Really disappointed in the transportation

[Disneylover99]

I have no clue on the numbers of buses sent to a resort or a park or anything. Besides, that's not what is being discussed as the number of buses sent has nothing at all do to with how long you wait on a bus. It's more complex than that

I definitely think that more buses being dispatched throughout the day would result in lower wait times at any resort. How could it not?

I will stand by and won't waiver from that fact that no resort has a better bus service than another resort does. Or worse.

I am specifically talking about frequency. “Better” is subjective. Many people hate the organized lines, waiting in the hot sun or rain, possibly not getting a seat and having to stand which often comes into play at the Values. I get that. I prefer more frequent buses over comfort. I know not everyone feels that way.

And no, bottom line is I do not believe that you will experience shorter waits on every bus ride when staying at Pop because Disney sends more buses.

I’ve never said you’d have shorter waits on every bus ride if you stayed at Pop, just that they come more frequently. There is a difference. Anyways, it’s kind of a moot point if you check bus wait times before you head to the bus stop.

 

[joelkfla]

I've seen that for years and can only guess it's a break thing

They don't take breaks on the buses, but they could be waiting for a breaker.

But it sounds like it was at park closing. I think they're just holding some buses back so there isn't an hour gap with no buses available. I agree that it's frustrating -- it was to me as a driver, too, when I was driving at a park close.

 

[jarestel]

There are two types of WDW guests... 1) those who have had nightmarish transportation experiences and 2) those who are going to have nightmarish transportation experiences. With a system as large and diverse as Disney's it's pretty much inevitable that traffic accidents, breakdowns, crowds, etc will negatively impact us all at one point or another. Having said that, and with more than 50 trips to base my opinions on, the resort to park transportation is usually pretty good at WDW. Now I will admit that when traveling resort to resort, I do tend to use a taxi since the system doesn't handle resort to resort commuting as well as it could.

People who don't like crowds and who don't like to wait will find the transportation system somewhat frustrating and I totally get this. But in all honesty, the vast majority of my experiences with buses, boats, and monorails have been very good. All things considered, I really can't complain about the transportation system just because I might have had to wait an hour for a bus in 2003.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But why aren't they dispatched instead of accumulating and waiting? Especially within view of the people waiting?

She should ask at the parks' Transportation offices, or a CM in the area.

 

[Lewisc]

I wonder if a higher percentage of resort guests are using buses now that the resort parking fee was added.

I am still planning to mostly drive and avoid the buses on my next visit. I am spoiled from always having a car available on previous trips and have had too many miserable bus trips to rely solely on Disney transportation.

Disney marketing and discounting has substantially reduced or eliminated the "slow" seasons. I'll speculate the apparent increase in the number of ECV may be having an impact.

I have no clue on the numbers of buses sent to a resort or a park or anything. Besides, that's not what is being discussed as the number of buses sent has nothing at all do to with how long you wait on a bus. It's more complex than that
I will stand by and won't waiver from that fact that no resort has a better bus service than another resort does. Or worse.
And no, bottom line is I do not believe that you will experience shorter waits on every bus ride when staying at Pop because Disney sends more buses.

Anecdotal evidence from posters suggest POP has better bus service than other resorts. We know POP only has one bus stop and (almost) never shares a bus with another resort. POP has way more guests then other resorts. Anecdotal posts suggests buses might get dispatched more frequently when the number of guests waiting exceeds bus capacity.

You're right there isn't any statistical evidence to confirm, or deny, the anecdotal experience of posters.

A SUGGESTION. Look at your watch. See how many buses have picked up for other parks while you're waiting at your resort. 20 minutes? At least 2 buses for other parks. Next bus talk to the driver. Tell the driver how long you've been waiting and ask if they can check on it. The driver can talk to dispatch. Sometimes it helps.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We have been going to WDW multiple times a year for the last 20 years. We've used pretty much every mode of transportation. I used to get fired up about late buses, but have learned to expect the occasional random 40+ minute wait. Thankfully those are very rare. More typically, bus transportation is acceptable if not excellent.

My beef with transportation is specifically trying to get to the TTC parking lots as MK is closing. The ferries, monorail, resort launches, etc are way overtaxed with massive hordes of people. There have been times when I wish they would pave over the Seven Seas Lagoon and make it a parking lot so we all wouldn't have to spend an hour or more to cross it.

 

[GoofyRonda]

We were at WDW in Sept and Dec last year did the buses in Dec from Poly. It was bad especially to DHS and DS. A cast member told us the buses had been out sourced to Mears and Mears pays poorly..

 

[maxiesmom]

We were at WDW in Sept and Dec last year did the buses in Dec from Poly. It was bad especially to DHS and DS. A cast member told us the buses had been out sourced to Mears and Mears pays poorly..

I would take that with a grain of salt.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Was there a week over Thanksgiving holiday and while it was busy, our experience was very good. I actually enjoy the bus system, the people we meet and watching the kids
Interactions and excitement or utter exhaustion, lol. It is just part of the overall experience. Have we had delays, actually been in a bus accident and been off loaded, broken down and again off loaded, yup. But those blips over the many many visits over 40 years are small in comparison.
I also think people using the buses in Disney have nothing to compare it too.. ever tried real public transportation in some cities? I’d much prefer clean, non odor, basically quiet, safe disney transport in a heartbeat.

 

[AngiTN]

We were at WDW in Sept and Dec last year did the buses in Dec from Poly. It was bad especially to DHS and DS. A cast member told us the buses had been out sourced to Mears and Mears pays poorly..

Mears fills in but Mears has not taken over

 

[Disneypro1]

I always thought the buses were great. Still do. We usually stay at POP and they are nothing but reliable. POFQ also. Got no complaints.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A SUGGESTION. Look at your watch. See how many buses have picked up for other parks while you're waiting at your resort. 20 minutes? At least 2 buses for other parks. Next bus talk to the driver. Tell the driver how long you've been waiting and ask if they can check on it. The driver can talk to dispatch. Sometimes it helps.

Been there, done that. It works!

We were at WDW in Sept and Dec last year did the buses in Dec from Poly. It was bad especially to DHS and DS. A cast member told us the buses had been out sourced to Mears and Mears pays poorly..

I wouldn't even believe that if a bus driver said it. It's just plain false.

 

[goofy4tink]

How dare she?!

Well..when you get a three bedroom condo for about $80 a night, 5 mins from your kid, and 15 mins from the parks, you grab it! SSR was great, but that condo really spoiled me!!

We were at WDW in Sept and Dec last year did the buses in Dec from Poly. It was bad especially to DHS and DS. A cast member told us the buses had been out sourced to Mears and Mears pays poorly..

Mears has not taken over the Disney bus system. They do provide DME though. They provide the buses and drivers.

Here’s the thing..... Disney Transportation, especially the buses, are never going to make everyone happy. They strive for every 20 mins but it doesn’t usually work out. I still think they do a pretty good job getting guests around the area.
Of course, I have found that I really love having my own car there. But not if I have to pay for parking! So, it’s either DVC or off-site going forward.

 

[pixiedustedme]

The buses do just fine imo. A dozen visits in the past 10 years and we've had longer & shorter waits as luck dictates, but nothing unreasonable for mass bus transit.

If you're in a rush to get somewhere, then you need to leave really early or use private transportation, just like in real life. A 15-20 minute wait feels like forever if you're in a hurry, if you're bone tired, if you or your kids are in a bad mood, or if the weather is poor. On those occasions, you might want to use another transportation method to avoid aggravation. That's what we do, and we don't feel like Disney failed us when we make that choice. But when the weather's okay, we aren't stressed, and just want to get from point A to B easily, we don't mind a short wait for a bus. It's actually a bit relaxing to take a break from the frenetic touring for 10 - 20 minutes here and there.

 

[Lilsia]

We have been going for the last 23 years, with over 30 visits staying on property and always use the buses. Sometimes we wait a longer and sometimes the bus pulls up right when get there. It all evens out. The main thing is that they have always dropped us off at our destination safely. That is the ONLY thing that matters to my family. I am not going to complain about having to wait an extra 15 minutes for a bus, who cares, you have 12-15 hours a day that you can be in the park. I have seen how the tourists drive around WDW and I don't want to deal with that.

 

[pixiedustedme]

There have been times when I wish they would pave over the Seven Seas Lagoon and make it a parking lot so we all wouldn't have to spend an hour or more to cross it.

Noooooo!

 

[jdisnut]

Noooooo!

To be honest, I guarantee Disney would absolutely love to eliminate the ferry/monorail transfer from the parking lot. There’s a reason why that model has never been recreated. As a huge fans of the parks, we love it. I do, at least. It’s a wonderfully cinematic prelude.

But it’s incredibly impractical and annoying for most guests. If the Magic Kingdom was built today, there’s no way it would include a monorail or ferry ride from the parking lot.

 

[RaySharpton]

We have been going to WDW multiple times a year for the last 20 years. We've used pretty much every mode of transportation. I used to get fired up about late buses, but have learned to expect the occasional random 40+ minute wait. Thankfully those are very rare. More typically, bus transportation is acceptable if not excellent.

My beef with transportation is specifically trying to get to the TTC parking lots as MK is closing. The ferries, monorail, resort launches, etc are way overtaxed with massive hordes of people. There have been times when I wish they would pave over the Seven Seas Lagoon and make it a parking lot so we all wouldn't have to spend an hour or more to cross it.

When I was at MK last week I saw a bus queue on the way to my Pop Century queue that people were getting on to go to TTC instead of using the Ferryboat or monorail.

 

[Alexander]

We've learned to either pack our patience or tap Uber on my phone.

 

[pixiedustedme]

...it’s incredibly impractical and annoying for most guests. If the Magic Kingdom was built today, there’s no way it would include a monorail or ferry ride from the parking lot.

I disagree that most guests find the lagoon annoying. Some undoubtedbly do, but almost everything in the world would annoy someone.

I've stayed at resorts across the lagoon from MK and we loved taking the boat to & from. Add in the electric water pageant, the beautiful water views you get from the resorts, and the way it symbolically separates MK from the mundane world...and it becomes clear that the lagoon is a significant part of WDW's appeal.

In regards to what would be built today...I don't believe the Magic Kingdom itself would have been built in this economic/artistic environment. It's very much a product of its time.