Disney Springs and Busses

[ZephyrHawk]

The last time I visited WDW the bussing situation at DTD was terrible. I had hoped that the Disney Springs update would make things better. I had always assumed that, at the very least, the two bus stops would be maintained. However, it seems there is now one giant bus stop for the entirety of Disney Springs, and it's rather inconveniently located at that. So, here's my questions:

If you've visited DS recently, how bad was the bussing situation? How long, approximately, did it take you to get from your hotel/theme park to DS? And how terrible was the walk once you were there? Was the station at all convenient to what you were at DS to see? Was the trip worth the annoyance?

I'm looking at this from the perspective of planning my next trip(s). I'm wondering if there's any reason to visit DS at all, anymore.

 

[Hopefully]

The last time I visited WDW the bussing situation at DTD was terrible. I had hoped that the Disney Springs update would make things better. I had always assumed that, at the very least, the two bus stops would be maintained. However, it seems there is now one giant bus stop for the entirety of Disney Springs, and it's rather inconveniently located at that. So, here's my questions:

If you've visited DS recently, how bad was the bussing situation? How long, approximately, did it take you to get from your hotel/theme park to DS? And how terrible was the walk once you were there? Was the station at all convenient to what you were at DS to see? Was the trip worth the annoyance?

I'm looking at this from the perspective of planning my next trip(s). I'm wondering if there's any reason to visit DS at all, anymore.

I do not share your view at all. I do not find visiting Disney Springs annoying. If you do skip it.
There are many upscale new shops to visit, if shopping is your thing.
The new Town Center is beautiful. The Springs is delightful. The Marketplace and West Side are pretty much the same.
There are many, many new restaurants, both QS and TS that get wonderful reviews. We love to plan dinner in DS.
The new bus terminal in central and drops off in Town Center. Depending on where you want to go, it can be a bit of a walk. I think those that complain mainly want to go to the Marketplace and there is not a bus depot there anymore.
It is totally up to you. If seeing the beautiful new development, shopping or nice eating do not interest you then I say, don't go.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I used to really dislike the new bus area. But, as I get more familiar with DS, I find it's not all that awful. It's much more central and it does take a lot less time to get there vs to the old parking area.
If they had maintained the old area in addition to the new it wouldn't have made sense. And believe me, I'm not seeing smaller crowds in the Marketplace area!!!! I think the new bus area actually helps spread the crowds out a bit.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Perhaps I should clarify. No, I'm not really interested in shopping at places I can find at home. World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, the Christmas store - those are cool, but they're primarily all at the Marketplace. As for food, I know I will have to visit if, for example, I really want to go to Morimoto, but the question is whether it would be worth my while to hang around and tour.

 

[goofy4tink]

Perhaps I should clarify. No, I'm not really interested in shopping at places I can find at home. World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, the Christmas store - those are cool, but they're primarily all at the Marketplace. As for food, I know I will have to visit if, for example, I really want to go to Morimoto, but the question is whether it would be worth my while to hang around and tour.

I tend to agree. I don't need to go to Sephora...I have that at home. Same for many of the other shops. And that's where the bus drops you. But, it's a fairly short walk to the Marketplace. I head over to the other areas every so often, but not nearly as much as the Marketplace.

 

[Hopefully]

Perhaps I should clarify. No, I'm not really interested in shopping at places I can find at home. World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, the Christmas store - those are cool, but they're primarily all at the Marketplace. As for food, I know I will have to visit if, for example, I really want to go to Morimoto, but the question is whether it would be worth my while to hang around and tour.

I too do not particularly like to shop in the new upscale, chain stores. But the design and architecture are well done.
The Marketplace is really not that long a walk, but yes longer than when there was a bus depot right there.
Only you know whether it is "worth my while to hang around and tour". Strangers on the internet can not tell you that. WE are all different with different likes and dislikes.
We basically go for dinner at one of the new restaurants and enjoy the areas we walk through from the bus depot to the restaurant.

 

[elaine amj]

I think the new Disney Springs is beautiful. I really enjoyed just strolling through the place. Can't wait to go back and really explore. Plus, we don't have a Uniglo anywhere nearby me and I love that store! All the new food options sound fantastic and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit in so many visits to eat at all our must-dos. The old classics of WPE (DH's favourite), Earl of Sandwich (my favourite) and Cookes of Dublin (we loved it back in 2012 and I really want to go back) and the new Blaze Pizza, Dluxe Burger, and the Polite Pig (coming soon - it sounds incredible). And of course, we have an ADR for the new hit restaurant - Homecoming.

 

[DWillowBay]

I don't disagree that the new "mall atmosphere" is not for me. I don't / won't shop at those stores...ever...and I, like the OP, am primarily interested in the Marketplace section of DS. To be honest though, I "thought" I would not like the new bus stop arrangement, but the walk to the Marketplace was not a problem. I enjoyed the walk, actually. I can't tell anyone else if it would be "worth it" for them. It was fine for me. DS has never been my favorite part of WDW, but it's fine. For me, it is what you make it.

 

[cdnjason]

@ZephyrHawk https://www.uber.com

 

[pammydw]

I was just at DS this past December as my daughter performed with her theater troupe on the waterfront stage in DS. We don't normally go to DS when we are at DW. Anyway, to answer your busing questions, here's my take. The bus depot isn't just outside the main entrance, it's a decent walk, and depending on what resort your staying at, the walk can get much longer! The deluxe resorts are in the first bay, and the value resorts are in the last, with the moderates in the middle ( if I remember correctly). If you're trying to get to a park, you have to head to a resort and then get on their park bus ( with the waiting times fir buses to deal with too), so choose a close resort. I think Caribbean, Port Orleans, Key West would be good choices (not sure if there are buses from DS to SS?). I confused Coronado Springs with another resort, and ended up adding a lot of wasted time trying to get to Epcot. So, from that experience, I don't see my family planning any time at DS with any of our future visits. Yes, there are some really cool specialty shops that you don't get to shop at regularly ( wish the left handed store had stayed since my DD is a south paw), and the makeover is gorgeous, but again, we come to WDW to enjoy the parks, not shop. Now, as my DD12 gets older, our desires may shift, but for now, we're all about the parks and the shopping we get there. And it was truly just a pain to get to and from DS, in my very humble opinion, just not worth the time. If you really want to go and you want convenience, cabs or ubers would be wise choices.

 

[disneydeegs]

Some resorts have boats that go to DS also. I don't find the bus stop inconvenient at all, it's centrally located. Turn right and walk a little bit and there's World of Disney. There are some neat little Disney-centric shops scattered around as well. I find the area very nice for a stroll and some window shopping (along with some actual shopping). Great food options too, both TS and QS.

 

[jaysmom4285]

It's always been the case that buses don't go from DS to the parks because parking at DS is free and isn't intended to be used by people who want to avoid paying for parking. It's a short boat ride and relatively short walk to SSR if you want to get a bus to a park from there. And there are buses from all the resorts to DS that run all day long, and buses now run from the parks to DS starting at 4 PM. Everyone's opinion of whether DS is a good destination for them will be different, but I don't really see bus service as major issue.

 

[brockash]

The last time I visited WDW the bussing situation at DTD was terrible. I had hoped that the Disney Springs update would make things better. I had always assumed that, at the very least, the two bus stops would be maintained. However, it seems there is now one giant bus stop for the entirety of Disney Springs, and it's rather inconveniently located at that. So, here's my questions:

If you've visited DS recently, how bad was the bussing situation? How long, approximately, did it take you to get from your hotel/theme park to DS? And how terrible was the walk once you were there? Was the station at all convenient to what you were at DS to see? Was the trip worth the annoyance?

I'm looking at this from the perspective of planning my next trip(s). I'm wondering if there's any reason to visit DS at all, anymore.

We went this past Sept. and yes it's def. an annoyance. I will say I did enjoy not having to make 2 stops, however the bus stop is not close to Marketplace at all and to top it off, if your bus is not on the first row, you have to walk all the way down and pass all the bus stops, to loop back around to the other rows. Having said that, yes we'll do it again, but no, it's not convenient for what we go to DS for.

On the other hand, the bus situation with the water parks is not something that we'll deal with and will either not visit them in the future or use Uber or our own rental car if we stay off-site. So, I'd say while the bus transportation with DS is not ideal, it's still nothing compared to the water park issues.

 

[pammydw]

It's always been the case that buses don't go from DS to the parks because parking at DS is free and isn't intended to be used by people who want to avoid paying for parking. It's a short boat ride and relatively short walk to SSR if you want to get a bus to a park from there. And there are buses from all the resorts to DS that run all day long, and buses now run from the parks to DS starting at 4 PM. Everyone's opinion of whether DS is a good destination for them will be different, but I don't really see bus service as major issue.

My DD theater troupe was at SSR for a Beauty and the Beast workshop ( parents weren't allowed to stay per troupe director) and if we had been allowed to pick our kids up there, it would have been so nice! Unfortunately, our pickup times and destinations changed 4 times ( no joke!) in the course of 3 hours, all while I was in Epcot or heading back to DS from Epcot. Very frustrating! And since we don't really go to DS when we are in DW, I wasn't familiar with the logistics of the complex. I ended quite frustrated! Ugh! I'm pretty sure this has a lot to do with my more negative overview of DS and the busing! I did tell my DH that we should give it a try again when we have time because it is gorgeous and the Lego store is there! I'm not in any hurry though, so It may not be in our next few visits, but it will definitely be on our terms when we decide to head back! ( I don't mean to come across as argumentative by quoting you, I just also don't want to be perceived as a negative ninny lol! we had a really bad experience is all!)

 

[WEDWDW]

I like to tour a Park in the AM and then take a bus to POR and ride the Sassagoula River Cruise to Disney Springs-much more magical arrival than by bus!

 

[PrincessNelly]

Getting dropped off is fine. They drop you off right in front of "new" entrance and its really not that far from world of disney to me. However, as someone who dislikes back tracking, I do miss having two stops.

Also, after sore feet & exhausting my bank account at world of disney... walking to your resort bus stop is annoying. Especially when its in further-est row and all the way down! A few nights we took Uber or Lyft back to our resort so we didnt have to back track.

But none of these reasons prevent us from visiting DS. We actually plan to visit 3-4 times on our next trip.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Pammydw, it does sound as if you had a very bad experience and that the DS busing only made a confusing situation worse. I hope you can experience DS when things are calmer. It really is a great place.

 

[tobikaye]

If you do take the bus to DS, and then want to only go to the Marketplace, then you could take the boat from the Landing to the Marketplace and then work your way back to the buses. It really is not too long of a walk, but can feel like it at times if you are headed to a specific store in Marketplace.

There are still a number of specialty stores at DS that most people do not have where they live. I would suggest double checking the store listings and where they are located. We only went into stores we did not have access to and that we where interested in. I still missed a few because I forgot to look at all the stores before arriving.

 

[BrianL]

Having just been to Disney Springs for the first time since the makeover. I agree that I am unimpressed with the new shopping venues that you can find anywhere, and am still a Marketplace kind of guy, however, the new bus loop location makes more sense and is not far to the Marketplace. I did love D-Luxe Burger in the Town Center, but otherwise, I'll stick to the Disney-type stores.

 

[maxiesmom]

We went this past Sept. and yes it's def. an annoyance. I will say I did enjoy not having to make 2 stops, however the bus stop is not close to Marketplace at all and to top it off, if your bus is not on the first row, you have to walk all the way down and pass all the bus stops, to loop back around to the other rows. Having said that, yes we'll do it again, but no, it's not convenient for what we go to DS for.

I totally agree with all of this! We visited Disney Springs after spending the morning at the Animal Kingdom, and I hated where the bus stop is placed. It was hot and being tired out it felt like it was miles and miles to the bus stop at Disney Springs. I really wish they had kept the drop off point by the marketplace too.