Are the theme park buses at the deluxe resorts any better (more buses, less stops) then the moderate/value resorts?

In May I was pleasantly surprised how generally good the buses were for the POFQ. Next December though we'll have a new member to the family so going back to the room might be more of an issue and December tends to be much more crowded then May.

Thanks!

Actually, I THINK the buses for the deluxes can be worse - but that doesn't mean they are generally bad. When I stayed at the Beach Club, the bus to AK stopped at at least the Yacht Club first (maybe another resort, too). At one time (quite a few years ago) they were doing some funky stuff with the monorail resorts and the TTC - but I think they ended that process.

(Oh, and we waited WAY too long for an AK bus at Beach Club - but the CM outside kept trying to get more buses coming, so that clearly was not the normal way things went. He was REALLY frustrated that they weren't listening to him!)

Generally each deluxe only has one bus stop area at the resort, but that doesn't mean they don't share with multiple resorts.

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge last October, and shared stops with Ft Wilderness Campground. While I'm sure it wasnt' always the case, it seemed like going to or from the parks we had to make the stop at the campground. I was very surprised at the length of time it took us on the bus.

Ive done both moderates and deluxe resorts and to be honest, they both vary along the lines of speed and performance. There are so many variables, it is really hard to say that X resort has the best bus service.

I stayed at POFQ, but we went to Beach Club to go to Beaches and Cream. We took the bus from one of the parks, and I was agast at how long it took to get there. It stopped at the Swolphin. Then made its way around BC/YC/Boardwalk. It took FOREVER. I wouldn't be happy if I spent all of that money on a room and then used those busses.....

However, I thought POFQ was uncharacteristically slow last trip. I hope it was just a glitch. I'll be using Pop this trip, so we'll see they're doing. I DO like that Pop's queue has a roped off line so that it is less likely that people will cut in line. I HATE that about the general large areas that the other resorts have.

We stayed at the Wilderness in September and were overall not pleased with the buses.

1 - It seemed to take a long time for the buses to get pickup for the MK while 3 buses to the AK same would show up at once.

2 - My parents relied on the buses a lot more than we did. After waiting at HS for over 30 minutes they spoke to a CM about the situation and were told my the CM it is a common complaint.

3 - I would not recommend relying on buses if you have a stroller. Having to fold up a stroller and then hold on to it so others could walk about it while holding a screaming 2 year old is not fun.

For the Wilderness, buses to MK rather than the boat seemed to be the biggest hassle. Otherwise, we drove everywhere.

I think it depends, but when we stayed at wilderness lodge, depending on where we were going we either had to stop at fort wilderness, or we stopped at BOTH the poly and grand fla. (or maybe it was all three). When we were at Coronado, the bus just went around the 4-5 stops at the coronado and then off to the parks. I think the busses at the deluxes are worse than moderate. The more we go, the more we prefer the moderates for little stuff like this. There also seemed like longer delays between busses for the deluxe, but that could be coincedence. They need to publish the bus routes, that would help, but I think many may skip using them, like at the wilderness lodge.

I think the Animal Kingdom Lodge has the BEST bus system. Their buses don't serve any other resorts, so you don't have to make a bunch of stops along the way, and they are rarely full, and the longest wait I've ever had for a bus was probably in the 15-20 minute range... which was forever compared to most of the waits. I have found the Poly/GF/Contemporary buses to be the worst... you wait forever for them and then they take forever to get you where you want to go. We stayed at Pop for our first trip, and the waits to get back after the parks closed was horrendous. On a few of the nights we got back to the hotel more then 2 hours after park closing time - the bus stops were at the very end of all the bus stops, but the lines went way past the first bus stop... waaaaayyy past. I haven't been to any of the moderates, but I've heard very good and very bad things about all of them depending on who is satisfied or dissatisfied with their experiences.

For the Wilderness, buses to MK rather than the boat seemed to be the biggest hassle. Otherwise, we drove everywhere.

Well, why would you even want to take a but to the MK from the Wilderness Lodge when you could hop on a boat? It's no wonder their bus service between those 2 points is minimal, as the boats more than make up for the volume of guests going to the MK.

We just returned from a week long stay at the Polynesian resort. I have to say this was my major complaint. I think the people paying the money for the deluxe resorts should have express bus service. The last stop believe it or not was the GRAND FLORIDIAN! I could not believe it. The first stop was the Contemp. Also, the buses stop at the water parks too and THEN off to your resort. That was a stressful part of our trip THE TRANSPORTATION! The easiest jump is from the Poly to MK and Epcot. Those are a piece of cake. Forget the water taxis!!!!!!!!! YIKES!!!! They need more of those! We also went in a low time it was not busy at all. I can't even imagine the heavy season.

See, Terri, that's my point! I would be TICKED about spending that much money per night to have to wait that long. I thought that the deluxe resort waits were much worse than the mods/values. If you had your own car, then I don't think it would matter much. Maybe more deluxe guests (that sounds funny--guests who stay at deluxe) drive rather than use disney transportation?? Is that why they combine them?

Terri - This is just a guess on my part but maybe Disney combines its stops for the resorts and to the parks during the slower times (i.e., when there are fewer guests) to cut down on costs? I would hope that during peak season that there are direct buses to the parks from the Deluxe Resorts when people are spending a few hundred dollars per night to stay there!

i've stayed in many of the resorts at all levels and think there is a difference in bus service and transportation services in general.

the value resorts are the worse especially at the close of a park (long lines and waits for the all-stars and pop). the biggest problem with the moderates is the multiple stops the bus makes picking up and dropping off (5+ locations due to the spread out layout of the resorts) means a lot of waiting. the deluxe resorts are more difficult to generalize due to the variety of guest transportation services available (bus, boat, monorail, walking paths) but they tend to be better served (depending on the specific resort). i my experience AKL is the best for bus service most of the time. it is rarely combined with another resort, but does stop at blizzard beach which can be a bit of a pain when going to DHS. going to AK takes about 5 minutes, so that's an easy ride.

i have had horrible bus experiences at the all-stars, and caribbean beach in the past. the ohters have had isolated instances, which could be due to any number of factors.

Well, why would you even want to take a but to the MK from the Wilderness Lodge when you could hop on a boat? It's no wonder their bus service between those 2 points is minimal, as the boats more than make up for the volume of guests going to the MK.

Because daughter gets seasick. According to the staff at the WL, there is supposed to be more buses than what we were seeing.