Tell me about ART - Good, Bad, & Ugly

[GatorChris]

First time we won't have a walking distance hotel. I've got a small little business trip coming up and it looks like we either park at the structure and take the trams, or we do ART from Ayers over near the Honda Center. They both cost about the same for what we'll be needing.

How is the pick up at each hotel? Fast or slow? How is the pick up at the end of the park day - nuts or normal?

And would you rather do DL this way or just park the car and take the tram? Who knows, I may decide I like the bus and the cheaper hotel prices.

 

[LoriLovesMickey]

If the cost is the same I would park. ART can be spotty schedule wise. Also, if the bus is full by the time it gets to your stop (which has happened to us), you will have to wait for the next one. We used ART for one trip and it was kind of a pain. With parking I believe you have in and out privileges. Or at least that was the case the last time I parked.

 

[tarheelalum]

If the cost is the same I would park. ART can be spotty schedule wise. Also, if the bus is full by the time it gets to your stop (which has happened to us), you will have to wait for the next one. We used ART for one trip and it was kind of a pain. With parking I believe you have in and out privileges. Or at least that was the case the last time I parked.

I agree with everything you said about the ART. Some people like it but it is not reliable in my experience and I would rather pay to park.

 

[GatorChris]

Sounds a tad worse than WDW transport. I honestly don't miss waiting for and boarding buses to get to the parks. I wonder if there's anyone with a good experience. Or at least decent.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you park at one of the Disney lots, you will have in and out privileges.

Is there another hotel on a different ART route near the Ayres? Sometimes if an adjacent hotel is on another route (e.g. the Motel 6 by the Residence Inn Maingate), you can hop on that bus if your bus is full or is running late.

 

[kylie71]

We have used it multiple time's over the years.
Staying at:
1. Red Lion
2. Anaheim Hilton
3. Residence Inn Garden Grove

Its not that bad, as long as you make sure you show up about 5 minutes before the scheduled time. Also, don't take the last bus out at night, its always full.
No problems, I roll with the flow. Better than walking, that's for sure!

--Lori

 

[kateandy08096]

I was wondering the same thing. We are staying at Peacock Suites and cant decide if we should walk or take ART

 

[dotfurio]

In years past we were happy with the ART service, but our last couple of visits it's been ridiculous. I think it really depends on your hotel's location on the route. If you stay at one near the end of the route before disneyland, don't count on it stopping. If it's full they'll skip you. Supposedly they will "immediately" send another bus to pick you up, but they never came. We then tried a different ART route at a neighboring hotel. One day was good, another day we gave up before it showed. Their arrival times are a joke. You can text for updates, but all they do is adjust the arrival time by a few minutes at a time. One morning we gave up, but I kept checking the arrival time just to see. After an hour it still hadn't arrived, and at that point I quit checking so I have no idea when or if it ever came.

That said, I wasn't on your particular route. You might look up reviews for that hotel/route specifically because maybe it's better than our experiences.

 

[rentayenta]

We are in the pay-to-park camp as well. Years ago we used ART and it was fine. This last trip, we took one look at the line, shook our head, and drove our car to the parks. You can come and go all day and use the same parking pass. So much less stress. I'm too old to be packed like a sardine on a shuttle.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

I use uber rather than pay for shuttles. why pay for a 5 buck a head ride when you can pay 5 dollars for everyone to ride in an uber.

 

[DaveNinja]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and took ART for our first couple trips to DL years ago. We started staying within walking distance after the ART bus we were on hit the car in front of it at a stop light one time. It wasnt that big of a hit but it still wasted time while we had to be questioned and stuff. Also, ART was a pain if you had to deal with a stroller

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

I was wondering about the ART as well. We will be staying at the Hilton and will have a stroller. Honestly, I am dreading it. We won't have access to a car so I have a feeling we may be doing a lot of extra walking.

 

[nikkislaght]

We use the ART and never really have a problem with it,,.. yes it can get busy.. and full.. but we are on a short route.. and up till last year we were the first pick up.. so as long as we were downstairs and towards the front of the line we got on... they have now changed the route and I believe the hotel we stay at is now second?? not sure . and we found that could be a problem first thing .. but we found a way around that.. the hotel at the back of ours is on a different route and is the last / first pick up.. so we would just walk round the corner and get on that one.. so knowing your routes is to your advantage.. on the way home the only real problem we had was rude people trying to get onto the bus, knowing full well that you had been waiting and they just walked up.. if you are assertive enough to make a stance , then you wont have a problem.if on the other hand you sit and steam about line pushers, then it will bother you...
I would say ART for the convenience of being tired and not having to worry about getting "home" safely..or finding a spot. but if all that trying to get a seat on the bus business would drive you crazy.. then yes take your car

 

[clori]

I purchased ART passes before getting to CA and realizing how close our hotel was. Since we had them we used them. If we got on in front of our hotel we traveled around a bit but if we walked to the next building on corner and crossed the street we were at the last stop where different shuttles stopped. We always got a seat and it was about a 2 minute ride to the parks. Coming back our hotel was the first stop and since we didn't stay to closing (or walked if we did) we always got a seat and again it was about a 2-3 minute ride. Our hotel (Desert Palms) was only 1/2 mile away. We also took ART round trip to/from Knotts Berry Farm. On the way back our driver nicely stopped at the ART stop across the street from our hotel instead of having us go all the way back to the parks (we were the only ones left).