OKW & Busses

[Sarangel]

We normally 'live' at BWV, but just got an exchange for OKW in March. Here's the question, how is the bus service from OKW to the parks & back? We will be travelling with a 10 month old, and I'm a little worried about long waits.

Many thanks

Sarangel

 

[CRobin]

You may get different opinions, but I would submit that the wait for OKW busses is no worse than what you have experienced at BWV.

Given the fact that if one desires to use DVC transportation at OKW, the busses are the only game (boats to DTD excluded). Therefore, you are "waiting" for more busses than at a comparable stay at BWV. And, in that case, the likelihood that you may hit a 20 min plus wait can increase.

Personally, never had a problem with the busses.

 

[BillPA]

My experience is that if you didn't have any problems with the bus service at BWV, you will be just fine at OKW.

 

[OneMoreTry]

We usually drive everywhere from OKW. The wait for buses seems long and there are quite a few stops. And your car is so close to your door.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have been at OKW 2 plus weeks in the past couple of months, and bus service has been MUCH improved from a few years ago. I want to preface that by saying that we have stayed at OKW about a dozen times in the past few years, and have never felt the bus service was bad, but lately, it has been incredible! In August, we never waited more than 10 minutes, and that was when we came up just as a bus was leaving. Last month, we hardly waited at all except for about 15 minutes once in the middle of the afternoon when we were returning from Animal Kingdom. In general, buses to the parks are good, but the AK bus stops at Blizzard Beach, so that one takes awhile. It isn't the wait that is so bad, but the trip itself.

 

[jarestel]

Though you may hear an occasional negative comment about transportation at any of the DVC resorts, I think it is pretty good on the whole. When we stayed at OKW, I thought it was exceptional. I wouldn't worry about this.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think a lot has to do with an individual's travel habits too. We usually get up and go to the parks early and come back for a midday break and return late afternoon. I suspect that is what a majority of folks do, and it works well with the transportation system. If you tend to go to and from the parks at more unusual times, there might not be as many buses running. The buses are less often in the middle of the afternoon. It's a simple result of less demand, so less are supplied.

 

[tarheel]

Hi. I just wanted to add my input. Our first trip we stayed at Boardwalk Inn. The busses wait time was fine, but all the stops at the YC and BC and Swan, ect got so annoying. Last Oct we were at OKW and had great bus service. Some people might complain that five stops inside OKW itself are annoying, but it goes quick and really was much better than the Boardwalk for us. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! Have a great time!

 

[sumessefui]

We were there the last two weeks of January and the buses were great. From about 8 to 9 AM there seemed to be a constant stream of buses. I would often see two and three buses to the same place go by within 15 minutes. The longest wait we had for a bus was 20 minutes, and that was because the bus we wanted had just left as we went to the bus stop.

 

[BWVDee]

The bus service at OKW is fine. It is no better or no worse then the bus service at any of the WDW resorts. I think WDW does a wonderful job with their bus service.
As someone else mentioned the main difference in the buses at OKW compared to your prior experience at BWV is that at OKW you need to rely on buses to get to all 4 parks, as opposed to the variety of options BWV offered you.

Some people might complain that five stops inside OKW itself are annoying, but it goes quick and really was much better than the Boardwalk for us.

I an confused how less bus stops at BWV could be more annoying and take longer then more stops at OKW?

 

[tarheel]

What I meant about the stops at BWV vs OKW was that at BWV we drove over to the Swan/Dolphin, then over to YC, then around to BCV then off to the parks. It wasn't all inside one "neighborhood" so it was more time consuming. Did that make it more clear, or did I confuse more? Just adding my experiences.

 

[BWVDee]

Thanks for the explanation, that has not been my experience when using the buses from both resorts though. That is why I was confused.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Sarangel
We normally 'live' at BWV, but just got an exchange for OKW in March. Here's the question, how is the bus service from OKW to the parks & back? We will be travelling with a 10 month old, and I'm a little worried about long waits.

Many thanks

Sarangel

Here's our experience from last August...we timed our waits and ride times...I encourage others to do so. We can all benefit by knowing what the waits are. We can pressure DVC to help shorten them as necessary. We have stayed at OKW many times and only drive to the parks occasionally because we like the bus service overall.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=427047

 

[FredS]

OKW bus service, in my experience, is MUCH better than bus service from the Epcot resorts. If you were okay with service at BWV, then you should be happy with OKW bus service.