using ART ?

bluegrizzlies1

<font color=green>The crab was there and then it w
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Aug 22, 2007
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1,180
is ART even worth using or just a pain in the butt ?
 
Here is our families review of ARt from our TR. Our hotel was on Katella and I don't know if that was a factor in the fact that it was not crowded most days or if it has gotten so much bad press it isn't used as often anymore and thus less crowds, but we were there Dec 25-Dec 30 2010.

At this point let me stop to talk about ART. We did buy the ART passes for our trip specifically for this "hotel switch" any walk is enough of a walk when you are hauling everything you have brought or bought. We also figured we would ocassionally be too tired and it would be nice to have a way to get home without carrying an exhausted 6 year old who weighs over 50lbs. We had read alot of "not so favorable" reviews on the boards and figured we would just have to do our best. Many of the unfavorable reviews had included complaints about strollers having to be folded and such which didn't apply to us so we went for it. WE LOVED ART! The drivers were not just courteous but most were friendly. You see the same faces day after day as the driver's are dedicated to their routes. We had nice conversations with both our morning and night drivers on the number 9 every day. They remembered Coltons name wished him Happy Birthday and helped him when he insisted he was big enough to swipe his pass without Mommy's help they were patient even when it took him 2 or 3 tries to get it right. They let him regale them with his adventures in the park that day (when he was awake LOL). He is not the only kid they ever encounter, they do this every day it's their job, but they laughed in all the right places asked him questions and generally made him feel like they had been waiting all day for him to get on the bus and tell them his daily adventures. The morning driver always asked what he did yesterday. Only once was the bus so crowded that we all had to stand, Colton was asleep on his feet and another Mom put her daughter on her lap so that I could sit with Colton on mine. Alot of the time there were less than 10 people on board and we all had some nice conversations during our rides. Remember we were there between Christmas & New Years the parks were crowded and still ART was a good experience. The only thing that could be improved is the actual shuttle area (I've heard rumors a remodel is upcoming in the 2nd phase of all this construction I hope so) Only a few of the stops have covered areas to wait, important during the rainy season when we were there as well as I imagine in the summer sun, Several of the stops were nothing but the pole with the number on it not even a bench to sit while you waited. Anyway enough sidetrack back to the trip.
 
We just returned from a trip where we stayed at the Embassy Suites South and used ART. We usually stay at the HOJO and walk.

I will say that ART was a good experience for us. The busses were on time and typically came more quickly than promised during high times (early am and late pm). We had nice drivers.

Overall, I prefer to be in walking distance. I'm an impatient person.:rotfl: I prefer to just start walking and get to the hotel when I'm ready rather than wait for ART. But, honestly, the 5-10 minutes we waited didn't hurt me. And, it was nice to have a ride at the end of the evening.

Before trying ART/non-walking distance I avoided looking at those hotels as an option. If we couldn't get the HOJO, I'd look into an ART-serviced hotel again.
 
I think it's a hit or miss. First time I did ART we had to because our hotel was pretty far. And it worked out great. The second time we did ART we were close enough to walk, but it was still a good 10-12min walk & my family preferred to use the ART instead. And thankfully we were able to just walk because our ART bus never stopped to pick us up. And the one time it did, it was completely full. We were on route 12, and at the pick up place in DLR, our #12 bus stopped and picked up people at at the #1 spot.:confused3
 

ART is a pain when you have a sleeping kid in a stroller. In general it's not bad.
 
The most current time we used ART was from Marriott Suites next to Homewood Suites (where we syayed) in July 3-12 2010. It ran like clockwork every 20 min and we never had to wait. There was always enough room on the bus for everyone and it stopped a few times as we went along Harbour to pick up folks at other hotels. No complaints at all for service at a very high season.

Going back and forth to the parks I did feel our schedule was sprinkled heavily with "hurry up and wait"!!! We are staying across the street in June.

Getaway Today does have the best discounted ART tickets available! There is no extra processing fee.
 
was thinking of maybe staying at the quaility inn if my thinking is right its on the street behind hojo and fairfield inn?

we have walked hojo many times but thought maybe try art if we stay at the quailty inn im sure the walk isnt that bad but maybe save our feet

getaway today is where i was looking at booking a hotel so i came accross this hotel
 
was thinking of maybe staying at the quaility inn if my thinking is right its on the street behind hojo and fairfield inn?

we have walked hojo many times but thought maybe try art if we stay at the quailty inn im sure the walk isnt that bad but maybe save our feet

getaway today is where i was looking at booking a hotel so i came accross this hotel

Run! we stayed there 1 night on our last trip since our hotel didn't have a room for our first night and QI by HoJo was a great price. Brown water from the sink tap had to run it 3-4 minutes before it ran semi clear...Towels were wet and brown due to a leak in the bathroom ceiling. when I went to the front desk on our way to DL I told them the top two towels were wet due to the leak in the ceiling...her answer...well the rest of them were OK right? We have nicknamed it the NOT so Quality Inn and after our stay when they offered us a free night and half price on additional nights for our next stay...we turned them down flat.. I am not a super picky hotel guest mostly we just sleep & shower there we are open to close people but rude employees and having to brush your teeth with bottled water was too much for me.

BTW the QI does not have an ART pickup...You have to walk all the way around to the HoJo pickup.
 





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