Poly to DTD...best way?

[JennyD23]

Hi, we are staying at the Poly for the first time this June and I am wondering how long it takes to get to downtown disney, we won't have a car. Thanks for your help!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

The only 'free' transporation that the Poly offers is the Poly to DTD bus. This bus makes stops at Typhoon Lagoon as well as 2 stops at DTD. I found that it also stopped at the Contemporary and/or Fort Wilderness. I've taken that bus a few times and I am not sure why it went to different hotels each time but this was in 2007 & 2009.

I have found that the bus TO DTD isn't a bad ride (with only one stop at TL) but the ride back has a lot of stops. These buses also seem to run with less frequency than the parks. EVERYTIME I get a bus from DTD to the Poly, I am waiting 20 to 30 minutes at least. Perhaps I just missed the last bus, but this is my personal experience.

With all that said, I like to save my money and use all the free transportation. BUT from now on, I will take a taxi from the Poly to DTD. The wait, especially on the way back, is too long and there are a lot of stops.

 

[swald91]

Bus. But a few people would recommend taxi. If you have dinner reservations-I would definitely plan in advance-we had them & it just happened that day they had issues with the DTD bus!!! People were waiting 45 when we got there & they too had reservations-I believe they ended up being late....

 

[iloveeeyore]

The only really slow transportation we have ever encountered to/from the Poly was to/from DTD. I think this is a property-wide problem (except POFQ/POR, which have the boat), not just the Poly. The bus works fine, but can take a very, very (did I say VERY?) long time. If you are pressed for time, take a taxi!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The Polynesian is actually the 2nd resort to be picked up by the bus when going to Downtown Disney, because it also shares with the Contemporary which is the 1st stop and the Grand Floridian which is the 3rd stop.

 

[CleveRocks]

Everyone is correct, the only direct way to get to DTD from Poly is by bus from the Poly bus stop.

We took a taxi from Poly to DTD one time ... we had an ADR but were tired from a day at the parks, and we rested as long as possible and then caught a taxi to DTD, almost directly to the T-Rex Cafe. This saved us time in that we didn't need to wait for a bus and we didn't need to walk from the DTD bus stop to the T-Rex Cafe, which is basically all the way across the Marketplace section of DTD from the bus area.

But it wasn't necessary for us to do ... it was a choice based upon wanting to give our kids as much time as possible to rest before going to dinner and at the same time not stress over whether we'd be on-time for our ADR. We took the bus back to Poly after dinner and shopping. The kids enjoyed getting questions about the Build-A-Dinos they were taking back to the resort!

 

[JennyD23]

Thanks for the input. Has anyone ever taken the bus to the resorts you can take the boat from. I remember from our last trip at Coronado Springs how LONG we waited for our bus and how long the trip was. Trying to maximize time at our resort and parks, thinking a taxi is probably the way to go. How much would one cost from the Poly, anyone know? Thanks!

 

[CleveRocks]

I don't remember exactly, but I know that our taxi ride from the Poly's porte cochere to the area of T-Rex Cafe and McDonald's in DTD was in the neighborhood of $20 + tip.

 

[sandym718]

I've only taken a Disney bus once ever, and that was this past May from DTD to the Poly. We drive to WDW, so we use the monorail to MK, Epcot, CR, GF and then drive everywhere else. We just find it simpler. But that evening I wanted to shop a little longer and DH and the kids wanted to swim again, so he drove them back and I hopped the bus. I did have to wait about 25 minutes for it, and it was pretty crowded. I don't remember the exact length, but I do remember wanting it to be over. I tend to get motion sick on lengthy bus rides, and I was just starting to feel that twinge and then it was time to get off. It was fine, but I definitely am glad we don't normally have to use the buses. I know my kids would have been antsy waiting the 25 minutes and they would have had to sit on our laps or we would've been standing, etc. Not too fun. I don't think DH would've been thrilled either - we don't get in RIDE lines longer than 20 minutes, he really wouldn't want to wait for a BUS that long (on a regular basis).

 

[brucec32]

I believe you can walk over to the Ticket and Transportation Center next door to the Poly and take a bus to DTD from there. Since that services more than just the small number of passengers from a single resort odds are it would run more frequently and also be a direct non-stop trip. I'm sure others with Polynesian experience could provide details on that.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I believe you can walk over to the Ticket and Transportation Center next door to the Poly and take a bus to DTD from there. Since that services more than just the small number of passengers from a single resort odds are it would run more frequently and also be a direct non-stop trip. I'm sure others with Polynesian experience could provide details on that.

There is no direct bus from the TTC - Downtown Disney.

 

[CleveRocks]

There is no direct bus from the TTC - Downtown Disney.

CR is correct.

There are only 2 regular Disney Transport bus routes at the TTC. One goes to Animal Kingdom and back, and one goes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and back.

 

[BabyRN]

Can you take a boat from Poly to MK and then catch another boat to DTD?

 

[JCornell]

Can you take a boat from Poly to MK and then catch another boat to DTD?

No. You can boat between POFQ/POR and DTD but that water route is completely separate from the water that MK is on.

 

[puntagordabob]

bus is best option using disney transport..... other resorts with boat to DTD that I did not see mentioned is Old Key West & Saratoga Springs Resort.