Resort Dining: Taking the Bus

[Atayah]

Hi, everyone. My partner and I have just booked our vacation for September -- my first vacation there in several years since I went every year with my parents. We're staying at the AKL and going all out, which I am thrilled about.

However, this is my first time staying on site and first time using Disney transportation exclusively. As we make our dining reservations, I'm wondering about resort dining.

As there isn't resort-to-resort transportation, I assume we just go from Park to resort, dine, back to Park, then back to AKL. Is this just what's done? Does it add a lot of time and hassle? Does it keep anyone from going to resorts to dine?

Thanks in advance!

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

Yes that is the easiest way to transfer. At times it can add a significant amount of time and others not too bad. If you are not leaving the parks when everyone else does like after parades or at closing the transfer times are not too bad. If you are leaving when everyone else is then there will be a line at the bus stop and it takes longer. My advice is to get yourself familiar with all the transportation options available too the resort you are dining at because there may be other options (monorail or boat). Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make your ADR on time. We usually give ourselves 1 hour 15 minutes if going from one resort to another.

[RockinRollerMom]

As there isn't resort-to-resort transportation, I assume we just go from Park to resort, dine, back to Park, then back to AKL. Is this just what's done? Does it add a lot of time and hassle? Does it keep anyone from going to resorts to dine?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, this is how it is done. However a lot of the resort dining at Deluxe Resorts I find easier to get to. (They are often some of the best restaurants as well.)

The monorail resorts are especially easy to get to. Just take the bus to MK then hop on the monorail.

Also the EPCOT resorts are easy to get to. If you are already at EPCOT you can enter thru the international gateway. If you are going to them straight from your resort you can take the bus to DHS then take the boat to the different EPCOT resorts.

I think a lot of people who are not so familiar with the Disney bus system book a lot of their ADR's for restaurants in the parks. I find the resorts fairly easy to get to and it is a lot of fun checking out the other resorts.

[faline]

We've often dined at various resorts and have had little difficulty using Disney transportation to get to the resort of our choice. We just have a sense of how long it's going to take us and allow for that. On one occasion on our last trip, we opted to take a taxi back from the Contemporary to Animal Kingdom Lodge though we likely would still have been able to transfer through the Magic Kingdom.