Scooters & Disney bus late evening (@ park close, @ Disney Springs etc)

[Boardwalk III]

Hi all,

We have a large family trip coming up in November. I’ll be there for 12 days with two different groups (who are overlapping for a couple of days). There will be one person using a scooter in each group.

We’ve traveled to WDW a lot with a friend who rents a scooter regularly. I do recall in the past we’ve had a couple of really awful situations - one after a late night AH at MK and one around 11 PM leaving Disney Springs.

In both cases we waited and waited and there was no bus arriving to get back to our resort (BWV). Normally I would just grab an Uber but obviously in this case, we couldn’t do so due to the scooter. As I recall there was no Disney staff at either bus station to ask for help or bus status, and we waited almost 2 hours (until after 1 am) for a bus to arrive.

It was a completely miserable situation both times, with the rest of us sitting on the ground, needing to go to the bathroom etc. etc. I want to know if this has happened to anyone else, and if it is still happening. If so I may have to cancel some of our late night plans which would be sad!

Appreciate any advice or tips!

 

[sdk1231]

Hi all,

We have a large family trip coming up in November. I’ll be there for 12 days with two different groups (who are overlapping for a couple of days). There will be one person using a scooter in each group.

We’ve traveled to WDW a lot with a friend who rents a scooter regularly. I do recall in the past we’ve had a couple of really awful situations - one after a late night AH at MK and one around 11 PM leaving Disney Springs.

In both cases we waited and waited and there was no bus arriving to get back to our resort (BWV). Normally I would just grab an Uber but obviously in this case, we couldn’t do so due to the scooter. As I recall there was no Disney staff at either bus station to ask for help or bus status, and we waited almost 2 hours (until after 1 am) for a bus to arrive.

It was a completely miserable situation both times, with the rest of us sitting on the ground, needing to go to the bathroom etc. etc. I want to know if this has happened to anyone else, and if it is still happening. If so I may have to cancel some of our late night plans which would be sad!

Appreciate any advice or tips!

If there is a fear of lack of late night transportation - could the scooter user return to the resort earlier than the rest of the large group? As for After Hours - I was at a Boo Bash After Hours a couple of weeks ago and left the park at 1AM or later (well after Boo Bash officially ended). Monorails, buses and boats were all running. There were lots of buses, lots of boats, and lots of monorails.

 

[themommy]

Unfortunately, there is another problem that I found over the last few months. Besides normal Disney busses, Disney is also using tour busses to get people around. There is no way to get a scooter on a tour bus. If a tour bus shows up, you have to wait all over again for a regular Disney bus. Just thought I’d let you know. It royally bites!

 

[Boardwalk III]

Unfortunately, there is another problem that I found over the last few months. Besides normal Disney busses, Disney is also using tour busses to get people around. There is no way to get a scooter on a tour bus. If a tour bus shows up, you have to wait all over again for a regular Disney bus. Just thought I’d let you know. It royally bites!

Oh dear, I was wondering about this as well. As we are veterans (BWV DVC) it also occurs to me we can try to keep an eye out for buses running to Swan/dolphin & Yacht/beach club if the bus stops aren’t too spread out. I guess I was also wondering if there is some sort of Disney transportation hotline number that we could call if we ever were to get in a situation like that again. I’m sure it’s a pipe dream, but probably worth asking!

I also realize that in a worst-case scenario as a back up plan , we could always ask security if we could leave the scooter in a hotel lobby or scooter parking area, take an Uber, and deal with retrieving the scooter the next day.

 

[Starwind]

I found this: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/ Don't know if the below number would be successful in getting a human who could help in such a situation, but it could be worth trying:

Assistance with Transportation
For additional assistance, ask a Disney Cast Member or call (407) 939-7433 or (407) WDW-RIDE.

Pre-covid we have usually been able to wander and find a transportation CM *somewhere* in the bus area [of course, usually not anywhere near our bus stop], often near where things kind of split off to the different "lanes", that we are able to explain how "it has been over an hour that we have been waiting and NO bus has come at all, is there anything they can do to get a bus to come for X resort" ?

 

[Boardwalk III]

I found this: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/ Don't know if the below number would be successful in getting a human who could help in such a situation, but it could be worth trying:

Assistance with Transportation
For additional assistance, ask a Disney Cast Member or call (407) 939-7433 or (407) WDW-RIDE.

Pre-covid we have usually been able to wander and find a transportation CM *somewhere* in the bus area [of course, usually not anywhere near our bus stop], often near where things kind of split off to the different "lanes", that we are able to explain how "it has been over an hour that we have been waiting and NO bus has come at all, is there anything they can do to get a bus to come for X resort" ?

Thanks so much for the number - worth saving on my phone just in case!

 

[mamabunny]

…Pre-covid we have usually been able to wander and find a transportation CM *somewhere* in the bus area [of course, usually not anywhere near our bus stop], often near where things kind of split off to the different "lanes", that we are able to explain how "it has been over an hour that we have been waiting and NO bus has come at all, is there anything they can do to get a bus to come for X resort" ?

This. You may have to back track - all the way up to the entrance/exit possibly - but you should be able to find a CM who can call *someone* at Transportation to let them know that folks are stranded at the stops.

Our experience has been that if you see the bus at the stop next to yours for the same class of hotel (so if you are staying at a Moderate, look for another Mod bus stop) have a member of your party run over and ask that driver if they can call someone, and let them know that it has been X long since you saw a bus for your Resort.

If a “tour bus” style bus shows up with no ability to load personal mobility devices, tell that driver that he/she must call Transportation and request an appropriate bus. Be sure to get that drivers name from their badge, and any other info (like if you see a unit number) and report them to Transporation and Guest Services if you get any pushback on that at all.

Finally - and this is a last resort to get back to your Resort (sorry, it’s late LOL) but you *can* call the main phone number for your Resort. Just know that most of the time it will go to a central call center. If possible, ask whoever answers to please transfer you to the front desk on-property; they may try to insist that they can help you, but just tell them that you are a Guest who is staying there currently, and is in need of assistance from your Resort. Let them know which Park you are waiting at, and how long it has been since you last saw a bus at the bus stop for your Resort (or how many buses have come and gone without an available spot for a mobility device). Ask them to call Transportation. Only use this option as a last Resort (pun intended LOL)

 

[Boardwalk III]

This. You may have to back track - all the way up to the entrance/exit possibly - but you should be able to find a CM who can call *someone* at Transportation to let them know that folks are stranded at the stops.

Our experience has been that if you see the bus at the stop next to yours for the same class of hotel (so if you are staying at a Moderate, look for another Mod bus stop) have a member of your party run over and ask that driver if they can call someone, and let them know that it has been X long since you saw a bus for your Resort.

If a “tour bus” style bus shows up with no ability to load personal mobility devices, tell that driver that he/she must call Transportation and request an appropriate bus. Be sure to get that drivers name from their badge, and any other info (like if you see a unit number) and report them to Transporation and Guest Services if you get any pushback on that at all.

Finally - and this is a last resort to get back to your Resort (sorry, it’s late LOL) but you *can* call the main phone number for your Resort. Just know that most of the time it will go to a central call center. If possible, ask whoever answers to please transfer you to the front desk on-property; they may try to insist that they can help you, but just tell them that you are a Guest who is staying there currently, and is in need of assistance from your Resort. Let them know which Park you are waiting at, and how long it has been since you last saw a bus at the bus stop for your Resort (or how many buses have come and gone without an available spot for a mobility device). Ask them to call Transportation. Only use this option as a last Resort (pun intended LOL)

Very helpful, thanks!

I’m quite sure that in the two instances I mentioned there were no CM’s anywhere within walking distance. But these are some great suggestions. On the other hand, as rare as these situations may be, it should not happen. Ideally they should have “call boxes” or something at the stops where you can request assistance if needed and they can patch you through to a transportation dispatcher (of course I suppose some folks would then use these after only 5 minutes of waiting )

 

[Mydustydog]

I found this: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/ Don't know if the below number would be successful in getting a human who could help in such a situation, but it could be worth trying:

Assistance with Transportation
For additional assistance, ask a Disney Cast Member or call (407) 939-7433 or (407) WDW-RIDE.

Thanks Starwind for this. I also put it in my phone contacts, being stuck with no apparent way back is scary. I'm on a scooter and this past June ran into this type of transportation issue. We got to the Grand Floridian Monorail station after dinner at Narcoossees about 10:03 pm. There was a monorail stopped at the station and the CM was shutting the auto doors. He said we couldn't get through and would have to take a bus to our resort. We went down to the GF Bus depot and waited for a bus for a very long time. Finally a bus marked Disney Springs came. The driver got out and told us that there would be no busses coming to the GF that would take us to BLT. He said we could call an UBER and got back on the bus and left us. We sat there for 10 or so minutes trying to decide what to do, landing on the possible scenario of my husband taking a UBER back to BLT and I would scooter around the walkway past the MGK to BLT. All of a sudden a bus turned into the bus stop and it was the same DS bus from earlier. The driver came back to get us!! I think I cried all through the loading process. YES, we definately did a cast compliment. But it was a very uneasy scary situation and this number would have helped.. Thanks again, hope we don't have to ever use it.