The Bus System at WDW HAS to be fixed.

[civileng68]

Normally my wife and I go to WDW every month, and we RARELY take the buses anywhere. We normally just to the monorail between Epcot and MK and drive between AK and MGM.

However, we had first time guests this past week and we decided to take the bus to AK from MK. However after we finished at AK we went to take the bus back to MK and I have never seen such inefficiency in my life. The crowds at the station were not huge by any means but the buses just didnt come.

We waited for 35 minutes with NO bus showing up to take us to the TTC.

So, us along with about 1/2 the line moved to the Epcot line, as everyone figured they'd SAVE time by going to Epcot and taking the monorails to MK.

Well after 45 minutes a bus shows up for the TTC, (which leads me to believe they had only 1 bus running this route) and then after 15 more minutes the Epcot bus showed up. We waited nearly 1 hour to get a bus from AK.

Now, Im sure someone will try to validate a reason for this..........however, no reason can make this acceptable. They know there are guests waiting and they run this route 365 days/year. They know what is needed and they dont run it efficiently.

This is the same reason when we stayed on site we just drove ourselves to the parks because the buses were just too long of a wait.

After waiting 45 minutes to get a bus from the MK to our resort and waiting 35 minutes to go from MGM to CBR (which is quicker to just walk!) we decided the system is greatly flawed and we drove ourselves, defeating the purpose of staying there.

 

[DVC Jen]

I agree which is why we hardly EVER take the buses any where. I hate being packed in there like sardines as well.

 

[civileng68]

I agree which is why we hardly EVER take the buses any where. I hate being packed in there like sardines as well.

What's funny is, my SIL, who was there for the first time in 15 years said just Saturday night "surely this is a safety hazzard".

I mean it wasn't just packed like a normal bus packing. It was PACKED! So much so, I probably could have not held on to anything and still stayed in one spot. My only thought was "i sure hope this thing doesn't catch fire or we're all dead".

 

[shafke]

The only park that I usually take the bus to is the MK since once you park you still need to transfer tram then to either monorail or ferry.

The other parks I will drive to. The only one that we felt was too far to walk and took the tram was AK. Epcot and Studio is close enough to walk.

Also, a little tip for the studios... you can get around the crowds at the main entrance security checkpoint. If you walk to the entrance from the parking lot there is a single table security check point with no line.

 

[Lewisc]

You would have been better off taking a bus to the Contemporary and then walking to the MK.

 

[DVCLiz]

I agree that those wait times are awful, but I stay on property for many reasons, and the transportation isn't one of them!!! I always have my own car or rent one - I'm not going to spend that much time waiting for a bus. But I wouldn't move off-property because of it - too many other advantages for me on site!!!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We had the same problem in October, 3 Epcot buses came before 1 MK came

 

[Tina]

I thought they had nearly cut out the TTC busses. I would have instead taken the first MK resort bus that came along (Poly, GF, Contemporary, or WL) and then taken the monorail or boat to the MK. We avoid the TTC now after (on a previous stay) waiting nearly an hour for a bus to WL. We had dinner at the Contemporary and the boats stopped running early for some unknown reason (we were on the dock at 9:35pm). So we took the monorail over to the TTC to catch a bus to WL - big mistake. It took forever.

 

[LivinInTheCastle]

It really is a shame that they have been doing such a poor job with the bus routes over the last few years. They advertise it as such a draw to stay on Disney property, which costs so much more than other places and yet they can't run their own bus system around their own property.

 

[raven69david]

Every time we've gone to WDW we've never had a problem with the bus transportation system. The worst was a 15 minute wait at Epcot to AK, but other than that it's been pretty smooth. I guess we've just been luck thus far. <knock on wood>

 

[Horizons16]

I have never had a problem either.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

before this trip, i have never had a problem and i stayed in many different places (from pop, to all stars, to port orleans, animal kingdom lodge...)
This trip, we stayed at the beach club villas and the bus was HORRIBLE! One night going to downtown disney, no bus came for over 40 minutes....waited 30 min for bus to magic kingdom..that was the only trip i had a problem

 

[Chuck S]

I think there are far more folks using the busses this year. With the free airport Magical Express service, fewer people are renting cars...so they are relying on Disney transport.

 

[Ashes8380]

I've never had a huge problem with the buses, but even if i did here are my thoughts....

I usually stay in a value resort. Last year Pop was $55 a night. I know of no other resort that will let you stay there for that cheap AND take you everywhere you need to go. For example, my family used to go to the Jersey shore a lot. You will never find a $55 hotel there, and even if you do, you must have a car to get to most places you want to go. So if Disney saves me the several hundred dollars it would take to rent a car, I'm okay with a bit of waiting.

I know the fact that I'm 22 and without kids helps. My legs aren't as tired and no crying babies. But honestly, I think the Disney hotels are a steal, and see the bus service as an added bonus. There's no way that my friend and I could have afforded such a nice vacation anywhere else last year, and saving a couple hundred on the car was a big part of that. So I <3 the buses, even if they are slow!

 

[disneymama73]

One night last week, I believe it was Wed. night, we got rained out at Fantasmic and waited about 40 mins for a bus back to WL. That is totally unacceptable. We saw 3 or 4 buses for each of the other resorts come and go. It was very frustrating. And very cold as we were soaking wet.

Yesterday, we were trying to get from MK to WL, and again we waited about 35 mins. The boats were packed, and we had to get back to WL so that we would not miss our DME bus to the airport. Ironically enough, our 4:35pm DME bus NEVER SHOWED UP, and we had to take the 5:05 leaving us no time to eat or anything.

We haven't had much trouble in the past, but the buses were not running smoothly, in our experience, last week.

 

[Buzz2001]

Never encountered a problem waiting for a bus that long. 1 hour is crazy.

Here is a thread I read on the rumors board. Maybe this will be a start in the right direction

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=963480

Walt Disney World to spend 15 million dollars on Disney Transportation to Buy New Buses and Upgrade existing Buses. Disney will begin installing new Digital Sound systems in all of its Bus Fleet making up RTS, Nova and Gillig Buses. Each Bus will soon have automatic spiels system and pay Disney Park Music on the way to the park.

 

[civileng68]

Never encountered a problem waiting for a bus that long. 1 hour is crazy.

Here is a thread I read on the rumors board. Maybe this will be a start in the right direction

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=963480

Walt Disney World to spend 15 million dollars on Disney Transportation to Buy New Buses and Upgrade existing Buses. Disney will begin installing new Digital Sound systems in all of its Bus Fleet making up RTS, Nova and Gillig Buses. Each Bus will soon have automatic spiels system and pay Disney Park Music on the way to the park.

If this were true, this would be GREAT!!!!!

Also, hopefully they make the buses more "room" efficient.

 

[Markstudy]

How hard is it to get a taxi?

Do they have taxis stands at DTD and MK at closing?

I would guess that the bus works 80% of the time....but when I'm tierd, is it possable to grab a cab? Does Disney have enough taxis?

Would 80% bus and 20% taxi still be a better mix than a rental car for the week?

 

[Fast Pass]

I know it didn't help for this visit but in September I was talking to the Manager something or other over the bus schedule stops (he was doing something called quality control inspection) and I complained about a couple of the busses he said that they would be doing a complete overhaul of the bus system next year.

My main problem is being stuffed in the bus like a rat convention at a cheese buffet. If any of those busses ever crashed the fatality rate would be extreme. We were packed so tight in one bus that no one could move.

I think that with all the off site people plus the on site people using the bus system and compounded with higher attendance numbers the Disney fleet is just plain over extended.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I've not had too many complaints about Disney transportation. I know that when you are waiting for a bus at a theme park, especially after a long day of walking, even the shortest amount of wait can seem like forever. Add in some tired kiddos and it can get even tougher.

We avoid the "sardine" experience by either leaving before park closing or waiting for the crowds to disperse after closing. We've never had an extensive wait, but then again, we've never used the bus to go to TTC or hop between parks.