Time to rant...

[Magpie]

We've been lucky, too.

Though, I will say that we didn't enjoy our bus experience at Coronado Springs. Too many stops, and too often the bus would fill up before it got to our stop, doubling our wait. Which then led to my husband insisting we run to stop 1 all the time. In my sandals. I was not impressed. We will not be staying at Coronado Springs again.

However, we've had excellent bus service every time we've stayed at the Pop Century. Most busses arrive within what my husband refers to as the "operational standard" of 20 minutes. Yes, he times them. All of them. All trip long. Every now and again one will take 40 minutes (meaning a bus has gone missing somewhere), but it's rare that happens more than 2 or three times in an 8 day trip. Keeping in mind, we're riding the bus at least 4 times a day (we like to park hop and nap in the afternoons).

The Pop Century has only one bus stop, and even better (from my perspective) you can't see the bus stop until you've exited the gift shop. So there's no temptation to run!

I also like the orderly roped-off queues at the Pop Century stop. Means there's no confusion over who was "first".

That said, I do consider 45 minutes entirely too little time to get to a dining reservation. It takes the bus almost 25 minutes to get from Pop to the Magic Kingdom, even with light traffic. And then you've still got to get through bag check, the tapstiles, and all the way back to the Crystal Palace.

I personally wouldn't feel good giving it less than an hour and a half. But, I also don't like feeling rushed.

I do enjoy the busses, though. I like chatting with people on them. And I particularly like being dropped off right at the entrance to the park. Especially when it comes to the Magic Kingdom, where driving means you then have to take a trolley to the TTC and catch a boat or monorail from there.

 

[hllb]

We've been lucky, too.

Though, I will say that we didn't enjoy our bus experience at Coronado Springs. Too many stops, and too often the bus would fill up before it got to our stop, doubling our wait. Which then led to my husband insisting we run to stop 1 all the time. In my sandals. I was not impressed. We will not be staying at Coronado Springs again.

However, we've had excellent bus service every time we've stayed at the Pop Century. Most busses arrive within what my husband refers to as the "operational standard" of 20 minutes. Yes, he times them. All of them. All trip long. Every now and again one will take 40 minutes (meaning a bus has gone missing somewhere), but it's rare that happens more than 2 or three times in an 8 day trip. Keeping in mind, we're riding the bus at least 4 times a day (we like to park hop and nap in the afternoons).

The Pop Century has only one bus stop, and even better (from my perspective) you can't see the bus stop until you've exited the gift shop. So there's no temptation to run!

I also like the orderly roped-off queues at the Pop Century stop. Means there's no confusion over who was "first".

That said, I do consider 45 minutes entirely too little time to get to a dining reservation. It takes the bus almost 25 minutes to get from Pop to the Magic Kingdom, even with light traffic. And then you've still got to get through bag check, the tapstiles, and all the way back to the Crystal Palace.

I personally wouldn't feel good giving it less than an hour and a half. But, I also don't like feeling rushed.

I do enjoy the busses, though. I like chatting with people on them. And I particularly like being dropped off right at the entrance to the park. Especially when it comes to the Magic Kingdom, where driving means you then have to take a trolley to the TTC and catch a boat or monorail from there.

I'm betting that's what happened to the OP. Bus was full, so didn't come to their stop. This is what I hated about CBR as well. We had a car that trip so after day 1, we abandoned the buses and took the car. So much better! Now this thread has me thinking I should rent a car again LOL. Haven't seen anything terribly affordable though.

 

[TinkOhio]

We also agree that the value of staying onsite is more than free transportation. We love being immersed in the Disney bubble! That said, or experiences with bus services at the values has been consistently pretty bad. We have experienced typically very long waits for buses both to and from the parks, especially early in the day and at park closing at the values. (We have experienced much better bus service at the mods, though.) Now we drive to the parks when staying at the values. The occasional exception is when we go to the MK, when we want to get a straight shot to the MK and avoid the TTC mess. We kind of view it as getting what you pay for. We just expect worse bus service and less comfortable beds when staying at values.

 

[AngiTN]

I know they quote you 90 mins, but that doesn't mean its how it should be. Not sure why if they say busses run every 20 mins why you should need to allow 90 mins to get from resort to reservation? Just seems to contradict each other.

They don't say allow 90 min because it will take all of those 90 min all the time.
They say allow 90 min because worse case scenario that's how long it may take.
And as you've learned, it's better to err and be early than err and be late.
Right?

 

[BDK33]

They don't say allow 90 min because it will take all of those 90 min all the time.
They say allow 90 min because worse case scenario that's how long it may take.
And as you've learned, it's better to err and be early than err and be late.
Right?

They were dead on too.. In fact... 90 mins was almost not enough.

The problem isnt that they tell me to allow 90 mins... its that im staying at a resort that tells me it will be roughly 20 mins between buses (so if i get to stop right when bus leaves it will be 20 or so mins) and it takes 45+. The reservation at this point is irrelevant. It shouldnt take me 90 mins to get from my hotel to the park when im staying less than 5 miles away.

 

[nursejackie]

We rent a car for this reason. The few times we've used the bus due to necessity it's been a bad experience. When you're waiting for an MK bus and three Epcot buses turn up, your heart sinks lower and lower.

 

[srwarden1928]

I don't use the busses. I have my car with me and generally drive. I DO use the monorail between MK and Epcot because I LIKE riding it. I have an AP, but am from MUCH further away than OP. I agree that EMH is a valuable perk of being onsite. I also agree that EMH are less useful for someone in OPs circumstance. I believe that the 60 day FP+ is a VERY valuable perk of being onsite that should not be overlooked. And if you are staying onsite, the seven day limit for FP for APs is waived. I had FIFTEEN days worth of FP scheduled due to two scheduled trips that gave me that many onsite days. I paid $125/night for my stay. I find this very competitive compared to other places where you pay for location, such as the beach. When I stayed offsite several years ago, by the time you added the parking cost (I didn't have AP then) the money saved, if any, seemed to not be worth the added convenience of onsite--being closer to the parks, the better customer service from the CMs, the Disney bubble. I think some of the value of being onsite are being overlooked.

I am NOT saying that OP doesn't have a legitimate point about the busses. There may well be issues that Disney transportation SHOULD be working on. Were the problems reported? Disney isn't going to fix a problem until they know about it. I just think there are many other benefits to stay on property.

 

[Mr_Tom_Morrow]

Christmas last year we waited almost an hour for a bus to get back to OKW from Epcot as we watched easily 5 different buses for AOA and various All Star Buses. So out of those 10 total buses going to near empty bus stops you’d think they’d pull a couple to go to other resorts with full bus stops. Disney has to have these bus GPS tracked and also tracked by the route they display on the buses.

So the issue has to lay with the dispatchers and them clearly not having transportation people at the park bus stops recording the time between buses. To say it’s flawed is an understatement.

 

[BDK33]

I don't use the busses. I have my car with me and generally drive. I DO use the monorail between MK and Epcot because I LIKE riding it. I have an AP, but am from MUCH further away than OP. I agree that EMH is a valuable perk of being onsite. I also agree that EMH are less useful for someone in OPs circumstance. I believe that the 60 day FP+ is a VERY valuable perk of being onsite that should not be overlooked. And if you are staying onsite, the seven day limit for FP for APs is waived. I had FIFTEEN days worth of FP scheduled due to two scheduled trips that gave me that many onsite days. I paid $125/night for my stay. I find this very competitive compared to other places where you pay for location, such as the beach. When I stayed offsite several years ago, by the time you added the parking cost (I didn't have AP then) the money saved, if any, seemed to not be worth the added convenience of onsite--being closer to the parks, the better customer service from the CMs, the Disney bubble. I think some of the value of being onsite are being overlooked.

I am NOT saying that OP doesn't have a legitimate point about the busses. There may well be issues that Disney transportation SHOULD be working on. Were the problems reported? Disney isn't going to fix a problem until they know about it. I just think there are many other benefits to stay on property.

I appreciate your thoughtful response.

I found a Disney research person in MK Sunday and let them know. Not sure how far that goes, but at least I got it off my chest to someone.

Also, I sent them a twitter note. Not sure if that will do anything either.

Leads to another big problem with Disney IMO, which is when you have an issue and you report it, it many times feels like the place is so big and overwhelming that your concerns are heard, but not much is done to resolve it. Probably just my perspective... Im sure many people have had great expiriences with CM's tending to issues.

 

[DisneyMom93]

We find the wait times TO the parks very reasonable (at Pop) but the wait times back to the resort at the end of the day (if you stay until park closing) takes a lot longer.

 

[DisneyMom93]

While we were at Pop a couple of weeks ago there was someone there monitoring the bus stop. She had a clipboard and was assisting with bus loading and making notes on the clipboard. Not sure why.

One thing I find annoying is when you're waiting for a bus to go to a park and there's a bus already in the loading zone, then a second bus pulls up IN FRONT of the first one and people start loading onto it out of "waiting order." It's like a free-for-all and not fair to those that are waiting in the line inside the corrals.

I will admit we were part of that "unfair" group once because we got there and were outside the corral and the bus driver called us over. Based on the amount of people in the corral I'm confident that they all got on the bus that was there, but we left first. I don't think that's right. I do think the driver realized though that everyone would get on the two buses regardless.

Same scenario with second bus arriving happened when the person monitoring the buses was there. They held the bus from entering the loading zone so that people could load in line order. Another time they directed those next in line onto the second bus while the first was loading scooters or something like that. All I remember was it was more fair.

 

[KEW]

Thanks for the rant (lol) and for other people's responses with their experiences (especially when a specific resort is mentioned). I think your bad experience can help others in their expectations and their planning. I'm going the week after Christmas and in my mock plans I have allotted 2 hours to hop from park to park and was wondering if that was too much. Now I know, especially the time of year I'm going and when there are FPs involved, it's better to be safe that sorry.

We're staying at AoA so it also gives me some comfort to hear about how those buses are, which, actually, was one of the reasons I picked AoA over POP and All Star Resorts.

 

[ShadeDK]

Without defending the bus system (which can be awful), this issue is not just a Disney problem - it's a mass transit problem. Most any mass transit system has all the same things happen that are described here - delays, detours, maintenance issues, inefficient routing/dispatch, overcrowding, inconsistent schedules, poor use of technology to improve service, etc. Not that those things are an excuse, but they're not unique. Should it take 90 minutes to go from AKL to MK? No - but it also shouldn't take me 90 minutes to ride the Metro from downtown DC to the Virginia suburbs 10 miles away when I can get there in less than 30 minutes by car. I'm guessing many Disney guests aren't frequent users of mass transit (other than airlines - which is it's own brand of problems) - so it's a bit of a surprise just how bad it can be. I think it's ridiculous that I have to allow myself at least an hour to get from one place to another at WDW - and even then know I'm pushing it. But c'est la vie.

There are other options if you're willing to pay (Uber/Minnie Van/taxi) or put in more effort (drive yourself) - but it's not that shocking that the free, no-effort complimentary service is far from perfect (as most free, no-effort complimentary services are). Does it impact guest experience? Sure - but Disney won't dump a ton of money into improving a bus system that doesn't directly generate cash flow regardless of whether it performs flawlessly or is nearly broken down.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

So I have been an AP holder for close to 10 years now. I am a local so my wife and I easily get our value out of the passes.

However, after my last two trips, Im really starting to get sick of some things...

My wife and I were up for the Wine and Dine weekend running the 10k race. We have a 6-month-old so our plan was to stay Friday night before the race, while our son stayed with his grandparents and then Saturday they would come up and we could have a nice weekend at the parks with the baby.

We stayed at all star music. Three consecutive times on this trip we waited 40+ minutes for a bus to come get us. The last time this happened we ended u[ being 30 minutes late for our Chrystal Palace reservation. Before people chime in and say I should have left earlier... I think being at our bus stop 45 minutes before the reservation should suffice. Isn't that the benefit to staying on property?

Our most recent trip was this past weekend. We stayed at Coronado Springs. Would you know the same thing happened again? We consistently waited over 40 minutes for our bus to come to the resort. Then when we left the parks in the evening we waited one night for 5 busses to come before we could get on.

I think from here on out we are just going to stay off property. As an AP holder, the only benefits in my mind to staying on property are... 1)Extra Magic Hours and 2) Transportation.

With a newborn EMH are not important yet. If transportation is consistently horrible why not just stay off property, pay way less for a nicer resort and just drive?

Sorry for this rant but I'm wondering if I'm crazy or if others are having similar experiences...

TIA

I haven’t read through all the replies, but we just got home from a 10 day trip (8 at WDW) late last night. Stayed CL at Boardwalk except the last night at Poly. I think it was last Monday maybe(?), we got to the Boardwalk bus stop at MK about an hour before park close and we’re maybe 10th in line. A family was directly ahead of us and had been waiting for a bus for a while already - they were headed to Beach Club but that line was insane. Half an hour into our wait (and idk how long bet buses), two BC buses had come and gone and the family would have gotten onto one of those buses had they not moved to the Boardwalk line. It was prob 45 mins bet Boardwalk buses, meanwhile multiple buses for other hotels passed through.

On Sunday (Nov 26), I (and two of my kids) got to the Wilderness Lodge bus stop at EPCOT and were waiting for my husband and the other two of our kids. A WL bus came after about 20 mins, but I couldn’t get on bc we were still waiting for the rest of our party. I asked the driver how long bet buses and she said “20 minutes.” My husband and kids (and a lot of other ppl) showed up, and it was 40 mins before another bus showed. When we got onto the bus, I asked the driver how long it should be bet buses and she said “20, maybe 30, minutes.” In that time, FOUR Saratoga Springs, and FOUR PO-FQ buses, came and went. There were zero people who got on or off those 8 buses but prob 20 ppl waiting for ours.

I don’t know why they can’t seem to figure out the schedules. It seems like some hotel bus lines are packed and wait forever, while other hotels get multiple buses for very few guests.

 

[acwsmom]

I agree that the busses seem to be getting worse, although I do have hope now that I see Cast Members occasionally standing at the bus stop calculating the time it's taking and calling in when there are problems. I think they're making an effort to ensure that they stick to their 20-minute "promise." I've seen these CM's at Pop and I saw them in Oct at ASMovies. However, I never see them at the park bus stops, which is where I always see the biggest waits.

Anyway, DH and I decided several trips ago (after waiting numerous nights and just watching busses pass us by at the parks), to try driving our car to the parks. We loved it. Saved us so much time and we were always guaranteed a seat at the end of a long night. So other than the trips where we fly (which is rare), we always drive to the parks now. It feels much more convenient and relaxing than riding the busses.

 

[elaine amj]

I haven’t read through all the replies, but we just got home from a 10 day trip (8 at WDW) late last night. Stayed CL at Boardwalk except the last night at Poly. I think it was last Monday maybe(?), we got to the Boardwalk bus stop at MK about an hour before park close and we’re maybe 10th in line. A family was directly ahead of us and had been waiting for a bus for a while already - they were headed to Beach Club but that line was insane. Half an hour into our wait (and idk how long bet buses), two BC buses had come and gone and the family would have gotten onto one of those buses had they not moved to the Boardwalk line. It was prob 45 mins bet Boardwalk buses, meanwhile multiple buses for other hotels passed through.

On Sunday (Nov 26), I (and two of my kids) got to the Wilderness Lodge bus stop at EPCOT and were waiting for my husband and the other two of our kids. A WL bus came after about 20 mins, but I couldn’t get on bc we were still waiting for the rest of our party. I asked the driver how long bet buses and she said “20 minutes.” My husband and kids (and a lot of other ppl) showed up, and it was 40 mins before another bus showed. When we got onto the bus, I asked the driver how long it should be bet buses and she said “20, maybe 30, minutes.” In that time, FOUR Saratoga Springs, and FOUR PO-FQ buses, came and went. There were zero people who got on or off those 8 buses but prob 20 ppl waiting for ours.

I don’t know why they can’t seem to figure out the schedules. It seems like some hotel bus lines are packed and wait forever, while other hotels get multiple buses for very few guests.

And somehow it is always the resort you are staying at that has the worst bus service. I was in WDW in August for 2 weeks. Consistently, Saratoga Springs (where I was staying of course) had the worst bus service. Many times, our lines spilled over out of the queue and the waits were always brutal at closing. It wasn't too bad at other times of day though. Eventually I figured out that it's likely because it's just such a huge resort. They really should dispatch more SSR buses.

 

[maxiesmom]

I agree with your reasons as well. However, how much is that bubble worth to you?

For the same $300 or so a night to stay at like a port orleans, I could stay at Gaylord.

Just ranting because it’s stuff like this thstntotaly wrecks a trip.

According to Disney 45 minutes is half the time you should allow. Their website states to allow 90 minutes.

 

[BeachPrincess]

We've never waited 30-40 minutes for a bus. I'd say 10-15 average and 20 tops. That's at Pop Century.

We were just there in October for F&W and never waited that long, probably 20 max. We are Florida resident AP (we live about 2-1/2 hours away) and most of our trips are just for the weekend so time is precious! If I'm there Friday night through Sunday afternoon and have to wait 40+ minutes each and every time I wait for a bus, I could potentially lose hours, that's a big deal to me. I can see if you are there 7-10 days, it might not affect your stay as much.

 

[melanielll]

We abandoned the bus system a few years ago - except for my husband - but he has now come over to our way of thinking. It used to be around a 20 minute wait consistently. Sometimes you got lucky and it was 0-10 minutes. Sometimes you got unlucky and it was more like 30. We never waited 40 until a few years ago. The past few trips my husband has been on journeys of 90+ minutes several times getting from the Contemporary to parks. Those are fairly common - not the outliers. Unacceptable.

For the past few years, the girls walk to the MK and drive everywhere else. The system is no longer reliable.

I think the 90 minute allotment for a bus is ridiculous. If you stay at a resort, go to a park in the morning, park hop, go to a dinner reservation and then go back to the resort (which is something we do a lot) that is 6 hours set aside for getting around the park. A substantial part of a freaking day.

 

[DisneyFive]

OP, hopefully those are two "Murphy's Rule" incidences.

We typically stay 8+ nights and I can only remember one bus wait of more than 20 minutes in the last few years. It just so happened to be from POR, heading to MK so that we could catch the boat to Hoop Dee Doo. Waited over 45 minutes for a bus and almost missed our reservation. It's crazy how that happens. What are the odds. All of our other bus rides have been great.

Granted, I don't include park closing bus waits, since many times the people are 2-3 buses deep waiting to go back to the resorts.

Dan