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View Full Version : Boy, ART has become a real pain



ktrm
10-14-2008, 09:24 PM
Just came back from DL from a quick but fun Halloween trip. I stayed at the Hampton Inn and used ART to get to and from the park. It seemed as though a lot has changed although maybe I was just more sensitive this time. I'll list some of the things that I thought were a pain with the ART transportation.

1. I bought the 3 day passes at the Embassy Suites from a cast member and could only pay with cash no credit cards. I could also only buy a one day pass or a three day pass. I could not buy a two day pass.

2. The 3 day pass had to be used on consecutive days. In other words you had to use ART 3 days in a row. You can no longer take a break and not use the ART one day. This forces you to buy the more expensive one day pass if you want to break your DL trip up with other activities in the area.

3. With the new swipe card system, it takes longer to load people on the bus than with the old punch card system. Passengers just can't seem to get a handle on it.

4. They now charge for kids 9 and under. This bothered me the least because I figure people may have been being less than honest about their children's age.

5. The buses did not run from 12:35pm to 1:55pm. This is prime time when I like to go back to the hotel, have lunch and rest a bit before the nighttime activities.

6. Although, they have always done this, I don't like how ART's last bus leaves 1/2 hour after the park closes. This always bums me out because Main Street is open 1 hour after the park closes and I want to shop but I never can for fear of missing my ride back.

7. The bus drivers stopped at stops even though there were no passengers waiting. They would pull the bus over, log something on a log sheet, and then pulled back into traffic. This is really hard to take when you are so desperate to get into the park and let the fun begin. It seemed like it took forever to get to the park.

The trip was great, but for the above reasons I am really seriously considering getting parking on my deluxe pass. My friend who stayed right across the street from me, and parked in the Timon parking lot, consistently got to the park first. I always left before her and she always got to the park before me.

TTFN92
10-14-2008, 09:44 PM
I would definitely get the parking pass. I'm not one who likes to rely on others to get me where I want to go. We used the transportation at WDW and I don't know if I would do it again. There were times when we would have to wait for a couple of buses and it drove me crazy. I just don't like public transportation.

curtsinore
10-15-2008, 08:01 AM
Great information on the ART system and valuable insight for future visitors to the area and I agree with everything. But I would like to offer a rebuttal of sorts, a call for social responsibility to groups of three or less to ride the ART rather then driving a car to the parking lot.

1. Credit cards cost money for a business to use in terms of fees and the business needs an extra step to collect the funds. While cash sales are immediate deposit and accounting. Granted, the 1 day pass vs. 3 day pass is not good customer service. But where would the printing costs stop at a 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 day pass. Even Disneyland makes it difficult to buy beyond a 5 day pass without buying a package. At my Oregon AAA I can only buy a 5 day pass.

2.Yes, I don’t understand why a business would require consecutive visits on a swipe card, indeed a good way to not create revenues.

3. Yes, first time visitors, holding backpacks, small children, not even sure they are on the right route do have problems with the swipe machine. Sometimes its not even working. Reminds of the what I consider the worse fast pass area at Disneyland, Indy Jones ride. My observation is that Indy is the first place where first time fast pass users encounter the system. Whole families line up behind the same machine, groups block the entry and exit , passes fall to the ground and cameras get left on top of the machines. And the questions!!!!

4. User fee, its all about the user fee, but at least they are not charging for every sitting child.

5. I am glad they take a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30, much better that I be flexible in my schedule then have to pay an additional cost in fare to have drivers around the clock. Remember, employment cost go beyond the hourly rate of the worker. So it would be cost prohibitive.

6.yeah, we have that same problem in our store on Christmas Eve, the store closes at 5:00 and we all want to go home but customers still linger, has to be a limit somewhere!!

7. And so the social responsibility that we have as visitors to use mass transit rather then jumping in the car four times a day because the magic is fading is to be good stewards and to not leave that carbon foot print. To help with traffic congestion and use our riding choice as a subsidy for future visitors who really need to use the ART. For me, the system works great, but then I use mass transit here in Salem so am accustomed to the travails.

adriennek
10-15-2008, 08:40 AM
5. The buses did not run from 12:35pm to 1:55pm. This is prime time when I like to go back to the hotel, have lunch and rest a bit before the nighttime activities.


5. I am glad they take a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30, much better that I be flexible in my schedule then have to pay an additional cost in fare to have drivers around the clock. Remember, employment cost go beyond the hourly rate of the worker. So it would be cost prohibitive.

That's just poor planning on their part. This isn't a small mom and pop business run out of the garage. This is a business that is serving a large number of businesses around the resort area - and it's a very legitimate concern for someone who is considering using the system. I did not know this and it would be a make-or-break for me traveling with a small child if I wanted to go back to the hotel for an early afternoon nap. I'm paying THEM to provide me a service. If they can decide that I'm getting the service around their lunchbreak, I'll find another service.



6. Although, they have always done this, I don't like how ART's last bus leaves 1/2 hour after the park closes. This always bums me out because Main Street is open 1 hour after the park closes and I want to shop but I never can for fear of missing my ride back.


6.yeah, we have that same problem in our store on Christmas Eve, the store closes at 5:00 and we all want to go home but customers still linger, has to be a limit somewhere!!

Yep. And 1/2 hour is lame. At the Halloween event, the (not ART) shuttle we used had a 1-hour after park closing limit. I thought that was a bit fairer, myself. Again, it's about their planning. It's absolutely a valid limitation to consider.

As an aside - I'm always concerned as a patron - what happens if that last bus of the night is full? Are you SOL?

Adrienne

Drince88
10-15-2008, 08:46 AM
5. The buses did not run from 12:35pm to 1:55pm.



I am glad they take a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30
12:35 to 1:55 is more like 12:30 to 2:00, so an hour and a half lunch - and when they start back up, do they start at hotels or the park? Your actual wait could be longer.

IF they were only operating for 8 hours (with lunch break) I can see (sort of) the argument that it's for safety. But from when they start running ART until they stop, it's more than 8 hours, so that means they have more than 1 shift of people, that means it should NOT be a problem to have staggered shift starts, split shifts, whatever, to allow continuous service.

evrythngwmn
10-15-2008, 09:19 AM
IF they were only operating for 8 hours (with lunch break) I can see (sort of) the argument that it's for safety. But from when they start running ART until they stop, it's more than 8 hours, so that means they have more than 1 shift of people, that means it should NOT be a problem to have staggered shift starts, split shifts, whatever, to allow continuous service.

I was thinking that myself. The trams that take guests to and from M&F run without a break in service and those CMs require lunches. Our Cast Shuttles which are run by an outside company run continuously and again those people take lunches. Doesn't make any sense to me to shut down your whole operation for an hour and a half.

jeffat2
10-15-2008, 05:39 PM
I have the answer to it all .Its ran by the local Goverment. any suprise to anyone why it doesnt make sense or work correctly Jeff

bassett1976
10-15-2008, 07:26 PM
Maybe you should think about staying at the HoJo and you can walk over to the park.

Disney Donna
10-17-2008, 03:53 PM
Maybe you should think about staying at the HoJo and you can walk over to the park.

I haven't stayed at HoJos, but Fairfield Inn is just a few minutes walk to the front of DLR. I highly recommend staying closer to the park. I always assumed those hotels would cost alot, but some of them are actually very very reasonable and you wouldn't have to fuss with ART or parking your car.

bassett1976
10-17-2008, 04:04 PM
I haven't stayed at HoJos, but Fairfield Inn is just a few minutes walk to the front of DLR. I highly recommend staying closer to the park. I always assumed those hotels would cost alot, but some of them are actually very very reasonable and you wouldn't have to fuss with ART or parking your car.

We've gotten a $56 a night at the HoJo with the entertainment rate. It doesn't always happen but if you check your dates early and are a little flexible it is well worth it.

Burnt Toast
10-18-2008, 09:45 AM
1. I bought the 3 day passes at the Embassy Suites from a cast member and could only pay with cash no credit cards. I could also only buy a one day pass or a three day pass. I could not buy a two day pass.

ART eliminated the 2-day pass (which had no discount anyways) on October 6th, when they raised the adult fare.

The ART tickets that are sold at the Disney Desks (like the Embassy Suites) do NOT belong to Disney, they are actually assigned to the hotel itself. They cannot charge your credit card for something that we do not sell and keep separate from our Disney-owned funds... that's why they are cash only. The ART machines located all over, like the one at the Residence Inn right next door to the Embassy, take credit cards because it is charged through ART.

Before anyone asks, the Disney Desks also cannot charge to rooms because... we work for Disney and not for the hotel. It would be very bad for hotels to give non-hotel personnel access to things like that.


2. The 3 day pass had to be used on consecutive days. In other words you had to use ART 3 days in a row. You can no longer take a break and not use the ART one day. This forces you to buy the more expensive one day pass if you want to break your DL trip up with other activities in the area.

This has been in effect since... January? I think?


3. With the new swipe card system, it takes longer to load people on the bus than with the old punch card system. Passengers just can't seem to get a handle on it.

I don't remember when they went to the card slot system. I'm pretty sure it's in January as well.


4. They now charge for kids 9 and under. This bothered me the least because I figure people may have been being less than honest about their children's age.

This has been the case since January.


5. The buses did not run from 12:35pm to 1:55pm. This is prime time when I like to go back to the hotel, have lunch and rest a bit before the nighttime activities.

ART has always had service breaks during the week during non-peak periods. I really wish they would eliminate this.


6. Although, they have always done this, I don't like how ART's last bus leaves 1/2 hour after the park closes. This always bums me out because Main Street is open 1 hour after the park closes and I want to shop but I never can for fear of missing my ride back.

Been this way since the beginning.


7. The bus drivers stopped at stops even though there were no passengers waiting. They would pull the bus over, log something on a log sheet, and then pulled back into traffic. This is really hard to take when you are so desperate to get into the park and let the fun begin. It seemed like it took forever to get to the park.

Not everyone waits in the right spot for the ART shuttle (like at the Embassy Suites, sometimes Guests like to wait in the shade). They also need to document their arrival times at each hotel for metrics and evaluation.

Burnt Toast
10-18-2008, 09:49 AM
12:35 to 1:55 is more like 12:30 to 2:00, so an hour and a half lunch - and when they start back up, do they start at hotels or the park? Your actual wait could be longer.

Last shuttle before the service break is around 12:40pm, after that the next pickup is at 2:00pm. The reason why the last shuttle pickup is at 12:40pm bwecause it'll still take time to drop the Guests off at the shuttle drop off area which happens around 1:00pm depending on which route you are using... and their line of business entitles them to a one hour, task-free lunch break. Again, this should only be happening during the week on non-peak periods.

Like I said, I wish they would eliminate the service break as well... because it seems like they are starting to not limit themselves to just weekdays now during the off-season.

candles71
10-18-2008, 11:39 AM
With #7 I was also thinking if they didn't stop than the schedule would be out of whack as time allowed for each stop would be eliminated, good if your on the bus but bad for the next person thinking there would be one at a certain time and it having already come by.

HobbitFeet
10-18-2008, 02:12 PM
The ART site still has 2 day passes (http://www.rideart.org/store.html). Interesting. Of course, a 1 day is $4 and a 2 day is $8, so it would have been the same to buy two 1 day passes, and then you could take a break in between anyway!

Their site also mentions
Twelve convenient ticketing kiosks. We accept major credit cards and cash … exact change only please. I guess your hotel just didn't have a kiosk (I have seen one...Anabella had one at least in December).

Interesting. Their pdf schedule shows a service break between only 1 and 2pm, at least this week (except for Saturday/today with no service break at all). But I guess if they aren't dispatching from both "sides" at once, one way is going to have a longer break just b/c of the way they are sent out. So the drivers are still working until 1, but not both ways, I suppose.


Unless we just can't trust their own website!

ktrm
10-18-2008, 02:24 PM
We've gotten a $56 a night at the HoJo with the entertainment rate. It doesn't always happen but if you check your dates early and are a little flexible it is well worth it.

I have the entertainment rate at Hojos for Christmastime.(although I have the home office room reserved for $79/nt) It is a great deal. I tend to like the Hampton and the Hilton Garden Inn because they have breakfast. I also have booked the Hilton Garden Inn with breakfast for four people the week of December 15th for only $99 per night. Right now I am trying to decide should I keep the Hojo reservation, walk and have to buy breakfast, keep the Hilton Garden Inn with a yummy and convenient breakfast and use ART even though its a pain, or keep the Hilton Garden Inn with the yummy breakfast and just park? All your input is really helping.

I had no idea the Residence Inn next door to the Hilton Garden Inn has a kiosk to sell ART tickets. Great to know if I decide to use ART and I am low on cash or if I arrive late at night after the Disney desk is closed at the Embassy Suites

bassett1976
10-18-2008, 02:41 PM
I have the entertainment rate at Hojos for Christmastime.(although I have the home office room reserved for $79/nt) It is a great deal. I tend to like the Hampton and the Hilton Garden Inn because they have breakfast. I also have booked the Hilton Garden Inn with breakfast for four people the week of December 15th for only $99 per night. Right now I am trying to decide should I keep the Hojo reservation, walk and have to buy breakfast, keep the Hilton Garden Inn with a yummy and convenient breakfast and use ART even though its a pain, or keep the Hilton Garden Inn with the yummy breakfast and just park? All your input is really helping.

I had no idea the Residence Inn next door to the Hilton Garden Inn has a kiosk to sell ART tickets. Great to know if I decide to use ART and I am low on cash or if I arrive late at night after the Disney desk is closed at the Embassy Suites

My input, parking is a bigger pain than getting breakfast. Since the HoJo has refrigerators, I'd go to get some things to eat for breakfast (Bagels, cereal, milk, etc.). I'd eat that for breakfast and head into the park earlier. You could also pick up something quick in the park (bakery in DTD or inside the parks). You also have a McDs on the way to the park and the HoJo has a small convenience store.

I love being so close to the park for opening and you don't have to mess with parking. We've been stuck for 20-30 minutes if you get to the parking structure (at just the wrong time) and then you have to get on the tram. We've sometimes taken an hour to get from the parking structure into a park. That drives me nuts. HoJo is close and you can walk over in about 10 minutes. Then all you have to worry about is the security check and the entrance line.

fronkfam
10-18-2008, 02:45 PM
We used ART during our trip in September. I was very thankful for helpful drivers and other riders because it was very hard getting a stroller and wheelchair on and off of the buses. We will definitely stay at a closer hotel next time because it was really hard to wait for the bus sometimes for 20 minutes with 4 kids. We don't like to drive into the park because the parking trams can also be difficult with kids, stroller, wheelchair, especially if it is a busy day, so we will go back to our old habits of staying close and walking!!!

Malcon10t
10-18-2008, 03:34 PM
This has been in effect since... January? I think?



I don't remember when they went to the card slot system. I'm pretty sure it's in January as well.It was before Jan, as it was in effect when we were there last year from Dec 22-Jan 3. They were having all sorts of issues with the slide cards and people "learning" you had to use 3 days consecutively. (Which I disagree with...)

ktrm
10-18-2008, 03:48 PM
My friend who kept beating me to the park last weekend always used the Timon parking lot(entrance is off of Harbor I think?) I know this parking is not always open. When it is operating, is it open at the same time the Mickey and Friends parking structure is? My friend has some mobility problems, and last weekend was pretty crowded. She never mentioned any delays or lines getting into the parking.

maliz128
10-18-2008, 04:02 PM
I am a ardent proponent of public transportation --I use it for my daily work commute -- however, ART left me cold.

I stayed at the Hampton Inn three years ago and ART was difficult at best. Often the tram was crowded in the mornings, or I had to wait for it to arrive, and then drive me to the park. And coming home at night, when you are especially tired was even more trying.

Since then, I stay at hotels that are close enough for me to walk to the park. The last hotel I stayed at was Anaheim Camelot Inn -- barely a quarter mile to the crosswalk into Disneyland, and much, much faster than waiting for ART at the Hampton. The Camelot Inn was "okay" as a hotel , but I'm trying out the Residence Inn Maingate on my next trip because I prefer a suite and hot breakfast (which was why I chose the Hampton.)

I realize not everyone wants/likes to walk, but here are the bonuses:

A. I'm not waiting to get to the fun
B. I'm not beholden to someone's else's schedule.
C. Strollers -- no negotiating the on/off the bus, or buckling baby in/out.
D. No bus fares. Three people at $3 per day x 4 days is $36 -- that's one or more souveniors.
E. No carbon footprint. Only your own.

kingqueen 3princesses
10-18-2008, 06:48 PM
ktrm,

Just curious--where's the home office room? Which building is it in?

bassett1976
10-18-2008, 07:02 PM
ktrm,

Just curious--where's the home office room? Which building is it in?

I believe it is in building 2 (the quiet building in the back).

ktrm
10-18-2008, 07:24 PM
The home office rooms are in Bldg 1(the big building in front) on floor 3 with the Disney view and in Bldg 2 in the back(one per floor in Bldg 2). In Bldg 2, the rooms are on the corners and are absolutely huge. The home office rooms used to be the only rooms with microwaves but the management now tells me all rooms have microwaves. The management also tells me all the home office rooms have had the mattresses changed out. If you have been to HoJos before you might have noticed how hard the mattresses are. Supposedly they are in the process of changing all the mattresses out, but have not yet done so. My mom had a home office room and I slept on that mattress fine but in my regular room I could not get a wink of sleep. I really could not risk a restless night at disneyland so I decided to go for the upgrade. I really don't know what you get in terms of internet connections and such in the home office room but I have to assume it is something more than the standard room. You get free bottled water and some trail mix which is really not a big deal to me. The big deal is the mattress. Also Bldg 1 has two home office rooms which have a connecting door which I like when I travel with my mom. Building 1 is also less of a walk from DL but it is also less secluded than Building 2. I actually got the upgraded home office room for $74/nt not $79/nt as previously stated.

I still have not yet decided which hotel to go with. It was nice being at the Howard Johnson because we would have breakfast at the Riverbelle Terrace which is so pleasant in the morning. Whenever I stay at a hotel with breakfast I feel obligated to eat it and I never do a character breakfast or the Riverbelle Terrace. My spouse is not a Disney fanatic like me and he is coming on this trip so I am really trying to figure out what is best for him. He hates riding ART and prefers to walk but likes the convenience of in-hotel hot breakfast. I really have not stayed at a hotel which perfectly meets all my needs but so far my two favorites have been the Hilton Garden Inn and the Howard Johnson.

curtsinore
10-18-2008, 07:42 PM
ART AND MRI MAINGATE

Not much of a tough call to walk from the MRI to the park, however, with another thread about GPS and 14.2 miles a day in the park, that is a lot of walking. We tried walking once from the MRI, a long walk, on our first day, to DTD. when we did the walk last Nov 2007, it was one long barren patch to the north and to the south the Garden Walk being developed. Now with it completed and who knows what on the north, it could be an easy on the eyes and tired brain to walk. But walking that 4 times a day, I think its going to be tough for a family of young children. And I thinks its going to be tough for folks on extended stays like ourselves.

Though my observations for this thread isn’t about walking vs. ART, but driving to the parking lot vs. ART

Sure, nobody likes waiting for fun, look at all the folks attached to wheelchairs galloping about the park, look at the folks cutting lines, look at the folks who cue up the dining areas and then have no idea what they want to order for their family of 10. The idea that waiting at Disneyland is not part of the entertainment package is becoming a reflection on us all, not just the posters to this thread.

And naturally nobody wants a schedule, that’s why I always vote no on mass transit bonds in Salem, Oregon. It only serves the poor, DUI’s, rowdy students, migrant population, handicapped, and mothers with children who can’t drive or afford a second car. They are not a schedule, they can wait for an hourly bus.

Strollers, granted they are a problem on the ART

This thread was about driving to the Parking structure from the Hotel or waiting for the ART. And I chat here because this is symptomatic of the bigger picture on the horizon. Stores charging for plastic or paper bags, unless you bring your own. Suitable energy vehicles for families that provide protection instead of the tiny economy cars that offer zero impact protection. Deposits on containers in which any beverage is packaged. OR, not having your sheets washed everyday in your 150.00 a night room. Its all about the carbon footprint initiative. it’s a grass roots movement and will be forever until we start prioritizing for other people, future generations. Maybe every parked car at a hotel needs to be taxed, rebated in the form of ART tickets. Revenues for parking enforcement and more buses even if Art is a for profit business.

And yes, I do vote yes for my property to be taxed for the transit system., that’s how I know the ridership.

Howry
10-19-2008, 11:22 AM
I think its a consipiracy to keep people from going back to their hotels for lunch thus keeping them at the park paying inflated prices for food. It makes perfect sense.

-Andy