Trasport at WL

[irishone1979]

Does anyone know how good or bad the transportation is from the WL to other parks or Downtown Disney. My FH and I are going there on our Honeymoon and are not renting a car. (We are already spending enough money on the honeymoon) and I was wondering how the trasportation was.
Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Heather K

 

[rla5d]

Just like for everywhere else - some people will say that it's horrible, others will say that it's wonderful.
Our experience last year was good, with only short waits.

 

[J&J]

Depends on how crowded it is. WL has a boat ride to MK park something different or the bus. You have take bus to everything else. Usually we found that wwhere you go on disney it is always a 40-45 bus ride because of the stops they make.Enjoy hope it is just wonderful for you.

 

[lsyorke]

We were at WLV in July and found the transportation slow. We had to plan on an hour for buses and 45 minutes by boat. This was a very busy time though. Hopefully it is a little better at slower times. My suggestions is if your on a time schedule to get anywhere(priority seating) is to get a cab. If not sit back and enjoy the scenery.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by J&J
Depends on how crowded it is. WL has a boat ride to MK park something different or the bus. You have take bus to everything else. Usually we found that wwhere you go on disney it is always a 40-45 bus ride because of the stops they make.Enjoy hope it is just wonderful for you.

You might want to check your watch battery... very, very few routes on property exceed 20 minutes travel time. All FW/WL complete cycles are below 35-45 mins. This means that the average travel time in one direction will be about half that.

All current routes are scheduled to stop at Wilderness Lodge first. The times below are approximate times that I have found to be accurate based upon my daily driving of these routes.

Epcot -> WL = 11 mins
WL -> FW/OD -> Epcot = 15 mins

Studios -> WL = 13 mins
WL -> FW/SD -> Studios = 15 mins

DAK -> BB -> WL = 19 mins
WL -> GF -> DAK = 16 mins

MP -> PI -> WL = 20 mins
WL -> FW/OD -> MP = 15 mins


One VERY IMPORTANT thing to keep in mind when thinking about Disney Transportation. We are a very dynamic operation, and are constantly changing, improving, and tweaking. Just because someone experienced something 4 months ago, doesn't mean it will happen now. Things are always changing, and improving.

 

[lsyorke]

"You might want to check your watch battery"

Chip , I appreciate your expertise in the system, but travel time is only one element. Wait time for the bus also has to be included. Our one trip from DD to WL(stopping at the Campgrounds) took 1 hour and ten minutes total with the wait for the bus. Another night Monorail to Contemporary to WL we had a 45 minute wait for the boat. Don't get me wrong I use Disney transportation all the time, but the length of time to get around can be long(this was made very clear while traveling with my 2 year old granddaughter this July!)
I just want people to plan ahead and not think they can make it to a destination in 20 minutes.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by lsyorke
I appreciate your expertise in the system, but travel time is only one element. Wait time for the bus also has to be included.

Although I agree with you, my comment was directed towards a comment on the actual ride itself. As for waiting... with the continuous tweaking of MOD and Flex Dispatch, peak time bus intervals have been as low as 7 minutes. (Non peak time max interval is typically 14-16 minutes). This is going to sound crazy, but we actually had to slow down the dispatching, because busses were running too frequently (Right on top of each other).

 

[lsyorke]

"peak time bus intervals have been as low as 7 minutes."

That is great news! I'll be honest the WL was the only resort that we really noticed a long wait. Y&BC and BW were never a problem. Its nice to know that Disney is constantly reviewing and changing the system to meet our needs. Thanks Chip for the information

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
You might want to check your watch battery... very, very few routes on property exceed 20 minutes travel time. All FW/WL complete cycles are below 35-45 mins. This means that the average travel time in one direction will be about half that.

All current routes are scheduled to stop at Wilderness Lodge first. The times below are approximate times that I have found to be accurate based upon my daily driving of these routes.

Epcot -> WL = 11 mins
WL -> FW/OD -> Epcot = 15 mins

Studios -> WL = 13 mins
WL -> FW/SD -> Studios = 15 mins

DAK -> BB -> WL = 19 mins
WL -> GF -> DAK = 16 mins

MP -> PI -> WL = 20 mins
WL -> FW/OD -> MP = 15 mins


One VERY IMPORTANT thing to keep in mind when thinking about Disney Transportation. We are a very dynamic operation, and are constantly changing, improving, and tweaking. Just because someone experienced something 4 months ago, doesn't mean it will happen now. Things are always changing, and improving.

I was just at the WL for a brief visit last week and had to use the transportation. I waited for 45 minutes for a DTD bus. I called on the special phone at the bus stop twice only to be told that the busses do not run on any certain schedule and that she would let a driver know. Still no bus! An hour of sitting and no bus. I then walked to the boat, which I dreaded doing as they share with FW also. I get to the boat at 3:15 and lucky me, a boat is there. I ask if it is going to FW before the MK. Yes, all boats go to FW after the WL pick up if it is 3pm or later. If I had gotten there before 3pm then I would have not had to ride to the FW before my final destination as they would have been picked up first. Sorry, but I think the transportation at the WL is poor at best and will not stay there again until they fix it. I am a laid back person and do not even do parks every day so it wasn't like I was in a hurry to get somewhere. I would have much rather relaxed at the pool or something then to waste time shuttling over to the FW every chance possible. I was so thankful that I was staying at the Poly and will stay there again in May.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by skiwee1
I was just at the WL for a brief visit last week and had to use the transportation. I waited for 45 minutes for a DTD bus. I called on the special phone at the bus stop twice only to be told that the busses do not run on any certain schedule and that she would let a driver know. Still no bus! An hour of sitting and no bus.

I'm not saying that this didn't happen to you... however, as an internal person, I'm wondering how on earth this could have been possible. Busses are Flex Dispatched every 10-15 or so minutes from the DTD Marketplace to WL/FW. WL is always the FIRST stop for those busses, so it's not as if the bus could have filled up and not stopped by there. Now, I could understand that one bus might have broken down or some weird thing like that. But in one hour, there should have been at least four busses. In the past 3 weeks, I've worked several Downtown shifts (both AM and PM). We do radio dispatching, so I get to hear the dispatch location for every bus, and the intervals.

Originally posted by skiwee1
I then walked to the boat, which I dreaded doing as they share with FW also. I get to the boat at 3:15 and lucky me, a boat is there. I ask if it is going to FW before the MK. Yes, all boats go to FW after the WL pick up if it is 3pm or later. If I had gotten there before 3pm then I would have not had to ride to the FW before my final destination as they would have been picked up first. Sorry, but I think the transportation at the WL is poor at best and will not stay there again until they fix it. I am a laid back person and do not even do parks every day so it wasn't like I was in a hurry to get somewhere. I would have much rather relaxed at the pool or something then to waste time shuttling over to the FW every chance possible. I was so thankful that I was staying at the Poly and will stay there again in May.

Forgive me for not understanding... perhaps you could clarify for me... but why is it so dreadful that WL shares the boat with FW? You don't seem to be concerned that the Polynesian shares boat and bus transportation with the Grand Floridian... So, why is Fort Wilderness so dreadful?

As for "fixing" the Transportation at WL... I've recently driven quite a few East runs (East = WL/FW) and I've never encountered any problems. In fact, many times, I run into the bus in front of me, or behind me... I'm not saying what happened to you is impossible and didn't happen... however, I can't really see that happening on a near-frequent basis at all.

 

[DaveH]

I have found the busses at WL are not much different than anywhere else. The biggest negative for me is the busses go to other resorts to pick up folks. I also understand the demand for busses by these resort do not always need 2 or 3 busses being almost empty. As for as long a route takes depends on the roads being crowded or not. The length of wait is usually no more than 20 mins. I had to wait for a bus at DTD back to the All Stars for over 2 hours a few years ago. That is one time thing for me and Disney brought out a semi trailer bus and it was standing room only packed like sardines and 2 more busses behind us. On the whole the Disney system works fine. The rule of thumb that works for me to get to a PS is always allow 1 hour to get from one point to another. I fyou get lucky and when you get to the bus stop and the buss is there and if you have to change busses, ie going to different resort and the buss is there you will have time to kill and can look around if not you will just be ontime. The hardest thing for me to learn was to relax and let them drive and try not to be in too much of a rush. Very hard for me I am always in the commando mode. Have a great honeymoon. You should love the WL, we do and have bought into DVC as VWL as our home. Sorry for being so long.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
I'm not saying that this didn't happen to you... however, as an internal person, I'm wondering how on earth this could have been possible. Busses are Flex Dispatched every 10-15 or so minutes from the DTD Marketplace to WL/FW. WL is always the FIRST stop for those busses, so it's not as if the bus could have filled up and not stopped by there. Now, I could understand that one bus might have broken down or some weird thing like that. But in one hour, there should have been at least four busses. In the past 3 weeks, I've worked several Downtown shifts (both AM and PM). We do radio dispatching, so I get to hear the dispatch location for every bus, and the intervals.

The dispatcher, twice, told me that the busses didn't go by a schedule. I waited a little over an hour for the bus and even after two phone calls, it never showed.





Forgive me for not understanding... perhaps you could clarify for me... but why is it so dreadful that WL shares the boat with FW? You don't seem to be concerned that the Polynesian shares boat and bus transportation with the Grand Floridian... So, why is Fort Wilderness so dreadful?

As for "fixing" the Transportation at WL... I've recently driven quite a few East runs (East = WL/FW) and I've never encountered any problems. In fact, many times, I run into the bus in front of me, or behind me... I'm not saying what happened to you is impossible and didn't happen... however, I can't really see that happening on a near-frequent basis at all.

We spend most of our trip at the MK so we stayed at the WL for the convience of having a direct boat there. Not to be shuttled over to FW every time we got on the boat. I never used the boat or busses at the Poly, only the monorail, and that was great. At the WL, your only choice is a boat to the MK. I stayed at the WL in May for 10 days. Whenever we got on a boat, no matter what time it was, we always had to go over to the FW before going anywhere else. While the FW had a quick time to the MK, the WL folks had to sit on the boat. While my total problem isn't with the sharing but really how they do it. I cannot tell you how many times we boarded an empty boat only to have another boat in front of us and both boats going to FW. What a waste of time to have to wait for the other boat to unload and pick up FW folks and then pull up ourselves and there is no one there to pick up! We did this so many times on the busses and the boats. Disney does so many things well that it hard to believe the drivers of the boats or busses cannot ask if there is anyone needing to go to those places as to not waste time following another bus or boat to FW. They really need to fix it.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by skiwee1
We spend most of our trip at the MK so we stayed at the WL for the convience of having a direct boat there. Not to be shuttled over to FW every time we got on the boat. I never used the boat or busses at the Poly, only the monorail, and that was great. At the WL, your only choice is a boat to the MK. I stayed at the WL in May for 10 days. Whenever we got on a boat, no matter what time it was, we always had to go over to the FW before going anywhere else. While the FW had a quick time to the MK, the WL folks had to sit on the boat. While my total problem isn't with the sharing but really how they do it. I cannot tell you how many times we boarded an empty boat only to have another boat in front of us and both boats going to FW. What a waste of time to have to wait for the other boat to unload and pick up FW folks and then pull up ourselves and there is no one there to pick up! We did this so many times on the busses and the boats. Disney does so many things well that it hard to believe the drivers of the boats or busses cannot ask if there is anyone needing to go to those places as to not waste time following another bus or boat to FW. They really need to fix it.

I'm sorry, but your argument makes no sense to me. You say you don't like having the boat stop at Fort Wilderness... but yet... the Monorail stopping at the Grand Floridian is okay. As a former monorail pilot, I can't tell you how many times I have sat at pylon 129, because there was a train inside the Grand Floridian station. And regardless of if anyone is getting on or off, the Monorail still stops at the Grand Floridian, often times for 3-5 minutes of just sitting there. By the way... an alternative to taking the dreaded FW Boat... you can take a bus to the TTC, and then catch the Express Monorail. Neither the bus, nor the monorail stop anywhere else.

Disney Transport Cast Members are not psychic. We do not know if there are guests waiting at the next stop to board our transportation. Therefore, we MUST stop there regardless of if anyone ends up getting on or off. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if some driver bypassed WL because no one was getting off there.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
I'm sorry, but your argument makes no sense to me. You say you don't like having the boat stop at Fort Wilderness... but yet... the Monorail stopping at the Grand Floridian is okay. As a former monorail pilot, I can't tell you how many times I have sat at pylon 129, because there was a train inside the Grand Floridian station. And regardless of if anyone is getting on or off, the Monorail still stops at the Grand Floridian, often times for 3-5 minutes of just sitting there. By the way... an alternative to taking the dreaded FW Boat... you can take a bus to the TTC, and then catch the Express Monorail. Neither the bus, nor the monorail stop anywhere else.

Disney Transport Cast Members are not psychic. We do not know if there are guests waiting at the next stop to board our transportation. Therefore, we MUST stop there regardless of if anyone ends up getting on or off. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if some driver bypassed WL because no one was getting off there.

Stopping at the GF on the monorail ON THE WAY to the MK is fine with me. There is really no time lost and it is on the way. Going AWAY from the MK to pick up FW is in the OTHER direction completely! Big difference in my opinion. We are talking about a big 2-3 minutes at the GF compared to 20 minutes going out of the way to the FW where most of the time there was no one there. I'm not asking for drivers with psychic ability. There are things called radios that boat drivers can talk to each other on. There is also something called a voice. The boat driver on numerous occasions could have said, Hey, anyone going to FW on this boat as there is already a boat in front of us going there and I can't see both of us going there right behind the other. The busses were just as bad. I've stayed at the CBR twice and the busses there were wonderful. Even having to stop at 7 bus stops at the CBR it is still faster then going from WL to FW before ever going anywhere else. We had no problem with bus service at that resort and even considered going back to the CBR if we could not get the Poly. I felt it was that bad. I did write when I returned and finally got a response that they were working on it and it would be changed. So now I see they have boats going to FW first before 3pm and going to WL first after 3pm. That is some improvement but it really needs to get better. It's funny in that when I posted about the poor transportation at the WL there were many that thought I was in a hurry, or took the wrong boat, etc. Then they go to the WL, experience the problem firsthand, and have a change of tone. The lodge itself is gorgeous and I kind of liked it better then the Poly even in terms of atmosphere, but the transportation keeps me away. As far as your idea of taking a bus to the TTC and then the express monorail to the MK, no thanks. I paid for a deluxe resort where I didn't have to take busses and I'm sure not about to start. I'd rather go back to the CBR instead. The monorail was always fast and we never had to wait long. We enjoyed the monorail for its quickness even if it had to stop on the way to the MK.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by skiwee1
The boat driver on numerous occasions could have said, Hey, anyone going to FW on this boat as there is already a boat in front of us going there and I can't see both of us going there right behind the other. The busses were just as bad.

Are you sure the other boat was for the Same destination? They do run two different routes out there... the Red/Green, and the Blue...

Originally posted by skiwee1
So now I see they have boats going to FW first before 3pm and going to WL first after 3pm. That is some improvement but it really needs to get better.

It's always been this way. Aside from specifically catering to yourself, I don't see how this could be improved.

Originally posted by skiwee1
As far as your idea of taking a bus to the TTC and then the express monorail to the MK, no thanks. I paid for a deluxe resort where I didn't have to take busses and I'm sure not about to start.

Riding a bus is not the end of the world, nor will it hurt you. You make it sound as if riding a bus is for second class people... and that you are above it. I'm hoping this was not your intent.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
Are you sure the other boat was for the Same destination? They do run two different routes out there... the Red/Green, and the Blue...



It's always been this way. Aside from specifically catering to yourself, I don't see how this could be improved.




Riding a bus is not the end of the world, nor will it hurt you. You make it sound as if riding a bus is for second class people... and that you are above it. I'm hoping this was not your intent.

All boats went to FW before going to the destination. It didn't matter what color the flag was. I asked. That is the way it was done mid May. Hey, they don't have to fix a thing. They just lose a guest at that resort. No biggie as I am still going to WDW every chance I get and will just stay at another onsite resort. I'm an AP holder, stock holder, and DC card holder. It's not like I have anything against Disney. As far as second class citizens using busses, I have no idea where you get that from in my posts. I am saying that I paid for a deluxe hotel and should expect deluxe transportation. When I stayed at the CBR I got busses which was fine but I was also only paying a measly $89 a night to stay there. One of the reasons I will never stay at the AKL, besides thinking it ugly, is that it considers itself a deluxe but only offers busses. I can get that for half price at the CBR. That's all. As for anyone thinking that the resort you chose makes you a certain class, well, that is crap. I know people with barely any $$ that scrimp and save for years to stay at the GF. Does that make them better then me because I chose the CBR although I have money to stay anywhere? Of course not. If I want to avoid riding busses that is my perogative.

 

[peachgirl]

Chip 'n Dale Express.....


We're staying at the WL on our upcoming trip. It's been many years since we were at Fort Wilderness, but I have to say, riding the boat was fun! I was much younger then, but hopefully it will still be fun. Call me strange, but we like riding the boat so a few more minutes won't hurt us any! At any rate, that's not my question. I've read that there aren't busses that run specifically between resorts. It seems like a lot times the recommendation is to go to DTD, then hop a bus to the resort you want to go to. We want to do a little resort hopping to decide where we want to stay on our next trip. I know some busses are linked to several resorts, right? So, depending on where we want to go, is it possible to ride a bus from one resort to another that way? I just recall that the YC busses seemed to make stops at a lot of other resorts and I thought it might be a quicker way to resort hop. Do I make any sense at all, or is there a better way to do it? Oh and I've been meaning to say this for some time...Thank you so much for all the information you provide on these boards. You are the kind of cm that makes a nice trip to WDW a great one! Thanks!

 

[irishone1979]

I didn't mean to start a debate or anything. I just wanted to know how the transportation was from the WL to other locations. I don't mind taking the bus, I took them last year when my parents, my daughter and I stayed at the All Star Sports. We had a car, but never used it because the bus system was good, other than waiting once in a while, but we didn't mind.
Chip 'n Dale, Thanks for the advice and all, it's great to see CM's giving advice to people going to the resort. I commend you!

Heather K (Soon to be Heather S)

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by irishone1979
I didn't mean to start a debate or anything. I just wanted to know how the transportation was from the WL to other locations. I don't mind taking the bus, I took them last year when my parents, my daughter and I stayed at the All Star Sports. We had a car, but never used it because the bus system was good, other than waiting once in a while, but we didn't mind.
Chip 'n Dale, Thanks for the advice and all, it's great to see CM's giving advice to people going to the resort. I commend you!

Heather K (Soon to be Heather S)

Heather, you did not start a debate. It is sad to think that telling one's opinions without being nasty means debating. I go to the boards for others opinions and share my own. I don't think another opinion is a debate. I'm sure there are plenty of people that didn't have a problem with the transportation as there are that didn't care for it. No big deal. I just thought it would be a good thing to prepare oneself for if you are staying at the WL. I really didn't mind taking busses either at the CBR. It was actually kind of fun! I remember telling everyone that riding WDW busses were great and there was no need for driving yourself. We never saw our car again until check out day arrived! I guess my opinion changed after staying at the WL. I doubt that I would have changed resorts if I had read how bad the transportation problems were. Matter of fact, I've read for a couple of years how bad it was, but did that stop me from trying it out myself? Nope! b I figured I wouldn't mind it but it turned out that I minded very much. I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip as the WL itself is, to me, the most beautiful resort there. It truly is a shock to the senses to return to the cool and inviting lodge after a trying day at the parks. To say it's relaxing just doesn't do it justice.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by peachgirl
Call me strange, but we like riding the boat so a few more minutes won't hurt us any!

You're not strange. In fact 95% of the people I encounter enjoy the boat ride. In fact, most people would prefer that thier resort be the first stop, simply because it means they get first dibs on the seats and whatnot.

Originally posted by peachgirl
At any rate, that's not my question. I've read that there aren't busses that run specifically between resorts. It seems like a lot times the recommendation is to go to DTD, then hop a bus to the resort you want to go to. We want to do a little resort hopping to decide where we want to stay on our next trip. I know some busses are linked to several resorts, right? So, depending on where we want to go, is it possible to ride a bus from one resort to another that way? I just recall that the YC busses seemed to make stops at a lot of other resorts and I thought it might be a quicker way to resort hop. Do I make any sense at all, or is there a better way to do it? Oh and I've been meaning to say this for some time...Thank you so much for all the information you provide on these boards. You are the kind of cm that makes a nice trip to WDW a great one! Thanks!

As for resort to resort transportation... at this time, there is no set transportation for it. I personally don't recommend using DTD as a connection point unless absolutly neccessary. If the theme parks are open, go there instead. As for the shared busses... they usually are shared by close proximity resorts. For example, the Epcot Resorts... Swan, Dolphin, Yacht, Beach, Boardwalk... they're all walking distance of each other.