Using Disney Transporation from Ship to Disney Resort

[mmbrad02]

We have arranged to use Disney transportation after our cruise to All Start Music. My travel agent told me this bus departs at 9am sharp. But does it start loading much earlier than that? Also, if you sit your luggage out the night before, do you still pick it up and go through customs and then have it loaded on the bus or is there anything "magical" done behind the scenes with the luggage? Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have arranged to use Disney transportation after our cruise to All Start Music. My travel agent told me this bus departs at 9am sharp. But does it start loading much earlier than that? Also, if you sit your luggage out the night before, do you still pick it up and go through customs and then have it loaded on the bus or is there anything "magical" done behind the scenes with the luggage? Thanks!

They start loading the buses for the resorts as soon as people start getting off the ship. Be aware that buses may often make more than one stop, so your resort may not be the first one dropped off at. Buses to resorts don't start leaving until 9:00. But there will be more than one for any one resort, there's not just one bus.

You leave your bags outside your room on the ship the last night. When you get off the ship the next morning, you claim you bags in the terminal and the take them yourself through customs/immigration check. Then you head out for the bus stop. Once there, you check in with the CMs and they direct you to your bus. You hand your bags to the bus driver when you get there. Once at the resort you again get your bags from the driver, and either take them with you to the check in desk, or leave them with the bell hop.

Oh, if you don't make it on the first bus, there'll be another one. Same procedure - it leaves when full, stops at more than one resort.

EDITED TO REMOVE INCORRECT INFO

 

[seacruise]

We tried the DCL bus to our resort once, but found it frustratingly slow. Part of it was just luck of the draw that Contemporary was the last stop, but it was also slow to board, slow to get luggage on and off, etc. If your not in a hurry then I would say go for it, but maybe not the best option if you are trying to make it to an early Fast Pass reservation.

 

[kiford]

The bus does not depart at 9 am sharp. You get off the ship and get on a bus, when it's full, it leaves and goes to several resorts. There's no pre-set time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The bus does not depart at 9 am sharp. You get off the ship and get on a bus, when it's full, it leaves and goes to several resorts. There's no pre-set time.

Oops. I believe there was a change about a year or so ago - buses to the resorts don't start departing until 9:00.

Sorry.

 

[ktate82]

We are taking the DCL bus to our resort in October. When I booked it, they acted like there was "one" bus that didn't leave till 9:00 a.m. I don't think that can be accurate unless they really don't have many people book it. We aren't trying to get to a park, so are ok with the slowness of the bus. We could rent two cars (there are 8 of us), but we did that last year. It was a lot of work for DH and I, and I don't want to end this vacation like that lol.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are taking the DCL bus to our resort in October. When I booked it, they acted like there was "one" bus that didn't leave till 9:00 a.m. I don't think that can be accurate unless they really don't have many people book it. We aren't trying to get to a park, so are ok with the slowness of the bus. We could rent two cars (there are 8 of us), but we did that last year. It was a lot of work for DH and I, and I don't want to end this vacation like that lol.

They started delaying the resort buses until 9:00, I believe, due to the people who were getting on the bus as early as possible (and that could be 7:35) and getting pushy about getting to their resorts as soon as possible in order to make rope drop, or an early reservation at their resorts.

By embarkation morning they know how many people are going to each resort (well, mostly, they missed us on our last cruise). So how they fill the buses has to do with how many people to which resorts, in the most efficient manner.

Generally a bus may stop at up to 3 resorts, but has, on occasion, been more than that..

 

[hcox31]

OUr bus left at 9am. We sat there for more than an hour, since we got off the ship just before 8. So if you have little kids with you, makes sure you have something for them to do in that hour. They do play a video on the TV screen but they may grow bored of it. No magic once you get off the ship. You pick up your bags in the terminal and wheel them through customs (or tip a porter to do it with you) then wheel them to the bus. Then you haul them OFF the bus into the resort. Our bus stopped at 3 resorts last time.

 

[ktate82]

They started delaying the resort buses until 9:00, I believe, due to the people who were getting on the bus as early as possible (and that could be 7:35) and getting pushy about getting to their resorts as soon as possible in order to make rope drop, or an early reservation at their resorts.

By embarkation morning they know how many people are going to each resort (well, mostly, they missed us on our last cruise). So how they fill the buses has to do with how many people to which resorts, in the most efficient manner.

Generally a bus may stop at up to 3 resorts, but has, on occasion, been more than that..

We usually have breakfast in Cabanas, so knowing that, we can take our time getting off the ship. Thanks!

 

[kiford]

Oops. I believe there was a change about a year or so ago - buses to the resorts don't start departing until 9:00.

Sorry.

That's new to me too (irrelevant for us as we usually don't get off the ship until a little after 9 am) but unless they've really changed things, I was referring to the fact that you aren't booked on a specific bus at a specific time that you have to get on or you miss it. They may start leaving at 9 am but there's always been about 5-8 buses waiting when we've disembarked. We usually end up on one that leaves about 10-ish. There will be instructions in your room the night before.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I was referring to the fact that you aren't booked on a specific bus at a specific time that you have to get on or you miss it.

I agree.

 

[Dug720]

I agree.

Yep. Plus since you have to have reserved the bus before the cruise, they know how many (and theoretically who) they have and what resorts they are going to.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Yep. Plus since you have to have reserved the bus before the cruise, they know how many (and theoretically who) they have and what resorts they are going to.

Most of the time. Somehow, on one of our cruises, they missed us. When we checked in with the CM sorting people to the right buses, we weren't on the list. Indeed, there was no drop off for our resort at all. They had to make up a bus for us. They gave us a van with 2 other couples, and each couple was going to a different resort.

 

[MAJ216ROCK]

In May of 2018 I took Disney Transportation from Port Canaveral to Port Orleans Resort French Quarter.
If I remember correctly, there were several buses. The one you boarded depended on which resort you were going to. Disney took our luggage the night before. We collected it after clearing Customs and loaded it under the bus. I would not recommend depending on any type of transport to get from a Disney ship to Disney World in time for rope drop. The ships don't begin letting passengers off before about 7:30 AM. Our bus made several stops before we got to POFQ - we were among the last to be dropped off around 11 AM. The bus left the port around 8:30 AM. It's slow transportation but super convenient!

 

[Pkltm]

When we cruised in April our instructios were to eat in Cabanas if we wanted breakfast and not in our diningroom as we had late seating. This was due to the claim that the buses left promptly at 9. They did not.

 

[pangyal]

This is an interesting thread as we have always been told that yes, there is no choice but to be on the bus before 9am lest we are left at the port once it leaves. I always wondered how each and every bus heading to WDW would miraculously leave right at 9, but we have dutifully gotten off early and sat on the bus until around 9-9:15 waiting for departure, sometimes up to an hour.

Am I understanding correctly based on the responses to OP’s question that we can have a late seating breakfast and aim to get on the bus around 9:30-10am and there will still be a bus available that late?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This is an interesting thread as we have always been told that yes, there is no choice but to be on the bus before 9am lest we are left at the port once it leaves. I always wondered how each and every bus heading to WDW would miraculously leave right at 9, but we have dutifully gotten off early and sat on the bus until around 9-9:15 waiting for departure, sometimes up to an hour.

Am I understanding correctly based on the responses to OP’s question that we can have a late seating breakfast and aim to get on the bus around 9:30-10am and there will still be a bus available that late?

Yes. But, most likely, it will probably have a lot of stops, as it "cleans up" the remaining guests off the ship.

 

[lanejudy]

Am I understanding correctly based on the responses to OP’s question that we can have a late seating breakfast and aim to get on the bus around 9:30-10am and there will still be a bus available that late?

The bus (or A bus) will wait for stragglers. But you may find you aren’t well received by those stuck waiting on your bus if you take extra long.

However, you’ll have a much harder time trying to eat late and hang onboard that late. By 9am CMs are clearly urging people towards debarkation and by 9:30 they want you off-now. late breakfast in the MDR is 8:15, Cabanas stops serving by 8:30, pretty much nothing else is open. Remember how eager everyone is to get onboard to start a cruise? Another whole set of people is waiting to board the day you debark.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[tankin]

@ktate82 We're a large group too (6 - 9 depending on the cruise). You might want to check a private transfer. I've generally found that for a large group they can be cheaper and get you to the resort faster.

 

[mmbrad02]

Thanks everyone for your responses! For us, getting to WDW super early isn't an issue. We are going to MNSSHP that night, so we were hoping to snag an available room (not sure that's going to work but one can dream) and rest a little, and then go to the party.