Please tell me about the boat from Disney (MGM) Studios to Beach Club...

[Local_Girl]

Hi,

I'm interested in some info about the boat that runs between the Beach Club and the Studios. How long does it take to go either way? Does it take longer one way or the other because of stops at the other Epcot resorts? How early and late do these boats run? How often do they run? And (if all else fails ) how is the walk between the Studios and the Beach Club?

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[Mickeydad]

It's not very long. The boat stops at BC/YC & BW. The stops are very short. People are already in line, so once the boat stops people get on, and people get off. No time at all.

I would say it take a total of 15-20 minutes each way. That's not bad. I don't know the times it runs, but pretty much throughout the day.

 

[zulaya]

Would you say the boat is faster or would walking to the Studios be better?

 

[Mickeydad]

Well, it depends on who you're walking with...

if you have 5 - 8 year olds (like we do) and are not in carriages, the boat is the way to go. The walk is a bit long (sort of). I mean, if your kids don't mind walking a bit, then walk. But if they are going to get tired easily, then do the boat.

Don't know if that helps?

 

[Local_Girl]

Thanks for the reply Mickeydad!

 

[Local_Girl]

Thanks for the reply Mickeydad!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Originally posted by Local_Girl
Hi,

Does it take longer one way or the other because of stops at the other Epcot resorts? How early and late do these boats run? How often do they run?

Same stops each way = same time each way

Boats run until the parks are empty, just like the buses, but you will have a long wait just after Illuminations or Fantasmic because of the crowds. Only one boat can dock at a time, and you might have to wait for a second boat.

If you stayed in a park well beyond closing (to finish a late meal in a restaurant say) you might find the boats have stopped running.

Andrew

 

[PatMcDuck]

We had a fiasco in August with those boats, between MGM and BC. A storm came up, and the boats stopped running. I was sent all over the place in a downpour trying to find out how to return to my hotel. (I exited park just as first rain began to fall) There is no bus. I am a frequent visitor to WDW, and a CM, and this experience had me furious! Not at the weather situation, at all the chaos. We were told all different things from security, the transportation window there, and Guest services. (Guest services told me to walk, or pay for a cab. I said if it is not safe to go on a boat, it is not safe to walk along a canal)

Finally we saw another security guard, with a small group of people, and he directed us onto an AK bus that they converted to a BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin bus......... This was an hour after the boats stopped running. My feeling was, if you shut down the boats, start running a bus, and have a system to inform guests what to do, where to go.

 

[momoftigger]

If you wanted to take the boat ride around the lagoon just for scenery, where would you park if you had your own car?

 

[Ralph&Pam]

You could park at the BoardWalk complex in the self-park lot for BW visitors, not in the lot used by BW guests. This lot is provided for visitors to the BW to eat, shop, use the BW, etc.

There are two gates at the BW boat dock. One takes you to Epcot and the other to MGM. All boats follow a circular route: Epcot-BW-YC/BC-S/D-MGM-S/D-YC/BC-BW-Epcot, so the BW stop is the last stop prior to Epcot and the first stop after leaving Epcot. If you take the boat to MGM, it will stop at the YC/BC, then S/D, then MGM and reverse the route. You could also easily walk from the S/D dock back to the BW parking if you want to take less time. The complete circuit takes about 30 minutes. Boats are scheduled to run every 20 minutes through most of the day.

Ralph

 

[zulaya]

Would it be quicker to just drive from BC to MGM rather than take/wait for the boat?

 

[momoftigger]

Thank you so much Ralph!

 

[momof2sons]

We stayed at the YC last year and walked from MGM after the SpectroMagic show. The line for the boat was long and we would have to wait for a second boat to come. We decided to walk making it a game. We walked at a normal speed and even stopped to see a frog on the path. The first boat passed us so we thought we lost the race. By the time we got to our resort we had found the boat that had passed us was just docking. So it seems it was a tie. If we would have waited for the second boat it would have been app. 20 min later. The path was well lit and paved.

 

[minniecarousel]

I think we'll only take the boat to the Studios if it's REALLY hot - or our feet are done for the day!