POR bus service horrible!!

[2timer]

We just returned ourselves from WDW and stayed at POP! Great bus service, but our friends stayed at POR and they waited 30 plus minutes every day to go anywhere,....it was soooo bad that many times they waited 30 minutes and....then....."gave up".........and went swimming instead! They said they would never stay there again! We were to meet up with them many times and they were sooo late that they missed many fun events that we were able to do! I hated it so much for them!!! I just wanted to start this thread to let others know what they experienced. They were there May 23-30th.

We loved POP....buses were loading all the time and sometimes 2 at a time!!!

 

[gracelrm]

We were at POR from June 5 - 12. We rarely had to wait more than 10 minutes to be picked up at POR the entire trip. On one occasion, we waited close to 25 minutes for an Epcot bus on a EMH morning and some woman chewed out the driver for being so late - I felt bad for the guy. I guess they learn to "take it". One night leaving Epcot after Illuminations - the line for POFQ/R was INCREDIBLY long. I thought it would take us hours to get out of there. We waited as two busses loaded and pulled out and we still weren't even in the maze yet. Anyway, as we waited three busses pulled up almost simultaneously and loaded a slew of people and as we pulled off, I noticed there were two more busses beginning to load. I was pleased with the bus service and sorry for what your friends experienced.

 

[eeyore45]

These reports drive me crazy!!

My first thoughts with the long waits for buses (resorts hold over 2,000 - 6,000) was maybe some of the drivers have been shifted over to Magical Express???

Then I read where others have no problems, with Disney sending 2 buses (as I would assume they would!) to pick up long lines -

I can honestly say I'm glad my parents are driving, so I have a back up plan!!

 

[shirleyb]

We were not overly impressed with the busses at POR, and after a few days, other than at MK, we started driving most places. After it took us an hour to get to Typhoon Lagoon one day, that was it. The next time we drove and were there in minutes.

Other than that, I love POR and will definitely stay there again.

 

[AaronandJessica]

Last October we stayed at the Coronado Springs, which was ok, but toooooo large for it’s self. We waited over 40 mins to catch the bus daily. The only night that really bothered me was the Halloween Mickey Party.

I went as Captain Jack Sparrow and my Husband was Neo from the Matrix. People thought we worked there and were greeters as the other busses arrived. People ALMOST thought I was a guy till I talked. It was so much fun!

Jessica

 

[Ilovestitch]

I've found people experience long waits more often at resorts that have multiple busstops- like the moderates. I still love CBR, you just have to be patient sometimes.

A lot of the deluxes share busses, too, and it can be a pain. Like if you stay at GF and take a bus to the AK- on the way back you will stop at CR and Poly first.

I think AKL and Pop are the only two resorts that don't share and have 1 single busstop. I really like that.

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

Sorry your friends had such bad bus experience, I hate that for anyone. When we stayed at POR the bus service was great however, this was during the refurb of POFQ so they weren't picking up both. Of course when we stayed at POFQ last Dec. and they were picking up both we had no problems. I think sometimes it's just the luck of the draw with the busses.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

The multiple bus stops for the Mods and Values are one of the main reasons we always stay Deluxe. Sorry for your inconvienience!

 

[brentalex]

We had the same bad bus experience when we stayed at the POR a few years ago. And it is too bad because other than that, the resort itself is wonderful. beautiful grounds, the use of two nice pools plus the small pools. The boat to DTD is great, but the buses to the parks are just the pits. We tend to go at fairly busy times because of the need to go during school vacations so the buses are always crowded. There were times that by the time they got to the last two stops at POR, the bus was full and they just drove right by the stop. I don't want to have to rent a car, we are on vacation and not driving is one of the perks. So, I will never stay there again, unless I hear that they have somehow modified the bus routes.

 

[Disney_dude]

We stayed at the POP too last week. I like the bus system, didn't mind standing. We did have a lunch at the Wilderness Lodge one day. We decided to take the bus from MK to Wilderness Lodge. We waited for that bus for at least 30 minutes. I never had to wait that long at POP even if we missed the bus. You would think that resort is so close to the MK it would cycle faster than that.

 

[Lewisc]

The multiple bus stops for the Mods and Values are one of the main reasons we always stay Deluxe. Sorry for your inconvienience!

NOT TRUE
The only resorts without multiple stops are the AKL (deluxe) and POP (value). All the other buses have multiple stops either within the resort or with multiple resorts.

 

[Buzz2001]

NOT TRUE
The only resorts without multiple stops are the AKL (deluxe) and POP (value). All the other buses have multiple stops either within the resort or with multiple resorts.

When we stayed at the Cont, there was only one stop at the Cont, one stop at the Poly and one stop at GF. That was one of the reasons we didn't care for it

 

[sammax]

We stayed at POFQ in May, and never waited more than 10 minutes at the resort for a bus. One night at EPCOT we waited about 30 min for a bus back to the resort. Yes, the bus did make the stops at POR, but it wasn't a big deal, and we never spent more than 30 minutes getting to any park. I enjoyed the bus service and it's one of the reasons I'm going back and staying on site.

 

[hotveggy]

We stayed at POR for our honeymoon May 22-26 and were very disappointed with the bus service. it wasn't too bad going to the parks, but on the way home we always had to wait at least 2-3 buses. absolutely ridiculous, especially when we would see 2-3 buses for POP before we saw one for PO. not sure if we will stay there again, seem like we had better luck with transportation with ASMo!

 

[2timer]

We love Pop and I agree that because it is a resort that has only itself for a bus stop...the bus service at POP was GREAT!!!

We loved Pop and so did the other resort guests we talked too!

Pop for us from know on!!!

 

[Harmony]

We stayed at the POR last summer and hated the bus service too.

This summer we stayed at POP. The bus service...overall...was great. However, there was one evening when we waited approx 25 minutes for an EPCOT bus. That wasn't the norm, however...so everything else went great.

 

[fam4jc]

OP - which of the port orleans resorts were your friends staying at? We are scheduled to stay at PORR in July. My friends stayed there last October and loved everything, including the bus service. We just got back from the Pop and was very impressed with their bus service. One early morning (trying to get to a 8am ps) my dd even got to get on the radio to call a bus to take us to the MK! I think the crowd level must effect the bus schedule. The key is to just be patient and plan for a little wait. That way if you get on earlier you are pleasantly surprised. I do hate waiting in long lines when the parks close, but that is just part of the reality.

My guess, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, is that the cm's try very hard to watch the crowds at all the bus stops and keep the busses moving to compensate. They want everyone happy. But at times when the resorts are full, you will just have to wait or drive yourself.

 

[gigi1313]

this thread is making me nervous! we LOVED pop! bus service was outstanding, and the dispatcher also let my kids radio for buses in the morning, which they loved! we opted to stay at POFQ on our next trip and now i'm worried that we will be disappointed w/the buses... should we switch our ressies to pop?! i really wanted a bigger room, better pool area, boat to dtd, etc but not if those "extras" mean long hot miserable waits for buses! oh?! what to do?!

 

[dizagain]

HI! We stayed at POFQ the last week of May and didn't have any major problems. Sure, over the course of a week we had to wait about 30 minutes two or three times. We probably waited 15-20 a few times as well, but the rest of the time it was under 10 minutes. We were very relaxed about it and enjoyed a week free from driving. I'll admit I got frazzled the tiime we were headed to MK for Spectro and didn't get picked up until 8:40. We ended up getting perfect spots for both Spectro and Wishes so it all ended well.

POFQ does have the advantage of always getting serviced first - a big plus. We LOVE POFQ and will stay here again if we can't save enough for a deluxe which is our goal! If you can put yourself in the right frame of mind and go with the flow, bus service is awesome and i think WDW does an excellent job of handling so many people each day.

 

[belleandthebeast]

I stayed at POFQ and POR. We did have waits @ POR but they weren't that long. We were picked up and dropped off @ the North Depot.

If the wait was longer, I would have went back to my room (it was right around the corner) and called the front desk to tell them. I thought the wait was pretty much the same compared to ASMo.

Overall, I guess it depends when you go and to be prepared to wait for a bus if necessary. Or you can always drive!