Transportation

[InLikeSin]

I've read a few things that worry me about getting around the parks. I understand that the wait times will probably be quite long for the buses to and from hotel to park. How about the buses etc. that move from park to park? We are in the beginning stages of planning and had thought of enjoying one park and dinning in another on some evenings. Will it be too much hassel to get from one to the other?

[karenrarintogo]

I would say the times are about the same. For us on our very recent trip, we waited between 0 and 23 minutes for a bus. The 23 minute wait was between parks, and we knew we were in for a long wait as we saw the bus leave just as we were approaching the bus queue.
Most tyically we waited between 0 and 10 minutes for busses.

[InLikeSin]

So it would be safe to schedule in about a half an hour to get between parks?

[dolphinmickey9170]

We park hop almost everyday.

Examples:

We are at MK and wish to go to Epcot, jump on the monorail to the TTC then transfer to the Epcot monorail. Or vice versa

We are at Epcot and wish to go to DHS, you have two options, exit the international gateway and take the path to the boat launch, this will take you to DHS; or, if you are up for a fabulous walk, taking the same exit, pass the boat launch and take the walk toward Y&BC, continuing past Boardwalk and walk to DHS.

The only other issue being had is if you want to include AK. This park is one you must take a bus to.

We try as little as possible to use the buses if we are park hopping, because we are using a stroller, and it can be a pain to have to unload baby, stuff, etc from the stroller so it can be folded.

If you decide to use the buses, they should arrive every 20 minutes or so. But be mindful, the bus that is a few minutes more than 20 might have been loading a wheelchair or something, so don't expect it to always be 20 minutes. I have seen variences from back to back immediate busses, to waiting at the Swan and Dolphin for an hour for a DtD bus.

Have a great time!! Happy planning.

[karenrarintogo]

To be safe and relaxed, I would allow about 45 minutes (if you use busses) between parks and an hour to get to your restaurant. You can always check in early for your dining reservations. We did this and were seated slightly earlier than our ADR time at every restaurant except for dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, where we waited about 10 minutes past our ADR time. :mickey:

[tinksmom02]

Like the PP poster said, generally an hour is a good time estimate. Worst case scenario is that you're early for your ADR (and they recommend that you check in 10-15 minutes early anyway). We were early for several ressies, and the only place we had a problem was 'Ohana.

I recommend the DHS-International Gateway boat, if that fits into your plans. We did this on our departure day...headed over to DHS to meet the Power Rangers, then took the boat to Epcot for lunch. A CM told me to allow at least an hour, but the ride itself was about 25 minutes. For us, it was very nice to see the resorts on the way, as we'd never seen them up close before (more to add to my wish list!) As a bonus, we arrived at the International Gateway at about 11:20, so World Showcase had just opened (and was practically deserted).

Anyway, we waited a long time for buses a few times, but I figure that we must have just missed the previous one. There were other times that a bus pulled up immediately.

[InLikeSin]

We are planning to go from AK over to HS to dine at 50s prime time

[LynneM]

From AK to HS....

Your wait for a bus at AK will be anywhere from 0-20 minutes. The ride to HS is about 10-15 minutes.

Once you get to HS, you'll need to walk from the bus loading area to the front gate, go through bag check, and line up at the turnstiles. Hard to gauge how long that will take, it'll depend entirely on the crowd levels at that time.

Once you're in the park, you need to walk back to 50's, figure about 10 minutes if you're walking briskly.

Honestly, I'd probably plan to be out of AK about 90 minutes before your ADR time at 50's. Better to get there a little early than to be stressed out over transportation, lines at the gate, etc. If you're early, you can always browse in the nearby shops.

[cfoshe]

one more thing to be watch for. Not all parks will allow you to ride a bus to another park. Most of the time you will need to go from the park to a resort and then catch another bus to go to the park that you want to go to. I think that AK will bus you straight to HS. The only other park busese that might would be EPCOT.

[Darbylew]

We park hop so we are use to the buses and
wait times. We have never had a problem with
getting from one park to another. Have a fun
time! ;)
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND
GOING BACK IN 17 DAYS!:D

[7swans]

The Unofficial Guide to WDW has an exhaustive section on travel times, if you a planner you will appreciate it!
That said, you can always hail a cab to get to your dinner ADRs if you think the bus will take to long.

[InLikeSin]

The Unofficial Guide to WDW has an exhaustive section on travel times, if you a planner you will appreciate it!
That said, you can always hail a cab to get to your dinner ADRs if you think the bus will take to long.

The Unoffical Guide to WDW... is this a guide book?

[7swans]

Yes, and worth every penny in my opinion. It is $13.59 on Amazon right now, but you can probably check it out at your local library.

It helps me to effectively plan our trips.

[scootch713]

So it would be safe to schedule in about a half an hour to get between parks?

That is pushing it, I would say.. I would schedule 45 min to and hour. I have waited 30 min for a bus from MGM... and then you have the travel time between parks. I always carry some extra cash.. you can always grab a cab.

[joelkfla]

one more thing to be watch for. Not all parks will allow you to ride a bus to another park. Most of the time you will need to go from the park to a resort and then catch another bus to go to the park that you want to go to. I think that AK will bus you straight to HS. The only other park busese that might would be EPCOT.
Not true. There are buses between all permutations of DAK, DHS, Epcot, and the TTC (which is the transfer point for the Monorail to the MK.) The only exception is between Epcot & TTC, which route is served by Monorail rather than bus.

There are not buses between DTD and the parks, and only some of the park-to-waterpark possibilities have buses.

[SandmanGStefani24]

traveling to and from parks can be much speedier with a rental car. i have used the buses and rental cars, but have never park hopped with a rental. (more of a park-a-day type visitor) i would imagine that having your own car would make things quicker and more comfortable.

[EJS-Houston]

I agree with Karenrarintogo! Park Hop all you want, but give yourself lots of travel time, at least 45 minutes. That especially holds true if you're going from a park to a hotel where your dinner reservations are. The restaurants in my experience are understanding and as accomodating as they can be if you're late...but why stress yourself out by cutting it too close and worrying about making your reservation on time?!

[laward32]

I would say 45 minutes to an hour, just to be safe. We allowed 30 minutes from SSR to MK to GF and it took us 1 hour and 15 minutes due to having to load two people with wheelchairs/EVC then getting off the bus to the monorail and around to GF. We were late to say the least and the CM was not very friendly about it. :mickey: