Osborne Lights transportation issue

['ohanaof5]

Since the parking lot has been filling up early in the day I need advice on best options for December 19th. We will be at AK most of the day and we're going to leave around 4pm to go to HS. Which option would you choose?
1- Keep car parked at AK and take a bus to HS. AK closes at 7pm, what time will buses stop running to AK from HS for us to get our vehicle?
2- Move our vehicle to either Epcot or MK lot and take a bus from there?
3- Other suggestions?
THANKS!

 

[siskaren]

My suggestion would be to not use your car at all and instead use the buses. And based on what I've been reading on other threads, it would probably be a good idea to take the bus from AK to an Epcot resort and walk to DHS from there.

 

['ohanaof5]

My suggestion would be to not use your car at all and instead use the buses.

We live locally so we will have our car

 

[GreatLakes]

I would move my car to the Boardwalk, valet park it there, and then walk to DHS via the walkway along the canal.

 

[siskaren]

We live locally so we will have our car

Then I would do valet parking at one of the Epcot resorts because I don't know if you would be able to get back to AK hours after they close.

 

[Robo]

Guests CAN get back to a "closed park" parking lot, but it can take a lot of extra time and "asking,"
so it's better to move the car to a park with later hours or a nearby resort lot.

 

[WebmasterKathy]

Or park at HS early in the day and use buses (or Uber!) to go to AK then back to HS in the afternoon, and your car will already be where you need it at the end of the day.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I would move my car to the Boardwalk, valet park it there, and then walk to DHS via the walkway along the canal.

I would do this too. We went from Epcot to DHS Friday night, stupid us....well, let me tell you. The line to go from Epcot to DHS via their bus was INSANE, and the parking lot at DHS had already been closed since like 2 or 3pm. My friend who is local was going to meet us there and told me they had turned her away at DHS and told her to park at Epcot and it was just barely 3pm. It had also happened to her Tuesday of last week too.

Despite all my planning, and all my years of going to Disney, I didn't think to walk. We went to the Contemporary and then to DHS which worked out nicely, but it was still a bit of a pain. Valet your car and walk.

Guests CAN get back to a "closed park" parking lot, but it can take a lot of extra time and "asking,"
so it's better to move the car to a park with later hours or a nearby resort lot.

Also on Friday night, at POFQ a family asked to board the bus that said Epcot on it after it was closed, and the driver said "You can't, the park is closed." The family said "But our car is parked there!" and after a few seconds the driver said , a bit hesitantly, "Okay I can take you." The driver was very nice and so was the family, but it seemed like it was going to be a pain for them once they got there, or if they hadn't run into such a nice driver.

 

[yulilin3]

Or park at HS early in the day and use buses (or Uber!) to go to AK then back to HS in the afternoon, and your car will already be where you need it at the end of the day.

This is what I would do.

 

['ohanaof5]

Or park at HS early in the day and use buses (or Uber!) to go to AK then back to HS in the afternoon, and your car will already be where you need it at the end of the day.

This is a great idea and since our first set of plans at AK isn't until 10am will work for us. Thanks everyone for the replies!

 

[Robo]

Also on Friday night, at POFQ a family asked to board the bus that said Epcot on it after it was closed, and the driver said "You can't, the park is closed." The family said "But our car is parked there!" and after a few seconds the driver said , a bit hesitantly, "Okay I can take you." The driver was very nice and so was the family, but it seemed like it was going to be a pain for them once they got there, or if they hadn't run into such a nice driver.

The hesitation on the part of the driver was likely that his bus was not actually heading to Epcot.
The buses are electronically remotely dispatched where needed on a trip-by-trip basis.

Bus drivers can make requests, on behalf of guests, to reroute to a specific location.
This is why my earlier response included "it can take a lot of extra time and "asking."

Nobody's car will be left "stranded" at a closed parking lot, but it is so much easier to just not
leave the car in a lot that you know will be closed before you can get back to that location.

 

[BarbieGal457]

The hesitation on the part of the driver was likely that his bus was not actually heading to Epcot.
The buses are electronically remotely dispatched where needed on a trip-by-trip basis.

Bus drivers can make requests, on behalf of guests, to reroute to a specific location.
This is why my earlier response included "it can take a lot of extra time and "asking."

Nobody's car will be left "stranded" at a closed parking lot, but it is so much easier to just not
leave the car in a lot that you know will be closed before you can get back to that location.

I know they would not leave anyone stranded. She actually said she WAS going back to Epcot to pick up more people to take them back to the resort, after she had said they would take them because their car was there. As far as I know she didn't have to make any sort of request, they all boarded the bus and left for Epcot since she was going there anyway. Maybe she seemed hesitant because she was tired, who knows. I was just giving an applicable experience of what happened to a guest in a similar situation that I witnessed on Friday.

 

[Lehuaann]

Or park at HS early in the day and use buses (or Uber!) to go to AK then back to HS in the afternoon, and your car will already be where you need it at the end of the day.

This!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I would do this too. We went from Epcot to DHS Friday night, stupid us....well, let me tell you. The line to go from Epcot to DHS via their bus was INSANE, and the parking lot at DHS had already been closed since like 2 or 3pm. My friend who is local was going to meet us there and told me they had turned her away at DHS and told her to park at Epcot and it was just barely 3pm. It had also happened to her Tuesday of last week too.

Despite all my planning, and all my years of going to Disney, I didn't think to walk. We went to the Contemporary and then to DHS which worked out nicely, but it was still a bit of a pain. Valet your car and walk.

We went from the Magic Kingdom to DHS Friday night via the monorail to Epcot and the walking path to DHS. I was glad we chose to use that route after I saw the lines stretching both directions to get into DHS via bus or car. That place was a madhouse Friday night and when we left at 7:46 there was still a lot of people coming in. Seeing the Osbourne Lights was really cool but if I had ever seen them before there is no way I would have attempted that on Friday night.

 

[supersnoop]

We went from the Magic Kingdom to DHS Friday night via the monorail to Epcot and the walking path to DHS. I was glad we chose to use that route after I saw the lines stretching both directions to get into DHS via bus or car. That place was a madhouse Friday night and when we left at 7:46 there was still a lot of people coming in. Seeing the Osbourne Lights was really cool but if I had ever seen them before there is no way I would have attempted that on Friday night.

Just to be clear, there is no walking path from the monorail to Hollywood Studios. You have to go through Epcot, which means you'd need to have a park hopper ticket.

 

[trouttigger]

Thanks for clarifying. I pondering our strategy right now.

 

[BarbieGal457]

We went from the Magic Kingdom to DHS Friday night via the monorail to Epcot and the walking path to DHS. I was glad we chose to use that route after I saw the lines stretching both directions to get into DHS via bus or car. That place was a madhouse Friday night and when we left at 7:46 there was still a lot of people coming in. Seeing the Osbourne Lights was really cool but if I had ever seen them before there is no way I would have attempted that on Friday night.

Unfortunately for us, we were in a bit of a pickle as to what night to see them. We had wanted to go 12/9 when we arrived, but DHS was rented out that night so no go there. We also wanted to do MVMCP but wanted to avoid going on a Friday night, so we did the CP Wednesday 12/9, MVMCP 12/10, and the Lights on 12/11. I knew it would be packed once there but truly underestimated what the transportation situation would be like. Whenever we've gone on super crowded days we usually avoid hopping (like last NYE we just stayed at MK and never tried to go elsewhere). Because we left early evening on 12/12, it was sort of trying to pick the lesser of two evils. All in all it worked out well in the end because our MVMCP was very pleasant, and once we actually got IN to the lights, we managed to hang around long enough for it to clear some and give us a little breathing room. We got to DHS maybe like 615 or so on Friday.

I agree with you, it was awesome but if I had done it before, I would have neverrrrrr tried to do it on a Friday night, and one with especially pleasant weather. This was our only shot at seeing them though, so in the end, despite some annoyances here and there, it was worth it!!

 

[locashaina]

Or park at HS early in the day and use buses (or Uber!) to go to AK then back to HS in the afternoon, and your car will already be where you need it at the end of the day.

I would suggest this. Get there early, get close parking (Less to walk at night when you're TIRED), take a bus to the Boardwalk from AK to avoid craziness to DHS.

 

[okilydokily]

I would suggest this. Get there early, get close parking (Less to walk at night when you're TIRED), take a bus to the Boardwalk from AK to avoid craziness to DHS.

You need to get into the lot at least 1/2 hour before park opening to get close. Once the trams start running, they want them to keep busy and start directing traffic to the back lots, even if the front on only 30% full.

 

[Nermel9]

I'm going to be attempting to see the Osborne Lights both this Saturday and Sunday. So I won't be able to park in DHS? What is the latest I could get there to park? I'll only be in Disney for 3 days and I hate the idea of going to DHS super early to park and then use the buses all day...but I don't know if parking at Epcot and walking/boating over will be any easier either. This is crazy!