Several Transportation Questions

[ancestry]

I have several transportation questions on different topics and am trying to combine them into one post -- questions about traffic during Marathon Weekend and about the boat from POR to DTD.

DD and I are staying at Port Orleans Riverside for the first time in January. We will be arriving at the resort late afternoon/early evening and I'm thinking of heading to DTD for dinner and shopping since none of the parks are open past 9:00 PM on the day we arrive.

1) How often do the boats from POR to DTD run? Are they on an every 20 minute schedule like the buses?

2) Do they run the boat both ways (from POR to DTD and from DTD to POR)? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I remember reading a trip report where the lady stated she was only able to take the boat in one direction (to DTD) and had to take a bus back.

3) Do the boats run even if the weather if very cold? (Last year on the boards everyone was complaining about how unseasonable cold Florida was -- jackets, gloves, scarfs, etc.)

4) Where does the POR boat dock to load and unload at DTD? Which DTD area?

5) We are arriving the afternoon of the 8th and staying for several days. I know that is the marathon weekend. We are relying on Disney transportation (DME and park buses -- no rental car). How does the marathon affect the buses routes and timing? Will we even notice anything different (i.e. detours, etc.) or will it be invisible to us who are not participating in the marathon?

Thanks in advance.

 

[grimley1968]

1) Boats definitely are not as frequent as buses. I'd maybe rely on something like a 30 to 45-minute frequency. It's a long trip.
2) Boats run both directions, with stops at POFQ, POR and DtD. If you wish to get back to POFQ faster, a bus may be desired, but boats go both ways.
3) I can't see why boat service wouldn't operate unless the water somehow got too choppy (very unlikely in cold weather). Temps shouldn't make a difference.
4) The POR and POFQ share the same boat. The boat stops in DtD in the Marketplace section, near Earl of Sandwich, World of Disney, etc.
5) I have no idea.

 

[joelkfla]

1) How often do the boats from POR to DTD run? Are they on an every 20 minute schedule like the buses?

The PO boats run every 20 minutes between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and every 10 minutes between 4 p.m. & 11 p.m. (This is from the internal cast info website, which is not always up-to-date.)

2) Do they run the boat both ways (from POR to DTD and from DTD to POR)? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I remember reading a trip report where the lady stated she was only able to take the boat in one direction (to DTD) and had to take a bus back.

Yes. The last boat from POR is 11 p.m., and from DTD 11:30 p.m.

3) Do the boats run even if the weather if very cold? (Last year on the boards everyone was complaining about how unseasonable cold Florida was -- jackets, gloves, scarfs, etc.)

Yes.

4) Where does the POR boat dock to load and unload at DTD? Which DTD area?

DTD Marketplace, next to Cap'n Jacks Restaurant, near the Rainforest Cafe.

5) We are arriving the afternoon of the 8th and staying for several days. I know that is the marathon weekend. We are relying on Disney transportation (DME and park buses -- no rental car). How does the marathon affect the buses routes and timing? Will we even notice anything different (i.e. detours, etc.) or will it be invisible to us who are not participating in the marathon?

Yes, there definitely is an impact on transportation to all parks, but only on the mornings of the races. You should plan on allowing an extra hour to get anywhere by WDW Transport while the races are on. I think this year they finished around noon. As the morning goes on, the impacts lessen, as more roads are opened when the racers clear them.

For most of the morning, there were no buses to Epcot. Everyone going to Epcot (and for a time, MK as well) was bused from their resort to the TTC, and put on the monorail. But there were also delays around AK and DHS, as roads going into them were closed or reduced to one lane.