Gorgeous pictures!
Can anyone tell me about their experiences with bus travel to and from MK from SSR? I hear that wait time for a bus can be up to 15-20 minutes. Is that about right? After you board, what can you expect? Are there lots of other stops, stops at other resorts, etc.? What's the average travel time. TIA!
For some reason, SSR has obtained a reputation of having poor transportation. I've personally never found that to be the case. Is it as convenient as walking into the Magic Kingdom from BLT, or into Epcot from Beach Club? Of course not. But there is consistent, solid transportation to all locations.
Disney advertises that there will be a bus to each destination approximately every 20 minutes. On occasion, you'll wait longer. At other times, the wait will be shorter. Everyone who's used Disney buses has a story of
"that time we waited 45 minutes for a bus." It happens, but fortunately it's an exception. Also, this isn't unique to SSR. We've had it happen at every one of the DVC resorts.
SSR has five stops for the theme park routes. For a full round trip to a park and back to your room, you'll see all five of those stops. Depending on where you get on, whether the driver needs to load or unload any ECVs, and traffic conditions, you'll be at the park 20-30 minutes after getting on the bus. A good rule of thumb is that you'll generally be at the park entrance about an hour after you leave your room.
For our family, we typically get a rental car for our WDW trips. From SSR, we'll usually drive to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. However, we'll always take the bus to Magic Kingdom. When you factor in the time to drive/park, catch the parking lot tram, and then the monorail/ferry from the TTC, the bus is preferable for us.