Wilderness Lodge Transportation Ques.

[MamaKate]

I'm debating between staying @ WL or Poly during our stay. The only reason I'm considering WL is because it's alot less than Poly, but I'm worried about there transportation to MK.

I heard the buses drop you off at the TTC & not at the front like the other resorts. Is this true?

Also, do they have a dedicated bus or do you share it with other resorts?

Last, I know they have a boat that takes you to the maingate of MK, but do they share it with other resorts? How quickly does it fill up?

For anyone who's stayed at WL, how would you rate the transportaion to the MK?

Thanks a Million for all the help!
,
Katherine

 

[Elk34]

Just hop on a boat and you're there in about 10 minutes. It's a fun ride that the kids love. I think the boats run every 15 minutes. As a matter of fact I would rate the boat ride as a strong selling point to the WL not a negative. The boats are there 1 hour before MK opens so you have no problem getting to MK by the open. We never shared a boat going to MK and only sometimes did we stop at FW on the way back. But, like I said it is a fun ride. There is also a different boat that travels a circuit around to the other resorts on the lake but that is not the same one that goes to MK. So, don't worry. We found the WL transportation to be great. Go to WL and you won't be dissapointed.

 

[castlehappy]

We were just there last month and the transportation could not have been better. The boat ride to MK is wonderful and they do go to FW as well however the boats are plenty roomy and you should have no problem with them being overcrowded. There was one time we were coming back from MK and there was only like 6 people on the boat. I am sure it could fill up in the heavier months though. The buses were great! I think the longest we ever waited on a bus was probably about 10 min., most of the time it was more like 5 min. Last month was our first stay with WL and we will definetly be going back, and the transportation played a big part in that. Of course the resort itself is absolutel breathtaking!
Go and enjoy your trip and enjoy the boat ride........

 

[MamaKate]

Thank you both for the quick replies!!

I feel alot better now about staying at WL.

But, I still would like to know if they share a bus with another resort (ie. Fort Wilderness).

Also, does the bus drop you off @ the Maingate of MK or at TTC.

Thanks,
Katherine

 

[Demosthenes]

There is no bus from WL to the MK, only a boat. There is a bus to the TTC, from which you transfer to a monorail to Epcot (or if you like to MK). The resort does share busses with FW to MGM and AK.

 

[BrerMom]

The boats are so fun! Once I went on a round trip from WL to MK and back with our little one because he loved it so much. To get to Epcot, it's more fun to take the boat to MK and then transfer to the monorail. The boats come at very regular intervals; we never waited more than 15 minutes, even if we got to the dock as a boat was leaving.

The only transportation snafu we've had was after e-night. It was not fun at all. For some reason, the boats weren't running after e-night . Our kids enjoyed e-night immensely, but it took over an hour to get back to WL. I was so tired from holding DS and trying to keep older DS from going to sleep, I was about ready to drop. We had to take a bus from MK to the TTC and catch a Fort Wilderness bus, which turned out to be much more difficult than it sounds. Then I remember a very long bus ride, so I think WL was dropped off after winding through Fort Wilderness. DS went to sleep standing up next to his dad. If we could just taken a 10-minute boat ride......

We're doing the single digit dance and are staying at WL again. I can't wait! We absolutely love it there.

 

[lamchop]

How is the transportation getting back to WL after MNSSHP?
THe previous poster talked about a problem after E night, with no boats running. Any suggestions on how to avoid this?
Also looking for info on the WL/FW connection. I've read about the trail to FW. Is this "do-able" /realistic for an evening walk to FW and back to WL? Was thinking about doing this for Halloween night and the haunted hayride at FW. Since it will already be the change for daylight savings time when we're there, i'm assuming it will be quite dark. is this a safe/smart way to go, or would you recommend the boat? How late would the boats be running the last week of October? I have a feeling the bus experience from FW to WL is a long drawn out affair!! Thanks for all the help!

 

[twinmomto3boys]

We just got back from staying at the VWL and the transportation to and from MK by boat was not that great. In the morning the boats were coming from FW almost full so not everyone at the WL could get on (we got to the WL dock area about 40 minutes before park opening). We had to wait for another boat. A few times on the return from MK the boat went straight to the WL, but sometimes it first stops at FW. One night we left MK before the fireworks (the parade was just starting) there were probably 50 people already waiting when we got to the dock - we waited at least 30 minutes for a boat (a small boat filled up so we had to wait for another). We were really surprised because we have always had decent luck with the WL boat transportation and we did not feel that the parks were very crowded. I think it's really hit and miss. We used our van to go to the other parks because on our last trip we found that the buses stopped at FW on the way to the parks and it took awhile.

 

[peachgirl]

We were really surprised because we have always had decent luck with the WL boat transportation and we did not feel that the parks were very crowded.

The fact that the parks aren't crowded may be part of the problem some are experiencing with the transportation at WL.

When we stayed last Christmas/NYE the transportation was excellent. Busses were plentiful and the boats were fast and frequent.

Perhaps when it's slower they cut down the number of boats and busses so that even though there are fewer people, the transportation is slower and more crowded? It's the only think I can think of to explain slower tranportation with lower crowd levels.

As I said, when we were there, we couldn't have asked for better service! Sorry to hear it seems to have gone downhill a bit.

 

[twinmomto3boys]

We've stayed at WL villas 4 times now - usually off season - and the transportation was great the first 2 times. The first 2 times the buses were shared with Poly and GF and now it's with FW. This last trip was a little more crowded than off season, but not too bad.

 

[pennyplanner]

We stayed at WL last November for Thanksgiving week.

I find the boat ride enjoyable but somewhat frustrating with the stop at Fort Wilderness. The boat would reverse its stop but I can't remember the pattern. Sooooooooooooooo sometimes the boat would go directly to MK (morning I think) originating at FW. And sometimes, the boat would leave MK and go to FW first and THEN drop off at WL.

The most frustrating bus ride was on our way to Epcot. It took a VERY long time one afternoon. The bus left WL, went to FW for a bit of a stop and then went a much longer route by a number of resorts. This was a way we had never traveled before. Anyone out there experience this? It took about 40 minutes.

Solution? We avoided the Epcot bus by hopping a bus to TT Center and caught the monorail to Epcot. We found this to be much quicker.

Overall we found the transportation to be okay but I liked it better when buses were shared with the Poly or GF.

To be sure, the transportation issue would NOT stop us from returning to WL.

It is a lovely, usually quiet respite from the energy charged parks!

--penny

 

[MrsPete]

The transportation at Wilderness Lodge last week was great. Here are some random thoughts:

The only way to get to the Magic Kingdom from WL is the boat. It runs about every 20 minutes and is a very pleasant way to get there. There's a little covered hut on the end of the pier so you can wait in the dry if it's raining. You can feed the fish while you wait (bring quarters for the fish food machine). Some of the boats are large, enclosed metal things; others are open-sided pretty little boats.

There are actually two boats that service WL. The green flag boat goes to Fort Wilderness then to the Magic Kingdom. The blue flag boat goes to Fort Wilderness then to the Contemporary Resort (where you can pick up the monorail, if you so desire).

WL guests can use busses to get to just about everywhere else: Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, the water parks, or the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center). Downtown Disney is quite a long ride, but everything else is a fairly quick trip. Busses run about every 20 minutes as well. There's a large covered waiting area with benches and water fountains.

Both the busses and the boats service BOTH Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. This is typical for Disney transportation. Most of the busses go to two or more resorts.

The ride from the TTC to WL takes only about 2 minutes, so DO use the TTC.

We had great luck this past week with most transportation. We rarely waited more than 2-5 minutes for a bus. However, we did have longer waits for first-thing in the morning transportation. It seemed like they didn't plan well for the early entry crowd! More than once we had a bus arrive, fill up, and the driver'd say, "I've just called for another bus. It'll be here in a minute." On previous trips, they'd anticipate the extra heavy crowds, and they'd send two busses to start with. The boat to the Magic Kingdom was especially bad for early entry.

Final note: We love using the Disney transportation rather than our own car. When you're waiting, remember that you're NOT walking a mile to your car, you're NOT circling for a parking space, you're NOT walking back to that distant parking space at the end of the day, you're NOT getting into a hot car, and you're NOT getting lost on Disney's roads. NOT a bad deal!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Bus routes for the Wilderness Lodge go as follows:

Prior to 11:00am:

Studios - WL -> GF -> Studios
DAK/BB - WL -> GF -> BB -> DAK -> BB

After 11:00am, the Studios bus switches to Fort Wilderness Settlement instead of GF. Settlement Depot is the side of FW closest to WL.

AK remains sharing with the GF.

Epcot and Downtown Disney/Typhoon Lagoon will go from WL to the Fort Wilderness Outpost Depot. Most guests think this is out of the way, and adds a significant amount of time... This is FALSE. The Outpost is ON THE WAY to both of these destinations.

Buses get Dispatched from the theme parks in 15 minute intervals. Actual arrival times may vary. Travel times are approx 15-20 minutes to each destination, depending on the driver, and how many crazy tourists are on the road.

 

[peachgirl]

Final note: We love using the Disney transportation rather than our own car. When you're waiting, remember that you're NOT walking a mile to your car, you're NOT circling for a parking space, you're NOT walking back to that distant parking space at the end of the day, you're NOT getting into a hot car, and you're NOT getting lost on Disney's roads. NOT a bad deal!

I agree! Whether we fly or drive our own car, once we get to WDW we use WDW transportation exclusively. I just can't imagine getting into an oven hot car at the end of an exhausting day and fighting the exit traffic to get back to our resort. Nevermind standing in those huge lines to catch the tram just to get to the parking lot. I think the biggest slowdown for the busses is having to fight the traffic congestion caused by private cars that don't know where they're going and don't know or don't care what the rules of the road are!

Just because you're moving doesn't make it quicker.

 

[BrerMom]

Originally posted by peachgirl
The fact that the parks aren't crowded may be part of the problem some are experiencing with the transportation at WL.

When we stayed last Christmas/NYE the transportation was excellent. Busses were plentiful and the boats were fast and frequent.

Perhaps when it's slower they cut down the number of boats and busses so that even though there are fewer people, the transportation is slower and more crowded? It's the only think I can think of to explain slower tranportation with lower crowd levels.

As I said, when we were there, we couldn't have asked for better service! Sorry to hear it seems to have gone downhill a bit.

This would make perfect sense. We were there in January. I suspect it was more frustrating than it needed to be because we were standing on the bus, we had three very tired kids, and we didn't really know what we were supposed to do to get back to WL.

Originally posted by MrsPete
Final note: We love using the Disney transportation rather than our own car. When you're waiting, remember that you're NOT walking a mile to your car, you're NOT circling for a parking space, you're NOT walking back to that distant parking space at the end of the day, you're NOT getting into a hot car, and you're NOT getting lost on Disney's roads. NOT a bad deal!

I agree 100%.

 

[jaysue]

We stayed at the WL in March and no trouble at all with the transportation - the boat ride was wonderful - we stayaed at the end of the North Wing and had a very short walk to the boat launch.

Transportation was not an issue for us at WL

Thanks
jaysue

 

[susy]

We are going Thanksgiving Weekend and plan to use our car except for the MK (we will use the boat).

We'll see how it goes at WL. My DH really wants to stay here, so I'm going along with it ... Does the boat really take 10 minutes to get to the the MK? What are the bus times to the other parks?

I really LOVED the transportation at AKL. We never had any problems at all. It took 5 minutes to get to the AK, 10 to MGM and Epcot , 15 to MK (I timed it as we were going to cindy's). No other stops and always had a seat. this was Labor day Weekend.

 

[esrade]

Originally posted by MrsPete
There are actually two boats that service WL. The green flag boat goes to Fort Wilderness then to the Magic Kingdom. The blue flag boat goes to Fort Wilderness then to the Contemporary Resort (where you can pick up the monorail, if you so desire).

We just got back from WL as well and I couldn't figure out the boat rhythm at all. It seemed like everytime we got on the boat, we went right to our destination. In other words, when we were going to the MK (either morning or afternoon), we'd get on and the boat had already been to Ft. Wilderness and we went right to MK. When we were at the MK going back to WL (either morning or afternoon), we were always first except for one time. ???

My personal opinion regarding transportation is that the boat ride to the MK is normally very nice but we had to use it a few times in the rain and that was no fun (standing room only, lots of wet ponchos). It would be nice if there was at least a bus option.