POR bus

[hedge333]

I have heard some really negative reviews of the buses at POR. We will be there the first week of April. Is the main bus stop the best place to catch the bus or will we be ok using another stop, if that stop is more conveient to our room?

 

[minnie mum]

We've stayed at POR a few times and I never recall having a problem with the buses. Any given resort can have transportation issues on any given day. And of course when the crowd levels are high and the resorts are packed there is increased demand for the buses, but Disney does what it can to meet this demand. A lot of the reviews have as much to with the riders as with the buses. Some folks are just not patient enough to wait 20 min between buses (the average wait time) or can't handle a packed standing room only bus. Others are a bit more laid back or patient and don't experience the same angst.

But to answer your question as to which bus stop to use- really it depends on where you're going to be when you're ready to leave. If it's right after breakfast and you're in the main building, then it makes sense to use that bus stop. But if you'll be in your room, then just use the bus stop closest to you. You'll end up on the same bus either way.

 

[fla4fun]

We have had a few instances of the bus being so packed by the time it reached the last stop, that it just didn't stop and we had to wait for another one. That's one reason we prefer FQ over R. So if your room is close to the last stop, and you are traveling at peak hours, it might be better to walk to a different stop, just in case.

 

[DJFan88]

I have heard that during busy times it's best not to try and load at the "East station" and plan to walk over to the main station.

 

[hedge333]

Thank for the info. I'm not worried about standing room only. I think that was how every bus we rode in June 2010 was. I just don't want to be at a stop and have to explain to my 3yo why it passed us. We don't mind a walk so if it's not too far we'll probably use the main stop.

 

[gatormouse]

We have never really experienced the bus issues at POR that we keep hearing about, but I really think it depends on the time of day you use them, and of course, the time of year you go. First week of April is a Spring Break week, so I imagine the buses will be crowded no matter where you stay or when you try to ride. Usually, if the bus looks crowded when it arrives, and several are boarding, we will just wait for the next one anyway. It pays to be patient.

 

[goofy4tink]

You will see posts regarding bad bus service for every single resort at WDW. In all reality, it all depends on what your expectations are. If you feel that you want to get to a bus stop at 8:30am, half an hour prior to rope drop, and get your entire group seats, then you are going to be disappointed.
But, if you don't mind standing, or you leave the resort an hour prior to rope drop, then you should be just fine.

When we stay at POR, we usually head to the food court for a quick bite of breakfast, then head to the main platform to get a bus. Then again, we are usually at the bus stop an hour prior to park opening, or past opening time.

 

[DizDaD7]

Sorry to burst bubbles here, but Not true about every resort...CSR By FAR has the best bus system, and crowd level....

POR back in Nov. was mediocre to bad.. I definetely would suggest the main bus depot to go to the parks, The ndepending where youre staying, I would get off at that stop. We were lucky , we stayed in the Magnolia Bend, and had the 1st room on 2nd floor right near the rear main stairs going to the back gardens. 7 minute walk to main lobby, and coming home was a 3-4 minute walk from that bus stop to our room...The only problem is its soooo so crowded. Plenty of times we had to wait for numerous buses, & I always stood

 

[FamO'5disnuts]

We have stayed at POR the last three years and never had the issues some people discribe. Each time we were close to a different depot and utilized the closest depot. Each bus (MK, DHS, AK, EPCOT) has a different route some stop at the main first, some stop there last. We have never had a bus pass us by due to being full at the resort. Relax enjoy your time and have a great trip.

 

[Ed J]

Set your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. Last trip we had bus rides from POR ( main bus stop) to a park < 20 minutes. But we also has a few long ones including over an hour to get to the MK. Those times are not room to resort, but looking at my watch when we got to the bus stop.

I prefer a car over the buses.

 

[CalicoSky]

I was there last week and had good experiences with the bus system. Sometimes we left from the main stop, other times at the stop (North Depot) that was near our room. One day we passed one bus by only because it was standing-room only and the friend I traveled with has neck issues that make it uncomfortable for her to stand. Next bus came along about 15 minutes later. When the buses are filling to capacity there's always another one coming along shortly--at one point two MK buses arrived within seconds of each other and were both at the stop at once!

We didn't see much difference between service at the South (main) depot vs. North, so we just always went with whatever stop was convenient depending on whether we had breakfast at Riverside Mill or in our room. Like most things at Disney, a little planning and a little patience make a world of difference. If you have a must-do time like rope drop or a dining reservation, allow ample time not only for the bus but for getting through bag check, admission, etc. Otherwise, go with the flow as much as you can. The park will be ready and waiting whenever you get there.

 

[maxiesmom]

Thank for the info. I'm not worried about standing room only. I think that was how every bus we rode in June 2010 was. I just don't want to be at a stop and have to explain to my 3yo why it passed us. We don't mind a walk so if it's not too far we'll probably use the main stop.

The main stop (South Depot) is not always the first stop, sometimes it is the last. I wouldn't walk to it if you have a depot closer to your room. It is not worth the effort.

 

[pxydst]

We will be there also that first week of April and my thoughts are, low expectation.... just keep telling yourself it is going to be horrible (like the crowds in the park) and if it is not then all is good! I believe they will probably have more buses running that week since there will be a lot of us crazy people going to Disney at one of the busiest times of the year! Just remember it is all in your attitude!!!! You are at Disney..... Life is good!

 

[Missytara]

I think that is a great way of looking at it; expect low and be happy if it goes well.

I am lucky enough to go the week after Thanksgiving, when it has gotten busier over the years, but certainly not to the extent of the busy holiday weeks.

I also have to add POR/POFQ and SSR have that wonderful advantage of using the DTD bus hub to return from the resorts and then take the water taxi back to your resort.

The last few years, I have found myself branching out into some wonderful meals at the other resorts, and discover some of the wonderful activities, as well as amentities they all have to offer. And I have never waited more than three or four minutes for a water taxi at DTD. They run every ten minutes after 4:00 pm.

 

[DoryDorito]

Sorry to burst bubbles here, but Not true about every resort...CSR By FAR has the best bus system, and crowd level....

I have to say I agree with this. We've stayed at all the different levels of resorts and all were spotty at times (AKL being the worst) with CSR being the exception. That resort always had great bus service consistently for us. One of the reasons it's my favorite resort.

Jenny

 

[DJFan88]

Sorry to burst bubbles here, but Not true about every resort...CSR By FAR has the best bus system, and crowd level....

Funny the different opinions.... CSR was by far the worst bus service I ever experienced. Of course I can only compare it to 2 trips to CBR, which was great both times, by the way. We even had CM's trying to straighten it out at CSR --- unfortunately they just leave you stranded at the parks. In fact because of this, we will now take our car to DHS from now on. I basically take these opinions with a grain of salt, the luck of the draw, so to speak.

 

[CamoMama]

we got some insight on how the buses work while staying at CBR earlier this month directly from a CM who was working at the bus stop in the mornings. As I posted in the CBR thread:

I talked to the CM who was manning the bus stop one morning (every morning there was a CM there directing people on to buses and giving wait times, always very friendly and chatty young men, sometimes they started games with the kids to keep them busy, like trying to think of a Disney character name for every letter of the alphabet!) who explained the way the bus system works. It's all run by a computer which dictates each driver's route. The driver checks in with the computer so that his location is reported by opening the door to the bus at each stop (if they don't open the door it messes up the tracking and they can get in trouble). When a driver completes a route the computer sends him on a completely new route (different resort), so they're not running the same route all day long and don't get bored. There is a different route for each resort depending on where the driver starts. The computer keeps track of usage for each resort and adds or removes buses from each route as needed.


We very rarely had to wait for buses, but we noticed a few times that the system had gotten it way wrong. One morning we saw 4 Epcot buses in the 15 minutes that it took for one DHS bus to come through (we had walked up to the stop just as the last bus for DHS pulled away), no one got on any of them everyone was waiting for DHS and AK.

 

[buzznina]

Sorry to burst bubbles here, but Not true about every resort...CSR By FAR has the best bus system, and crowd level....

POR back in Nov. was mediocre to bad.. I definetely would suggest the main bus depot to go to the parks, The ndepending where youre staying, I would get off at that stop. We were lucky , we stayed in the Magnolia Bend, and had the 1st room on 2nd floor right near the rear main stairs going to the back gardens. 7 minute walk to main lobby, and coming home was a 3-4 minute walk from that bus stop to our room...The only problem is its soooo so crowded. Plenty of times we had to wait for numerous buses, & I always stood

Hate to burst your bubble but even CSR has bad bus service days and we have stayed there numerous times. We had stays that it seemed we always waited for a bus and then others times when it seemed they were there waiting for us We also had many times of standing room only, no big deal because we are on a family vacation at disney world