Transportation at the Fort

[HappyCamper87]

I know its been asked before, but what is the best way to:

Epcot

The Boardwalk

And, I'm assuming bus is the only way to go to AK and DHS.

TIA!

 

[njcamper95]

you got 2 options you can take the buses from the fort to were you want to go or you can drive your car or truck if you drive you will probably get to these places faster if you don't want to drive or can't then the forts buses will have to do

 

[mikmouse]

I know its been asked before, but what is the best way to:

Epcot = We take the boat to MK, then Monorail to Epcot

The Boardwalk = Lots of different ways to go, we like scenic route, boat to MK or Contemporary then Monorail to Epcot, then stroll or boat, last resort bus from FW.

And, I'm assuming bus is the only way to go to AK and DHS. = AK, bus only.

Studios = inside Epcot (near the French pavilion in World Showcase), there is a free transportation ferry that stops off first at the Boardwalk, then continues to Hollywood Studios...It's a nice little boat ride, but bear in mind, it's slow, so it might take you a good 40 minutes or so to get to the Studios.


TIA!

When we're at Disney we like to take boats and monorail as much as possible to enjoy the Disney experience. Even though it may take longer, it's all an adventure rather than just riding a bus. Take your time and enjoy.

 

[Shan-man]

To get to Epcot I like to take the launch to MK and then monorails to Epcot. This is not a quick route (by any stretch of the imagination) but the view of Epcot as you loop through FutureWorld before entering the station is worth the time... I really piques the anticipation. If I'm in a hurry, I'll take the buses. If I'm in a real time crunch I'll take a cab (we don't tow) which you can call and catch at the outpost.

To get to Boardwalk, well, it depends. If you have lots of time and can freely access Epcot and really like launches, you can follow the directions above to get to Epcot, travel through Epcot (maybe taking a FriendShip) to the International Gateway, catch the launch there to Boardwalk (or DHS beyond). This could easily take 1-1/2 to 2 hours, but it is quite scenic: three boats, two monorails and a fair bit of walking, through two worlds and multiple countries, whew!

The faster way to Boardwalk (or pretty much any other resort) is to take the launch to MK and then find that resort's bus. If you need to do this after MK hours, take the FW bus to Downtown Disney and from there to whatever resort you want, DtD buses run quite late. Or, again, taxi or drive yourself.

[Sorry, I didn't see MikMouse had answered inside the quote. I didn't mean to repeat so much, but glad to hear I'm not the only one who uses such circuitous routes!]

 

[Shan-man]

And, I'm assuming bus is the only way to go to AK and DHS.

This got me to thinking about how diverse the transportation options at the World are. Consider:

• MK - arrive by bus, monorail, boat, ferry, or foot -- but not by car
• Epcot Front Gate - arrive by bus, monorail, or car -- but no boat
• Epcot International Gateway - arrive by boat or foot only, from Y/BC, BW or S&D only
• DHS - arrive by bus, boat, car or foot (from Y/BC, BW or S&D only) -- but no monorail
• AK - bus or car only (or by foot from AKL?)

Just interesting (to me at least). Sure wish they'd install a monorail to AK... or maybe something more "modern" like a maglev! But that takes money moving out rather than in -- very un-Disney-Corp.

 

[HappyCamper87]

When we're at Disney we like to take boats and monorail as much as possible to enjoy the Disney experience. Even though it may take longer, it's all an adventure rather than just riding a bus. Take your time and enjoy.

To get to Epcot I like to take the launch to MK and then monorails to Epcot. This is not a quick route (by any stretch of the imagination) but the view of Epcot as you loop through FutureWorld before entering the station is worth the time... I really piques the anticipation. If I'm in a hurry, I'll take the buses. If I'm in a real time crunch I'll take a cab (we don't tow) which you can call and catch at the outpost.

To get to Boardwalk, well, it depends. If you have lots of time and can freely access Epcot and really like launches, you can follow the directions above to get to Epcot, travel through Epcot (maybe taking a FriendShip) to the International Gateway, catch the launch there to Boardwalk (or DHS beyond). This could easily take 1-1/2 to 2 hours, but it is quite scenic: three boats, two monorails and a fair bit of walking, through two worlds and multiple countries, whew!

The faster way to Boardwalk (or pretty much any other resort) is to take the launch to MK and then find that resort's bus. If you need to do this after MK hours, take the FW bus to Downtown Disney and from there to whatever resort you want, DtD buses run quite late. Or, again, taxi or drive yourself.

[Sorry, I didn't see MikMouse had answered inside the quote. I didn't mean to repeat so much, but glad to hear I'm not the only one who uses such circuitous routes!]

This got me to thinking about how diverse the transportation options at the World are. Consider:

• MK - arrive by bus, monorail, boat, ferry, or foot -- but not by car
• Epcot Front Gate - arrive by bus, monorail, or car -- but no boat
• Epcot International Gateway - arrive by boat or foot only, from Y/BC, BW or S&D only
• DHS - arrive by bus, boat, car or foot (from Y/BC, BW or S&D only) -- but no monorail
• AK - bus or car only (or by foot from AKL?)

Just interesting (to me at least). Sure wish they'd install a monorail to AK... or maybe something more "modern" like a maglev! But that takes money moving out rather than in -- very un-Disney-Corp.

Thank you everyone, this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

16 days and I'm starting to feel like it's my first time going to WDW because it's my first time at the FORT!

 

[clkelley]

To me the better way to get to the Boardwalk is to take the bus to the Studios from the Outpost, then walk or take the boat.

Also if you are trying to get to the Boardwalk early in the morning, buses may not be going FROM MK to the BW very frequently. Busses will be going TO the Studios quite frequently. The boat always has to go in a circle, so that's not a problem, and walking is never a problem.

If you take the bus from the MK to the Boardwalk, that bus could conceivably be sharing with Y/B and S/D (not always shares with all of them, but always shares with some of them)

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Piggybacking on what Carol just said, the bus from theme park entrance strategy may not work very well in the mornings, especially on less busy days.

On my visits to WDW in the past month or two, I have noticed that cast members are stationed at the theme park bus stops, and that the buses dropping off do not necessarily pick up passengers for a return trip to the same resort. It seems like the bus drivers are being re-routed, as needed. This can end up in a longer than normal wait time to get to a particular resort.

I understand this. It saves empty buses from driving back and forth to resorts, and saves gas. It can create an inconvenience for those going against the grain (i.e. trying to go back to a resort from a park early in the morning).

I second the idea of taking the boat from HS to Boardwalk. The boats do stay on schedule, regardless of whether there are a lot of passengers to pick up or not.

TCD

 

[Shan-man]

To me the better way to get to the Boardwalk is to take the bus to the Studios from the Outpost, then walk or take the boat.

That's a great suggestion, I will do that this trip because I wanted to have breakfast at the Boardwalk Pastry shop, probably before Epcot opens. Does anyone know if the Intl Gateway opens the same time as the front gate?

Also if you are trying to get to the Boardwalk early in the morning, buses may not be going FROM MK to the BW very frequently.

I don't understand this... doesn't the bus that brings folks FROM the BW also have to drive back TO the BW for another load? I would think there would be a ton of buses from BW to MK (and a ton of empty ones going back)... though probably with another stop of two.

I think the main concept to get in mind as far as Disney bus transportation is that there are two types of destinations: terminus and hub. FW is a terminus, like other resorts and the waterparks, and the parks and DtD are hubs. There is no reliable interconnection between most terminus points (with a few exceptions like FW to WL to MK). For example, a bus that picks up at BW, Y/B and S/D and goes to MK midday may go directly from BW to MK in peak hours. But each terminus point connects to all the hubs, and each hub connects to the other hubs and terminus points. Traffic to and from the hubs is related to the time of day. DtD is not a very busy hub in the AM (i.e. the wait for buses is longer) but is quite busy at night, and has the latest hours. Park hubs are busiest at opening and closing, so buses come more frequently, but they are also often packed out like sardine cans. The hubs at the parks essentially close down about an hour after that park closes, so you need to be careful not to get caught out... though we've had security step to the plate and arrange private transport for us in such situations -- we had our own private launch from MK to FW! DtD is the hub to use if you are doing late night dinner and drinks at a resort and then need to get back to FW. Also, if your bus is empty, mention to your driver that your destination is ultimately FW not DtD and he may just drive you straight there, we have had this done for us before as well.

Anyway, that about exhausts my knowledge of bus transpo... do you feel exhausted too?

 

[clkelley]

Think of the bus runs as a HUGE loop in the morning, not just back and forth from the resort to the park.

For example a bus may run from the Epcot resorts to MK, drop folks off at MK, then depart to the Poly, pick up folks there and go to Animal Kingdom, then go to Animal Kingdom Lodge from there and take folks to the Studios, then go to Carribean Beach from there and take folks to MK. So the buses RARELY go on a back and forth loop.

Doing the loop like that reduces the time they are running empty.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I don't understand this... doesn't the bus that brings folks FROM the BW also have to drive back TO the BW for another load? I would think there would be a ton of buses from BW to MK (and a ton of empty ones going back)... though probably with another stop of two.

This used to be the way things went, but lately, no. The bus drivers are being re-routed, at least during less busy times. A lot of times, buses are stacked up at the parks, waiting to be assigned to a route.

TCD

 

[TwingleMum]

I'm confused. I read the map posted on the FAQ sticky and it appeared that there were no direct buses from FW to any park. The way I read it was that you had to take a bus from FW to WL and then get a bus to the park you wanted. Is this incorrect???? Can I take a bus directly from FW to EPCOT or the Studios???

 

[clkelley]

Yes, there is a direct bus to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and the Studios from the Ft. Wilderness Outpost bus stop. Now sometimes they share with Wilderness Lodge so you may stop there, before going to your final destination, but you don't have to transfer.

Now going to Magic Kingdom you have to take the boat from the marina directly to MK, OR take a bus to Wilderness Lodge from the Fort Wilderness Settlement bus stop, then transfer to a Magic Kingdom bus from Wilderness Lodge.

 

[TwingleMum]

Is it faster to take the direct bus to EPCOT, DHS or AK or to take the boat to MK and monorail to TTC or EPCOT ??? Sorry to ask soo many ?? transportation just seems to be a little more complicated than other resorts.

 

[clkelley]

Much faster to take the direct bus.

 

[ntsammy5]

Much faster to take the direct bus.

Which direct bus???????

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks again.