Walking, buses, resort choices

[farmfresh]

Hi - have been reading this forum for a while and have a lot of Dl experience. Contemplating trying WDW, and a little bit off put by the transportation thing...buses, buses, buses. Whilst I know we'll need them, I'd appreciate your advice on the best resort to choose purely from an access point of view, and that included walking if that's possible.

We will come in a quieter period, a family of four all capable of walking for a while. We are the up and off early types! Acccess will be a primary criterion for choosing accommodation.

I's appreicate any suggestions - thanks

 

[disnut8]

There are five Epcot resorts that you might want to consider. Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk are Disney owned and operated. The Swan and Dolphin are not Disney owned but are Starwood hotels.

Easy walk from any of them to Epcot (via the International Gateway) and about a 15-20 minute walk to Hollywood Studios. You can also go to either of these parks via a continuous boat service. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom will be by bus.

The three monorail resorts are Contemporary, Polynesian, and the Grand Floridan. The monorail serves all three. You can also walk to Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary. There are also continuous boats to the Magic Kingdom. For Epcot, you take the monorail to the TTC and then transfer to another monorail for Epcot. From the Polynesian, you can also walk to the TTC and take the monorail for Epcot. From the Grand Floridian, you can also walk (much further) through the Polynesian and take the monorail to Epcot. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will be by bus.

Wilderness Lodge is serviced by boats to the Magic Kingdom. So is the Fort Wilderness Cabins/Campground.

For all other resorts, park service will be by bus.

 

[Buzz2001]

If you are looking for a moderate resort, check out my CSR website below for pics and info. CSR has very good transportation that i not shared with any other resort.

 

[vicki_c]

I think you should determine if you think your family will spend a majority of your time at any particular park or area (i.e., Magic Kingdom or Epcot/Hollywood Studios), then you can narrow down your choices based on the information above, if you are trying to avoid the buses.

If you think you will mostly be at the MK, the Poly, Contemporary or Grand Floridian are the best choices from a transportation standpoint. For Epcot/DHS, Yacht & Beach and Boardwalk are the best choices.

 

[dbarker]

Hi - have been reading this forum for a while and have a lot of Dl experience. Contemplating trying WDW, and a little bit off put by the transportation thing...buses, buses, buses. Whilst I know we'll need them, I'd appreciate your advice on the best resort to choose purely from an access point of view, and that included walking if that's possible.

We will come in a quieter period, a family of four all capable of walking for a while. We are the up and off early types! Acccess will be a primary criterion for choosing accommodation.

I's appreicate any suggestions - thanks

We mainly visit WDW. However, we did visit DL once. There is a huge difference in size and navigation of the two parks. While at DL, we stayed in a HOJO offsite and walked to DL. I was so amazed at how small and compact DL is compared to WDW.

WDW consists of 4 main parks and 2 water parks that are scattered all over the WDW property. Don't forget that WDW is about 2 times the size of Manhattan (ie, HUGE). You will need some sort of transportation at some point. The main factor to consider (besides budget) is probably which park you are going to visit most, or which park you want to be closest to.

If you want to be close to Magic Kingdom, then stay at one of the Monorail resorts or WL. If you want to be close to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, stay at BWI, BC, YC or Swan or Dolphin. From these resorts you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios or take a boat ride.

If you want to be close to AK, stay at AKL or the Values. You will still have to take a bus to all the parks. There is no walking to AK from any of the resorts.

No matter which area you decide to stay at, you will have to take a bus or some other form of transportation to the other parks.

I hope this info helps. I know the answer is kind of vague, but some people just don't realize how huge WDW is until they have actually been there.

Disclaimer: I did not mention several resorts b/c I don't know their proximity to the parks (ignorance on my part, sorry).

 

[Clotho]

As a longtime DLR veteran, and now only having been to WDW twice, I can attest that while it seems the buses will be a big hassle compared to DLR (where you can walk from every hotel), they are very efficient. Some resorts can be less convenient than others (the All Star resorts share and can be very full in busy season, Fort Wilderness and CBR and others can require an internal bus system as well as an external in order to get around, etc), but Disney gets these algorhythms down to a science.

By far, the monorail reorts have the best access. They not only have MK right there, they are near the Ticket and Transfer Center (TTC), which has monorail access to Epcot.

Boardwalk, Beach Club/Yacht Club, and the Swan/Dolphin all have boat and walking access to both Epcot and DHS.

Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside have boat access to Downtown Disney.

It's all in where you want to spend most of your time, what level you want to spend at, and what ameninties and theming most appeal.

 

[farmfresh]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

 

[disnut8]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

Sounds very reasonable. And remember that with a split stay, Disney will move your luggage for you.

 

[spiceycat]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

very reasonable - WDW will move your luggage - you just have to pack it....
you can rent a reservation from a DVC member and go with VWL, BCV or BWV to save you some money. you stay in the same place - just no mousekeeping and no access to your reservation until a few days before you leave (then you can call the resort)

that say if you want really, really reasonable - then Pop Century - it has the best bus service I have found - stayed in just about every WDW resort that there is.

the only problem is because it is the newest of the value - it is generally the farthest from the parks. but if you are capability of walking - then go with and save you some money.

only stay in a deluxe or moderate resort when enjoying the resort. Now if you are planning some non-park days - definitely go with one of the deluxes. but if you are mainly going to the parks - why spend extra money when you can't enjoy what the hotel offers.

if you only want a place to sleep and bath (or shower) then Pop is great!

if you get up early then Pop can get to the parks just as early and quick as the others. You can be there in time for the park opening.

 

[ntsammy5]

People always complain about the buses, but if you are reasonably patient they are not a problem at all IMO. If you happen to walk to a bus stop when a bus is there the trip to parks is 10-15 minutes -- if you have to wait for one then add 1-20 minutes to that. When we're on vacation a little wait doesn't hurt us -- it's an opportunity to sit and talk.

 

[mmmears]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

That would work really well -- it's basically what we do for our trips (except we choose GF). We do all of our Epcot/DHS touring while at the YC, then move to other side for the MK. To some, it's too much moving. To us, it saves so much time getting to the parks that it's well worth it to us. Plus, it almost feels like 2 different vacations -- you get a really different view of the "world" when you switch from the Epcot side to the MK side -- and it's fun to try out the different resorts!

We rented a car and drove to AK, BB, and TL and were able to walk/boat everywhere else we wanted to go!!! (no busses!)

If you are looking for convenience, this would be the best way to go!

Have a fantastic time!

 

[WillCAD]

If you have a lot of DL experience, then I gather you're from the greater L.A. area? If so, you're probably not shy about driving.

While WDW transportation is excellent, it can be very time-consuming, especially if you are in a resort that has no monorail or boat service - such as the Value and Moderate class reosrts (POR and POFQ have boat service to Downtown Disney but not the parks). Since I always stay in the Values, I also always rent a car.

If renting a car is within your budget - say and additional $160-$230 for a week - I recommend it even if you're staying at a Deluxe resort with better transportation. Having a car allows you much more freedom than relying entirely on the WDW transportation system, and can save you lots of time. It also allows you to leave WDW property to enjoy some of the shopping, dinig, and entertainment options nearby, like the Disney outlets, dinner theaters, and even Universal Orlando, which is a quick 20-minute drive up I-4 from Disney.

As far as resort choices - WL is one of my faves. It's imposing and majestic. It will remind you very much of the Grand Californian at DL (designed by the same architect), but with more of a Yosimite feel and less of a Northern Cali Redwood feel. Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) is also in the same mold, but even more impressive and grand.

Any of the Epcot resorts are great, but I think Boardwalk has a slight edge in poshness and room size over the Yacht & Beach Clubs. Swan and Dolphin are just as good, IMHO, and are much less expensive, but offer almost all of the same perks as the Disney resorts.

 

[geokeim]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

..unless you had to pack up all the stuff my DW brings!
BWV, YC, BC or Swan Dolphin would be great for epcot & mgm er..dhs tour days. (as a side note, if you use dolp or swan you will need to move your own luggage)
Have fun!

 

[Clotho]

I can't imagine renting a car, personally. Someday I will probably try it, just to see. And because we want to try to hit Universal and Sea World some year, and that will necessitate it. But for now, we are so tired at the end of any given day, having someone else do the driving and navigating is sooooo welcome! We also like the door-to-door service the buses provide, instead of finding parking and then either hiking or taking an additional parking lot tram to reach the entry. And lastly, all the parks save MK allow drinking. And we like being able to partake without any concern for our sobriety.

What we really wish is that it were easier to rent a car on property for the one or two days we might want them. I know the Swolphin has a rental spot there. Hey...we're staying at the Boardwalk this time...might be able to swing that....hrm....

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

This is great info - thanks. Based on your comments, and gneral reserach, am considering splitting time betwen resorts. (mainly because Wl looks so good! So we might go for an epcot, then the Wl for Mk (with boat access?)- does that sound reasonable?

That does sound reasonable and don't forget at the Wilderness Lodge they also have a bus which goes to the Magic Kingdom. So you have two options when going there and I am sure it's a very short ride based on it's location.