repeated BUS ABUSE ON OUR TRIP THIS PAST WEEK

[princessgirl2238]

This really seems to be an issue at MK. Why don't the CM's instead tell people to walk to the Contemporary and ride the DTD bus from there? For those leaving Epcot/MGM, then the CM's can tell them to catch one from YC/BC or BW. That way, you don't inconvenience those wanting to get "home".[/QUOTE]


The problem with that is Contemporary, Poly and the Grand all use the same bus, and usually they have less buses for them to transport their guests. The other things is if you all want esclusive buses for DVC, what about the people staying there that are not DVC members? the transportation is owned by disney not DVC.

Ashley
20 days till BCV
Fall 03 College Program Intern
August 03 POR
April 02 CSR
August 01 CSR
August 98 off properity

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Disney does need to find a way to resolve this problem.

One possibility is to reinstitute the direct bus to the parks from DTD...and charge half of what it would cost to park directly at any given theme park. They could use those huge empty lots over by OKW...gate them off so you can't easily walk from the regular lots for DTD. This gives the people who just have to save a buck or two a way to do it, it gives the offsite hotels an easy way to link up to the Disney system...and gets them off the Disney roads...and it'll take the strain off of the Disney resort busses. These would work in the same way distant parking lots do in airports.

Yes there will be people who just have to cheat...and there always will be. But riding the transportation system isn't the point at which they are cheating...it's the parking for free part where they are going wrong.

Security -- The bus system is the least of the security problems for Disney. And I'd appreciate it if people didn't speculate about ways to use WMD onsite thank you very much. But I will say that someone bent on that sort of nastiness wont squawk about paying a few minor or even major charges to do it. So lets talk about theft instead.

The gate security guard basically notes information about the driver and the vehicle...someone could drive in a minivan full of thieving adults and teens just as easily as riding a bus from the parks or DTD. All it takes is one former employee ...or a frequent guest to figure out the weaknesses in the system and exploit them. As I'm not interested in sharing any ideas about it I won't do it in print but as far as I'm concerned the Disney security is just an illusion to make guests feel better...in reality you are no safer than you would be in any other densely populated community in America.

 

[georgeat]

If Disney would run the buses on as needed schedlue at peak times instead of every whatever minutes (20 30), they could move more people. But they run the buses as the drivers rules direct. They are required to have a layover and the bus sits until that layover time expires. This wastes fuel and makes passengers (guests?) wait longer for the bus. WDW transportation is one of the few Disney organizations that runs on a schedule and not to meet guest peak demands.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

Alot of the bus issue problem is centered around SSR.

The simpliest solution, in my opinion, is to just gate up DTD and require a parking fee. Resorts guests, AP holders, florida AP holders, PI AP holders, and DQ AP holders get in for free. The majority of these people(maybe all) will not be parking at DTD to avoid park parking fees.

Then maybe open the gates after say like 5 or 6 pm so any locals coming in for dinner or PI are all set. I dont assume many are going to use a full days pass to arrive at 5 or 6 pm to avoid the parking fee at DTD. I am not crazy about the parking fee validation route as I think many will probably be eating somewhere and hence plan accordingly and eat somewhere at DTD.

I also am not crazy about time limits, theres just way to much to do down in that area and I dont think Disney wants to limit their guests time thereby limiting their spending

All in all the only people that will ever have to pay a parking fee are those non resort guests or non any type of AP holder coming to shop or eat at DTD in the afternoon. which is probably no many.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

If Disney would run the buses on as needed schedlue at peak times instead of every whatever minutes (20 30), they could move more people. But they run the buses as the drivers rules direct. They are required to have a layover and the bus sits until that layover time expires. This wastes fuel and makes passengers (guests?) wait longer for the bus. WDW transportation is one of the few Disney organizations that runs on a schedule and not to meet guest peak demands.

I dont know maybe i am wrong, but i am pretty sure the schedules are created based on demand. They may not have the demand correct but I think they increase and decrease the number of busses depending on time of year.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Disney does need to find a way to resolve this problem.

One possibility is to reinstitute the direct bus to the parks from DTD...and charge half of what it would cost to park directly at any given theme park. They could use those huge empty lots over by OKW...gate them off so you can't easily walk from the regular lots for DTD. This gives the people who just have to save a buck or two a way to do it, it gives the offsite hotels an easy way to link up to the Disney system...and gets them off the Disney roads...and it'll take the strain off of the Disney resort busses. These would work in the same way distant parking lots do in airports.

Yes there will be people who just have to cheat...and there always will be. But riding the transportation system isn't the point at which they are cheating...it's the parking for free part where they are going wrong. {snip}.

I like this idea! That way, the "cheaters" would feel they were saving, and there would be parking spaces at DTD for those of us who like to drive there instead of taking all the time it takes to go such a short distance from OKW to DTD.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

The gate security guard basically notes information about the driver and the vehicle...someone could drive in a minivan full of thieving adults and teens just as easily as riding a bus from the parks or DTD. All it takes is one former employee ...or a frequent guest to figure out the weaknesses in the system and exploit them. As I'm not interested in sharing any ideas about it I won't do it in print but as far as I'm concerned the Disney security is just an illusion to make guests feel better...in reality you are no safer than you would be in any other densely populated community in America.

good points, plus I doubt anyone who is interested in causing problems is going to go through the trouble of going to park first just so they can catch a bus to a resort in an effort to mingle in.

You cant just have a resort bus that is strictly only for resort guests. These resorts have dining, shopping, entertainment etc. that non resort guests sometimes want to experience.

 

[LeftCoaster]

Alot of the bus issue problem is centered around SSR.

The simpliest solution, in my opinion, is to just gate up DTD and require a parking fee. Resorts guests, AP holders, florida reisdent pass holders, PI AP holders, and DQ AP holders get in for free. The majority of these people(maybe all) will not be parking at DTD to avoid park parking fees.

Then maybe open the gates after say like 5 or 6 pm so any locals coming in for dinner or PI are all set. I dont assume many are going to use a full days pass to arrive at 5 or 6 pm to avoid the parking fee at DTD. I am not crazy about the parking fee validation route as I think many will probably be eating somewhere and hence plan accordingly and eat somewhere at DTD.


All in all the only people that will ever have to pay a parking fee are those non resort guests or non any type of AP holder coming to shop or eat at DTD in the afternoon. which is probably no many.

Funny, I was thinking the same EXACT thing. And an added benefit, if this worked out well, is that Disney could then offer direct transportation to DTD and that would relieve the SSR busses too.

 

[MiaSRN62]

3DisneyNUTS :
ALSO it is unnnerving that people can just get off at a resort they are not staying at and wander around. If they have any WDW resort ID card fine IMO but something to prove they belong there or have the right to ride the buses.

How 'bout going there to shop or eat ? Is this what you mean by wander around ? Not sure.
The Hopper passes state we have full use of the Disney transportation. I'm both a DVC Member and own an offsite timeshare. I can tell you we have used the busses to get to PS in the past. I don't see how this is wrong. Not breaking any rules

Beca:
we had to slide our room card in the machine to get into the gate. How are these people getting in? Do guards just let them in if they say they are going to the boardwalk? If so, do they give them a time limit or require a validation from an eating establishment on the way out? That's nuts!!! We are pretty frugal, and we SWORE we would not do valet parking at BWV, but one look at that parking lot, and we valet parked EVERY time!!!

We have parked at both the BWV & BC to dine when staying at another WDW resort and also when we stay offsite at our Vistana timeshare. We have been given a 3 hour limit and used valet parking for BWV. I don't know how people would get into a gated parking lot without a card either ? The one we parked in at the BC was not gated and we were directed there by the guard & given a limit. We were having dinner at Cape May.

Manning:
And be inconvenienced by those having no business on DVC sites!! (OKW/SSR).

Once again.....how 'bout to shop or dine ? What constitutes "no business" ? We have in the past, while staying at Vistana and visiting the parks, hopped on a bus to OKW, BWV, WL (or the resort monorail to the Poly or Contemporary) etc for a restaurant PS. While we're there to eat, we'll also check out the shops or rent watercraft too. Again, I don't see how we're doing something illegal 1) because it's stated we can use wdw transportation on our Hoppers 2) we have specific "business" at that specific resort (i.e. PS, shopping, renting water craft etc).
I do see the problem with people parking at DTD or say BWV to visit the parks, because they are not directly patronizing DTD shops/restaurants or BWV restaurants/shops. Using the busses strictly to get out of parking in the main lot should not be encouraged. Anyone using SSR busses should be doing so with a specific purpose of utilizing some amenity at that resort. The SSR Spa comes to mind. There really are no full service restaurants there that people would come to patronize. If they're not using the spa, they are there strictly to find an easier way into the parks or DD. That's a whole other story.
So I guess I'm coming from the perspective of both a DVC Member and offsite guest and don't see why, if I'm staying at Vistana, I should be banned from visiting/patronizing other disney resorts. They have alot to offer as a whole to any visitor to WDW. Some offsite guests take their hotel shuttle to the parks and have no other way of getting to a restaurant (i.e.) except for wdw busses/monorail ?

 

[jnrrt]

We spend a lot of time at the other resorts just because we like to look around, and also decide where we want to stay next time. Last year we had lunch at Olivia's on our way out of town, so even though we weren't DVCer's we had a reason to be there.

Also, I think some kind of parking system is a good idea at DTD. At our mall downtown, they often charge after a certain amount of time unless you've been validated by a store. That way, it doesn't discourage shoppers, but it does discourage people from using it as cheap downtown parking who would park there and leave their car all day while working. So it works for the shopper and the mall. I think something similar could be really helpful. We like to shop and eat at DTD, but it is a real pain to park there. So actually, sometimes Disney is losing my money at DTD because I think it's not worth the effort to park there and I don't feel like taking a bus. It's a shame that the people abusing the free parking are making it so others won't go to DTD for the reason the parking is there in the first place.

 

[PatMcDuck]

While I am not a SS owner, so it does not effect me directly, but I have a question. Doesn't every guest who has a park hopper ticket have access to the WDW transportation system? The entire system, as I always understood it. While annoying, I don't see what rule these people are breaking.

I take monorails to various resorts for shopping and meals, and I am not a guest staying there.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Should we even care since SSR is a second rate DVC resort..... just kidding. I just finished that very long discussion on SSR looking like appt buildings...

What should happen is an increase in the number of buses for SSR. This way even if DTD people are using it, it won't matter since they will have more buses.

I'd also start charging parking at DTD. After 4 hours its $6.00 per hour. Each $10 of purchase buys you one more hour.

 

[Beca]

Okay....I have a couple of ideas. Why doesn't WDW:

1) Gate off DTD and go to validation

2) Subsidize the ENTIRE cost of the transportation from park tickets. If those are the people who are "entitled" to use the transportation system. Why not charge accordingly? It seems the way the system is now, offsite guests actually are getting more of a bargain because all onsite guests are charged twice....once from their park tickets, and once from the resort they are staying at (either DVC or WDW). And, then you have the people at the Swan/Dolphin who are being charged a $10 fee up front. I was told that was to cover bus service to those parks. But, aren't people who are going to the parks already paying for the bus service via their park tickets? I am assuming, therefore that the subsidy of transportation may be split between resort fees and park tickets. But, that means that resort guests are being charged twice for something that non-resort guests are getting a lot cheaper.

It doesn't make much sense. I think they should remove the subsidy from the resorts, and up the price of the park tickets...that would be fair if they want to have the usage policy that they do now.

But, that would decrease attendance because it would look so expensive to go to WDW. And, they own it....they make the rules. However, they do need to have some "safeguards" in place for SSR resort guests to get to and from their rooms. Maybe they need to offer a "front of the line" access to anyone showing an SSR room key when boarding. All others can then get on the bus if there is room available. I do think this is a unique situation due to the resort's proximity to DTD...WDW needs to accept this and deal with it.

The fact that this is becoming a problem does shoot a hole in the theory that "DTD is not enough of a destination to make SSR a valuable property" now doesn't it?



Beca

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

My concerns are these:
People are going to use the buses and are going to over crowd them by using the SSR line to get to DTD and the surrounding hotels.

Why have gated resorts then if anyone can gain unchecked access to the resorts via the buses?

Why are we paying dues when we still have to buy park tickets? By the logic that the park ticket pays for the transportation also then why are we paying twice?

Also I don't mind people coming to eat at the resort but what I do mind is using it as a transportation hub to get to different places. Using SSR as a bus stop. Of course anyone who wants to come and eat and shop at SSR should be welcomed to do so but right now with there only being counter service and a small gift shop that number would be small in comparision to the people jumping over to DTD or the other hotels over there. Therefore not a huge impact on the bus service for SSR guests.

I mean is it fair to have people who don't want to pay to park clog up our buses when the resort is completed?

 

[jarestel]

I mean is it fair to have people who don't want to pay to park clog up our buses when the resort is completed?

Not fair at all. Hopefully DVC will listen to the membership and come up with a fair and equitable solution for everyone involved.

 

[littlestar]

Here's a quote from my Birmbaum's 2001 Walt Disney World book about transportation:

"TRANSPORTATION ID REQUIREMENTS:
Guests wishing to use the Walt Disney World transportation system may be asked to present proof of their riding privileges. Accepted IDs afford different degrees of access. WDW resort ID cards, Park Hopper Passes, Park Hopper Plus Passes, Ultimate Park Hopper Passes, and Annual Passes allow guests unlimited use of all Disney buses, monorails, and boats. Valid one-day theme park tickets permit guests to use all monorails and the ferries running between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom, but do not allow use of buses."

I don't have a current year Birmbaum's book, but I would guess that if you are a multi-day pass holder you get the transportation (and that includes all buses).

I personally feel like I'm lost whenever I'm at SSR without a map and I can't imagine someone purposely using SSR buses to get to the Downtown Disney hotels. Especially at night - I'd be wandering around forever in those parking lots. No thank you, please.

I'm a DVC member and an Annual Pass Holder. I'm sure my small amount of DVC dues for transportation is a drop in the bucket to what it really costs Disney to run their transportation.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Woo-hoo, is this a wild one!

I don't think that anything's going to change, as I don't feel that Disney thinks there's a problem. They really, really want as many people as possible to go to the resorts to eat, buy souvies or just wander around & get the idea that next time they'd want to stay at this resort.

Security? Heh - pardon me for a moment . There's absolutely nothing preventing anyone - nefarious intentions or not - from walking right into SSR via the path to DTD. And even before SSR was open, anyone could just as easily parked at DTD and walked to OKW. Security at WDW - like at so many other places - is geared primarily towards the appearance of security. How many of you good folks have had your bags thoroughly checked when entering a park - where the security guard saw every single item in your purse/bag/cooler and knew for sure it was safe?

Also, what's with the "I pay for it so it's my bus" routine? I own at SSR, so I get to use the buses. What if I'm staying at SSR on points, but do NOT have a valid WDW ticket (let's assume it's a non-WDW-based trip): does that mean I can't ride any of the non-SSR buses? One night, coming home from the MK, we rode a bus that made all the OKW stops first, then took us to CP and SSR - do I own someone at OKW a check for using their bus?

SSR and DTD are close; while that's one of the reasons we bought into SSR, it also means we get some of the DTD traffic. Even if Disney gates the DTD parking (which I don't think it will, as it seems to be doing everything it can [the PI policy change, etc.] to get MORE people to wander around that area) it wouldn't eliminate all of the other folks (resort guests and paid parkers) who want to go to DTD on WDW transportation. Disney has shown a marked lack of desire to do anything that confronts a guest (mug-refilling, pool-hopping, granting room changes due to bluster, etc.); to expect new "resort-guest-only" policies, along with expecting every person to have his/her resort ID just to ride the bus is, well, IMHO not.gonna.happen.

Now remember - I was one of the first to bring up the "DTD bus situation" when we stayed at SSR last May less than a week after the place opened; I'm still not overjoyed with it. However, I just don't that this is problem that is high on the list of DVC issues to deal with....

IMHO - YMMV

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...] I personally feel like I'm lost whenever I'm at SSR without a map and I can't imagine someone purposely using SSR buses to get to the Downtown Disney hotels. Especially at night - I'd be wandering around forever in those parking lots. No thank you, please. [...]

Actually, it's quite easy - here's how it was done when we were there in December:

At any theme park (we were at the MK), ask any CM or bus driver which bus to take to get to DTD. They will tell you to take the SSR bus; being the helpful souls that they are, they will probably even point out the bus stop. Once on the bus, tell the driver that you want to end up at DTD; being the helpful soul that he is, he'll tell you to get off at the Congress Park stop - and announce at that stop that this is the stop for DTD, too. At the CP stop, you can see the bright colors and/or bright lights of DTD/PI/WE; you can either ask a friendly SSR guest or simply walk in that direction until you see the sign for the path to DTD.

 

[littlestar]

I'm a natural blond and I sware to you, I got lost wondering around SSR! Heaven help me if it was dark out, too.

 

[jarestel]

I don't have a horse in this race since I'm not an SSR owner, but I do think DVC absolutely SHOULD do something to ensure that SSR owners aren't left holding the bag in order to boost DTD/PI attendance. It's one thing to have to stand on the bus ride back from the parks when everyone on the bus is going to your resort, but quite another when half of them start hiking over to DTD once they get off the bus. Unfortunately, DVC hasn't been very receptive to members' resort experience concerns in my 5 years or so, so I don't know if anything can be expected from them. But hope springs eternal. Hey, we got AP discounts, so you never know.