that is the dumbest idea in history.

 

[sotoalf]

To the OP: with all due respect, you're worrying too much. There are buses that depart for every non-MK theme park to the right of bell services. I've never waited more than 10 or 15 minutes for a bus.

 

[LJD2143]

Last year during our stay at the Poly we attempted to take the bus to AK for morning EMH. We arrived at the bus stop 40 min prior to when the EMH was scheduled to start. Unfortunately we ended up waiting over 45 minutes for a bus and the ride took an additional 40 min (with stops at the GF and water park). We totally missed the one extra magic hour!

On the flip side - we took a bus to Downtown Disney and back with absolutely no problems.

If you do not have a specific timeframe or reservation that you are trying to make, bus transportation is perfectly acceptable. I am quite convinced that our trip to AK from the Poly was not the norm. This year, however, we plan on taking a taxi to AK to ensure we do not miss the EMH again.

 

[panfan]

As a general rule for us if we are trying to catch a EMH in the morning from our resort, we aim to be at the bus stop before 7am. We try to catch the first bus going to the early opening. I don't know for sure but maybe there aren't as many running for the EMH mornings??

Also, from the GF everything should be fine for you with the disney transportation except going from resort to resort. We have learned over the years to just catch a taxi. For 10-15 dollars , depending, it is worth the savings in time. No prior reservation needed. Just tell them in the front of the hotel and a taxi usually pulls up in minutes.

Have a great trip!

 

[KristenHoneymooner]

DH and I stayed at the GF Aug 20-26 and did not rent a car. We only had to buy a taxi once, and that was to get back from mini-golf after midnight. Otherwise, we totally relied on Disney transportation.

We had great luck with monorail transportation to MK and to EPCOT. Even though you need to switch monorails to get to EPCOT it is still a fast and easy trip. We did opt to take the boat rather than the monorail back to the GF from the MK after Wishes, just because the line was a lot shorter.

We also had no problem with busses to MGM, AK, and DTD. They always came within 5 to 15 minutes.

We only had to stand on the bus once the whole week.

Our only problem with the bus system was a bus returning to the GF from DTD. The ride took nearly an hour because of a huge number of stops and afternoon traffic. This was just one ride out of a week of wonderful free transportation, though. Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[jw50]

I looked at our schedule (with dining, etc.) and I think we'll just go to Epcot one day, MGM one day, and possibly DTD another day. Other than that we are going to MK or other monorail resorts. I assume that getting from the GF to either CR or Poly is easy, right? It sounds like a cab might be the way to go (I don't want to rent a car for 3 trips) for the other trips? Or does the GF have a car rental desk?

You don't need a car (or cab) to go to Epcot, just walk over to the Poly (10 minutes) and take the Epcot monorail from the TTC to Epcot.

The buses are fine for going to MGM or DTD.

 

[Gary M]

We stayed at the GF for 9 nights this past May. We didn't have a car.

Jumping on the monorail to go to MK or Epcot was fantastic. We took the bus to AK and DS without any long waits. Our experience with the bus transportation from GF was that it was great!

Enjoy the GF -- we did.

We have stayed at GF 8 times and I agree with the advice above. I won't say anything about some of the other opinions, but I'm not sure if some of the answers were from people that have stayed at the GF.