Official 'how to get from point A to point B while at WDW' thread.

[lonestarTX]

My sister's thinking about staying at a different hotel than us on our upcoming summer trip but we weren't sure if the buses will run between hotels...if we want to visit each other. I'm thinking no, but can't find the info anywhere.

Thanks!

 

[Alesia]

My sister's thinking about staying at a different hotel than us on our upcoming summer trip but we weren't sure if the buses will run between hotels...if we want to visit each other. I'm thinking no, but can't find the info anywhere.

Thanks!

They do not.

 

[goofy4tink]

My sister's thinking about staying at a different hotel than us on our upcoming summer trip but we weren't sure if the buses will run between hotels...if we want to visit each other. I'm thinking no, but can't find the info anywhere.

Thanks!

Some resorts are closer to each other than others. For instance...if you're thinking of staying at a deluxe resort....Boardwalk, Yacht Club and Beach Club are all very close to each other..within easy walking distance. And the Swan and Dolphin are there as well. Over at MK, the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are easily accessible from each other. And you can get to the WL easily from these as well.

It's when you stay at moderates or values that it gets a bit tougher. But, it is doable. You can head to a park and then take the bus to the other resort. It takes time but it's doable. Or, you can take cabs.

With that in mind...where are you all thinking of staying? We can give you more definitive thoughts if we know the resorts.

 

[lonestarTX]

Some resorts are closer to each other than others. For instance...if you're thinking of staying at a deluxe resort....Boardwalk, Yacht Club and Beach Club are all very close to each other..within easy walking distance. And the Swan and Dolphin are there as well. Over at MK, the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are easily accessible from each other. And you can get to the WL easily from these as well.

It's when you stay at moderates or values that it gets a bit tougher. But, it is doable. You can head to a park and then take the bus to the other resort. It takes time but it's doable. Or, you can take cabs.

With that in mind...where are you all thinking of staying? We can give you more definitive thoughts if we know the resorts.

We're currently booked at Art of Animation (value) b/c we need a family suite. I know All Star Music has family suites but my hope is that AoA will be better b/c it's new & not in need of renovations yet. My sister only needs a regular hotel room so maybe she can look into Pop Century since I think it's supposed to be w/in walking distance to AoA by a shared bridge. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

 

[DannysMom]

We're currently booked at Art of Animation (value) b/c we need a family suite. I know All Star Music has family suites but my hope is that AoA will be better b/c it's new & not in need of renovations yet. My sister only needs a regular hotel room so maybe she can look into Pop Century since I think it's supposed to be w/in walking distance to AoA by a shared bridge. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

It is true that when finished the AoA resort will be just across a foot bridge from Pop, but since it is opening in stages I don't know that that bridge will be accessable if you will be staying there shortly after opening. When are you planning your trip for?

Another thought, the All Stars often share buses. You may be able to take a bus from one to another or just walk depending on where your rooms are. Check out an All Stars resort map.

 

[lonestarTX]

It is true that when finished the AoA resort will be just across a foot bridge from Pop, but since it is opening in stages I don't know that that bridge will be accessable if you will be staying there shortly after opening. When are you planning your trip for?

Another thought, the All Stars often share buses. You may be able to take a bus from one to another or just walk depending on where your rooms are. Check out an All Stars resort map.

We're going for a short trip 6/21-24. I think I may have to switch my hotel to ASMu if we want to be near each other.

 

[skelooch]

Anyone who seeks to avoid parking fees is going to be for a huge surprise when they try to use the water parks or DTD for parking. There is no easy or quick way to do this. So, if these people want to avoid parking fees and give up that much park time, I guess it's up to them. I figure that if you can't afford to park, you have bigger issues. If you need to avoid parking fees, then you may want to rethink spending the money to go into the parks. But, that's just me.
It takes so much time to get to a park using this method. In all seriousness, I think people are going to use the resort lots to get into DHS and Epcot without paying to park...not the water parks.

I couldn't agree with you more, there are many ways to circumvent parking fees, if that's what you want to do. I just thought the policy here was not to discuss those sorts of things.

 

[joelkfla]

Learn something new every day. Let me ask you a question then. If I'm staying at BW, I would, I imagine, have to walk through Epcot, get a bus to BB to get to Winter-Summerland. But, then what happens when I want to return to BW??? Is it dependent on Epcot hours?? Just curious.

Yes, the Epcot resorts are the odd men out in this arrangement, as they're the only ones without connections to the Epcot buses.

It's been a couple of years since I've driven nights, and a lot has changed, so I can't tell you reliably what the current policy is.

In the past, I think anyone picked up at BB after Epcot closed would be dropped at their resort if it was nearby. Guests who found themselves at the front of Epcot and trying to get to an Epcot resort after the park was closed would be put on the DHS bus to get a boat at the Studios if the boats were still departing from there, or the DHS bus would drop them at their resort if boat service had ended.

The only way to get the definitive answer would be to ask current Epcot transportation cast at night.

 

[joelkfla]

I couldn't agree with you more, there are many ways to circumvent parking fees, if that's what you want to do. I just thought the policy here was not to discuss those sorts of things.

There was no discussion about avoiding parking fees. There was just a question about whether buses ran between the water parks and the theme parks, and I simply corrected incorrect info.

You can make whatever assumption you wish as to the OP's intent, but incorrect info should never be left uncorrected.

 

[cpl100]

I couldn't agree with you more, there are many ways to circumvent parking fees, if that's what you want to do. I just thought the policy here was not to discuss those sorts of things.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I read here that parking at the parks is free if one is staying onsite.

 

[goofy4tink]

I couldn't agree with you more, there are many ways to circumvent parking fees, if that's what you want to do. I just thought the policy here was not to discuss those sorts of things.

Absolutely true. My issue was that someone was given info that could have left them in the lurch...so wanted to be sure to let them know what the repercussions could possibly be, which is why it's not a good idea to park there.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I read here that parking at the parks is free if one is staying onsite.

Again, absolutely true. But, there are many offsite guests who try to avoid paying that huge parking fee. The funny thing is that most people don't realize you only have to pay for parking at one park per day. My ds just bought a seasonal AP, Fl resident one but the cheapest one that doesn't allow for free parking. He had no idea that he could park at MK in the morning and then move his car to, say, AK, later in the day, and only pay once for parking...just has to keep his receipt.

 

[cpl100]

Absolutely true. My issue was that someone was given info that could have left them in the lurch...so wanted to be sure to let them know what the repercussions could possibly be, which is why it's not a good idea to park there.


Again, absolutely true. But, there are many offsite guests who try to avoid paying that huge parking fee. The funny thing is that most people don't realize you only have to pay for parking at one park per day. My ds just bought a seasonal AP, Fl resident one but the cheapest one that doesn't allow for free parking. He had no idea that he could park at MK in the morning and then move his car to, say, AK, later in the day, and only pay once for parking...just has to keep his receipt.

Over the years I have been to Disney at least a dozen times. I did know one could move their car and avoid a second payment. I had no clue there was a way (which is seemingly not on the up and up since discussion of it is not allowed) to circumvent payment entirely.

 

[goofy4tink]

Over the years I have been to Disney at least a dozen times. I did know one could move their car and avoid a second payment. I had no clue there was a way (which is seemingly not on the up and up since discussion of it is not allowed) to circumvent payment entirely.

Let's see....drive to DTD, park there. Walk to one of the bus stop areas. Wait for a bus to a resort that is close to the park you want to go to. Now....depending on time of day, the wait could be anywhere from 10 mins to 45 mins!!! Buses back to resorts aren't all that frequent much before 10:30ish. Get to the resort of your choice and then either bus, walk, boat or monorail to the park. You have now taken between an hour to 90 mins to save $14. Can it be done? Sure. But, it's really ridiculously time consuming.
Again I say...if you have to go to these lengths to avoid the parking fee, perhaps you need to rework your vacation budget.

 

[cpl100]

Let's see....drive to DTD, park there. Walk to one of the bus stop areas. Wait for a bus to a resort that is close to the park you want to go to. Now....depending on time of day, the wait could be anywhere from 10 mins to 45 mins!!! Buses back to resorts aren't all that frequent much before 10:30ish. Get to the resort of your choice and then either bus, walk, boat or monorail to the park. You have now taken between an hour to 90 mins to save $14. Can it be done? Sure. But, it's really ridiculously time consuming.
Again I say...if you have to go to these lengths to avoid the parking fee, perhaps you need to rework your vacation budget.

This sounds like torture in the morning with small kids excited to 'get there' and even worse at the end of the day when they are exhausted.

 

[Ditdah]

I'm sorry for posting this, especially as a first post, but searching isn't working out for me - I must need to play with the search features more to get better results!

Anyhow, we're going to be at Pop for a short trip this weekend. I'm flying in from Ohio, but my brother and the fam live in Orlando, so they have resident passes and don't stay often in the hotels. We're doing MK on Saturday, from whenever we get checked into Pop (8:30-ish) until probably 7pm, back to Pop to put the little ones down, and a few adults back to MK till close. I can't tell if it's best to drive or take the hotel transportation for either or both of these trips. We will have 3 little ones, so we will have strollers for the day trip.

Also, on Sunday, we're planning on doing Epcot from whenever we get up and ready, till close. I read that after Illuminations, the busses are awful, and we should drive. But I also read that driving is a mess, and busses are better.

Any help with the best direction would be appreciated!

And in general, thanks to all of you on these DIS boards - you've been SO helpful in our planning!!

 

[tiggergalttfn]

I’ve tried to search but can’t seem to find the pairs I want. This is our 1st trip to Disney and staying at All Star Movies. We will be able to get a bus to all theme parks and DTD right? We are driving down - so driving to a location may be an option but looking for Disney Transport as much as possible.

• How do I get from MK to Whispering Canyon for dinner reservation? About how long will it take if have a 6:35 pm seating?
• How do I get from AK to Grand Floridian for dinner reservation? About how long will it take if have a 5:45 pm seating?
• How do I get from All Star Movies to Ft Wilderness campground for Mickey’s BBQ?

We are traveling in March and trying to get all the info ahead of time to get familiar with what we need to do while there. So excited for this trip!!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm sorry for posting this, especially as a first post, but searching isn't working out for me - I must need to play with the search features more to get better results!

Anyhow, we're going to be at Pop for a short trip this weekend. I'm flying in from Ohio, but my brother and the fam live in Orlando, so they have resident passes and don't stay often in the hotels. We're doing MK on Saturday, from whenever we get checked into Pop (8:30-ish) until probably 7pm, back to Pop to put the little ones down, and a few adults back to MK till close. I can't tell if it's best to drive or take the hotel transportation for either or both of these trips. We will have 3 little ones, so we will have strollers for the day trip.

Also, on Sunday, we're planning on doing Epcot from whenever we get up and ready, till close. I read that after Illuminations, the busses are awful, and we should drive. But I also read that driving is a mess, and busses are better.

Any help with the best direction would be appreciated!

And in general, thanks to all of you on these DIS boards - you've been SO helpful in our planning!!

Welcome to the DIS boards!! Great to see new 'faces'.
Anyway...you will find that Disney transportation works very well. Whether or not you decide to use it is completely up to you. When heading to MK, it's almost always easier to just hop on the bus from the resort. The buses to, and from, Pop are frequent. I have stayed at many WDW resorts and I think that Pop has probably the best bus service onsite. If you drive to MK, you have to go to the TTC, park, take the tram to the main transportation area, get either the ferry or monorail over to MK. It can be time consuming. If you take the bus, you are dropped a short walk to the main entrance. You can actually have your family drive to Pop and take the bus with you if you choose.
To other parks, it's a toss up....driving vs buses. With multiple strollers it might just be easier to drive. I'm assuming that you will have your family pick you up? Are you using DME to get to Pop?
As far as Epcot, after IllumiNations goes....you have a few choices. You can exit slowly, and get to the buses after the majority of others. Yes, the buses do get very full and busy after park closing, but this is the case with all the parks, not just Epcot. But it is a very short drive from Epcot back to Pop, so again, your choices as to what to do.
Hope you enjoy your trip!!!

I’ve tried to search but can’t seem to find the pairs I want. This is our 1st trip to Disney and staying at All Star Movies. We will be able to get a bus to all theme parks and DTD right? We are driving down - so driving to a location may be an option but looking for Disney Transport as much as possible.

• How do I get from MK to Whispering Canyon for dinner reservation? About how long will it take if have a 6:35 pm seating?
• How do I get from AK to Grand Floridian for dinner reservation? About how long will it take if have a 5:45 pm seating?
• How do I get from All Star Movies to Ft Wilderness campground for Mickey’s BBQ?

We are traveling in March and trying to get all the info ahead of time to get familiar with what we need to do while there. So excited for this trip!!

Buses run to all parks and to DTD from every resort...so no worries there. There is transportation between parks, but NO transportation between parks and DTD. And there is little transportation between resorts. So...how to get to your destinations...
MK to WCC....boat from MK to WL. As long as MK is open, it's a great transfer spot. If it is still open when you're done eating, take the boat back to MK and then bus to your resort. Leave MK by 5:30 for a 6:35 ADR. It's a very pleasant boat ride and it's nice to poke around the resort a bit if you're early.

AK to GF...you can take a bus directly from AK to the GF. To get to the GF for 5:45, leave AK by 5ish, maybe a bit sooner. If MK is still open when you're done, again, head there and take the bus back to the resort.

Movies to FtW...this one is hard for me. FtW is the only place I have issues with. And I'm not sure exactly where within FtW the bbq is located at. When I go to HDDR, I take the boat from MK. If I need to go to the other end, I take the bus to the main area of FtW. Perhaps someone else can help you with this one.

 

[Ditdah]

...When heading to MK, it's almost always easier to just hop on the bus from the resort. ...If you drive to MK, you have to go to the TTC, park, take the tram to the main transportation area, get either the ferry or monorail over to MK.
To other parks, it's a toss up....driving vs buses. With multiple strollers it might just be easier to drive. I'm assuming that you will have your family pick you up? Are you using DME to get to Pop?
Hope you enjoy your trip!!!

Thank you so much! It sounds like we should rely on busses for MK, and then just decide what we feel like for the other parks.

Actually, I'm heading to Florida in a few hours, and will be staying at my brother's house tonight, then we're all heading to POP/WDW tomorrow. They are staying there as well, just so we can all enjoy the total Disney experience! I'm so ecited I'm just about to POP!!

 

[SamC99]

We're staying at the All-Star Resort, but we need to meet some friends at WDW Swann, which would be the best way to get there?

We then need to get from WDW Swann to Epcot, then back to Polynesian at the end of the day, any help?

 

[goofy4tink]

We're staying at the All-Star Resort, but we need to meet some friends at WDW Swann, which would be the best way to get there?

We then need to get from WDW Swann to Epcot, then back to Polynesian at the end of the day, any help?

Depends on what time you need to be at the Swan. You can head to a park and then transfer to the Swan/Dolphin bus..it also serves Boardwalk. Or, you can take the bus to DHS from All Stars, then either walk or boat to the Swan. The walk is about 15 or so mins, boat is about the same. But, there could be wait time for the boat.
To get to Epcot, you can either walk (about 12 mins) or boat. If you walk, just exit the Swan, cross the bridge, keep on walking towards the Yachtclub/Beach Club resorts, on your left, lake on your right. You will arrive at the International Gateway, backdoor to Epcot.
Then, you take the monorail, from Epcot, to the Polynesian. It will drop you at the TTC, where you can either transfer to the resort monorail line, or you can just walk over to the Polynesian (about 8 mins).