A word to the wise when making PS at resorts

[princess lovers mom]

just back from a great vacation...just wanted to offer something to think about that I wish we had...

we had late seating at chef mickey 8:55pm for dinner...found ourselves wondering how we were going to get back to the beachclub after dinner...from BC we took the bus to MK then monorail to Contemporary, but monorail not running after dinner as the park was closed at 8 so buses not running past 9...had to take a bus to downtown disney and transer to another bus to take us back to BC!!! so think about how you are going to et around......

just as an aside that is funny now, but not then...we rode the bus to downtown disney, our 2 girls fell asleep on the way, the driver told us to get off to catch the bus to BC...we got off and noticed that we were already at the pick up for BC and proceede to get right back on the same bus AFTER WAKING UP THE GIRLS!!!
My DD wasn't so darling for a moment....

 

[eeyore0062]

We have run into the same problem when dining at the Epcot resorts, as well as the Poly, and AKL. We just take the bus to DTD and transfer to our resort bus there. Or, we set aside money and call a cab. Sometimes that is the least of the 2 evils!

 

[maggiew]

That seems kind of rude that the bus driver made you wake up the girls to get off the bus when he knew you were getting right back on (you did mention to him that you were going to the BC, didn't you)? I bet he/she doesn't have kids.

Maggie

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by maggiew
That seems kind of rude that the bus driver made you wake up the girls to get off the bus when he knew you were getting right back on (you did mention to him that you were going to the BC, didn't you)? I bet he/she doesn't have kids.

Maggie

Wow, I agree...in fact I think it was mean! I'd have been ticked!

When you say the monorail wasn't working are you referring to the resort monorail?!!! It's always run until 11:00 as far as I remember. We count on it to dine around the monorail resorts and get back to the Polynesian!

 

[jwfla422]

Yes the resort monorail runs much later but if the park closes earlier the buses from the park are not available, thus someone at CR cannot take the monorail to the park to pick up the bus to go back to their resort.

Whenever doing a later dinner at any resort always keep in mind the only way to get back after park closings is by transfering buses at DTD.

BOY HOW RUDE OF THAT BUS DRIVER!! I would have gotten his name and sent an email, he doesn't deserve to work for WDW with an attitude like that!!

 

[crisi]

We did a lot of resort to resort travel this last trip - always via cab - at least on the "home" side. It runs around $10 to get pretty much anyplace - which we just figure is part of the cost of eating a resort meal - it isn't like you are taking off to the WL to eat at Roaring Forks!

At a resort, check in at the bell desk, they will call a cab (if one isn't waiting).

 

[jann1033]

how about the boat from CR to Fw/Wl does that stop after MK closes also? (know it did not" used" to till 10 or so I thought) how about TTC? so if I want to get to FW from epcot area after Mk closes I need to go to DTD first? I must be missing something but why couldn't you take the monorail to epcot since that should have still been open and then go to BC via bus or what ever?
guess I am going to have to figure this transprotation stuff out before we go cause right now I keep coming up with "why on earth did they change it when it worked good before????"

Thanks

 

[princess lovers mom]

we couldn't take the monorail to BC as buses do not run from epcot to BC as you can walk...we could have taken bus to front of EPCOT and walked through to the back of EPCOT, but kids were pooped!!!

the bus driver told us that he didn't know when he was going to next until he pulled into the bus stop and was told by dispatch...i don't believe him as he pulled up to the BC?YC bus stop...it would have been considerate to say "if you are continuing on to the EPCOT resorts you can stay on this bus..."

 

[jann1033]

sorry,I didn't know you "had"to walk, thought you could take another form of transport if you wanted , thought you meant the monorail to epcot was also closed when MK closed

 

[scrump]

Wow, now I'm actually concerned for my trip to WDW in December this year. Transportation is one of those things that I thought I didn't have to think about... I am not familiar enough with the transportation system to follow exactly what is going on. I assume they do post bus/monorail/ferry schedules?

 

[jazyjewel]

Scrump, we are leaving for WDW the same day!!!

As to your question, the buses all run about 20 minutes apart. The monorails only have a few minutes in between each one, and I am not sure about the ferry, we never use it. Transportation is usually no problem if you are staying on disney property. HTH!
Julie

 

[crisi]

scrump, where are you staying and where are you eating?

If you are eating at a resort restaurant (let's say Boma - because a lot of people go out of their way to eat there), to get to any other resort you are going to need to take a bus to DTD (or one of the parks if the buses are still running when you are done with dinner) than transfer to a bus back to your resort.

The exception is if you choose restaurants in your "resort area" Its easy to get from the CR back to the Poly late. Or walk from Spoodles back to the Swan. But getting from Spoodles to the Poly can take an hour or longer and will involve two buses.

To save time, budget for a cab. For less than $15 you can get pretty much anywhere.

 

[TDC Nala]

The resort monorail usually runs to about 11 or 11:30 (later if the MK happens to close around then).

The buses from MK and the WL/FW boat stop running about an hour after the MK closes.

The Epcot monorail will continue running until after Epcot closes.

After park closure, you must switch buses at Downtown Disney if you are traveling from resort to resort.

Last I heard, WL and FW had a bus stop at the TTC. These were the only resorts that had a bus stop there. I don't know if they still have one, since it might have been discontinued since I saw it last. I also don't know how late buses run from the TTC. They may be tied into MK or Epcot hours.

 

[scrump]

Hi Crisi,

We are in fact staying at the AS Sports and trying to eat at some of the resort restaurants, BOMA being one of them. I was just worried that we might not be able to catch any trnasportation back if we happened to get behind and be one of the last people out of a park, or some other panicky scenario like that. Seems like Disney has transportation that suits all routes, running fairly late into the evening. Phew!!

Thanks everybody!

About a month out, Jazyjewel!

 

[TDC Nala]

Resort to Resort Travel - bus switching at Downtown Disney:

Downtown Disney has two bus stops, the Marketplace and Pleasure Island. Buses run from the Marketplace usually until 11:30 PM and from Pleasure Island until 2 AM.

All resorts have bus routes to and from Downtown Disney, so if you want to get back to a resort from another resort, you should have no problems switching buses at the Downtown Disney stops anytime up to 2 AM, when Pleasure Island closes.

If there is still a park open while you are traveling, depending on which resort you're at and which resort you want to get to, it may take less time to go to the open park to switch transportation.

I haven't heard of anyone being stranded in a park at closing, but if this should happen, go to a nearby resort (except for Animal Kingdom, which always closes early, there are resorts within walking distance of each park) and catch a bus at that resort to Downtown Disney. Switch there to a bus for your resort.