Reviews of Disney Transportation Boat, Monorail, Bus, & Skyliner
Reviewed by cozie Review Date: 04/24/2019
Rating: (9) Recommended
Due to bad reviews we had never tried the transportation system, but Jan 3-4, 2019 when the parks were extremely busy, we decided to save the cost of car rental. We stayed at the Wilderness lodge, buses mainly were on schedule and it worked out quite well. Buses could get crowded, and we had to stand at times which to me is fine as opposed to the hassles of a rental car.
Pros:
Buses get you relatively close to the entrances,don't have to deal with crowded parking lots. Although driving might be a bit faster, in our experience it isn't enough time savings to make up for the cost of a car and the extra walking you might have to do in a big parking lot.Cons:
We went to the campfire program in Fort Wilderness and the return bus destination label was something different than we were expecting so we sat and waited while two buses came and went. Be sure to know what to look for.Reviewed by Teach52 Review Date: 04/24/2019
Rating: (9) Recommended
Wonderful that Disney has transportation available so you don’t have to think about driving all vacation.
Pros:
Busses seemed to come quickly to tachometer club.Cons:
Signs at resort announcing busses was never correctReviewed by sand935 Review Date: 10/01/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
the boat service in the epcot/hollywood studio area with us seem to be the most reliable means of transportation. The time between boats is pretty consistant and is like riding an attraction. weather is the only problems we have seen, when the water gets really rough or a lot of lighting they dock the boats until the storm passes.
Pros:
relaxing constant means of transportationCons:
will stop when bad storms come upReviewed by Karen Schlaker Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Love the transportation most of the time
Pros:
Usually reasonable wait time. If going to Disney Springs, the bus with it's own lanes is a must because of all the congestion and parking problems related to Disney Springs.Cons:
Even with the monitors, had 2 really long waits.Reviewed by bethocindigo Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our family REALLY enjoys this feature of our Disney Resort Hotel stay. It saves us the $17 car parking lot fee and is so enjoyable when you're exhausted from extreme walking/ people navigating through the parks all DAY long.
We found almost every other rider was most friendly, concientious, and on their most polite behavior.
One brand new feature which has been added into this complimentary service is that now at the bus stops, there are digital monitors which tell you the time that each bus is to arrive for the different park destinations. WOW! Now you know almost to the minute EXACTLY how long you will be waiting at the stop for the bus to arrive.
This service is ALSO a god-send for those days when we found that there were MORE people in the park (especially Fantasy-land) than we could possibly have expected. Both my son and I were DONE with the heat and the crowds. A great feature of staying at a WDW resort is that you can simply walk to the exit of the park, walk down a short walkway, get on the bus when it arrives, and let THEM drive you back to your resort where you can get into the pool, or hot tub and just relax/ unwind for a few hours or even nap. Then after awhile, you can just wait to hop back on the bus and come back to your park rested, refreshed, and ready to enjoy the cool evening hours and much-diminished crowds very late into the night.
The resort buses to and from the parks are one of our family's FAVORITE complimentary features of our WDW vacation stay.
Pros:
letting someone else do the driving/ saves the $17 parking lot feeCons:
longer waits and crowds at nightReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
As I had a rental car this trip, my use of Disney transportation was limited. On my first morning at Magic Kingdom, I was given the option of bus or ferryboat; I chose the boat, though the bus probably would have been faster.
When the monorail was running, which it was every other time I used it, I never waited more than a couple of minutes, and I typically used the resort track. Most times, the monorail was there when I walked up.
The monorail is subject to reboots during it's conversion to driver-less operations. This takes about two minutes but the entire electrical system shuts down-including the A/C. As one mom pointed out, maybe January would be a better time to do this conversion, not August when it's ridiculously hot and humid!
Pros:
Prompt monorails when runningCons:
Monorail reboots and limited serviceReviewed 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 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 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 nlg0517 Review Date: 10/25/2019
Rating: (8) Recommended
We’ve used every mode of Disney transportation except Skyliner, and overall I’m very happy. It’s one of the things I like best about going to WDW. They make getting around the resort easy. I don’t have to worry about navigating a strange city, or figure out how to get somewhere. Disney just takes me. All forms of transportation are in good shape and have friendly staff. I’ve never had a cranky transportation Cast Member.
