Taking ART, what should we know...

[todzwife]

My family is staying at the Best Western Meridian and ART runs there. It's a few miles from the resort, but we've never stayed that far so I'm not sure what to tell them. How early should the get on ART for a 10 AM opening? How long can they expect to wait at closing (8 PM).

We're staying across the street at DI&S but I couldn't convince them that proximity was more important that a generous free breakfast and they got a great rate.

Oh, and driving in doesn't make sense with parking at the structure being $17. They've got a double and a single stroller.

 

[01spirit750]

Well I am not familiar with that exact ART route.

I would suggest being inline for the art bus between 8:30 and 9am (depending on the pick up schedule which you can check online at the ART website).

A few years ago we stayed down the street at the Embassy Suites and used ART.

Our experience was not what we had hoped for.

We found that our ART bus did not have consistent schedules. One night while leaving the park we waited an hour for our ART bus which was a no show (that was suppose to pick up every 20 minutes). We finally found an ART employee and they put us on a different bus and asked the driver to make a special stop.

We also found that in the morning the busses fill up fast and you could end up waiting for the next bus.

We finally decided ART was not our best option, especially having little kids. Now, when my daughter and I go we stay across the street and walk in. If my wife goes we stay onsite.

 

[DahliaRW]

Sometimes ART can't get you to the park by opening time (depends on schedule) and it never runs early enough to get you there for early entry if you have a 3-day or longer park hopper.

 

[nikkislaght]

And we have had a very different experience from the other two posters...

WE stay at the World Mark on Katella .. and never really have any issues with the buses..
sometimes if you are not out front first yes you may have to wai for a second bus.. we have stayed at the Dolphins cove and it seemed that the buses didnt run as often.. but still we always got to the parks on time.. I guess it really does depend on the route and driver at that time...

if your family is taking a stroller make sure they have it closed up.. you cant take an open stroller on the bus .
Most of the time, its the people on the bus which are the problem.. not moving back far enough... letting kids take up seats when they could be on a lap etc... and even cutting in line.. yup that enough to make you want to throw your MIckey mouse doll at them..!!!!

 

[GeneralTso]

What you should know?
It takes longer than you think.

 

[Geemo]

From some of the experiences, I recommend they consider a taxi.

I sure like the hotels right across the street. We've stayed at DI&S many times and it's so easy to get to and from the parks.

I wish them well with their trips to and from the parks each day.

Enjoy your time at Disneyland!

Geemo

 

[Hofmanns4]

I can't provide specifics on your route, but my DD and I used ART for the first time last month. We were on route 8 staying at La Quinta. We found it very fast and had no trouble getting on a Saturday morning at opening. We may have been lucky as there are only 4 stops on that route and only 2 had people waiting, but that was our experience.

 

[coupon cache]

We have been to Disney 3 times in the past few years, stayed at 2 different hotels, and used ART each time. We never had trouble with them, the drivers were always nice and kind. However, we were always the first stop..... the bus usually filled up at our stop, and we just drove past the rest of the stops without stopping and picking anyone up.

 

[chttyangel]

I have used ART on two trips. Never an issue; the bus came by every 15-20 mins, never had an issue getting on and it was always a fast trip. We were one of the last stops going into the Parks so ride there was 5 mins or less and ride back closer to 15.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

If anyone has ART experience to/from HoJo's/Disneyland I'd love to hear about it. Next week I'm taking my DGD without a stroller for the first time and I've purchased ART passes as a backup in case she's too tired to walk back to hotel during our stay - she's 6 and too heavy for me to carry.

 

[algae]

Stayed at the Holiday Inn on Manchester once. Used the ART to get to and fro (route 12). Not recommended in my opinion. When we wanted to get on the bus, a few hundred other people did also. Had to wait for quite a few busses to go by before we could catch one to go back to the hotel at night.... when we were all exhausted.... not a good time.

Pay the $17 and park in the garage. Might be cheaper than ART passes. If you get stuck in traffic, at least you can sit down and the kids can snooze in the car. There are no benches at the ART stops IIRC.

 

[tarheelalum]

Pay the $17 and park in the garage. Might be cheaper than ART passes. If you get stuck in traffic, at least you can sit down and the kids can snooze in the car. There are no benches at the ART stops IIRC.

This is what I would do. The ART is not reliable.

 

[Satye1]

Sometimes ART can't get you to the park by opening time (depends on schedule) and it never runs early enough to get you there for early entry if you have a 3-day or longer park hopper.

We used the ART in our last stay at Embassy Suites South. No problems getting on a bus. Buses were often about ever 20 min. They DO pick up early enough to get to park for MM/ Early Entry...plus some. If you plan to use---BUY passes ahead of time & check routes. Different #'s do different routes. Its really easy & convienent...lots of buses leaving park at end of night so really not an issue (expext those to be the fuller ones). check if your hotel has a stop out front, if not I'm sure there is one close by.

 

[disneychrista]

Did ART once but never again. If you can get your passes (or even one) from AAA do so, they include free parking at either lot.