WL to EPCOT?

[Andrew015]

Can someone advise how many "stops" the bus from WL to EPCOT makes? Does it pick up from other resorts such as the Poly/GF/Contemporary, or is this a dedicated bus going direct from WL to EPCOT and back? If it's not a direct "loop", can someone tell me a guesstimate for the time it takes to make the circuit? It's been a few years since I've used the buses, as I normally rent a car. But this year, we're going to give the WDW transportation a shot.

If it's not a direct shot, I'd consider catching the bus to TTC or DTD and picking up another bus direct to BW and using the back entrance to the park. I would imagine this is a path "less traveled", but I'm not sure if there would be any significant time savings

Thanks for your insight!

 

[helenk]

Taking the bus to DTD and then to the BW would take a lot longer than the bus to Epcot even if the bus stops at another resort.
I do not recall the routes that the bus takes from WL to the parks, but generally the bus would go to FW or the GF. If you want to go to the BW from the WL, I would go to DHS rather than Epcot. If you go to Epcot you;ve got to enter the park and then walk all the way through the park. If you go to DHS you can just walk over to the BW, its a quick walk and the path is well marked.
I try not to use DTD as my connection, it adds so much time to your travel. First of all DTD is quite far from WL, then when you get to DTD you have to wait for the BW bus, and then you've got that travel time.

 

[whitrn]

Taking the bus to DTD and then to the BW would take a lot longer than the bus to Epcot even if the bus stops at another resort.
I do not recall the routes that the bus takes from WL to the parks, but generally the bus would go to FW or the GF. If you want to go to the BW from the WL, I would go to DHS rather than Epcot. If you go to Epcot you;ve got to enter the park and then walk all the way through the park. If you go to DHS you can just walk over to the BW, its a quick walk and the path is well marked.
I try not to use DTD as my connection, it adds so much time to your travel. First of all DTD is quite far from WL, then when you get to DTD you have to wait for the BW bus, and then you've got that travel time.

Exactly!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Just for an alternative journey, from WL we'll boat to CR and catch the monorail to the TTC and switch to the EPCOT line.... Sometimes we just prefer a long monorail ride... For us the monorail is an attraction!!

 

[Andrew015]

Taking the bus to DTD and then to the BW would take a lot longer than the bus to Epcot even if the bus stops at another resort.
I do not recall the routes that the bus takes from WL to the parks, but generally the bus would go to FW or the GF. If you want to go to the BW from the WL, I would go to DHS rather than Epcot. If you go to Epcot you;ve got to enter the park and then walk all the way through the park. If you go to DHS you can just walk over to the BW, its a quick walk and the path is well marked.
I try not to use DTD as my connection, it adds so much time to your travel. First of all DTD is quite far from WL, then when you get to DTD you have to wait for the BW bus, and then you've got that travel time.

I agree that the DTD circuit is long. Thanks for confirming this viewpoint.

Pepe of Ohio – I think you’re onto something with the boat ride to CR. From here, we could either do the monorail route you outlined above, or even walk over to the MK bus stop and catch the BW bus. Banking this into my memory bank as a potential option.

I should have clarified, while I am interested in learning what the most “efficient” route is, I’m also interested in learning a route that will help me explore some other resorts. I really enjoy exploring the Boardwalk and taking the back entrance into EPCOT. So any path that will allow me to do so, and perhaps a less crowded bus ride, is all the more enjoyable to my family and I.

 

[horselover]

I agree that the DTD circuit is long. Thanks for confirming this viewpoint.

Pepe of Ohio – I think you’re onto something with the boat ride to CR. From here, we could either do the monorail route you outlined above, or even walk over to the MK bus stop and catch the BW bus. Banking this into my memory bank as a potential option.

I should have clarified, while I am interested in learning what the most “efficient” route is, I’m also interested in learning a route that will help me explore some other resorts. I really enjoy exploring the Boardwalk and taking the back entrance into EPCOT. So any path that will allow me to do so, and perhaps a less crowded bus ride, is all the more enjoyable to my family and I.

If you boat to MK & then grab a bus consider the BC/YC bus. It's a shorter walk to IG.

It's been awhile since I've taken the bus from WL to Epcot but the last time I did it stopped at FW before heading to Epcot.

 

[Thumper4me]

The WL bus stops at Fort Wilderness before continuing on to EPCOT. It took us over an hour last week. It did take a while for the bus to get there. When returning, we used the Monorail from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom and then took the boat to WL. The return trip was MUCH faster.

 

[grimley1968]

The WL bus stops at Fort Wilderness before continuing on to EPCOT. It took us over an hour last week. It did take a while for the bus to get there. When returning, we used the Monorail from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom and then took the boat to WL. The return trip was MUCH faster.

The monorail from EPCOT does not go to MK. It goes to the TTC, where you'd have to go over to the MK monorail, wait for it, then ride that to MK, walk over to the dock, wait for the WL boat, then ride the nice but slow boat to WL.

It's very difficult for me to imagine this route being faster than just taking the bus. We did this route before, and it took us 90 minutes, and that was with almost no waiting at any of the transfers. If a bus breaks down, or you're unlucky to get caught in a shift change with bus drivers, there is a slim possibility this would be faster than just riding the bus. But I think about 95% of the time the bus is faster, more direct, and less walking than using the boat/monorail/monorail route.

 

[Thumper4me]

I am not saying our experience was typical. We did not wait on either monorail and the boat was also sitting at the dock when we came down from the monorail.

 

[Brian Noble]

The most efficient route is probably the Epcot bus, which usually stops at Ft. Wilderness. Unless you wait a long time for the bus to arrive at WL, it's fine.

The most interesting route might be: boat to Contemporary (may stop at Ft. Wilderness first), Monorail to TTC, Monorail to Epcot.

 

[Andrew015]

I guess there are a number of (potential) variables that factor into each option. Looking at the bus to EPCOT, if it has to stop at FW, there are a number of stops along that route, which could take a significant amount of time. If you look at any option containing the monorail, you’re looking at either a boat or bus ride + a connection at TTC, any of which could take some time, depending on how long of a wait you have for each monorail.

It’s almost seeming as if the boat ride to CR followed by a quick walk to the MK bus stop and catching the bus direct to the Boardwalk might be one of the better options. I would also expect this bus to be less crowded than say a bus / monorail going direct to EPCOT, depending on the time of day.

 

[wdwfan1]

When we were there in December the bus stopped at GF. We did not go to FW.

 

[Brian Noble]

if it has to stop at FW, there are a number of stops along that route,

A bus from WL->Ft.W->Epcot will only stop once at Ft.W. It does not run the internal route.

 

[Kae]

We did the Boat to CR and Monorail to TTC & then Epcot. But we had the room farthest from the bus stop and I got a Coffee at the Coffee place at CR on the way It was just DH & I.

Kae

 

[richmo]

When we stayed at WL, we preferred the boat to monorail method over the bus. I'm not sure if it was any faster, but it was more fun than a bus ride.