Long wait times for buses

[exchanger]

We are going in February and this was a big concern before booking. I didn't read many complaints about 6 weeks ago when we booked, but then I read this article:

https://insidethemagic.net/2020/10/disney-bus-transportation-wait-times-ad1/
Anyone with first hand experience from the last week or two?

We are staying at AKV Kidani.

We have twin 3 year olds and a major selling point is that we wouldn't have to take our big car seats and could have a relaxing time.....regular waits of an hour each way with 3 year olds sounds awful. The layoffs have me concerned that Disney may not do much to increase the amount of buses.

 

[nkereina]

We stayed at CBR last week and never had to wait over an hour for a bus to show up. Not even close. BUT, that will depend on how many people are in line in front of you. With buses having such limited capacity, it's possible you may need to wait through a bus or two before you get on one.

Our longest wait was leaving Disney Springs one night around 9:30pm. We walked up as a bus was pulling up, but we did not make it on that one. We waited maybe 25 minutes before another one pulled up, and there were people now in line behind us that did not make it on that one.

The only other caveat would be MK and AK park opening. People get to the bus stop 60+ minutes before park opening in order to ensure they are on the first bus of the day to avoid having to wait for the second or third bus. Buses to MK and AK started running at 8:30am last week, but I've seen reports that sometimes they arrive a bit earlier. We never waited at that time for a bus, but I did see multiple buses at the stops at the same time, so it seems like they dispatch several buses in the morning to help with crowds. So, if getting on an early bus is important to you, you'll want to get to the bus stop early. If you're ok with arriving after opening, its not necessary.

 

[exchanger]

We stayed at CBR last week and never had to wait over an hour for a bus to show up. Not even close. BUT, that will depend on how many people are in line in front of you. With buses having such limited capacity, it's possible you may need to wait through a bus or two before you get on one.

Our longest wait was leaving Disney Springs one night around 9:30pm. We walked up as a bus was pulling up, but we did not make it on that one. We waited maybe 25 minutes before another one pulled up, and there were people now in line behind us that did not make it on that one.

The only other caveat would be MK and AK park opening. People get to the bus stop 60+ minutes before park opening in order to ensure they are on the first bus of the day to avoid having to wait for the second or third bus. Buses to MK and AK started running at 8:30am last week, but I've seen reports that sometimes they arrive a bit earlier. We never waited at that time for a bus, but I did see multiple buses at the stops at the same time, so it seems like they dispatch several buses in the morning to help with crowds. So, if getting on an early bus is important to you, you'll want to get to the bus stop early. If you're ok with arriving after opening, its not necessary.

Thanks! I'll keep an eye on reports of how things are as we get closer, but that amount of time seems pretty reasonable.

 

[philharmagic fan]

Maybe we were incredibly lucky, but we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop at 8:05am on Halloween, got right on the bus, and were on Mine Train by 8:40. We had a car and drove to the other parks, so can't give advice on them.

 

[Capang]

Buses have ALWAYS been hit and miss. The average wait time is a half hour, but at some resorts buses run once an hour (ie WL has boats to MK so that bus runs typically once an hour). Be prepared to wait, lines are also long for rides and food at peak times especially on weekends.

 

[nw6675]

We are here now. Of our four bus rides, three had 0-5 minute wait (leaving CR, GF and EPCOT). We waited 10-15 minutes to leave AK and then had to wait a few more minutes while drive killed time hoping to be relieved on break (which was fine, was just funny because he kept saying he was airing out the bus...).

We've either had the bus to ourselves or maybe 1 other family on it each time.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

which was fine, was just funny because he kept saying he was airing out the bus...

Just FYI, this is something I have seen them do occasionally since July. It’s to allow some time for fresh air circulation between loads.

 

[nw6675]

Just FYI, this is something I have seen them do occasionally since July. It’s to allow some time for fresh air circulation between loads.

He really was waiting for his break relief. He told us after the other driver showed up. We had it happen twice, both times we boarded on the hour which makes sense. It really wasn't an issue. We know they deserve breaks and have shift change, too