transportation a wilderness lodge villas

[deek17]

We are trying to plan a trip in dec., 10th -17th with 2 adults, 2 children ( 5 & 7) and are wondering about the transportation at Wilderness. We really don't want to rent a car if it is not needed. Any thoughts? Are there any other villas we should be considering if we do not want to rent a car?
Thanks,
Dee

 

[LisaS]

There is a boat that goes to the MK and also to the CR where you can hop on the monorail. There is bus service to all of the parks (I believe the MK bus is still operating, it seems to come and go). The bus stop area is quite close to the villas building.

Do you already have your room booked? It's getting a bit late to try to book VWL for December. It's one of the most popular resorts for the holidays so most people book it right at the 11-month window which opened in January.

 

[deek17]

No we have not booked yet for dec. at VWL and I was afraid to hear that about those villas. I kind of figured it would book pretty fast. Are there any other villas that have decent transportation?
Dee

 

[Donald is #1]

Can you provide a bit more detail on what you mean by "decent transportation"? Also, what are your favorite parks?

 

[deek17]

what I mean by decent transportation, is not waiting forever for a bus to come and pick you up. With my kids being 7 and 5 at the time we go I would have to say that we would probably spend the most time at MK.

 

[Donald is #1]

what I mean by decent transportation, is not waiting forever for a bus to come and pick you up. With my kids being 7 and 5 at the time we go I would have to say that we would probably spend the most time at MK.

If most of your time is going to be spent at MK, then VWL would be the most convienent. Overall, I think that each resort has its transportation pros and cons. Here is my opinion:

VWL:
Pros: either bus or boat to MK, boat to Contemporary
Cons: Shares buses with other resorts (mostly FW)

BCV & BWV:
Pros: Walking distance to EPCOT and HS. Also boat available if you don't want to walk.
Cons: For MK & AK, shares buses with other resorts

SSR:
Pros: Can walk, take a bus or take boat to DTD
Cons: Large resort so if your stop is one of the last ones, you could be standing

OKW:
Pros: Can take bus or boat to DTD
Cons: Large resort so if your stop is one of the last ones, you could be standing

AKV:
Pros: Doesn't share buses with any other resort
Cons: Must take buses to all parks. Some people feel that it is out of the way (not me).

 

[rsinj]

.

 

[cslittle999]

We stayed at WL in December 2005 and were quite happy with the transportation. We had our van with us and never started it the entire time we were there. Our kids were 7 and 9 at the time and didn't complain about the waits.

 

[La2kw]

If most of your time is going to be spent at MK, then VWL would be the most convienent. Overall, I think that each resort has its transportation pros and cons. Here is my opinion:

VWL:
Pros: either bus or boat to MK, boat to Contemporary
Cons: Shares buses with other resorts (mostly FW)

BCV & BWV:
Pros: Walking distance to EPCOT and HS. Also boat available if you don't want to walk.
Cons: For MK & AK, shares buses with other resorts

SSR:
Pros: Can walk, take a bus or take boat to DTD
Cons: Large resort so if your stop is one of the last ones, you could be standing

OKW:
Pros: Can take bus or boat to DTD
Cons: Large resort so if your stop is one of the last ones, you could be standing

AKV:
Pros: Doesn't share buses with any other resort
Cons: Must take buses to all parks. Some people feel that it is out of the way (not me).

While I've rarely had a crowded bus at OKW, it seems like the WL, BCV, and BWV are often very crowded. In fact the only time I've stood on an OKW bus was after the July 4th fireworks at the MK about 5 years ago. We had to stand quite frequently at the WL a few years ago when it was sharing buses with FW. The BCV and BWV often share a bus with BV, YC, Swan, Dolphin, BCV, BWI, and BWV. That's 7 resorts sharing a bus and all boats service all 7 resorts. Once Kidani opens, I would expect those AKV buses to get crowded as well since it will service both buildings.

 

[deek17]

Do the buses at OKW come frequently for the parks or are you waiting awhile for one? Do you need to have a car at OKW or can you depend on the buses for your transportation?

 

[eliza61]

what I mean by decent transportation, is not waiting forever for a bus to come and pick you up. With my kids being 7 and 5 at the time we go I would have to say that we would probably spend the most time at MK.

Transportation is always a sticky one to call because what seems a long wait to some, may not be for others. We just had some one post saying that they thought the 20 minutes they had to wait was excessive.
That being said generally we've never had more than a 25 minute wait at any of the resorts we stayed at (BCV's WLV's and OKW). My family loves walking through Epcot to get the monorail to MK, we like the monorail. I understand that Disney is working with a new GPS tracking system that is supposed to improve overall transportation. I haven't heard any reports on it.

If I had any suggestions I would probably say go with a relaxed and open mind. Whever you stay you may run into 1 day where the bus system has a glitch and you are waiting for a bit longer. I think your kids will follow your lead, if you get upset they will too- if you say "no biggie" and have fun at the bus stop, they will too. If having to stop at another resort bugs you, then you may want to rent a car.

 

[deek17]

Is it easy to walk to epcot from the boardwalk and hop on the monorail to MK? How long does it take? Would it be too much walking for a 5 and 7 year olds?

 

[Nikki_Mouse]

I have been to WDW 6 times in the past 4 years. I have never had a bad experience with buses or any other transportation, except inside Fort Wilderness (but that is a whole other story!). Yes the walk is long from the BW to the International Gateway. We walked it twice last trip and once the trip before. My DD6 rides in a stroller- if she didn't, I would go another way and save her energy! The boat is a nice short trip and it lets you off right at the gate. My kids enjoyed this- you do not have to fold the stroller up either. We have stayed at VWL and the boat ride to MK is nice too! It does make other stops but I don't remember the order.

 

[Donald is #1]

I have had very good luck with the buses in all of my WDW trips. In my 3 trips in the last 18 months (about 22 nights) I have only had 2 long waits for buses. First to set the stage, I assume that it will take 20 minutes for the bus to come. Why? Well, on average, WDW runs the buses on a 20 minutes schedule. Just by chance both experiences happened on consecutive nights. In both cases, I was staying at the same resort however almost all resorts had the same trouble that night. Also, I normally park hop and/or head back to the resort in the afternoon so I am taking the buses at least 4 times a day. So 2 long waits over 22 days to me is just in the noise.

 

[Disney-Kim]

Is it easy to walk to epcot from the boardwalk and hop on the monorail to MK? How long does it take? Would it be too much walking for a 5 and 7 year olds?

this is not your best option...yes it is a LONG walk all the way thru Epcot to the front where the monorail station is. do not book the BCV thinking that would be easy....it will wear you out.
BCV are best for MGM and Epcot proximity.

try to book the WLV asap...you will love them especially at Christmas.

as others have said...transportation varies as far as time waits...but its still the best way to get around WDW. No driving, parking, hassles. all just done for you...your kids will be fine at the bus/boat stops.

MK is just a boat ride away from VWL....good luck with your decisions.

 

[La2kw]

Do the buses at OKW come frequently for the parks or are you waiting awhile for one? Do you need to have a car at OKW or can you depend on the buses for your transportation?

We find the bus service better than most resorts. Quite often, we are the only ones on the bus, or there are one or two other parties. The buses come about every 15-20 minutes, just like most of the other resorts. We have done OKW without a car and we have done it with a car. I prefer not to drive on vacation, but occasionally we will drive to the water parks or mini golfing. Most resorts have multiple stops or stop at more than one resort. The Epcot resort buses usually have 5 stops, MK resorts have at least two stops, the moderates all have mutltiple stops and the All Stars often stop at more than one hotel. PC and AK have single stops, but AK is at the edges of the property and PC buses have to contend with crowded buses on almost every trip.

 

[dianeschlicht]

what I mean by decent transportation, is not waiting forever for a bus to come and pick you up. With my kids being 7 and 5 at the time we go I would have to say that we would probably spend the most time at MK.

We have not had bad transportation bus wise anywhere except at Boardwalk. OKW, SSR, and AKV all have wonderful bus service. I think the larger resorts MUST have, so that's why. We rarely wait more than 5 minutes anywhere except for sometimes mid afternoon, when buses seem to run less often because there are few folks wanting to travel between parks and resorts then. Our longest wait last week was when we were trying to go between parks, not to a resort.