Up to 2/3 of buses returning to AoA are non-accessible non-Disney charter rentals

[ZJ5/9D47]

Disney has finally solved the issue of extremely long resort return bus queues over the holidays by supplementing with non-Disney charter buses by a company called Dynamic (at least that is the label on the bus).

While great for most guests, these busses have no wheelchair access and are very difficult to climb up into for some other disabled guests, including me. Wheelchairs and strollers can be placed in the luggage hold like on the Magical Express. The bus loading area CMs kept saying that charters are mixed at most 1:1 but in my experience the most common ratio is at least 2 charters back to back and then one Disney bus. So far the backup for those using wheels is no more than it used to be in the crowded days but the busses not being accessible has resulted in multiple times of extended waiting (30-45 minutes vs walk-on for able-bodies guests) and not getting back until after the food court closed.

Other resorts are being sent these charters but the most seem to be going to AoA. PoP has still been getting many of the Articulated busses and now that the holidays are over and the AoA bus stop moved back to its normal location, an option is to be able to request to be put onto a Pop bus.

I’m not sure how long these non-accessible busses will be used in such high proportion but the holidays are over and they are still being used and causing extended delays for disabled guests.

I would also caution choosing to ride these busses at all. I managed to climb into one and sitting in the front seat gave me a prime view of my driver’s inability to turn on the headlights when leaving the MK and his solution to drive back with the cabin lights on instead. Safety and following the law definitely come well behind the urgency to get guests back to their resort.

 

[SueM in MN]

It may not be the same company, but Disney has used those charter style buses at the Value Resorts for many years.
Unfortunately, the large size of the resorts means large numbers of people wanting to move at the same time. I expect they use occupancy rates to figure out how many/ when they need them.
It would be nice if they had some expedited way to route guests who need accessibility. I don’t know how they would estimate since the number of guests can be known, but the number of guests needing accessibility varies.

Good suggestion to use the Pop buses.

 

[Simba's Mom]

They used these charter buses for the runners to pick up their packets at ESPN World of Sports the last two years (at least when we went). For the runners, it made sense-it's rare to find a runner who can't climb stairs. But, for DH and myself, where he's a runner yet I'm using an ECV and can't climb stairs well, it wasn't good. Oh, well-out of many thousands of runners, that's just one. AoA, on the other hand-that's a very questionable choice on Disney's part.

 

[gap2368]

They used these charter buses for the runners to pick up their packets at ESPN World of Sports the last two years (at least when we went). For the runners, it made sense-it's rare to find a runner who can't climb stairs. But, for DH and myself, where he's a runner yet I'm using an ECV and can't climb stairs well, it wasn't good. Oh, well-out of many thousands of runners, that's just one. AoA, on the other hand-that's a very questionable choice on Disney's part.

My friend run at Disney her husband in is a power chair full time they give him a taxi valcher for a free ride to watch the race I would talk to the hotel staff and they would most likely do the same for you

 

[Mleach]

My friend run at Disney her husband in is a power chair full time they give him a taxi valcher for a free ride to watch the race I would talk to the hotel staff and they would most likely do the same for you

YES! I wish they would publicize this more - there are wheelchair equipped taxis for race weekend and any of the coordinators can call them for you - to the races or to the expo! Last year, hardly anyone seemed to know about it.

 

[lanejudy]

We don't go at super-busy peak times, but I have seen coach buses in use as park transportation. Most often it's been DCL-themed buses or Mears; I don't think I've seen any other brand but it's possible. It does help to move the crowds at closing, though to OP's point, it may not help move those needing accessible transport any faster.

there are wheelchair equipped taxis for race weekend and any of the coordinators can call them for you

True - if transportation is provided, but not accessible, they will provide a taxi voucher if HA buses are not available.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Staren]

If they use the DCL or Mears coaches there should be some lift equipped ones mixed in. Though based on my Magical Express experience, you will get a driver that does not know how to use the tie downs well or you will get the “You can transfer? Please tell me you can transfer.” vibe from them.

 

[KayaWildfire]

We just got back and it is true what the op is saying, they were definitely using several different brands of charter buses(not ever Mears) and most didn't seem to have lifts for wheelchairs. We only experienced it once or twice at music over 9 days, but once we switched to AoA it began to happen a lot more frequently. It did mainly seem to be from the mk to the resort.

 

[SueM in MN]

If they use the DCL or Mears coaches there should be some lift equipped ones mixed in. Though based on my Magical Express experience, you will get a driver that does not know how to use the tie downs well or you will get the “You can transfer? Please tell me you can transfer.” vibe from them.

I guess we’ve been lucky with Magical Express buses. We use them for 2 trips a year and most of the drivers do know how to use the tiedowns quite well.
Some are a bit puzzled by the seat belt parts - but there are lots of pieces and they are not marked in any way to show how the different pieces go together (at least that I can see)

 

[bluecruiser]

For the OP and others who experienced issues with these non-accessible buses, PLEASE contact Disney with your less-than-stellar experiences (if you haven't already done so). Nothing will change unless Disney gets negative guest feedback.

 

[Evita_W]

We had two ECVs at All Star Sports and we were told that if this started happening to us that we should ask for a transportation manager and if they couldn't get us into a bus they would call an accessible Minnie Van at no cost to us.

So the bottom line is ask for assistance if there is a problem. We also had a couple of issues that were not handled properly on transportation back to the resort, and stopped by the front desk, who gave us extra FPs for another day. One time the transportation CMs said to stop and ask because they didn't have the equipment to do so with them, that time they couldn't get the ramp back up, they couldn't even manually move it and we had waited for over 45 minutes for the drivers replacement to show up so she could go on her break, she was quite upset and in California she would have been entitled to an extra hours pay and the other time we waited over an hour and a half for a bus back from Disney Springs to even arrive. But we made sure both incidents were reported and fully documented, because as a previous poster stated they can't fix issues they don't know exist.

Also, this trip had some of the best bus drivers we have ever had, including one where we were going from Wilderness Lodge to Disney Springs and sone people who got on at the Contemporary were complaining about their trip quite loudly after she refused to allow them to enter through the back door where she was letting people get off. They still got on the bus and were complaining about the crowds and how much they had spent. It was Christmas time, so of course there were crowds and the bus driver got everyone singing Christmas carols and by the time we got there everyone was smiling and having a great time. Was it something simple? Absolutely, but it made what could have been a miserable trip for the entire bus into a huge positive for everyone, including those complaining. And we also made sure this was reported and documented so that the driver would get kudos for a job well done. My point here is that while it is important to make sure problems get reported, it is just as important that those who go above and beyond get recognized as well. We too often only say something about the negative and don't talk about the positives. If we spend more time focusing on the positives, we will tend to worry less about the negative and overall have a more enjoyable time.

 

[seashoreCM]

Are there restaurants open all the way to closing where you could order something to take out and bring back to your reosrt? Not only will this eliminate the worry of finding the resort food court closed but also the ordering will use up some of the mad rush time and bus waiting time from the park at closing.

 

[Tallis]

I've seen these buses on several occasions and we've never been at what is considered a "busy" time. We pick the slowest weeks aka value season for our Disney trips. Only once did one pick up at our station and we had an ECV so had to wait for the next bus, which was a regular Disney one. It would certainly be annoying if those charters just kept coming and coming while we sat there ...

If I was at Pop or AoA, and I was at one of the parks that has them, I would be on the Skyliner. We've only been on one trip since they've had them, but was fantastic! So much nicer than the buses, super fast, and ECV/Wheelchair friendly.

 

[DisneyOma]

If I was at Pop or AoA, and I was at one of the parks that has them, I would be on the Skyliner. We've only been on one trip since they've had them, but was fantastic! So much nicer than the buses, super fast, and ECV/Wheelchair friendly.

Until they break down and you're trapped in one...

 

[Simba's Mom]

My friend run at Disney her husband in is a power chair full time they give him a taxi valcher for a free ride to watch the race I would talk to the hotel staff and they would most likely do the same for you

Thanks so much for telling me this. As others here have said, this is something that's not advertised.