Please tell me about your experiences with transportation at the WL?

[Karebear]

Hello

My husband and I are planning on taking ds and dd to WDW for their first trip in Nov. 05. My husband would like to stay at the WL (we have never stayed there before). DS will be 2 and DD will be almost 1 so we will have a double stroller, etc. I know that there is a boat to the MK--but what about the other parks? How is the bus transportation? Would we be better off just driving our car? Please share all of your experiences--good and bad. Thanks!

 

[sjc]

It has been about one year since our stay, but I thought transportation was excellent. The boat to and from magic kingdom was great and made for a far more relaxing trip than the busses. We also had no problems with busses to both water parks and Epcot. I think the longest we waited was 15 minutes... Others may have more recent experiences.... steve c

 

[Lollipop Mom]

We rented points from a fellow DISer to stay at the VWL at the end of April. We had our sons (2 and almost 4 at the time) with us so we had the big double stroller and "magic hold everything bag" to contend with too. I had read all sorts of horror stories about transportation at the WL so I was a little concerned but we live in Atlanta so we drove down and I figured if it was bad, we'd just use our car. Turns out we didn't need to . We valet parked it on arrival and didn't see it again till it was time to head home. We couldn't have asked for anything better in terms of transportation. We only waited more than 10 minutes or so for a bus/boat once and that was at park closing for Epcot. We could have gotten on a bus right away but we would have had to stand. We elected to wait for the next bus instead so we could sit.

The boat to the MK was great! Very relaxing and some great CMs on the boats. I had heard people saying they didn't like the boats b/c they were shared with Ft. Wilderness so it always took a long time to get to the MK. We never had a problem with this. In high traffic times each location had their own boat so we were never delayed at park opening, at dinner time or park closing. Once or twice we did have to make a stop at Ft. Wilderness on the way back "home" for our afternoon break but it wasn't often. Don't forget that there is a boat that goes between the WL and the Contemporary too. Use that as well. On two seperate park openings it was getting crowded on the dock waiting for the boat to the MK. When the Contemporary boat got there first we took it and then walked to the MK gates (maybe a 5-7 min walk). You could also take the monorail but we didn't want to fool with getting the stroller up to the concourse and then having to ride the full loop before getting to the MK so we just walked. At least one of those days we beat the people waiting for the MK launch. As we were going in the ticket turnstiles, DH pointed out that people who were waiting for it were just walking up to the bag check point. Use this boat at park closing too. Hop a monorail to the Contemporary and get on a boat from there. If it's rainy or there is a REALLY long wait, hop a monorail to the Contemporary and catch a cab to the WL. It's only a $5 fare.

Have a great trip! You'll love the WL!

 

[Kimberle]

We stayed at WL for a week last Sept, slow season. But the lodge was busy!

We loved the transportation. The large boat to MK runs about every 20 minutes during the day. You can just roll your stroller on. (goes WL/FW/MK, any order) There is another small boat that goes WL/FW/CR, any order. You will have to fold your stroller. It also runs every 20 minutes. It's so convienent to hop over to Chef Mickeys or Trails End.

The other parks are served by buses. There is a bus to FW and a bus to the TTC. WL is always the first stop, so you should have no problems finding seats.

We thought the transportation was excellent, both coming and going. We rarely waited more than 5-10 minutes.

 

[skiwee1]

I'll be the loner here to say that I think transportation is horrible at the WL. I do think the lobby is the most beautifully themed resort Disney offers but that isn't enough for me to ignore the poor transportation. I also think the rooms are way too cramped and the pool overcrowded because of size. If money were an issue I would stay there but if you want a true deluxe and money isn't an issue I would go for the Poly. Rooms are huge, pool is wonderful, view is perfect, and it's on the monorail.

 

[Gary M]

To show you the differences in experiences and taste, we have stayed at the WL 18 times and the Poly once. We didn't care for the Poly at all, but love the WL. We have stayed at these WDW resorts GF, WL, Poly, BWI, AKL and DL. The WL and FW are the only two resorts that have buses to the TTC and the boat ride to MK takes less than 10 minutes before 3 pm. The buses run every 15 to 20 minutes to most locations. Like any WDW resort if you just miss the bus then you will have a longer wait for the next one. The WL transportation is not always perfect, but neither are the other resorts transportation. More than once, we were stuck for several minutes on the monorail because of traffic problems, mechanical troubles or testing. We used the monorail when staying at the Poly and have stayed at the GF eight times.

DW and I are fortunate that money isn't an issue for us and we will stay at the WL before anyplace else.


We found the transportation to be fine at the WL.

 

[KarenP99]

Kim - RE: Folding the Stroller

We stayed at the BW and used the boat to go to MGM, never had to fold the stroller. I also remember on past trips to WL, seeing strollers on the boats with kids in them.

This was one of the draws for us to stay at VWL this Sept, the easy access w/kids in stroller to the MK.

Have things changed? Anyone?

Thanks

 

[rileyroosmom]

Just stayed at the WL in May and loved it! Had no problems with transportation, never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and the boats came every 20 minutes. It was very convienant to let my sleeping daughter stay in the stroller and roll her on the boat. We did share the boat with FW but WL is first on and off. Did take a little extra time when we went to FW but just sit back and enjoy. Pool is great although I did expect it to be bigger but it was never a problem. Many complain about the room size. I didn't have a problem at all. There was a Queen and bunks, a table and two chairs and an armoire. Still left room to roll the stroller in and left it open. Double sink is out of room with toilet and tub. We had 5 people me, DH, DS10, DS7 and DD2. I was very happy, how much time do you spend in a room anyway? Only time space was tricky was when we ordered pizza after coming back from park. Wasn't enough room at table for all so the adults ate on the bed. Room service was very efficent and we got real plates and silverware as well as cloth napkins, all for a pizza!
Don't worry, I believe you will love it like the rest of us!

 

[Karebear]

Thanks to all for your replies. We will probably rent a car, but it sounds as if transportation should not be a problem (but it is nice to have as back-up). I feel better after hearing so many possitive experiences!

 

[PamNC]

please take a car. We stayed there last year and found the transportation, boat and bus to be sloooooow. It felt so far removed even though there's a launch to the MK. I would only stay there if I had a car.

PamNC

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by PamNC
please take a car. We stayed there last year and found the transportation, boat and bus to be sloooooow. It felt so far removed even though there's a launch to the MK. I would only stay there if I had a car.

PamNC

I agree. It seems no one wants to mention the part where MK closes and you have to wait 2 hours for a boat! Ack!!! It is sooooooooo frustrating because you are so close to your resort yet you have to wait 2 hours through hoards of other WL and Ft. W. guests before you get your cranky self and exhausted kids back to the comfort of their bed because the boats are few and far between. I do go to WDW to relax but I would prefer to do it at the resort then stuck in a hot boat with a lot of other hot people going out of the way before going to the MK. We haven't stayed there in 2 years but did go visit there this May. We love Whispering Canyon and the lodge lobby itself so went there to eat. Just in that one trip over and back to the WL made me thankful we weren't staying there. I think it is great that we can enjoy the best part of the WL by visiting it for a few hours and then returning to our resort afterwards.

 

[Geoff_M]

WL is our favorite resort, which is why we bought into DVC there! We've stayed there three times for a total of about 16 nights and only had an issue with transportation on two occasions.

1) After E-Night the boat wasn't running. So we had to take the Monorail to the TTC and then take the FW/WL bus. It took over 45 minutes for the first such bus to show up.

2) Going to PI from WL. It took over 45 minutes.

Other than that the transportation was no problem when we used it. If the MK boat is busy, a great "Plan B" is to use the CR launch boat and walk to MK or take the Monorail.

 

[cruiseonmagic]

Hi there,
The cruisers (there are 3 that hold 120 passengers each) from WL to MK runs approx every 15-20 minutes. They begin 30 min prior to park opening. Usually one is docked at FW, and one at WL at that 30 min mark and will leave as soon as the guests are aboard. It's not unusual for the first boat to fill up with the guests who are already waiting on the dock and leave by 25 til. The third boat will follow the other two, normally stopping at FW then WL. The first two boats then return to FW and WL again with the third following up. When traffic slows, the boats begin the normal cycles MK, FW, WL, MK before 3pm, and MK, WL, FW, MK after 3pm.

The boats run until 45 min after park closing (or until the MK dock is clear). They do run on E ride nights. Tonight it was until 245 am.

When MK closes, unless a guest is already on the dock, they
will have a wait. That is for the ferry boat to the ttc, or the monorail (for those who drove their own cars) , or for the 3 cruisers and the additional 1-3 launches added to the route at closing. 2 hours? No. 99 times out of 100 , two hours after park closing the boat pilots have already put the boats away, traveled back to base and are on the way home.

I really can't see the boat being slower than taking a car to mk. Let's see--load the stroller, walk to parking lot unload stroller, fold and pack stroller, drive to mk parking, unpack stroller, reload stroller, walk or tram to monorail or ferryboat, 7 min boat ride or 5 min monorail OR load stroller, walk to dock, get on boat (you don't need to unload and fold the stroller on the cruiser), 10 min ride, get off at MK. Providing the ferry, cruiser and monorail were at the dock or station, the cruiser will get to mk faster than the people in the car 100% of the time with less hassle.