Reviews of Disney Transportation Boat, Monorail, Bus, & Skyliner
Reviewed by PolynesianStitch Review Date: 01/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
When we first arrived, I read the sign that noted that all buses run in 20 minute cycles. So when I had to wait ten minutes for a bus, I was quite pleased that it didn't take 20 minutes, and when I had to wait 20 minutes, I understood that that is the normal bus rotation for Disney and was not put out by this. I found that the buses were starting to look a little worn, but let's face it, thousands of people crowd onto those buses everyday, how can they not look a little worn. My daughter who takes the bus from college to work everyday found that they were exceptionally clean, the bus stops were safe and she never had any fear of being assaulted.
Pros:
—Cons:
—Reviewed by slapps Review Date: 01/27/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We have been going to Disney for the past 10 years. WE travel down from up-state New York with our great family friends. We always stay on property and we are now DVC owners. The past stay 12/28/2012 - 01/06/2013 we stayed five nights at Animal Kingdom Kidani village and five days at Old Key West. The biggest problem with the bus transportation at Kidani was the length of the bus rides. This was not due to bad service but, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a long way from everything except Animal Kingdom park. We then stayed at our home resort of Old Key West and once again found the bus service outstanding. We do enjoy just getting on the bus and relaxing as we go to our hotels or other parks. We also really like the boat service we find this a nice change and it can be fun. If you go to Disney during the peak seasons your waits can be a little longer but honestly we did not wait over 20 minutes at any time. I would rather sit and relax rather and not have to fight the traffic myself.
Pros:
Just an all around good service.Cons:
not muchReviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
It is so nice to not have to worry about finding your way on property, finding a place to park, and finding your car at the end of the day. You simply hop on a Disney bus and it drops you off near the gate of the park you want to go to. Buses run about every 20 minutes so is never to long of a wait.
My only complaints is that there are only a few seats on each bus which becomes a major factor at the end of the day. When the parks close, they cram as many people as they can on the buses to the point that I worry about it being a safety hazard. Also the All Star resorts (where I was staying) share a bus line so those buses can get extra crowded.
Pros:
Let Disney do the drivingCons:
Not enough seatsReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/10/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was the best transportation I've experienced to date.
5/7: I took a bus to Epcot around 12:30 and it pulled up just as I got to the stop. Returning to Pop at 2pm I waited maybe 5 minutes. Coming back to Epcot once again in the evening, a five minute wait.
5/8: Monorail from TTC to MK arrived almost immediately. Going from MK to Pop Century at 5:30, the bus was waiting at the stop.
5/9: I waited 10-15 minutes for a DHS bus around 12:30. Hopping from the Studios to Animal Kingdom around 2pm I waited another 10-15 minutes. Taking the bus back to Pop around 4pm there was a 10 minute wait. Going to Downtown Disney in the evening for an early dinner I just missed the bus but another one came within 10 minutes, and returning from the PI bus stop it came within 5 minutes. I waited very briefly for a bus to MK around 8:50pm. Just before the 11pm parade, I exited the park and there was a humongous line at the bus stop. 5 buses were dispatched within 25 minutes which greatly alleviated the queue.
5/10: One bus to MK filled up right around 9:30am, but another one arrived immediately after. Monorails to and from TTC ran continuously with almost no wait. Returning to Pop at 1pm the bus arrived at the same time I did.
Pros:
Short waits, short ridesCons:
Crowds at park closingReviewed by TheGrumpyDwarf Review Date: 05/20/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
If I could give the buses in Disney a 0 rating it would still be too high.
complained about waits to/from parks to Wilderness lodge my entire stay, but got nothing but crickets in response.
1 hour was a common wait time for a bus to/return from a park.
spent over $200 getting around in cabs the service was so bad.
Repeated complaints were met with yawns as I guess this is not the first time someone has had issues with the bus service.
Actually would have been better not to have bus service at all. At least we would have known what to expect.
Disney has lost not only my family of 6 vacation dollars, but my son's and daughter will not be bringing our future grandkids to a Disney property.
Next time we'll skip Orlando....
Pros:
absolutely no positives to reportCons:
wait times, wait times and wait times. Oh did I mention the wait times?Reviewed by mamandragon Review Date: 05/27/2013
Rating: (1) Recommended
Can't give it a 0 or negative number - wish I could though!!! My adult daughter and I just finished our stay at Disney World (There from May 10 to 16) and were quite disappointed in the service that the shuttles to the parks provide. The Magic Kingdom buses were sometimes few and far between. We were staying at Port Orleans Riverside. On the one day we talked with a lady who was there for an hour and a half and who had counted 17 other park buses before a Magic Kingdom bus arrived. She was with her elderly parents who were in scooters so it was a long wait. The buses, when they arrived, were very overcrowded and we stood up on most of our bus trips. We are back and now planning our next adventure to Disney and we’re hoping that the bus problems will be resolved by the time we go back. The concept of the park shuttles is great but leave yourself lots of time getting to where you are going – especially if your have breakfast/lunch/dinner reservations.
Pros:
Absolutley NONECons:
Wait times, Hit and Miss Kingdom BusesReviewed by MM from Connecticut Review Date: 06/02/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
In 4 years, this was the first time we saw Cast Members with clipboards keeping tracking of bus schedules at the hotel during peak times. We even got a free Fast Pass of choice to park we were visiting because we waited more than 20 minutes for a bus. In the evening, especially after fireworks at Epcot and Magic Kingdom, it would be great if extra buses from parks that are closed (Animal Kingdom, Water Parks) could be sent to help. Lines are extremely long and buses are not as frequent as they should be during peak times at night when park closes.
Pros:
Convenient, and Disney is continually improving systemCons:
long lines at closing time at parksReviewed by Aquila163 Review Date: 07/31/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
I get what 20 minute average wait means. Sometimes 10 minutes, sometime 30 minutes. I have arthritis and walk with a cane so I also get and appreciate handicap access. I think it's time Disney consider dedicated ECV transportation vehicles. I waited with my wife with my cane 1 1/2 hours while 4, yes FOUR, consecutive buses loaded 2 ECV's each with their families and the buses were then full. One family loaded an ECV and 12 family members. It seems the only qualification to get these things is enough money as it was obvious many users had no experience with them. One woman with about an 8 year old girl sitting on here lap driving the ECV crashed into my wife. When you wait a long time at a big resort like Riverside or Caribbean there may have been several buses filled by EVC's that simply never came around the resort. I understand and appreciate Disney's requirement to provide handicap access for those of us that need it. The explosion of ECV use is costing people a lot of park time and I'm sure that translates into less money spent in parks and I know it makes some people who need handicap access choose not to go again and endure the looks from people waiting for buses.
Pros:
Bus stop are closer than parking lotsCons:
Electric convenience vehiclesReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 07/31/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
I have been an advocate of Disney transportation for many years. This trip we rented a car, and it was the best decision I ever made. It was easy to find our way around the property, convenient to just leave when we wanted to, and so nice not to be stuffed in a bus with a crazy amount of other people at the end of the night.
However, we did use the transportation options a couple of times while staying at Art of Animation. On a Saturday night, a friend went to Downtown Disney (we dropped her off). She took the bus back around 12:30am and said she only waited about 10 minutes.
On Sunday, we took the monorail from the TTC to MK, as well as from MK to and from the Polynesian. Each time, there was less than a 1 minute wait and it wasn't too crowded, which was wonderful.
We also took the bus from and to MK that same day around 7:15pm and 9:15pm. The wait was 10 minutes or less.
At the end of the night, when Extra Magic Hours were over at 1am, we needed to get back to the TTC to pick up the car. The monorails had stopped running at midnight, and there was no bus; they were forcing everyone to take the ferry boat. While the wait wasn't long, they do make you sit for quite a while before departing, and the trip was filled with mosquitoes and other bugs. I was very disappointed that this was our only option.
Pros:
Easy to useCons:
No bus to TTC from MKReviewed by Mich97 Review Date: 08/29/2013
Rating: (0) Recommended
We always use the WDW transportation system. Love the convenience. But sometimes when leaving a park waits can be long waiting for the bus, and then you can end up standing.
