Beach Club to Hollywood Studios for rope drop?

[jenhelgren]

Is the water taxi the best way to get to HS from Beach Club for rope drop other than walking? We plan on spending the majority of the day in the park so I don't want to wear everyone down pre park opening

What time should we plan on being at the dock for a 9 am HS opening?

Thanks!

 

[Carolynleanne]

It's debatable. We've got young kids, so we just leave EXTRA early and catch the boat from Beach Club. If you're walking at a good pace, you'll beat the boat.

 

[epcotobsessed]

We walk. The boat takes much longer.

 

[cruisin5]

I find standing around waiting for the boat is worse than walking. I'll never understand why there aren't more benches all over Disney.

If you watch the boats ahead of time (or research it) you can determine the routes and know if there's one headed for your dock and then HS. It will stop at the Swolphin on the way.

 

[toonaspie]

There's no guarantee as to when the boats start running or how often they'll run that early. Had to learn that the hard way on my last trip resulting in a couple of wasted hours.

 

[focusondisney]

There's no guarantee as to when the boats start running or how often they'll run that early. Had to learn that the hard way on my last trip resulting in a couple of wasted hours.

I tend to agree. It depends how close to the front of the crowds you want to be. If you want to be at the front & want to be at the gate, say 30-45 minutes early, walking or Uber/ Lyft is the way to go. The boats don’t even start til 30-45 minutes before park opening. By the time you get to the park & go thru security, you will probably be at the back of the rope drop crowd.

 

[jenhelgren]

I was also wondering how early the water taxis start in the mornings. Our HS day is not an EMH morning and opens at 9. I don't plan on being at the very front of the line, but wanted to arrive no later than 8:30, so depending on when the boats start running that may set us back more but I know my DH will not be happy starting a park day with a mile walk!!

 

[natebenma]

Is the water taxi the best way to get to HS from Beach Club for rope drop other than walking? We plan on spending the majority of the day in the park so I don't want to wear everyone down pre park opening

What time should we plan on being at the dock for a 9 am HS opening?

Thanks!

I was also wondering how early the water taxis start in the mornings. Our HS day is not an EMH morning and opens at 9. I don't plan on being at the very front of the line, but wanted to arrive no later than 8:30, so depending on when the boats start running that may set us back more but I know my DH will not be happy starting a park day with a mile walk!!

As others have mentioned, in addition to the boats not starting their runs until about an hour before park opening (or sometimes later than that), the capacity of the boats is small. I have been at the dock pre-park opening, and have had to wait a couple of cycles because they only took about 10 of the guests waiting at the YC dock with each boat.

We usually walk first thing in the morning, but I understand wanting to conserve your energy for a long day at the parks.

With a 20 minute ride to the studios, and a possible wait of 15-20 minutes for a boat to show up, my recommendation is to be at the boat dock by 8 am. Or, as others have suggested, invest a few dollars to take an Uber.

 

[goofy4prez]

Taking the boat, or any other means of transportation other than walking is out of the question for me. I'm sure there are some that physically can't make the 1 mile walk, but for me I enjoy it early in the morning and is stress free.

 

[mrsap]

The walk isn’t bad at all! We made it twice in the summer. Doesn’t hurt to try walking in the morning and taking the boat back, since you’ll no longer be in a rush. Have fun!

 

[gillep]

I really enjoy the walk, that boat not so much. I made it from DHS to the Italy Pavilion in Epcot 40 minutes and about two glasses of delicious wine ahead of my husband once because he was trying to save his feet.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We were just at Beach Club in December and I can tell you that the boats totally suck in the mornings. It picks up Boardwalk first and they do not limit the amount of people so when it got to us it was standing room only. When it got to the swan/dolphin there was only room for about 10 people but the dock was packed. I really think they need to alternate "First" pickup for the first 6 boats to make it fair for all. The walk isn't bad at all and probably your best bet for RD.

 

[Minnie1222]

You would have to walk from the Beach Club to the Yacht club to catch the boat anyway. Once you get near the dock, if you don't see the boat or if the line is too long, just continue on the path and you will reach HS in a 20 minute leisure stroll.

 

[Sara_H]

When we were there January 2018, we initially were waiting for the boat but then found out that the boat doesn't start running until maybe 30 minutes before the park opens so we opted to walk. My kids were 9 and 7 at the time and it took us about 10-15 minutes to walk.