resort choice with ecv

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Sure except Disney transportation is for all guests regardless of where you’re staying. What do you do if you’re offsite and have an ADR at a resort?? Rideshate? I get your point but it’s just not a practical solution.

If there are only so many spots on a bus, and ECV users are already concerned that they sometimes need to wait for multiple buses in order to ride, I guess I just think that it would be better to prioritize guests who are already paying to stay on property (and especially those staying at YC/BC/BW) over those who are not. You can treat an ADR just like you treat those coming to park on property.

Obviously in an ideal world we’d all be able to fly on our magic carpets with no waiting whatsoever but unfortunately that’s not the reality of the transportation situation.

I don’t think that Disney will necessarily go this route. But as the demand for ECV spots grows given population demographics etc, eventually we may get to a tipping point where more drastic measures need to be taken.

 

[gottalovepluto]

My ECV user makes sure to stay where there are elevators so he isn’t worried about that before the trip. Disney always figures things out from what I’ve read but it’s just not worth the mental stress before the trip.

One benefit to Swolphin is bell services will hold and charge your ecv if you want. They have published rules at check in on paperwork that ECVs are not allowed in the hallways, you can put them in your room or leave them with bell services for no charge.

I’ve stayed CSR with my ECV user multiple times in the Tower. As the last bus stop he has had to wait a couple buses before so leave extra time for transport. The rest of us go on ahead to save our feet the extra standing and we meet up in park. (Recently at SSR 2 buses were full for ECVs and the 2nd driver said he’d call in a “floater” bus with resulted in an almost private ride to AK for him as the bus only hit that stop for AK before departing!)

Personally, I recommend staying where you want and requesting ground floor room. That is a small time saver not dealing with Disney elevators. (Swolphin elevators always seem more available than Disneys for some reason so we don’t file that request there even when he wants to take the ecv to his room.)

 

[Evita_W]

I know people do it but the volume of buses that run to BW/YC is already not enough to meet the demand for those resorts, let alone adding the guests (and ECVs!) from Swolphin. Unpopular opinion perhaps but I wish Disney would check room keys/magic bands or something to keep transit with limited capacity to those staying on property. Not necessarily that property because there are plenty of reasons to move around, but at least at a Disney resort.

Considering they are phasing out room keys and magic bands, this isn't viable.

 

[elvispursley]

Considering they are phasing out room keys and magic bands, this isn't viable.

Curious where you read that MB and room keys are being phased out?

 

[Tinksmom6575]

If there are only so many spots on a bus, and ECV users are already concerned that they sometimes need to wait for multiple buses in order to ride, I guess I just think that it would be better to prioritize guests who are already paying to stay on property (and especially those staying at YC/BC/BW) over those who are not. You can treat an ADR just like you treat those coming to park on property.

Obviously in an ideal world we’d all be able to fly on our magic carpets with no waiting whatsoever but unfortunately that’s not the reality of the transportation situation.

I don’t think that Disney will necessarily go this route. But as the demand for ECV spots grows given population demographics etc, eventually we may get to a tipping point where more drastic measures need to be taken.

why are YC BC BW special? The bus issue is much worse are other hotels. The all stars are really tough with the whole hotel at one stop as well, and the resorts with internal loops have buses who pass by the later stops full.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

why are YC BC BW special? The bus issue is much worse are other hotels. The all stars are really tough with the whole hotel at one stop as well, and the resorts with internal loops have buses who pass by the later stops full.

Because other resorts don’t have another non-Disney hotel right next door where people are being encouraged to go use the Disney buses instead.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I’d make the same argument about people using Bay Lake Towers or Grand Floridian to get back to Disney Springs if they end up crowding out Disney guests there.

 

[Evita_W]

Curious where you read that MB and room keys are being phased out?

Magic Bands are no longer offered for free and they are not be encouraged near as much, even on a purchase level and you don't even get a room key unless you specifically go to the front desk and ask for one. It seems pretty clear that they are indeed phasing them out.

 

[Evita_W]

Because other resorts don’t have another non-Disney hotel right next door where people are being encouraged to go use the Disney buses instead.

Also, Swan and Dolphin have boat access and walking paths to two of the four theme parks, as well as being close to the Skyliner.

 

[lanejudy]

Considering they are phasing out room keys and magic bands, this isn't viable.

Rooms keys, sort of, not so much phased out as they are still available upon request. MBs are no longer free but that’s been several years now and there have been newer/upgraded versions created so I don’t think “phased out” is an accurate description. Yes there are alternative now for both room keys and MBs but it doesn’t seem those will be going away.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

You are also close enough to the Boardwalk to get a Disney bus there, with the added bonus of skipping the TTC if heading to MK.

Also, Swan and Dolphin have boat access and walking paths to two of the four theme parks, as well as being close to the Skyliner.

I was specifically responding to the first message talking about the advantage of the Swolphin in terms of access to Disney buses instead of having to use the Swan and Dolphin buses because Disney’s are “better” (not to call that poster out though…it’s a common sentiment).

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Rooms keys, sort of, not so much phased out as they are still available upon request. MBs are no longer free but that’s been several years now and there have been newer/upgraded versions created so I don’t think “phased out” is an accurate description. Yes there are alternative now for both room keys and MBs but it doesn’t seem those will be going away.

Plus there has to be *some* way to get into rooms. Keys, MBs, apps…all can be used to prove that one is staying on property.

 

[Tinksmom6575]

Because other resorts don’t have another non-Disney hotel right next door where people are being encouraged to go use the Disney buses instead.

My point is that even with people doing so the bus service at these resorts is still leaps and bounds above values and those with internal bus loops. It's just not making that much of a difference.

 

[Goldelpack]

Magic Bands are no longer offered for free and they are not be encouraged near as much, even on a purchase level and you don't even get a room key unless you specifically go to the front desk and ask for one. It seems pretty clear that they are indeed phasing them out.

Extremely highly unlikely that Magic Bands will be phased out within the next few decades (unless the entire Disney company dissolves) The fact that they're no longer offered for free is likely a corporate $ decision rather than an expression of elimination. Once they became popular and had tons of choices in design, colors, characters, holidays, celebrations, themes and the Magic Band + was started with even more "perks" - they vibrate and light up and cause statues to speak! -- people buy them. I've limited my collection to 4 (I need no more than 1) and I check them out in virtually every store that sells them on property - which is virtually every store. While I can easily use my smart watch or phone there's something special about wearing a MB. I cannot imagine them being phased out.

 

[fla4fun]

I know people do it but the volume of buses that run to BW/YC is already not enough to meet the demand for those resorts, let alone adding the guests (and ECVs!) from Swolphin. Unpopular opinion perhaps but I wish Disney would check room keys/magic bands or something to keep transit with limited capacity to those staying on property. Not necessarily that property because there are plenty of reasons to move around, but at least at a Disney resort.

I can still remember a time when WDW did check for room keys before you got on the bus going to the resort, at busy times. One night at MK closing they checked our DD's and since she'd forgotten her key, I forget how she and DH got back to our resort (this was way back in the 80s) but it wasn't by bus. At the time, we didn't blame anyone for it-that was the policy. As a frequent ECV guest at the Beach Club who's had to wait for subsequent buses because all ECV capacity was taken, I don't disagree with your opinion.

I remember when you had to show a resort ID to get on any resort or DS transportation. Of course, this was back when you had to buy a transportation ticket if you weren’t a resort guest (which could be shown instead of the resort ID in some cases). Back then there were fewer parks and fewer resorts, so it wasn’t as time consuming as it would be today. Also, Disney wasn’t actively encouraging people who weren’t staying there to visit the resorts. I can also remember a time when the regular buses couldn’t carry wheelchairs/ECVs at all, and at that time the solution was to ride a separate accessible only bus. I doubt that would be allowed since the advent of the ADA.

I’m not sure what the ultimate solution will be. How do we add additional space for wheelchair/ECVs guests without running buses nearly empty when it’s less busy? They added buses to the fleet with three slots instead of two for wheelchairs/ECVs and that doesn’t seem to have helped very much. Do we just run more buses, maybe every ten minutes instead of every twenty? I don’t know. There are going to be more people needing accommodation on Disney transport, not fewer. Maybe there needs to be more convertible seating on the bus, where seats can be up or down, and a flat floor without stairs to the back. Perhaps they need a more technologically advanced version of the “dispatch where needed” bus deployment, one that can tell if guests are being left behind because the accessible slots are full. There really is no excuse for a company the size of Disney to make guests with mobility issues wait for a third bus or more before being able to board, especially at a resort where they are a paying guest. There has to be a solution. Whether Disney will pay to put it in place is the question.

I have occasionally been renting an ECV in the parks only, solely because of the hiccups with transportation. It would be nice to be able to have one at the resort as well, and to not be in pain or have to worry that the park might run out. But until they figure out a reasonable solution I feel like I am stuck and as I get older it will only be more difficult to get from the resort to the park without assistance.

 

[Goldelpack]

While staying at the "value" all-star resorts I've probably been 80% able to catch a bus in my ecv first round. But that 20% always seems like a bigger deal while I am waiting. But reality is that it's not more than 15 to 20 minutes for the next one. I also attempt to travel at times when people waiting for that bus are less. I don't mind sipping my coffee and waiting for next bus. It's extremely rare for me to need to be somewhere at wdw where waiting would be an issue. In other words I plan far enough ahead and my thoughts are that I am at wdw and waiting is part of the ecv adventure. If absolutely necessarily I would certainly take a Minnie ride.
On the other hand, when staying at resorts with multiple internal stops my calculations were closer to 60% of the time being able to board 1st bus that got there. Plus at those I found that guests already aboard the bus seemed to have some mental block regarding moving their feet when I boarded.
There's certain certainties that are integrated with wdw adventures and one is that there can and probably will be transportation waits.

 

[Lewisc]

Many ECV users can have issues walking Disney distances. They are able to walk up a few steps and find a seat.. Swan puts ECV under the bus. Plenty of space.

 

[NYCgrrl]

For those concerned about ECV capacity on Disney buses, they now are introducing buses that hold 3 ECV instead of 2.

I’ve never stayed at CSR but am mulling the idea for a February visit. Staying at an Epcot hotel kind of spoils you for anything else.

 

[Lewisc]

For those concerned about ECV capacity on Disney buses, they now are introducing buses that hold 3 ECV instead of 2.

I’ve never stayed at CSR but am mulling the idea for a February visit. Staying at an Epcot hotel kind of spoils you for anything else.

Wait at the last internal bus stop. All 2 or 3 ECV spots may be occupied. Wait at the first stop. The spots may be taken by returning guests.

You have this potential issue for every park. Plan on using Minnie Vans, Mears accessible taxis or pick a different resort.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

For those contemplating Caribbean Beach, another possibility, depending on where you are staying, is to take the Riviera buses and then drive over to Caribbean Beach. I did the reverse coming back from Disney Springs when the Riviera bus left right as I was arriving (I had had too much good Mexican food to run for it!), and was surprised at how easy it was. Get off at the first bus stop and you’re just a few minutes from the walking path between CB and RIV.