Wilderness Lodge Trasnportation questions...

[sleepydog25]

WL is my home away from home, and in all my years staying there, I've only had perhaps three instances of long waits for buses. Given the infinite number of variables presented by the parks' schedules and such things as ADRs in a park before it opens, I'd give the buses at WL a big . Beyond that, the boat service offered there is a wonderful bonus. Though the boats to and from MK can get crowded and the wait times long during peak times (especially when MK closes), planning your excursions with that in mind will likely save you some tense moments.

This is a really good thread. We will be staying at WL for 7 nights this June and not renting a car. I was somewhat concerned about Disney transportation but this thread is helping to alleviate it.

You will be fine. Relax and enjoy the Lodge and all its romantic ambience. Hopefully, you've made a reservation at Artist Point for a special meal before a peaceful walk along the beach to catch EWP.

 

[fla4fun]

I think a person's opinion of Disney transportation has a lot to do with their expectations. If you are one of those people who has to be there NOW - then any form of Disney transport, be it a bus, boat or monorail, is going to feel "slow" and "take up too much precious park time". In that case, you are better off driving on property because you will be the one in control.

For me, I am more than happy to get there "whenever". If I have an ADR or some other specific time I need to be somewhere, I allow plenty of time and then enjoy relaxing when I get there a little early. I don't see waiting 15 minutes for a bus or boat as an inconvenience.

That being said, I do feel that the transportation from all the resorts to and from DTD could be better. No matter where I stay, the DTD buses typically take 45 minutes to arrive rather than the 15-20 maximum for the theme park buses. Although I have a car with me, and am sometimes tempted to drive to DTD, I usually just wait it out (unless I know I'm buying something I should transport back in the car for convenience sake ).

I have stayed at WL several times, as well as the Epcot resorts, both of which have had more than their fair share of bad publicity when it comes to transportation. Personally, I have not experienced any negative transportation issues at either place. I do like taking the MK bus during hot weather - the boats don't have a/c!

 

[sleepydog25]

I think a person's opinion of Disney transportation has a lot to do with their expectations. If you are one of those people who has to be there NOW - then any form of Disney transport, be it a bus, boat or monorail, is going to feel "slow" and "take up too much precious park time". In that case, you are better off driving on property because you will be the one in control.

For me, I am more than happy to get there "whenever". If I have an ADR or some other specific time I need to be somewhere, I allow plenty of time and then enjoy relaxing when I get there a little early. I don't see waiting 15 minutes for a bus or boat as an inconvenience.

That being said, I do feel that the transportation from all the resorts to and from DTD could be better. No matter where I stay, the DTD buses typically take 45 minutes to arrive rather than the 15-20 maximum for the theme park buses. Although I have a car with me, and am sometimes tempted to drive to DTD, I usually just wait it out (unless I know I'm buying something I should transport back in the car for convenience sake ).

I have stayed at WL several times, as well as the Epcot resorts, both of which have had more than their fair share of bad publicity when it comes to transportation. Personally, I have not experienced any negative transportation issues at either place. I do like taking the MK bus during hot weather - the boats don't have a/c!

I agree. Expectations and personality have a lot to do with one's opinion of Disney's transportation. We usually have a car, and because we prefer to control our schedule, we almost always drive to the parks, DTD, etc. That being said, when we do take buses--and over the years that's been frequent--we've been satisfied more often than not. We tend to relax and "go with the flow" when taking buses, monorail, and boats.

Again, however, I agree with you that DTD buses are among the worst. On our last trip, buses for every location but DTD came through at least twice before the DTD bus appeared at WL. By then, the bus stop nearly was full. We stopped at Poly to load a few more passengers, then headed over to GF. When we got there, the bus stop was full; however, there was only room for 4-5 people and no room for the two wheelchair passengers waiting in the front of the line. Had I been staying at GF, I would have been quite annoyed at having to watch a full bus arrive. Yep, that's why I like to drive, to ward off those times when the Disney transportation isn't quite what it should be.