Wilderness Lodge Bus/boats

[Bev J]

I have been reading some trip reports for the WL and noticed alot of people complain about the bus/boat transportation.
Also some photos showed that the bus goes to the TTC not directly to the MK.., some said the bus went to FT. Wilderness, and the Monorail resorts before getting to the MK..
Can someone please give me the details of how the bus and the boat service is to and from the WL-
Also we love to ride the Monorail so we are thinking we will be using that alot for Epcot, what's faster the resort boat or the bus- to either TTC or MK or boat to the Contemp/TTC/Epcot.

I hope the transportation is not as confusing as my post is....LOL

Bev

 

[tardin1964]

My experience is as follows:

Fastest way from WL to Epcot - Bus.
Fastest way from WL to MK - Bus (and it is a direct bus).
The boat to and from WL and MK can take anywhere from 15 to 35 minutes depending on the time of day.

 

[sorcerormickey]

The resort buses DO NOT go to TTC. The only buses there are for Animal Kingdom, MGM, Shades Of Green, and off-property hotels.

 

[grimley1968]

I advise not trying the boat/bus from WL to MK-TTC-EPCOT monorail route. That can take an extremely long time, depending on how much wait there is for each leg of the journey. I advise taking the bus from WL to EPCOT.

As for MK, the boat will definitely take longer than the bus, but it's a pretty pleasant way to travel and you won't need to fold up strollers, etc. on the boat. I prefer the boat, personally. But that direct MK bus is probably not more than a 5 minute trip.

The WL to MK buses do not go to the TTC. There's no reason for this to occur. They go straight to the front of MK. The only time there might be an exception is when MK is closed, and there's still a need to get to the TTC parking lot. But I can't imagine a scenario where you'd want to do this from WL after MK is closed.

 

[merryg]

We are splitting a day at MK to eat lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Should we take the boat or bus? More of a question before lunch, afterwards we would probably take the boat. Any suggestions??
TIA
merryg

 

[monetnj]

We are splitting a day at MK to eat lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Should we take the boat or bus? More of a question before lunch, afterwards we would probably take the boat. Any suggestions??
TIA
merryg

I think you will want to take the bus to WL and the boat back. Before 3PM, I believe the boat goes from MK to Fort Wilderness, then to WL and then back to MK in a loop. After 3PM, the loop reverses and the boat goes from MK to WL then on to Fort Wilderness then back to MK.

 

[Gooofy-Blade]

the difference in just a few minutes should not be an issue at WL which is intended to be relaxing.........so, take the boat and enjoy an extra ride with your children. The boat is definitely a bonus on the return trip from MK after a long day. Your young children will love the boat ride to the park and you will love them falling asleep on the boat ride back to the lodge. I am a lodge veteran and have never thought of taking the bus to MK! Just my opinion.

 

[pennyplanner]

LOVE the bus to MK! It is very quick. The boat ride back in the afternoon is wonderfullly relaxing. But for speed, the bus is the way to go!

The only bus ride we had that was rather long was to Downtown Disney. We planned accordingly and it was fine.

No worries...you're at WDW!

--penny

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

You're on Vacation!!!

There should be no worries and no hurries when you're on vacation!!!

One of the things we LOVE about WL is the options of transportation. When we wake up and decide where we are going for the day, then we decide shall we take the boat? Or shall we take the bus?? Shall we take the Contemporary and board the monorail? Or just the bus??

The boat between WL and MK is not a speed boat. It is a relaxing ride just what you may desire at the start of your day, or a nice way to end the day. Or you may choose the bus going directly from MK to WL and visa versa. If after a long day at MK and you see the boat queue is too long, by all means hop on the bus for a speedy ride back home. You have options!

Other transportation:
EPCOT - bus OR boat to Contemporary then stroll thru that resort and hop on the monorail.

MGM - bus (shares bus with GF)

AK - bus

 

[merryg]

Thank you very much, monetnj.