Staying at BLT for 1st real trip to Disney - need help

[Gwen412]

Hi all-

Staying at BLT Sept 7- Sept 12 with hubby and DD 3 and DD2 - we are coming home for naps everyday and want to know if we should use Disney transportation or drive to attractions.

I know to use monorail for MK

But what about Epcot, AK and Disney Studios?

If we do drive, do we have to pay to park?

If we use Disney transportation - what is the best thing to use?

Thanks - gWen

 

[bobbiwoz]

You will not have to pay to park because you are staying on site and will have a parking permit.

If you have a stroller, it would probably be eaiser to walk to the MK rather than get to the monorail stop. You would either take a bus or drive to the other parks. With our family, 3 DGC have been going since they've been 1,2 and 3, we've always taken Disney buses, not driven to the parks.

Bobbi

 

[Gwen412]

We will have a stroller - so we will Walk to MK

How long do the bus rides between Contemp and the other parks take?

Thanks so much!

GWen

 

[Tara]

Hi all-

I know to use monorail for MK

Unless there are medical reasons you want to limit your unnecessary walking, don't take the monorail. The resort monorail travels clockwise, so after picking you up at the Contemporary, it will stop at the TTC, Polynesian and Grand Floridian before arriving at MK. Might be a fun ride once, but not if you're anxious to get to the park. It's a short, easy walk to MK.

But what about Epcot, AK and Disney Studios?

I drive pretty much everywhere, so I'm biased. But I would drive to AK and Studios for sure. Try taking the monorail to Epcot - it's fun and it'll take just a couple of minutes to get to the TTC and then it's a 10-minute ride to Epcot (excluding wait times).

If we do drive, do we have to pay to park?

No, you will be given a parking pass to display in your dashboard - this will permit you to park for free.

If we use Disney transportation - what is the best thing to use?

Well, you won't really have a lot of options for each route. For Epcot, it's monorail. For AK and Studios, it's the bus.

 

[Tara]

We will have a stroller - so we will Walk to MK

How long do the bus rides between Contemp and the other parks take?

Thanks so much!

GWen

Unless something has changed since I last took a bus from a monorail resort (we've stayed at Grand Floridian a lot), their bus service can be slow. All three (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) share bus service, and the stops are in that order. So you'll be picked up first, but you'll have to wait through the other stops before you are on your way to your destination. On the return, it's not as bad since you'd be the first drop-off.

Once you are underway to the parks, it's probably 10 minutes to Studios and 12 minutes to Animal Kingdom. But the pickups at the other resorts will tack on 15 minutes at least, so add that as well.

 

[ssawka]

Unless something has changed since I last took a bus from a monorail resort (we've stayed at Grand Floridian a lot), their bus service can be slow. All three (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) share bus service, and the stops are in that order. So you'll be picked up first, but you'll have to wait through the other stops before you are on your way to your destination. On the return, it's not as bad since you'd be the first drop-off.

Once you are underway to the parks, it's probably 10 minutes to Studios and 12 minutes to Animal Kingdom. But the pickups at the other resorts will tack on 15 minutes at least, so add that as well.

If what Tara says is still true, then it would probably be quicker to walk to MK's bus depot and catch a direct bus to the other parks.

 

[dvc_john]

If what Tara says is still true, then it would probably be quicker to walk to MK's bus depot and catch a direct bus to the other parks.

There is no direct service from the MK bus depot to any other park.
They would have to monorail to the TTC, then take a bus to AK or DHS, so a direct bus from BLT, even with a few other stops, would probably be better.

 

[ssawka]

There is no direct service from the MK bus depot to any other park.
They would have to monorail to the TTC, then take a bus to AK or DHS, so a direct bus from BLT, even with a few other stops, would probably be better.

right, I don't know what I was thinking!

 

[Gwen412]

So here is what I'm thinking....

Walk to MK - 10min each way
Drive to Epcot, DS and AK - about 12-15 min drive each way - as my fastest options.....


We might do monorail to Epcot one day - just for fun

Getting them back for naps and a reasonable bedtime without tacking on tons of extra travel time is important to me

Thanks for all the help!

Gwen

 

[Snurk71]

My $.02...

Granted, I've been called impatient be some in life. But we drive everywhere - haven't stepped foot on a Disney bus in over 10 trips. When I'm ready to go, I want to go then - not wait for a bus, then maybe wait for another bus, have to stand on the bus, stop at a resort that's not where I'm getting off... I think you get the idea.

We monorailed from GF to Epcot once - I swear it took 45 minutes with the stops at MK and Cont, and then the switchover at the TTC. When we drive we're there in about 10 minutes.

Again, I'm kind of impatient though.

 

[ssawka]

My $.02...

Granted, I've been called impatient be some in life. But we drive everywhere - haven't stepped foot on a Disney bus in over 10 trips. When I'm ready to go, I want to go then - not wait for a bus, then maybe wait for another bus, have to stand on the bus, stop at a resort that's not where I'm getting off... I think you get the idea.

We monorailed from GF to Epcot once - I swear it took 45 minutes with the stops at MK and Cont, and then the switchover at the TTC. When we drive we're there in about 10 minutes.

Again, I'm kind of impatient though.

To each their own! For me, coming from the D.C. area, one of the things I love about vacationing at WDW is the fact that I don't have to drive anywhere. When you spend as much time in a car as people around here do, it only feels like a vacation if you don't have to drive!

 

[ssawka]

My $.02...

Granted, I've been called impatient be some in life. But we drive everywhere - haven't stepped foot on a Disney bus in over 10 trips. When I'm ready to go, I want to go then - not wait for a bus, then maybe wait for another bus, have to stand on the bus, stop at a resort that's not where I'm getting off... I think you get the idea.

We monorailed from GF to Epcot once - I swear it took 45 minutes with the stops at MK and Cont, and then the switchover at the TTC. When we drive we're there in about 10 minutes.

Again, I'm kind of impatient though.

To each their own! For me, coming from the D.C. area, one of the things I love about vacationing at WDW is the fact that I don't have to drive anywhere. When you spend as much time in a car as people around here do, it only feels like a vacation if you don't have to drive!

 

[Tara]

So here is what I'm thinking....

Walk to MK - 10min each way
Drive to Epcot, DS and AK - about 12-15 min drive each way - as my fastest options.....


We might do monorail to Epcot one day - just for fun

Getting them back for naps and a reasonable bedtime without tacking on tons of extra travel time is important to me

Thanks for all the help!

Gwen

That's exactly what I would do and what I plan to do as a BLT owner and guest.

I will add...there's a boat that goes from the Contemporary to Wilderness Lodge (and I guess Ft. Wilderness? not sure on that part)...it's a nice little boat ride and fun to use to check out WL and see a little more of Bay Lake.

 

[liznboys]

So here is what I'm thinking....

Walk to MK - 10min each way
Drive to Epcot, DS and AK - about 12-15 min drive each way - as my fastest options.....


We might do monorail to Epcot one day - just for fun

Getting them back for naps and a reasonable bedtime without tacking on tons of extra travel time is important to me

Thanks for all the help!

Gwen

That is also exactly what we would (and will) do when staying at BLT. We much prefer driving in WDW over the buses.

 

[amandelba]

That is also exactly what we would (and will) do when staying at BLT. We much prefer driving in WDW over the buses.

Don't forget about those annoying parking lot trams. IMO, these are much harder to board with a stroller and less orderly than the buses.