Walt Disney World Skyliner gondola system to open September 29

I am unconvinced that there aren't more buses around open/close. Again, my Pop Century experience some years ago was that when one filled at closing, another was right behind it.

Shades said:Ever sit in a car on a 90 degree day and go 11 mph? That doesn't feel great.

If my car is driving itself high up into the air giving me a beautiful view and then plopping me down into the Magic Kingdom, it feels fantastic.

Call me crazy, but if I am visiting Florida (during the real hot season), I expect to be...well...hot. It will be hot walking around Disney. In the shade it will be slightly less hot. My coffee will at least stay hot. My shorts will be hot. Luckily my wife is hot. You booked a vacation in Orlando. Wanna know the forecast?

Much ado...

Jeff said:

I am unconvinced that there aren't more buses around open/close. Again, my Pop Century experience some years ago was that when one filled at closing, another was right behind it.

Been there 6 times in the last year and half (Even more if you keep going back) for RunDisney races, meet ups, a honeymoon and other various reasons, and I can tell you that it’s definitely changed. You miss the bus, you’re waiting at least 17 minutes for another one, now.

That’s been my experience as well. Thankfully now I can have my sis drop off and pick me up.

Raven-Phile said:
Been there 6 times in the last year and half...

I thought you didn't stay at the cheap places?

I don’t, but I can clearly see the surrounding bus stops, and everybody waits... it is very, very rare to see a bus immediately pull up behind another, and if it does, it’s generally because the first bus took long enough to load ECVs, that it gave the other one ample time to return.

I haven’t stayed at a cheap place since 2008, but all the buses leave from the same general area.

Can confirm. And I stay at the cheap places.

Jeff, when was the last time you were around the bus stops at closing?

If you find value in a given good/service at a given price point, buy. Not sure why the need to justify/defend that decision. And that someone else doesn't find value at the given price point shouldn't change your value analysis.

Who is justifying or defending anything?

I don’t care what anyone else thinks of how I vacation, and I’m sure others feel the same. Still doesn’t mean discussing the logistics of their transportation system is ay less interesting.

Defenders often don't view themselves as such. Though they can be quick to respond even if not named.

Seems to be less a discussion of the logistics of Disney's transportation than an exchange of stories about extremely limited observations of a small portion of it. Maybe better in Trip Reports. LOL

Raven-Phile said:

Been there 6 times in the last year and half (Even more if you keep going back) for RunDisney races, meet ups, a honeymoon and other various reasons, and I can tell you that it’s definitely changed. You miss the bus, you’re waiting at least 17 minutes for another one, now.

I would agree with this for the most part.

If you are at a park waiting for your bus, you will see there is a "holding area" where buses wait for an assignment. And one by one, it appears that buses are assigned to a pick up location one by one typically every 15-20 minutes or so (per pickup spot).

If your queue is full (more than a busload number of passengers), I have found that the next bus will come a little quicker, occasionally right after. But if your queue only has one busload number of passengers, some dispatcher is going to send a bus around 15-20 minutes after the first person gets on line.

I've literally been the first person in a queue several times and like clockwork it's almost exactly 20 minutes when the bus arrives.

That’s why I’m so shocked that it took me so long to utilize Lyft/Uber/Minnie Vans. It opened my eyes to a world of hassle free vacationing. I’ll be there in September, and you can bet I’ll be utilizing it more.

Going to the parks from the resort isn’t too bad, but when you just want to be done for the night, it’s miraculous.

I might have to do a mini trip report. I am going to WDW in Febuary and this is the first time that I am not staying on property. We have to many people going (14 total) and some can't afford the hotels. After seeing this discussion I already miss the transportation options they offer compared to renting a car.

We are staying at a place called Champions Gate. Any recommendations for places to drink or eat or even do would be appreciated (looking at you Jeff). I know this is frowned on here...

Renting a car and driving is fine everywhere but Magic Kingdom. I absolutely hate having to take either a boat or a monorail to get over to TTC. When it’s busy, they also run a bus to and from TTC, which is a decent option, but other than that, it’s a hassle.

Everywhere else is fine, and I actually enjoyed being about to drive myself to and from when I’ve done it in the past.

I'm somewhat looking forward to driving because i plan on hitting up Legoland and Funspot.

I wish I knew about this minivan service in the past, I never knew it existed.

I can't use Lyft/Uber because I'm taking my 3 year old this time and they dont offer car seats.

Tekwardo said:

Jeff, when was the last time you were around the bus stops at closing?

Weekend before last, at Animal Kingdom. Was seeing a friend off at the bus loop. They were staying at AoA, but I know for sure I saw two articulating buses, both with Pop Century on the front. So there's my anecdote for the day.

Dale K said:

We are staying at a place called Champions Gate. Any recommendations for places to drink or eat or even do would be appreciated (looking at you Jeff).

I haven't been there recently, but a bunch of stuff has opened there in the last year, including Tijuana Flats which is a pretty solid Florida-based Mexican/Southwest chain.

I lived in Chicago for twenty years. I would have been delighted to have CTA buses run on the schedule that WDW buses do.

OhioStater said:

STAR WARS TANGENT: I also asked about Galaxy's Edge with regards to our trip, and learned a couple things. Unlike Disneyland, they plan on opening both the Millennium Falcon ride and Rise of the Resistance (I know, non-news to some of you) on August 29th.

I think you got some bad info. It's been pretty widely reported that Rise of the Resistance at WDW will open in December and DLR follows in January.

Edit: Here's the topic from here: https://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/new-star-wars-attraction-rise-...n-december

OhioStater said:

Call me crazy, but if I am visiting Florida (during the real hot season), I expect to be...well...hot. It will be hot walking around Disney. In the shade it will be slightly less hot.

I think I made a similar point in another recent WDW thread. The average visitor goes in expecting 2 things: crowds and heat (and an afternoon rain shower).

I stayed at Pop Century the last 2 summers. On both visits, 10-20 minute waits for a bus were pretty much the norm in the morning and during the middle of the day at the resort or at the parks. We only stayed until close at MK and Epcot and there was a pretty steady stream of buses back to the resort at both parks. Maybe a 5 minute wait, but still pretty tolerable.

Yep. It says Dec. 5th right on the WDW website.