New Express Transportation: $19/day or $29/week-SERVICE ENDING AUGUST 23RD 2017

[freewill]

I understand how often it leaves but my question was how long is the actual bus ride? I'm thinking, from HS to Epcot probably isn't very long going on back roads with no traffic. Maybe 10 mins?
On our Epcot day, we could still run to HS for am EMH, maybe just to ride Toy Story, then leave at 9:00 and have 1 hr 5 mins to catch our first FP at Epcot which is Spaceship Earth. I would think AK to MK would require more time for the ride itself.

By the way, thank you for the chart; that is very helpful for planning when we need to be at the kiosk.

I think hiro was saying that the Express Transport buses don't start running until 10:00 am and so you wouldn't be able to use it until it's too late to use your first FP. But even so, you could still accomplish your plan that morning just by using regular transport (or even going old school -- and walking) from HS to EP between 9 am and 10 am after you hit EMH at the Studios first.

 

[AngiTN]

I understand how often it leaves but my question was how long is the actual bus ride? I'm thinking, from HS to Epcot probably isn't very long going on back roads with no traffic. Maybe 10 mins?
On our Epcot day, we could still run to HS for am EMH, maybe just to ride Toy Story, then leave at 9:00 and have 1 hr 5 mins to catch our first FP at Epcot which is Spaceship Earth. I would think AK to MK would require more time for the ride itself.

By the way, thank you for the chart; that is very helpful for planning when we need to be at the kiosk.

But it doesn't start till 10:00, so you can't use it at 9:00

 

[shoreward]

I understand how often it leaves but my question was how long is the actual bus ride? I'm thinking, from HS to Epcot probably isn't very long going on back roads with no traffic. Maybe 10 mins?
On our Epcot day, we could still run to HS for am EMH, maybe just to ride Toy Story, then leave at 9:00 and have 1 hr 5 mins to catch our first FP at Epcot which is Spaceship Earth. I would think AK to MK would require more time for the ride itself.

By the way, thank you for the chart; that is very helpful for planning when we need to be at the kiosk.

I's a 10-12 minute ride between HS and EPCOT. As previously posted, though, the first departure of the day at all parks is 10:00 a.m.; so, if you want to head over to EPCOT from HS at 9:00 a.m., you will need to take the Friendship boat.

 

[AngiTN]

Besides MK, what time where you hopping to other parks and getting FP for decent rides. I haven't been there in two years and last time, it seemed like all the good FP were gone at all the other parks.

Depends on how busy it is. Sometimes, like on our Thanksgiving trip, the add on FP are limited, even early in the morning. Other times, like when we went 2 weeks ago, they are plentiful, even got FEA. FP were there for the booking all the way till closing

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Oh duh. How did I miss that?
Thank you!

 

[DisneyNut815]

Besides MK, what time where you hopping to other parks and getting FP for decent rides. I haven't been there in two years and last time, it seemed like all the good FP were gone at all the other parks.

It was mid afternoon most days. I would say between 2 and 4. Please note though that we were there during a slow week so the parks were not very crowded most days.

 

[erc]

Is the information on the first page kept up to date? I see a mention of a 7 day expiration later in the thread but didn't see it on the first page. This is interesting to me, as I will be trying to hop and plan FP+ accordingly on my next trip.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Is the information on the first page kept up to date? I see a mention of a 7 day expiration later in the thread but didn't see it on the first page. This is interesting to me, as I will be trying to hop and plan FP+ accordingly on my next trip.

When the thread began, the Express Bus details weren't fully known.

You can purchase a 7-day pass for $24 dollars as long as you have a park hopper ticket or an AP.

 

[erc]

Thanks. Sounds like a cool idea. I think my DD8 wants to ride the monorail between MK and EP even though it would probably take twice as long. This has probably already been posted on this thread but: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/express-transportation-options/

 

[Suzanne74]

Depends on how busy it is. Sometimes, like on our Thanksgiving trip, the add on FP are limited, even early in the morning. Other times, like when we went 2 weeks ago, they are plentiful, even got FEA. FP were there for the booking all the way till closing

Okay - thanks. We go the 3rd week in March and it was packed a few years ago even not being around Easter. The FP and the band system were fairly new so maybe that is why. But besides MK, all the FP were gone by noon at every other park for the decent rides. My plan is to rope drop the 1st and FP the 2nd park at this point. I just don't want to risk it.

 

[AngiTN]

Okay - thanks. We go the 3rd week in March and it was packed a few years ago even not being around Easter. The FP and the band system were fairly new so maybe that is why. But besides MK, all the FP were gone by noon at every other park for the decent rides. My plan is to rope drop the 1st and FP the 2nd park at this point. I just don't want to risk it.

Because that's Spring Break season. Easter and Spring Break are frequently not at all connected. Sometimes they hit together, other times not. Odds are high it is still going to significantly busier that week than the rest of of March is. Still, never give up trying for FP, they pop up all the time. People often give up on them too quickly, especially when looking for day of FP

 

[manning]

A person, who appears to be from the U.K., I believe has hit the nail on the head.

http://forums.orlandounited.com/threads/express-service-upcharge.10650/page-2

post #37

Best grab the

for this one guys..........

I really used to love Disney, I put up some of my Christmas decorations yesterday and a lot of them are Disney, a whole tree is decorated Disney, Most family photos up around the house are from Disney, I am a proud owner of a Framed share on the wall, I've made many, many trips to Orlando and Paris, I Own DVC, I've had annual passes several times I've eaten at nearly every on-site restaurant and stayed in all of the deluxe hotels, I really did used to love Disney.

But......

In recent years I see them more as a price gouging, money grubbing, uncaring ruthless money machine which has lost it's morals, the very morals which made it what it was.

All of these increases and uncharges arent magical additional services for their guests but more a means of covering their ineptitude and neglect from over the years, Disney lost their way and now they are trying to find ways of patching up their lack of investment whilst plussing the balance sheet

Over spends, lack lustre new shows, cheaping out on new attractions and under spending in the larger ones opening soon~ish, all whilst not investing and living of the coat tails of past glorious and nostalgia have got us here.

I come to these latest new bus routes... This doesn't have me thinking oh great, way to go Disney what a fab idea, it says more like fix your transport system for everyone so everyone can get somewhere in a timely manner, it's says to hell with onstage and what our guests can see, and it says we lack ambition, It Says we have over spent on magic bands and Avatar and we need to find quick mediocre ways ways to make bank these days. Tents, dessert parties, paid boats are all examples of this.

It all comes across as very desperate and doesn't shout class and quality, you know, the same class and quality Disney used to be renowned for and the very reason I brought into DVC.

The saddest thing of all is that the fans lap it all up, which makes Disney think they are doing good so they churn out more and more of the same.

Avatar will open soon (maybe ) followed by TSL and Stsr Wars and the crowds will go crazy yet it won't change a thing, the same old clueless money grubbing hierarchy will still be st the helm rubbing their hands together thinking what s great job they are doing for the Walt Disney company, well it ain't all about the bottom line Disney.

As you can probably tell by now my long love affair with Disney is wavering and probably teetering on the edge of extinction, so much so that I've seriously considered selling my ownership, pulling down the Christmas tree, changing out all of the family photos and burning that framed stock on the wall I was once so proud of.

 

[erc]

A person, who appears to be from the U.K., I believe has hit the nail on the head.

http://forums.orlandounited.com/threads/express-service-upcharge.10650/page-2

I don't know. I've been on and off these boards for a number of years, usually coming back when I have a new trip planned. And every time I come back I see the same thing. Life-long Disney fans who want the message board world to know that they are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. And yet Disney continues and the parks grow, attendance grows, and the revenue grows. I think this is much ado about nothing. If you don't park hop this has no effect on you. If you do, you understand what a logistical nightmare it can be, not really due to Disney Transportation, but due to the logistics of completely exiting one park and then going through the entrance procedure of another. By logistics I mean, it is a long walk, there could still be a line going through security, etc. Barring them building an underground subway that goes from park to park, the only way to bypass all that is to do what they are offering with this express service. For some the current system for park-hopping is fine and they will not see the added value of this new service. They cannot possibly provide this service for everyone. At least not right now, and not without jacking up the price of the park-hopping add-on even more. What percentage of Disney visitors park-hop? Would more do it if the transportation between parks was quick and efficient? Probably. But then it would be more expensive for those of us who do it now. And who knows, this still might be a test, to see if they should build this into a bigger service available to everyone with the park-hopper option.

I guess I just don't get why of all the crazy things people pay for related to a Disney World vacation, this would be what causes them to "pull down the Christmas tree".

 

[freewill]

I don't know. I've been on and off these boards for a number of years, usually coming back when I have a new trip planned. And every time I come back I see the same thing. Life-long Disney fans who want the message board world to know that they are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. And yet Disney continues and the parks grow, attendance grows, and the revenue grows. I think this is much ado about nothing. If you don't park hop this has no effect on you. If you do, you understand what a logistical nightmare it can be, not really due to Disney Transportation, but due to the logistics of completely exiting one park and then going through the entrance procedure of another. By logistics I mean, it is a long walk, there could still be a line going through security, etc. Barring them building an underground subway that goes from park to park, the only way to bypass all that is to do what they are offering with this express service. For some the current system for park-hopping is fine and they will not see the added value of this new service. They cannot possibly provide this service for everyone. At least not right now, and not without jacking up the price of the park-hopping add-on even more. What percentage of Disney visitors park-hop? Would more do it if the transportation between parks was quick and efficient? Probably. But then it would be more expensive for those of us who do it now. And who knows, this still might be a test, to see if they should build this into a bigger service available to everyone with the park-hopper option.

I guess I just don't get why of all the crazy things people pay for related to a Disney World vacation, this would be what causes them to "pull down the Christmas tree".

I guess I just don't get why of all the crazy things people pay for related to a Disney World vacation, this would be what causes them to "pull down the Christmas tree".

That must be one sad Christmas tree: "In recent years I see them more as a pricegouging, money grubbing, uncaring ruthlessmoney machine which has lost it's morals, the very morals which made it what it was."

 

[fan1080]

Best grab the

for this one guys..........

I really used to love Disney, I put up some of my Christmas decorations yesterday and a lot of them are Disney, a whole tree is decorated Disney, Most family photos up around the house are from Disney, I am a proud owner of a Framed share on the wall, I've made many, many trips to Orlando and Paris, I Own DVC, I've had annual passes several times I've eaten at nearly every on-site restaurant and stayed in all of the deluxe hotels, I really did used to love Disney.

But......

In recent years I see them more as a price gouging, money grubbing, uncaring ruthless money machine which has lost it's morals, the very morals which made it what it was.

All of these increases and uncharges arent magical additional services for their guests but more a means of covering their ineptitude and neglect from over the years, Disney lost their way and now they are trying to find ways of patching up their lack of investment whilst plussing the balance sheet

Over spends, lack lustre new shows, cheaping out on new attractions and under spending in the larger ones opening soon~ish, all whilst not investing and living of the coat tails of past glorious and nostalgia have got us here.

I come to these latest new bus routes... This doesn't have me thinking oh great, way to go Disney what a fab idea, it says more like fix your transport system for everyone so everyone can get somewhere in a timely manner, it's says to hell with onstage and what our guests can see, and it says we lack ambition, It Says we have over spent on magic bands and Avatar and we need to find quick mediocre ways ways to make bank these days. Tents, dessert parties, paid boats are all examples of this.

It all comes across as very desperate and doesn't shout class and quality, you know, the same class and quality Disney used to be renowned for and the very reason I brought into DVC.

The saddest thing of all is that the fans lap it all up, which makes Disney think they are doing good so they churn out more and more of the same.

Avatar will open soon (maybe ) followed by TSL and Stsr Wars and the crowds will go crazy yet it won't change a thing, the same old clueless money grubbing hierarchy will still be st the helm rubbing their hands together thinking what s great job they are doing for the Walt Disney company, well it ain't all about the bottom line Disney.

As you can probably tell by now my long love affair with Disney is wavering and probably teetering on the edge of extinction, so much so that I've seriously considered selling my ownership, pulling down the Christmas tree, changing out all of the family photos and burning that framed stock on the wall I was once so proud of.

It's optional, so I don't see why it's a big deal.

For me, $24 for this service is exceptionally reasonable, certainly no where near a deal breaker.

Happy travels.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

So we used this last Friday. We had a 1 day hopper tickets and wanted to hit AK at RD, then DHS, then Epcot. It was (IMO) reasonable to pay $15 for 1 day just to "try it." It was just me and my H, no kiddos, so hopping all day was not an issue. We timed it so that we didn't spend more than a few mins waiting for a bus. And the buses were mostly empty.

I really enjoyed not having to walk to the front of the park and down to the bus stops (especially in AK as we got on the bus right after the safari), as well as skipping the bag check and metal detector lines.

We did decide that this service would NOT be useful to us when we bring our children. While we hop every day, we always go back to the resort in between to swim/rest, so there's no need for park-to-park transfers. So, it seems like a one and done thing for us.

 

[ShellieMimi]

A person, who appears to be from the U.K., I believe I has hit the nail on the head.

http://forums.orlandounited.com/threads/express-service-upcharge.10650/page-2

As you can probably tell by now my long love affair with Disney is wavering and probably teetering on the edge of extinction, so much so that I've seriously considered selling my ownership, pulling down the Christmas tree, changing out all of the family photos and burning that framed stock on the wall I was once so proud of.

I don't know if that's "hitting the nail on the head" so much as it is "over-the-top dramatic hyperbole."

 

[AngiTN]

I don't know if that's "hitting the nail on the head" so much as it is "over-the-top dramatic hyperbole."

And we have a winner right here. I hope they can find a theme for their Christmas tree that they are happy with

 

[subtchr]

Has anyone tried this from DHS to Epcot after SW fireworks?

In a couple weeks, I am doing a morning AK/DHS with SW dessert party/Epcot EMH night. I'm thinking of using the express option, especially if I can hustle over after the fireworks at DHS to grab the last bus to Epcot to catch Illuminations. 7:45 fireworks, 8:00 park closing. If the bus will not be available, I'll just walk.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Has anyone tried this from DHS to Epcot after SW fireworks?

In a couple weeks, I am doing a morning AK/DHS with SW dessert party/Epcot EMH night. I'm thinking of using the express option, especially if I can hustle over after the fireworks at DHS to grab the last bus to Epcot to catch Illuminations. 7:45 fireworks, 8:00 park closing. If the bus will not be available, I'll just walk.

Because the DHS-Epcot Express runs on the hour and 1/2 hour, even if the 8:30 bus runs, you'd get to Epcot by walking well before 8:30.

You wouldn't have time to make it to the 8:00 bus.