How bad is it???.....Transportation from VWL

[Jacksmom99]

I've been reading a few posts about the long waits for bus transportation to and from VWL. Is it really that bad? We have a two year old and hopefully more on the way in a year or so, so it is important to know if we should rent a car or rely on WDW transportation.

During our honeymoon in August we used WDW transportation without too much difficulty. (Actually, it was a honeymoon...who was paying attention to the bus ride? ) When we were at OKW in January we had a rental car for which I was very grateful since I was 8 months pregnant and it was a long walk to the store. I did notice a lack of buses at that time and family members reported waiting 45 min. for a bus at DTD to go back to OKW. I'm seeing years of strollers and baby back packs in my future, so I'm wondering if the expense of a car is worth not having to get the family and all the baby support equipment (BSE) on and off the buses.

 

[brittsmum1998]

Howdy neighbor!! We stayed at WL last month and did not like the transportation at all. In our 6 visits to WDW we never drove anywhere once we got on site. Last month we spent the last 3 days in the car, My Two children DH who is 41 and DD who is 3 were sick of waiting for buses. It got very difficult at nite when DD would get tired and couldn't understand why that bus wasn't HERS. We spent a long time waiting. It seemed there were TONS of buses for All Stars, Carribean, Coronado etc. BUT the more costly places, VWL, OKW, Y & B buses came LESS frequently plus at times had to share the buses.

 

[christiansmom]

We never had a problem with the busses or the boat to MK. Never waited more than 10-15 minutes for any bus to or from anywhere on WDW property. Maybe we just got lucky, who knows, but we had a great experience with the transportation system.

 

[wdwnut]

hi: we dislike waiting for buses, so we usually have a rental car. transportation from any of the resorts can be a pain if you've just missed the bus. driving can also be a bit of a pain. with little ones, i think having a car as an option is the way to go.

 

[garrett79]

I agree with WDWNUT. We have stayed on property 6 or 7 times over the last year and we drive everywhere. Too much of a hassle waiting for buses, lugging strollers, etc.

 

[MinnieMe2]

When we stayed at the Lodge in Feb., we had a rental that we used only to go off-site for a meal or a trip to the outlet mall. Otherwise, we relied on the buses and were quite content with the service.

 

[Tiggeriffic]

I think a lot of it has to do with your expectations and your luck. When I was down in April we had excellent luck with the busses for OKW. However, we still didn't use them that often. I do remember the busses being more of an issue when I stayed at CBR 3 years ago and AllStar 5 years ago. I do think that I'll probably rent a car whenever we go in the future just for the convenience.

 

[Snowgod]

DW and I never drove anywhere and the longest we waited for a bus was about 15 min. We always take our sweet time at WDW so as to never feel like we are back in the real world. Our children are older and don't care either, after all, we are on vacation. We would take a boat to the Contemporary and then the monorail to Epcot and grab a bus from there just to try different ways of getting around.

 

[Lhargus]

We were at VWL for our first visit home three weeks ago. We used the buses for everything but the MK. We didn't think the wait was excessive for the buses. I'm sure that it varies greatly depending on when you are there.

 

[mickey7861]

It depends how full the resorts are during your stay. Also alot depends on your destination. The bus service to DD is notoriously bad from/to any resort. The most aggrevating thing I find about the WL bus service is that this is a deluxe resort w/ deluxe price tag and the buses are shared w/ other deluxes. I always thought better bus service should be one of the perks at a deluxe resort.

 

[Paul in CT]

We have never gone to WDW withouit renting a car. Each time we seem to use the car more because we like to go to other resorts for the dining options and the WDW busses are best for travelling to the theme parks, not between resorts.

We do take the Disney transportation whenever we know that we are coming directly back to OKW from a theme park and we want to really relax.

 

[MalificentMe]

It doesn't cost that much more than the Mears to rent a car for the week. For instance, I rented from Alamo on my last trip. I picked up the car in the terminal, paid only 180 for the 6 days and was upgraded to a larger car just by asking. We wound up with a bright yellow mustang gt. My sister and I loved driving it we are both in our 20's however, when my mother went golfing she did look a bit funny pulling up to the course in the stang! Well, I figure it this way for us if we are a family of 4 adults and the mears is 25 per person roundtrip that is 100 already. we spend 80 bucks more and we got to shop at the oulet stores, save a ton of money on beer and other provisions we bought from the 7eleven and if the buses were late we asked the valet to bring up the car and we were off. It also helped when we ate dinner at the Grand Floridian and then left the car and hopped on the monorail instead of taking the bus to Magic Kingdom. I have never stayed at the Willderness Lodge. Particularly it is not for me. However, when we ate their last thanksgiving we drove ourselves and it was easy to park in the expansive lot. Take care and happy planning hope I could assist you. Tammy

 

[llp479]

We were at BWV in February and on two seperate ocassions our bus to MK had to stop at VWL because the boat to MK was not operating due to fog on the "lake". Heard several people who boarded there complaining about the transportation.

We were at OKW last week and used the busses to Epcot. We would have still been there if we hadn't struck up a conversation with a driver waiting to take over for another driver. He was supposed to be going to the Disney Institute, but he took us to OKW instead. Right to our stop!

We rented a car for the May trip and used it to travel between the resorts. Drove to BW and took the boat to MGM, then had dinner at ESPN after MGM closed. Used my DC free weekend day from National via their web site and got a Blazer for about $30 a day. Dollar also had very good rates through www.expedia.com. The rates are much cheaper through the web than going direct. National told me this when I initially called their 800 number and was quoted a rate MUCH higher than what I had found on the net.

Also, was able to store the luggage in the car on our last day. This meant we didn't have to return to OKW to pick it up before heading to the airport. More time in the parks!

 

[Jhalkias]

We have in the past always used WDW bus transportation. Our last trip (because of cruise transportation) we rented a car - stayed at VWL for our first trip home in May. While we started out with the buses, and did not find them to be any worse than any other trip - when we came back from the cruise, we used the car exclusively, and found it to be way too convenient. It was much easier to just get in the car and go where we wanted - we even took a drive to Celebration to look around.

I still feel funny about this though, as one of my favorite things about going to WDW was the luxury of not having to drive, and using an efficient public transportation system.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Consider the expense of a car this way: What do you get paid per hour when you are working. Now put a $$ figure on what your vacation time is worth per hour. With my car I can be anywhere in WDW in 10 minutes so assume I save 20 minutes per one-way trip. Assume just 4 one-ways a day. Multiply your $$ figure times 1.33 hrs,times the # of days your staying,then add in airport transport fees. Is the total more the the price of a rental car for your stay ? Betcha a 100 points it is. Also, one of the most time consuming trips is going from resort-to-resort We like to visit other resorts,eat at their restraunts,maybe even pool hop some day, we save at least an hour with the car. About the only time we use the bus is to go to MK because they drop & pick you right at door.With the car you still have to take boat or monorail. To each his own, but I'm on vacation to do and see things,not wait for a bus.

 

[Jacksmom99]

Thanks for all the info!! I definately think a rental will be the easiest for us during the stroller years. Maybe things will get better in a few years time??

 

[JT40]

We just returned from a week at VWL. We have made 10 trips to DisneyWorld in the past 6 years and unfortunately the bus transportation to/from VWL was poor. We used our car the end of the week.
Other than the transportation problems, the resort was wonderful.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

We just returned two weeks ago from a stay at the VWL, and I can say that I was glad on several occasions that we drove down. We had several experiences that left me wondering about how important Disney considers the bus transportation at some of their luxury resorts.

In the first case, my daughter and I did an e-ride night. We weren't able to leave the room till about 10:15 pm, and I decided to use the bus because I was not sure if the boat service to the Magic Kingdom was still running ( they only guarantee service *from* the MK by boat till 10:30.) The route from WL [ a Magic Kingdom resort ! ] to the Magic Kingdom : Pickup at WL, through Ft. Wilderness for 5~6 stops, ending at Ticket & Trans. Center. Board monorail to MK. Total time from boarding bus to main gate : 1 full hour !! A deluxe Magic Kingdom resort with NO direct ground transportation to the Magic Kingdom itself !

Case #2. The route to other Major parks was shared between WL, the Poly, and the Grand Floridian. Not that big of a deal, just somewhat surprising.

Case #3. Leaving the DD Marketplace about 11:40 (service stated till 12 on the signs there). Bus after Bus for other resorts made their stops, got their passengers, and left. Finally, one stopped (Not WL), a CM stated that this was the LAST bus for the marketplace, and told us all to get on the bus as it was taking us to PI. Get there, and still had to wait quite a while for a WL bus. Now, if I had been staying at one of the moderates or the All-Stars I could have left half-a-dozen times over.

I do want to state, however, that these were the ONLY negative experiences during our stay. We absolutely loved using the boat to/from the Kingdom, and though the busses to other parks were shared it was not a big sticking point with me. The Lodge and the Villas are a great place to stay, and we really enjoyed our stay there. However, if using the bus transportation would be a major part in my consideration of where to stay, I'd rather stay at DxL. Just my opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it .

 

[Disney Doll]

About 4 years ago Iwe stayed at the WL and I thought the bus service was a little pokey, but as someone else said, I think a lot depends on luck and timing!!! However, since we bought into the DVC, we figure that since we don't have to come up with that big "chunk of change" all at once to pay for accomadations, that now we splurge and rent a car. We use National and are members of their Emerald Aisle program and have been very pleased!!!! In June, we rented a full size car with unlimited mileage for 6 days for about $135.00. What a deal!!!!!!

 

[dmermod]

When DW and I stayed at Coronado last February, we noticed busses all the time (we had a rental). However, with all the BSE it would make much more sense to drive (you get the free parking with the resort stay). You can depart at your own leisure and take your time getting all the BSE in and out of the rental. Best bet is to use National (cause they are a Disney sponsor), you can pick up a discount with your Disney Club card or perhaps (don't know about this one) the DVC membership card. All in all, when we were in that situation we used the rental (better pyschological effect on our trip).

Either decision, make sure you plan ahead and you'll have a grand time.


Cheers,
Denis