Are the Busses at Disney That Bad.,,

We have had mostly good experiences. One trip we were going from POFQ to AK and we had to wait a bit got a bus. Then we ended up going to POR to pick up more people. THAT was a long ride. Another time we boarded at HS after F! And the bus was packed. Wexwrre standing at the front. There was some terrible traffic jam. It wasn't the fault of the driver. He was doing the best he could. We survived. Sometimes you just have to pack your patience.

On another note, one time we were waiting to leave MK staying at All Stars. Pop had just opened. The line for pop was crazy long. Hundreds of people and no buses. Then all at once bus after bus after bus came. People cheered. Disney had a glitch but they quickly fixed it
 
Hi All,
I’m staying at the Dolphin for 6 nights at the end of Oct and beginning of Nov. I’m thinking about saving money by not renting a car. Also, I’m 52 and haven’t used bus transportation since my late 29s. So, my question is.....Is the bus transportation at Disney really that bad?
Thanks in advance for your opinions.
The buses are less crowded at the deluxes, which house a lot fewer guests than values or mods. The Dolphin isn't exactly a deluxe, but is similar. The bus will be fine. We use it every time.

I have never heard anyone sing on a Disney bus. Again, if you avoid staying at values (where teen tour groups & cheerleading groups tend to stay), you reduce the chance of encountering noisy or otherwise annoying behavior.
 
We stayed at the Swan and thought the busses and boats were great. No issues whatsoever and it was nice to feel really on vacation the whole time--no driving or worrying about the car. As far as the comparison to big city transit, I live on Chicago and commute downtown. I've never really been bothered by my commute and think Chicago public transit is quite good. Still Disney's is much more pleasant.
 
Yes, the busses are terrible. They run infrequently, are often crowded, and take forever due to long routes, special loading, etc. It's 100x worse if you're trying to go anywhere but the main parks or Disney Springs. That being said, if you're staying at the Dolphin, I would totally skip the rental car and paying for parking at the hotel. You have 2 parks covered by walking or boat. I would just either suck it up and deal with the busses for the other 2, or take Minnie Vans. You'd have to take tons of Minnie Van trips before you've spent more than you would have on a rental car and parking.
 


I don't find the buses to be that bad. I don't love them but I'd rather take them than have to drive while on vacation so I always keep that in mind.

My dh is one of those gentlemen who will always give up his seat for a lady and child. I will even give my seat up for elderly or a mom with a baby. I've taught my kids to do the same. It annoys me to see able-bodied men sitting there with some old lady standing or young mom trying to hold her baby while standing :(
 
We stayed at the Grand Floridian, so our options were boat or Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The monorail broke down when we were trying to get back to the hotel to catch our bus to the airport to go home. They moved pretty quickly to get more and bigger boats in service, but it took about 30 minutes. We made our bus and our flight, but it was close.

Other buses were just fine. And we paid for the Express Bus, the system they experimented with last summer where you could go from inside one park to inside another park and avoid having to go through security again. That was AWESOME but apparently not awesome enough for them to continue the service.
 


In the 40 or so times I have been I can only recall 4 times of having bus issues and never people as a lot have said... I also suppose a lot has to do with where you stay so I can not speak for Values and only 2 trips to moderates so I can only speak for deluxe resorts. 2 issues were waiting for a bus to Down town Disney as that was the name then and both were from the Poly. One time we took a taxi the other time we waited about 40 minutes... another problem was a few years ago when there was an accident that closed the roads to Disney springs so it was like an hour ride from Animal Kingdom lodge. and the last issue was a long time ago where some ones trailer caught fire and the bus pulled over and the driver got out with a fire extinguisher.... otherwise no drunks no strollers in the middle etc. yes the buses can get crowded but that is only when the parks close.
 
In the 40 or so times I have been I can only recall 4 times of having bus issues and never people as a lot have said... I also suppose a lot has to do with where you stay so I can not speak for Values and only 2 trips to moderates so I can only speak for deluxe resorts. 2 issues were waiting for a bus to Down town Disney as that was the name then and both were from the Poly. One time we took a taxi the other time we waited about 40 minutes... another problem was a few years ago when there was an accident that closed the roads to Disney springs so it was like an hour ride from Animal Kingdom lodge. and the last issue was a long time ago where some ones trailer caught fire and the bus pulled over and the driver got out with a fire extinguisher.... otherwise no drunks no strollers in the middle etc. yes the buses can get crowded but that is only when the parks close.
 
In the 40 or so times I have been I can only recall 4 times of having bus issues and never people as a lot have said... I also suppose a lot has to do with where you stay so I can not speak for Values and only 2 trips to moderates so I can only speak for deluxe resorts. 2 issues were waiting for a bus to Down town Disney as that was the name then and both were from the Poly. One time we took a taxi the other time we waited about 40 minutes... another problem was a few years ago when there was an accident that closed the roads to Disney springs so it was like an hour ride from Animal Kingdom lodge. and the last issue was a long time ago where some ones trailer caught fire and the bus pulled over and the driver got out with a fire extinguisher.... otherwise no drunks no strollers in the middle etc. yes the buses can get crowded but that is only when the parks close.
 
BWV is my favorite home resort for one very compelling reason: an easy walk to 2 parks! I hate the buses, not so much because they run on erratic schedules or that they are quite often packed. I hate them because people are rude and entitled. Strollers clog the aisles near the entance/exit. Children sprawl out, occupying more than one seat with no admonition from their adults to sit up and make room for someone. People won't move toward the back of the bus, regardless of the bus driver's pleas.

And then there are the smells.

I'll walk, rent a car or Uber before I will rely on Disney buses. I don't do mass transportation at home for the very same reasons.
 
I go to the World a lot... I've never rented a car, and have never driven a car I drove down once I'm there. In short, we use Disney transportation exclusively and it's part of vacation. Yes, I've had to wait for a bus before, but my patience drastically outweighs the cash I'd waste on a car rental.
 
Hi All,
I’m staying at the Dolphin for 6 nights at the end of Oct and beginning of Nov. I’m thinking about saving money by not renting a car. Also, I’m 52 and haven’t used bus transportation since my late 29s. So, my question is.....Is the bus transportation at Disney really that bad?
Thanks in advance for your opinions.

We used to have to fly for our trips to WDW and my husband would insist on a rental car. He hates the buses. Me...it's not a big deal. I do like having a car for ADR's. We moved, now live closer and drive to Disney. We rarely use the buses. Never for ADR's.
 
We live in Smalltown, USA which doesn't have public transportation. We only use it on vacation. With that being said, we would rather take a bus than drive. DH only drives 1 mile to work but is happy to leave the driving to someone else on vacation.

When we took DS on his first trip in 2005, he was 14. We stayed at All Star Sports. We were taking a bus to AK and started talking to a couple on the bus. They were heavily involved in Renaissance Faires. They were telling DS about the places they visited for the Faires. While they were talking, the lady pulled a small case from her purse and shared something with her husband/boyfriend. They both proceeded to put something in their mouth. They then smiled and showed DS their vampire teeth. We're not talking about the $2 vampire teeth that you buy at Walmart. They told us their dentist had specially made them and that the individual teeth somehow suctioned onto their existing teeth. Cost them loads I'm sure. Anyway, DS still talks about this interaction almost 13 years later!
 
I hate the buses, not so much because they run on erratic schedules or that they are quite often packed. I hate them because people are rude and entitled. Strollers clog the aisles near the entance/exit. Children sprawl out, occupying more than one seat with no admonition from their adults to sit up and make room for someone. People won't move toward the back of the bus, regardless of the bus driver's pleas.

I sometimes wonder if I’m in a parallel universe with some of these responses. We have been to WDW ten times staying in deluxe, moderate and value resorts, and we’ve never had an issue with the buses. Our past trip during Christmas, of all times, we never waited longer than five minutes. And 99% if the time we’ve only encountered nice and well mannered families. Maybe sometimes if you go into situations with a negative attitude than that’s what you experience.
 
No, the buses are not that bad. They are clean and while there are times I have had to wait a while or for a second bus when the first fills that is the exception, not the norm. They will rarely but the fastest way anywhere but they are very convenient. Unless I have a need to go off property I rarely rent a car at WDW.
 
I enjoy the bus system and find it very efficient. I much prefer them over the boat rides. We've been in 2012 and 2016, for 7 and 9 nights respectively, and every bus ride (park hopping as well) was pleasant. My only gripes with the buses is the large number of people in wheelchairs/scooters which does take extra time to get them properly loaded and often the people in them are new to using them so aren't super quick. I certainly have nothing against the people needing them, just mentioning it takes up extra time and they're on nearly every bus ride. My other gripe is super petty and silly but on late nights like after fireworks, kids will have all of their flashing toys and stuff on the bus (which is dark at night) and it's so annoying when you're exhausted, haha. We had to stand most of the late nights so kids could sit because a lot of parents don't make their kids sit in their laps which wasn't too bad except a couple of times we were soooo exhausted. We mostly avoid the super late nights now. Bus service was always reliable for us.
 
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I’ve decided to save my money and use Disney’s transportation.

Hope you have good experiences! You may want to read up about the temporary bus changes at Hollywood Studios so you won't be surprised. There is at least one thread on TPAS board. We will use the buses on our upcoming trip, but may modify our Hollywood Studios plans.
 

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