spending time waiting for buses is maddening

[ILoveMyDVC]

There I had to say it! It really s@cks. Such a huge waste of time. It is a highly inefficient system. Waits are 20 to 40 minutes or more. Three or four buses will go by for one park while others take nearly an hour.

NEVER AGAIN. If I can't *afford* the rental car, I can't afford to go. My health, happiness and sanity are more valuable.

The FOURTH MK bus just arrived. Zero AK. There. Goes the first p
Fast pass.

Incidentally, FP plus really damaged our vacation time. More on this later. Don't fall for the hype. It is particularly cruel for parties with children.

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Gone are the carefree days of just getting on the first bus to arrive.... Having to make ADR 6 months in advance and now FP+ at 60 days, no spontaniety or go with the flow exists anymore. Now that they can track our movements with magic bands, why can't they track their buses and make corrections on the fly? Isnt' anyone monitoring that they have sent 4 MK buses to the resort?

This is why our new favorite resorts are EPCOT or MK resorts so you buses are eliminated for half the parks.

I hope you have a better start to your day tomorrow.

 

[disneynutz]

Hopes are that the magic bands will improve the bus service.

Bill

 

[tjkraz]

20 minutes has been the published standard for many years now. So that's the bare minimum one should expect.

We do still see instances of multiple buses for a single park but fortunately those seem to be the exception rather than the rule. It does seem like Disney's dispatch system is in need of some fine tuning.

But I agree, driving is usually the way to go. Removes a lot of the uncertainties.

Hope your next experience is a better one!

 

[MiramarQE]

But I agree, driving is usually the way to go. Removes a lot of the uncertainties.

Oooohh - don't know that I agree with that!

Driving gives you a little more control - but driving to/from the parks is NOT a zero time event. Think about driving to MK: you have to drive to get to the toll plaza, get through it (even if you're on-site you may still have to wait if there is a line), get to the parking lot - park where ever - maybe wait for a tram to take you to the TTC or walk, then ferry or monorail to the MK entrance. You need to plan for this time. The MK bus drops you a short distance from that same MK entrance.

The buses are our least favorite part of the vacation - NOT having to drive for the entire vacation (we'll sometimes drive if we're going to a signature at another resort - Cali Grill, etc.) is worth it.

 

[drusba]

Boy, I wish Boardwalk was that good.

 

[Marine Mom]

I agree with the bus service that is why we ALWAYS rent a car. For my sanity I cannot sit and wait for buses anymore. Check the prices for the rental cars closer to the time you go. We find that the prices drop closer to vacation.

The FP is another thing. We were just there in January and we LOVED the new system. If you miss one of your FP times, no worries you can either change the time on your cell phone or do it once you get to the park. We found it very convenient.

 

[tjkraz]

Oooohh - don't know that I agree with that!

Driving gives you a little more control - but driving to/from the parks is NOT a zero time event. Think about driving to MK: you have to drive to get to the toll plaza, get through it (even if you're on-site you may still have to wait if there is a line), get to the parking lot - park where ever - maybe wait for a tram to take you to the TTC or walk, then ferry or monorail to the MK entrance. You need to plan for this time. The MK bus drops you a short distance from that same MK entrance.

The buses are our least favorite part of the vacation - NOT having to drive for the entire vacation (we'll sometimes drive if we're going to a signature at another resort - Cali Grill, etc.) is worth it.

Note that I never said driving was faster...just that it removed a lot of uncertainty.

Instead of waiting for a bus--which could be anywhere from 0 minutes to 30+ minutes, plus other stops and actual drive time--we know about how long it will take to drive from any resort to a park including tram rides, walk time, etc.

Driving also allows for greater flexibility. I remember one trip where we went from AKL to Animal Kingdom to Blizzard Beach to Downtown Disney. Try doing that using Disney buses and tell me how much longer it takes.

Driving doesn't provide complete control, but still a much greater level of control and flexibility than Disney buses.

 

[Brian Noble]

In general, driving to/from MK is about the same as a bus on average (excepting VWL), but much more predictable; driving to/from the other three theme parks is a little faster on average, and also more predictable; driving to/from anywhere else is MUCH faster.

It's also the case that the MK bus routes seem to be serviced a little more frequently than the others, but that could just be my impression. (It makes sense, though: MK's 2012 attendance was about 17.5M. EP, AK and DS were ~11M, ~10M, and ~9.0M respectively.)

I nearly always get a rental car unless I'm staying in the Epcot area---and sometimes even then.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Gone are the carefree days of just getting on the first bus to arrive.... Having to make ADR 6 months in advance and now FP+ at 60 days, no spontaniety or go with the flow exists anymore. Now that they can track our movements with magic bands, why can't they track their buses and make corrections on the fly? Isnt' anyone monitoring that they have sent 4 MK buses to the resort?

You said exactly what I was thinking. Getting on the first bus to arrive was so much fun! The death of spontaneity!

 

[jillgunter]

We are not a big fan of the buses either. We try to pick a resort that has the most non busses! We are looking forward to walking to Epcot this year. We sometimes get lucky on the buses, but sometimes we have waited too. We do enjoy the transportation tho if we both want to have a drink or two. No worries about driving.

My DH was so surprised that the deluxe resorts share buses our last trip to WL.

 

[tjkraz]

You said exactly what I was thinking. Getting on the first bus to arrive was so much fun! The death of spontaneity!

Why can't you be spontaneous today?

As I type this it's 1:07pm on Monday 2/3. Looking at the My Disney Experience website the ONLY attractions which are not available via FP+ are Toy Story Mania (all paper FPs would also be gone by this time) and Rock N Rollercoaster.

Every other attraction--across all 4 theme parks--is still available. Today. Right now.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There I had to say it! It really s@cks. Such a huge waste of time. It is a highly inefficient system. Waits are 20 to 40 minutes or more. Three or four buses will go by for one park while others take nearly an hour.

NEVER AGAIN. If I can't *afford* the rental car, I can't afford to go. My health, happiness and sanity are more valuable.

The FOURTH MK bus just arrived. Zero AK. There. Goes the first p
Fast pass.

Incidentally, FP plus really damaged our vacation time. More on this later. Don't fall for the hype. It is particularly cruel for parties with children.

FP's can be changed so I hope you took a look at doing that OP.

Regarding transportation - and I mean all of it - boats, buses, monorail - it seems like Murphy is watching and always steps in when we have something we need to get to. Boats really have been my nemesis that during the last couple of years. When we have all the time in the world everything goes along right on schedule.

 

[twinklebug]

It's always better to be moving at a slow pace than to be stopped dead in your tracks. I feel for you OP, we've all had those days when all the buses show up except for the one we want. The up-side is there will be days when all the buses you want arrive just as you're walking up to the bus stop. My son seems to have better luck than I do at this.

May the weather be warm and all buses be headed your way.

---------------------

This thread and some of the comments have me wondering how fun, or infuriating, it would be to have Disney have a "the way it was" day... just for one day.

Buses were not dispatched by computer according to need. No GPS. It was all through radio and they only had a clue anything was wrong if someone called it in.
No dining reservations, except those you'd make at a kiosk at the entrance to EPCOT.
No fast passes at all.
You took your chances stepping into line as there were no wait times listed.

Come to think of it, I think I'll stick with the upgrades.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We usually take buses. In the past we did drive to DHS, AK and sometimes Epcot. But now, we are just going more slowly, enjoying the view, talking to people at the bus stops and having a good time. Easier on the blood pressure.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

There I had to say it! It really s@cks. Such a huge waste of time. It is a highly inefficient system. Waits are 20 to 40 minutes or more. Three or four buses will go by for one park while others take nearly an hour.

NEVER AGAIN. If I can't *afford* the rental car, I can't afford to go. My health, happiness and sanity are more valuable.

The FOURTH MK bus just arrived. Zero AK. There. Goes the first p
Fast pass.

Incidentally, FP plus really damaged our vacation time. More on this later. Don't fall for the hype. It is particularly cruel for parties with children.

It's why we drive, and why we drive everywhere on property once we get there, with the exception of an occasional monorail ride purely for entertainment or to get to the MK.

People think I'm just cheap and won't pay for airfare and while that's true, it's only part of the story. We go a lot and having our truck or car with us allows us to go where we want to go when we want to go there. Even when we did fly, I was never without a rental car. People thought I Was crazy then too. Guess what?

 

[hakepb]

I wonder how fun, or infuriating, it would be to have Disney have a "the way it was" day... just for one day.

[b ]Buses were not dispatched by computer according to need. No GPS. It was all through radio and they only had a clue anything was wrong if someone called it in.[/b]
No dining reservations, except those you'd make at a kiosk at the entrance to EPCOT.
No fast passes at all.
You took your chances stepping into line as there were no wait times listed.

Come to think of it, I think I'll stick with the upgrades.

Although, bus drivers used to be CM's that both cared about service, and were managed by people that cared about guests.
If a MK bus driver came up to an otherwise empty stop, (except you) and you asked, "when is the next AK bus, the bus that just pulled out of here was an MK bus"
The Driver would usually ask you to hop on, and he would change his sign to AK.

 

[cubsblue]

I alway give 40 minutes wait time for buses and then add double the normal travel time just to be safe if we have an ADR or FP+. That way if it hits that maximum, we are good. We have never been late or missed a ride yet. Usually we are way early.

 

[rpk1951]

When we are in a huge hurry, we take a taxi. It might be better than renting a car for one trip a day.

 

[Dacky619]

Although, bus drivers used to be CM's that both cared about service, and were managed by people that cared about guests.
If a MK bus driver came up to an otherwise empty stop, (except you) and you asked, "when is the next AK bus, the bus that just pulled out of here was an MK bus"
The Driver would usually ask you to hop on, and he would change his sign to AK.

Actually, within the last 12-18 months we have still had this happen to us. It's most likely in early morning trying to get to breakfast ADRs.