Off site shuttle service to Epcot transportation center

[Bete]

I'll be staying at the Residence Inn in Orlando for our trip. I haven't stayed off site in many years. It seems if an off site resort offers shuttle service most of them take you to one place; they refer to it as the Epcot Transportation Center. I have called the resort and other resorts, too that offer this service and I can't seem to get exact info; they are all very vague. They just don't know the specifics about the drop off point or pick up point.

My concern comes with doing a manual wheelchair. If the drop off point and pick up point is too far from the entrance, I may consider driving and parking myself in some parks. I would love to use the shuttle service, but I don't want to be exhausted pushing a wheelchair before we even start our day in the park.

Anyway, does anyone have a clue where these buses leave you off at Epcot and do they pick you up in the same place, as well. If I need to catch a tram that may not work with the wheelchair. I know I have to walk some, but with handicap parking it's pretty convenient to drive to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. I am a cheapie though and I would like to avoid the parking fees and if we shuttle I don't pay for parking.

 

[skelooch]

The distance from the bus parking lot at Epcot to the park entrance turnstiles or the monorail if you wish to go to the MK is approx 1/4 mile. There is an elevator to get to the overhead monorail platform.
Personally If I were in a similiar situation to you I would prefer to drive to the parks. Most Handicapped parking is in fairly close proximity to the park entrances.

 

[DebbieB]

I'll be staying at the Residence Inn in Orlando for our trip. I haven't stayed off site in many years. It seems if an off site resort offers shuttle service most of them take you to one place; they refer to it as the Epcot Transportation Center. I have called the resort and other resorts, too that offer this service and I can't seem to get exact info; they are all very vague. They just don't know the specifics about the drop off point or pick up point.

My concern comes with doing a manual wheelchair. If the the drop off point and pick up point is too far from the entrance, I may consider driving and parking myself in some parks. I would love to use the shuttle service, but I don't want to be exhausted pushing a wheelchair before we even start our day in the park.

Anyway, does anyone have a clue where these buses leave you off at Epcot and do they pick you up in the same place, as well. If I need to catch a tram that may not work with the wheelchair. I know I have to walk some, but with handicap parking it's pretty convenient to drive to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. I am a cheapie though and I would like to avoid the parking fees and if we shuttle I don't pay for parking.

I wonder if they mean Ticket & Transportation Center (near MK parking lot). From there, you can get transportation to all 4 parks. I'm surprised they would take you to Epcot.

I would drive and be able to come and go as you please.

 

[Alesia]

There is no such place as the Epcot Transportation Center. I'm not sure if they mean Epcot, or the Ticket and Transportation Center (which is at MK.)

I wouldn't take a shuttle from an offsite hotel if there was anyway around it. They tend to run at inconvenient times and aren't particularly reliable. I would just pay the $14 per day to park. It will be well worth it.

 

[seashoreCM]

At the front of Epcot there is also a big lot where outside shuttle buses dock and there are buses to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. (Use the monorail to get to Magic Kingdom)

Meanwhile back at the TTC there is also some distance between the shuttle bus lot and the monorail station.

You do not need the trams to get to the shuttle bus lot in either location.

Under some crowded conditions the Epcot parking lot is used as extra room when the MK parking lot (TTC area) fills up. (Shortly thereafter they start to deny admission to MK.)

 

[TaraPA]

I stayed offsite once & they only dropped off & picked up at Epcot. You then have to transfer to a bus to DHS or AK, or the monorail to MK. It is pretty far from the entrance, as offsite buses have to load/unload out beyond the Disney buses. There is no tram to the entrance of Epcot from this area, you have to walk. I would not recommend it if you have any concerns about walking with the wheelchair. Also, the offsite bus is often shared with several hotels - and is first come, first served, so I'd imagine with a wheelchair you'd have to be there fairly early in line to guarantee your spot. I was on a solo trip, and honestly, I'd NEVER EVER do the offsite shuttles with kids or others, it wasn't reliable & no one seemed to have any information on these shuttles ahead of time (like you're already finding out!)

 

[joelkfla]

There are some hotel shuttles that drop off only at Epcot, not at TTC. I think Residence Inn is one of them. Be aware that their shuttle appears to run only a few times a day, and reservations are required.

As a PP wrote, it's about 1/4 mi. to the entrance of Epcot, and also to the monorail to the TTC, where you would have to change to another monorail or ferryboat to the MK.

The bus to DHS is in the same lot as the shuttle drop-off. The bus to AK is in an adjacent lot, about half way to the Epcot entrance.

I've heard that many guests find pushing a manual wheelchair to be much more tiring than they expect. You might want to consider renting a travel-size scooter that can be broken down to fit in the trunk of your car.

 

[MHSweb79]

My DD took the off-site shuttle to Epcot on our last trip (she wanted to sleep in one morning). She said the bus dropped her off MILES away from the entrance (again, her words.) Way way further than the Disney buses.

Disney is just not going to make it all that convenient for folks staying off-site. Inconvenient drop off/ pick up locations are just a part of that.

I don't think the trams can accommodate wheelchairs, at least at the Transporattion & Ticket Center. You are better off paying and parking in the handicapped lot.

 

[Bete]

I guess I will do a lot of talking with the hotel and driver if I try this on any day. I will make sure I get the answers I need once I'm person to person with them.

Honestly, I was thinking about it; because, I will be tired at the end of the day pushing a wheelchair. I felt it might affect my driving back to the resort. It's about a six mile drive back to the resort.

Using a scooter is out of the question in this case.

I have pushed a wheelchair there before, but I always had someone else driving or we stayed at Disney and used their transportion. I felt safer that way.

I will probably try the shuttle once early on and go to Hollywood Studio first which doesn't seem as bad as doing the rest of the parks. Then, I'll make my decision for the rest.

Thanks everyone for sharing your insight; it's appreciated.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess I will do a lot of talking with the hotel and driver if I try this on any day. I will make sure I get the answers I need once I'm person to person with them.

Honestly, I was thinking about it; because, I will be tired at the end of the day pushing a wheelchair. I felt it might affect my driving back to the resort. It's about a six mile drive back to the resort.

Using a scooter is out of the question in this case.

I have pushed a wheelchair there before, but I always had someone else driving or we stayed at Disney and used their transportion. I felt safer that way.

I will probably try the shuttle once early on and go to Hollywood Studio first which doesn't seem as bad as doing the rest of the parks. Then, I'll make my decision for the rest.

Thanks everyone for sharing your insight; it's appreciated.

This post has me a bit concerned for you. Why not stay on-site and enjoy not having to drive and not having to worry about being dropped so far out in the parkinglots? Wouldn't a value resort be a better option for you? That way you don't have to stress about being dropped out so far from the parks, and don't have to worry about driving when you are so worn out.

 

[Bete]

This post has me a bit concerned for you. Why not stay on-site and enjoy not having to drive and not having to worry about being dropped so far out in the parkinglots? Wouldn't a value resort be a better option for you? That way you don't have to stress about being dropped out so far from the parks, and don't have to worry about driving when you are so worn out.

This is really a long and complicated story. There are other variables like a dog coming with us in the picture. My last dog died in a kennel; so, I won't overnight a dog in a kennel anymore. It was a vet kennel, too and it still didn't help. The on property Disney kennels will run me $50 to $75 a day for the kennel I need and feel all right about. My new dog is not good with strangers; so, I need a kennel that has an in and out area for potty. Going back and forth to the kennel to take care of her would be even tougher than what I'm doing now if we stayed on property. I need to get there for the dog's meals in the kennel and some play time. My husband is joining us, but he won't go to Disney World and going to the kennel at Disney would not be something he would do properly; it's inconvenient and it takes more effort on his part for that to happen. That's a complicated story, too. He'll watch the dog and potty her while we are at Disney off site; so, I feel this is best. We are staying at a pet friendly resort. We have a big spacey room that's 830 square feet. This is 2 1/2 times bigger than most Disney rooms. I don't want to be totally alone at Disney with my mom; I need a safety net. She has many issues and I need the safety net of hubby being there or nearby. What if something happened to me? He has issues, too; so, I need to know he'll be all right, too. For one, he's diabetic and he has had issues when left alone with low blood sugar readings. He fractured his shoulder blade once because of the low blood sugar; this state gets you very dizzy. The whole story would take pages of information; so, this a short version of my issues.

I've thought about not going at all, but it's to the point if I don't do it now I won't do it later; my life is only going to get more complicated. I think I have a few years left of travel and then I'll be homebound for a long time. I feel compelled to do what I can, as I can, right now. I'm an only child with no children of my own; so, I can't really rely on that network for help, either. I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances.

To be honest if worse comes to worse I'll use a taxi. I'll see how it goes on a short day with the shuttle or car and then I'll make some further decisions about it all.