Why doesn't the Magic Kingdom bus station have buses to HS and AK?

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

At the Magic Kingdom bus station does anyone know the reason why they don't have direct buses to Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom located over there? I know when going to either of those parks you can take the Express Monorail to the TTC and get on the bus from there, however what is the reason for the way it's currently set up?

 

[sweetdana]

I believe you take the boat to tran and ticket center and the busses are there.

TO HS the best quickest way is the monorail to Epcot to the bus there to HS.

 

[dudspizza]

TO HS the best quickest way is the monorail to Epcot to the bus there to HS.

So, you are suggesting taking the monorail or ferry to TTC, then transferring to the Epcot monorail, then transferring to a bus to HS?

I would just go to TTC and take the HS bus from there, personally.

Other options would be to walk to CR and take the HS bus from there......
boat to GF or Poly and the bus from there.......

OP, I wonder if it is a space thing... though I noticed at least one open bus station at MK.....

Duds

 

[Jestocost]

At the Magic Kingdom bus station does anyone know the reason why they don't have direct buses to Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom located over there? I know when going to either of those parks you can take the Express Monorail to the TTC and get on the bus from there, however what is the reason for the way it's currently set up?

While the TTC is not the complete transportation hub it once was, I wonder if the idea is that at least people arriving on Lynx or from offsite hotels that only offer shuttle service to the TTC can catch some form of transport to all of the parks directly from there?

I think the relatively small size of the MK bus depot also might have something to do with it as dudspizza has suggested.

 

[NotUrsula]

While the TTC is not the complete transportation hub it once was, I wonder if the idea is that at least people arriving on Lynx or from offsite hotels that only offer shuttle service to the TTC can catch some form of transport to all of the parks directly from there?

Ding! I'm pretty sure that we have a winner. It would be an unnecessary added transportation cost to add a bus directly from the MK to another park when the buses are already operating out of the TTC for the offsite-shuttle guests.

Very few American posters on these boards are patient enough to deal with those offsite-shuttle buses more than once in a lifetime, but there are enormous numbers of guests who rely on them every day.

 

[DC7800]

While the TTC is not the complete transportation hub it once was, I wonder if the idea is that at least people arriving on Lynx or from offsite hotels that only offer shuttle service to the TTC can catch some form of transport to all of the parks directly from there?

I also think the above is a very important consideration. I would also submit that anyone who drives to the parks, versus using Disney transportation or any type of shuttle, needs to be returned to the parking lots at the end of the day - not drive the bus right past the TTC parking lot to take them to the Magic Kingdom, where they would have to board the monorail or ferry right back to the Transportation & Ticket Center. Most people using Disney transportation would have just taken a bus directly back to their resort (at the end of the day), and wouldn't be on the TTC bus anyway.

 

[BillSears]

I'd bet that the main reason is that there isn't empty bus stop space for them at the MK.

 

[DOOM1001]

I believe you take the boat to tran and ticket center and the busses are there.

TO HS the best quickest way is the monorail to Epcot to the bus there to HS.

I can't imagine how taking a monorail or ferry boat to the TTC,then taking a monorail to EPCOT and then a bus to HS would be the quickest way.I for one don't like going to the TTC to catch a bus to DHS or AK,but it's gotta be quicker than your suggestion.I however usually just walk over to the Contemporary and catch the DHS bus there.Or if I feel like taking the monorail I rather take it to the Poly or GF and catch the bus there.Or even just grab a bus from MK to the Boardwalk or Y&B club and walk or take the boat over to DHS.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

While the TTC is not the complete transportation hub it once was, I wonder if the idea is that at least people arriving on Lynx or from offsite hotels that only offer shuttle service to the TTC can catch some form of transport to all of the parks directly from there?

I think the relatively small size of the MK bus depot also might have something to do with it as dudspizza has suggested.

Well Epcot has direct buses to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, along with buses from those parks to Epcot. Plus there is also direct buses from Hollywood Studios to the Animal Kingdom and the reverse. However when going from Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom they will say to take the bus to the TTC, even though it would be faster getting the Contemporary bus and walking over there. Still how is it possible that 3/4 parks have direct buses to their parks and the Magic Kingdom doesn't?

As for the size of their bus stations at the parks I remember the Animal Kingdom one is almost about the same size as the Magic Kingdom one, with Epcot and Hollywood Studios bus sections being a lot bigger.

 

[NotUrsula]

But the TTC is still the MK's official entry point; the resort buses directly outside the MK are resort-only transport. Remember that for any guest coming from off-site that the buffer zone vision is still in effect with regard to the MK: they want to hang on to the illusion that those people have to make more of a journey to get there.

A secondary reason *could* have something to do with the capacity closing plan. As one of the stages is resort guests only, it makes a certain amount of sense to exclude buses coming directly from other parks.

As to the most direct way to the other parks from MK, yeah, walking to CR and taking their buses is definitely best.

 

[joelkfla]

However when going from Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom they will say to take the bus to the TTC, even though it would be faster getting the Contemporary bus and walking over there.

Maybe from DHS, but not from AK when BB is open. In addition to stopping at BB, the resort buses take a route that has several more stop lights and a lower speed limit.

Also, buses to TTC are scheduled every 12 minutes, while the resort buses vary and can be as long as 20 minutes apart.

As for the size of their bus stations at the parks I remember the Animal Kingdom one is almost about the same size as the Magic Kingdom one, with Epcot and Hollywood Studios bus sections being a lot bigger.

Actually, AK has fewer load zones than MK. But don't forget that MK has individual load zones for several resorts that are combined from the other parks.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

As to the most direct way to the other parks from MK, yeah, walking to CR and taking their buses is definitely best.

While that maybe true after the buses leave the Contemporary they also stop at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian which a lot of people seem to forget or won't realize until it's to late. At least the buses from the TTC to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are direct without any other stops.

 

[Lewisc]

Exactly. Lynx buses, private cars, offsite shuttle buses and (AFAIK) DTD hotel buses) drop off guests at the TTC.

The OP's premise is wrong. The Magic Kingdom bus station is located at the TTC. The supplementary bus stops at the gates of the MK are a courtesy for guests staying at WDW resorts.

The original intent was for all arriving guests first view of Cinderella Castle occur from the the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon, at the TTC.

But the TTC is still the MK's official entry point; the resort buses directly outside the MK are resort-only transport. Remember that for any guest coming from off-site that the buffer zone vision is still in effect with regard to the MK: they want to hang on to the illusion that those people have to make more of a journey to get there.

A secondary reason *could* have something to do with the capacity closing plan. As one of the stages is resort guests only, it makes a certain amount of sense to exclude buses coming directly from other parks.

As to the most direct way to the other parks from MK, yeah, walking to CR and taking their buses is definitely best.

 

[DCTooTall]

Well Epcot has direct buses to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, along with buses from those parks to Epcot. Plus there is also direct buses from Hollywood Studios to the Animal Kingdom and the reverse. However when going from Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom they will say to take the bus to the TTC, even though it would be faster getting the Contemporary bus and walking over there. Still how is it possible that 3/4 parks have direct buses to their parks and the Magic Kingdom doesn't?

As for the size of their bus stations at the parks I remember the Animal Kingdom one is almost about the same size as the Magic Kingdom one, with Epcot and Hollywood Studios bus sections being a lot bigger.

The other thing too is you could just look at those parks having transportation to the other day guest parking lots. Let's say that you ended up park hopping from the MK to DHS during the day. At the end of the day to get back to your car, would you want to have to catch a bus to the front of the MK, then walk all the way across the entrance plaza to then stand in line to ride a monorail or ferry back to the TTC?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The other thing too is you could just look at those parks having transportation to the other day guest parking lots. Let's say that you ended up park hopping from the MK to DHS during the day. At the end of the day to get back to your car, would you want to have to catch a bus to the front of the MK, then walk all the way across the entrance plaza to then stand in line to ride a monorail or ferry back to the TTC?

I never thought of it like that before.

 

[AlexDurrani]

At the Magic Kingdom bus station does anyone know the reason why they don't have direct buses to Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom located over there? I know when going to either of those parks you can take the Express Monorail to the TTC and get on the bus from there, however what is the reason for the way it's currently set up?

I think everyone has missed the actual question here, why is the bus stop for HS and AK at the TTC instead of by the MK? My guess is that in order to make room for resort buses to come to the park, they put the less frequented inter-park transportation at the secondary bus stops (AKA TTC). This was not always the case when HS first opened in '89 but when more resorts were added they had to put the less frequented routs off to the TTC to make room for the new resorts. By the time AK was completed in '98, the practice was already in place. Can anyone confirm if the Epcot rail goes down, do they put the Epcot buses out at the TTC?

 

[NotUrsula]

No, we didn't miss the question. We think that it is deliberate and policy-driven because WDW does not WANT to put a those buses next to the MK, not because they don't have room. (They could easily make that bus plaza larger if they wanted to, but I don't think that they want to. Looking at it via Google Earth, I easily see spaces for 5 more stands on the current path, plus there is room to use some backfill to open up another whole line of stands.) I do not ever recall being able to board a bus in front of MK to go to any other park, only to resorts.

Walt did not want ANY vehicles driving up to the front door of the MK. An exception was made for resort transport after the 80's resort expansions increased resort traffic to the point that it might have arguably have overwhelmed the TTC's tram system, but that doesn't mean that the company has given up on the idea at the MK. None of the other icons is as striking as the Castle, and it still has impact when seen from a distance. From a practical standpoint, now that hopping isn't on every ticket, it just makes more sense to put those buses at the TTC where they can be used both by guests leaving the MK, *and* guests arriving via off-site buses and private vehicles that are being parked there for logistical reasons.