Pop Buses

[Andrea73]

Okay. We are driving and will have a car. I am still trying to decide on driving vs buses.

I understand that going to MK, the bus is more efficient.

How about the other parks? Looking at the map, it would seem the others would be better by car. Is it easy to park and get in and out of the other parks?

Also, how long does it take to get from MK to Epcot by monorail?

One more, is there a bus from Epcot to DHS? Is it quicker than walking? Driving?

Thanks!!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

We normally rent a car, but on our last trip we decided to save some money.

Never again!!

If you believe that you won't be impatient waiting in uncovered lines at the bus stops (think intense sun or rain), don't travel much to other resorts for meals, don't travel to DTD, or don't mind waiting in tremendously long lines at park closing just to stand on a crowded bus with a lot of grouchy stinky people, or have a stroller or a small child that you don't mind holding while they sleep, then the buses are fine.

Also, we personally enjoy driving to MK vs taking the buses. Yes, it's not as efficient at times especially since Disney generally does a good job of having lots of buses at park opening to the MK. To us, MK is meant to be approached via car not bus. You park in the parking lot and leave behind the "real" world and board either the monorail or ferryboat for your entrance to the Magic Kingdom! We also find it no less efficient at park closing to take the ferry or monorail to our car than to wait for a bus after the fireworks. Plus, everyone is assured a seat. Mid-day trips to/from the MK are about 50/50 on whether or not it's faster. It all depends on how long you have to wait for a bus.

If you park hop, I would suggest driving from park to park. I know some may suggest parking in the park you plan to be at at the end of the day, but we find that less efficient. Yes, there are buses from park to park, but that can be slow at times.

Anytime, you rely on Disney Transportation, allow 30-45 minutes from place to place (this includes waiting times). It may only take 15 to 20, but that's only if you get lucky and walk right up to the bus stop/monorail stop as it's currently boarding. Driving generally takes us 10 to 20 minutes except to/from the MK where you have to allow extra time for MK for the monorail/ferry.

The only times we enjoyed the Disney buses was mid-afternoon where we met some very friendly people & enjoyed virtually empty buses with plenty of seating. However, it did seem that we had to wait 15 to 20 minutes each time we tried to catch a bus in mid-afternoon as they don't seem to come as often.

 

[ValinWV]

Magic Kingdom is the longest bus ride from POP. It takes about 25min. It only takes about 20 to Epcot and 15min to both HS and AK.

I don't know if there is a bus from EP to HS. We always take the Boat between EP and HS it is about a 30min boat ride.

I am not sure about the Monorail it didn't seem like a long ride. Maybe between 10 to 20min. Someone else may know more about this.

 

[MouseloverJD]

Just got back from POP. Found the transportation to be great, but then I'm used to taking public transportation. There is a bus from DHS to Epcot- used it last week Thursday. There is a walk involved, but again, it wasn't unbearable. I didn't think the trips from any of the parks to POP or vice versa were very long maybe 10-15 mins.

 

[BeckWhy]

I think this depends on your needs and/or wants. I have never rented a car. I've always used WDW transportation. But for my needs its perfect for me. I do believe its faster to drive to any of the parks than take a bus (prolly even MK even though the parking is far away). They say buses come every 20 min or so but that isn't always the case... in more than on instance I have waited over 45 min for a bus.

 

[PSUGuy]

We haven't rented a car since 2005 and unless we're planning a Uni/IOA trip we probably never will, and we're not 'Public Transportation' fans either. We're not anal enough to have timed the difference between getting from point A to point B by WDW transport vs a parked car, but based on our unscientific perception, there's just not enough of a difference, if any, to justify the expense and hassle of renting and driving. Also, often we'll stay at Swan or Dolphin and they now charge a daily parking fee.

I agree with the poster who complimented Pop's bus service, we stayed there last Oct and it was the best we ever experienced, and we've done Pop, AllStar Music/Sports, Swan, Dolphin, POR, POFQ and BoardWalk.

Bill From PA

 

[Belle & Ariel]

We always drive to the World and use busses once there.
I think Pop has the same great bus service we have had at the deluxes.
You can walk or take a boat from the back of Epcot to DHS. It is almost always faster to walk since the boat will stop at Yacht/Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Swan/Dolphin.
I think it is faster to wait for and ride a bus which lets you off at the front of the park than to walk to your car, drive, park, and walk to the entrance or wait for a tram.
A huge benefit of the busses is they are air conditioned when you step on as opposed to your car which has sat in the hot Florida sun for hours.

 

[trekker93]

Usually, the buses are very quick , and the drivers are nice. At Pop , all you have to do is walk out front and get in the line for the park you are going to visit. The buses usually show up every 15-20 minutes so it's nice. Coming back, you can get on in the parks and relax going back - as long as there aren't too many standing!

 

[wildcatfan]

Okay. We are driving and will have a car. I am still trying to decide on driving vs buses.

I understand that going to MK, the bus is more efficient.

How about the other parks? Looking at the map, it would seem the others would be better by car. Is it easy to park and get in and out of the other parks?

Also, how long does it take to get from MK to Epcot by monorail?

One more, is there a bus from Epcot to DHS? Is it quicker than walking? Driving?

Thanks!!

I just noticed you are leaving tomorrow! Have a great trip! I personally think the buses at Pop are great! But that will be up to the user. IMO, I like not having to deal with our own vehicle and letting someone else do the driving. It also gives me a chance to meet some neat people.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I like options so I use both, whichever I perceive to be the most convenient at the time. It's only costing me $211 for 9 days rental for my upcoming trip for the car. That is for a Dodge Caliber style vehicle. The family and baggage will use DME and I will pick up the car. The buses at POP are convenient with direct routes to all the major parks. I once took a bus from the CR and it had an intermediate stop which surprise me since it was a deluxe.

 

[skipperkim]

I've only stayed at Pop once and the bus to DHS to get to see the Osborne Lights was unreal. It was over 45 min, maybe over an hr.

That said, I prefer to take the bus. It's part of my 'fantasy' while I'm there. As soon as I cross under the Welcome to WDW sign all realities stay there. So no troubles and no worries are allowed at my happy place. It doesn't bother me to wait in the evening for a bus. I linger in the park for over an hour anyways, so there's never really that much of a line.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We stayed at POP in June - rented a car.
We stayed at POP in Dec - used buses.

We are staying at POP in Aug - renting a car.


I will say that the bus system was very efficient. We didn't wait long for buses to and from any park. But we loved the freedom and flexibility of having our own car. We got around the World and in and out of parks MUCH faster than using the buses.
If you are going in the heat, the buses at POP are uncovered.
The other *bad* is that at a few parks (can't remember specifically which one) the POP bus stop is the absolute laaaast stop. At the end of a long day it was an extra bit of walking we didn't love.

 

[BYC]

Do you have a GPS? If so, go to Mousesavers and download their POI for your GPS. We did that in January, and our GPS got us everywhere...dead on! All of Disney, Universal, Seaworld and Busch Gardens. Exactly right. So worth it!

 

[NewEnglander]

Magic Kingdom is the longest bus ride from POP. It takes about 25min. It only takes about 20 to Epcot and 15min to both HS and AK.

I don't know if there is a bus from EP to HS. We always take the Boat between EP and HS it is about a 30min boat ride.

I am not sure about the Monorail it didn't seem like a long ride. Maybe between 10 to 20min. Someone else may know more about this.

You must have had a very slow driver.

 

[Andrea73]

Do you have a GPS? If so, go to Mousesavers and download their POI for your GPS. We did that in January, and our GPS got us everywhere...dead on! All of Disney, Universal, Seaworld and Busch Gardens. Exactly right. So worth it!

Thanks! I just downloaded it! I appreciate the replies from everyone. I can't believe we are leaving in the morning!

 

[BamaFan121s]

I think that DHS and AK are very convenient parks to drive to if you don't want to take the bus as well as DTD and TL. (Those seem to take forever to get to no matter what resort you are traveling from.

I will say that I don't like the uncovered bus stops at POP. But then again, if it's raining or hot there, then chances are it will be in the parks too, so....

We've stayed at POP 3 times. In all honesty, 2/3 times we were extremely dissatisfied with the bus service overall. The lines leaving the park for POP were always ridiculously long it seemed and sometimes it took a very long time to get a bus. Not sure if that is always the case, or if it was just bad timing, but that was my experience.

 

[greenmyvalley]

Have a great trip, Andrea73!

I'm going in a few days too, and I was wondering about late-night service to DTD. Is it excessively slow? I have a 9:55 PM ADR at 'Ohana one night, and it would require a bus transfer to get back to Pop Century. I'm not sure whether I want to take a cab because I'm used to taking public transportation, and it's hard for me to justify paying $20 when I can get around for free.