Loved BLT but....

[Flyerfan]

Did not care for the transportation.

We had a lake view room, 10th floor. It was OK and we saw the electrical water pageant a few nights along with fireworks at TOWL. We loved the walk to MK and the offerings at CR. This was our first stay at any MK resort and we loved the location BUT.....

We were not aware that at BLT there is no bus to Epcot, only monorail AND that for the other parks, CR, Poly and GF share a bus!!! Why is that? Seems to me that each resort deserves it's own bus. Transferring monorails for Epcot just seemed like a hassle. We are used to hopping on a bus and going directly there.

Transportation aside, we would definitely stay at BLT again but probably only for a short stay.

 

[disneynutz]

Buses are shared to reduce cost. DHS doesn't have a bus to the Epcot resorts if you ever stay there.

Bill

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Whenever I have stayed at the Contemporary and went to Epcot I personally didn't think it was a hassle switching Monorail's at the TTC.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

It does confuse me as to why the "deluxe" resorts share a bus.

If you stay at OKW, or Pop or All Stars you don't share a bus... Same with the moderates. They have their own buses. Now, some may stop at Typhoon Lagoon, ect. but none pack them in so tightly as those "deluxe" resorts.

One of the worst runs is the BW, to the YC and BC, and S&D.

 

[DenLo]

All of the resorts share a bus with something, whether it is a water park or other bus stops within their own resort. None of the Epcot resorts are large enough to justify a single bus.

When we were there in October CR/BLT combined with only the Poly for bus service. Maybe this was just an experiment. I can't remember who GF shared buses with. Perhaps they are considering changing the bus routes.

 

[goofy4tink]

OP...it would seem that you have been to WDW, and stayed at enough WDW resorts to 'get' how the transportation works. Just because a resort is a deluxe, doesn't translate into superior, private transport. You get alternative modes of transportation...at BLT/CR, you get to walk to MK or monorail. You take the monorail to TTC to get to Epcot, and a bus to DHS and AK. Same thing at the Polynesian and GF...but no walking to MK.

The only, and I mean only, resort that currently offers non-stop bus service between the resort and a park, is Pop. Sure, when you stay at POR or CBR, or CSR you don't stop at any other resorts....other than possibly POFQ when at POR. But, you do make multiple stops within the resort...and when I was at POR, and got on the bus at the main stop, it was just about as long from start to finish as it is when I stay at BW and we stop at the S/D.

If each resort had it's own bus service, you are going to be hugely surprised at your new resort rates. They would skyrocket. Someone has to pay for those addtl buses....and it's not going to be park visitors, it's going to be us, the resort guest. Those that want more immediate gratification should look into renting a car.

 

[Flyerfan]

OP...it would seem that you have been to WDW, and stayed at enough WDW resorts to 'get' how the transportation works. Just because a resort is a deluxe, doesn't translate into superior, private transport. You get alternative modes of transportation...at BLT/CR, you get to walk to MK or monorail. You take the monorail to TTC to get to Epcot, and a bus to DHS and AK. Same thing at the Polynesian and GF...but no walking to MK.

The only, and I mean only, resort that currently offers non-stop bus service between the resort and a park, is Pop. Sure, when you stay at POR or CBR, or CSR you don't stop at any other resorts....other than possibly POFQ when at POR. But, you do make multiple stops within the resort...and when I was at POR, and got on the bus at the main stop, it was just about as long from start to finish as it is when I stay at BW and we stop at the S/D.

If each resort had it's own bus service, you are going to be hugely surprised at your new resort rates. They would skyrocket. Someone has to pay for those addtl buses....and it's not going to be park visitors, it's going to be us, the resort guest. Those that want more immediate gratification should look into renting a car.

I didn't expect superior, private transport nor do I expect non-stop service. I just can't understand why those three resorts share a bus. Seems to me that there are enough people at one resort to justify their own bus. Both times we left HS in the middle of the day, the stop was packed.

We usually stay at SSR and it is a huge resort with 5 stops but it's not shared with any other resort. We don't mind waiting through all the stops there and much of the time the bus is not packed.

 

[Flyerfan]

Buses are shared to reduce cost. DHS doesn't have a bus to the Epcot resorts if you ever stay there.

Bill

We've stayed at BW and YC and didn't mind it. We walked or took the boat from DHS.

 

[goofy4tink]

I didn't expect superior, private transport nor do I expect non-stop service. I just can't understand why those three resorts share a bus. Seems to me that there are enough people at one resort to justify their own bus. Both times we left HS in the middle of the day, the stop was packed.

We usually stay at SSR and it is a huge resort with 5 stops but it's not shared with any other resort. We don't mind waiting through all the stops there and much of the time the bus is not packed.

Because they are, by nature, smaller resorts. I have stayed at both CR/BLT and the Polynesian. I never had an issue with bus service...well, not at least a crowding one. I did have to wait forever for the bus to DHS to arrive at the Polynesian. I learned quickly that I was better served by walking over to the TTC and taking their bus to DHS.

No one likes to make stops. But, there is no way Disney is ever going to have bus routes that include only the one resort...especially the deluxe resorts. If you use the buses at busy times of day, then yes, they will be crowded. Having each resort have it's own bus, rather than sharing, would, again, be cost prohibitive.

 

[gr8vthsfam]

I understand completely OP! We have always stayed at the GF until this coming year where we will stay in an Epcot resort. We made our decision based on reports of the declining Disney transportation system. I actually do feel if you are going to pay a premium price for a resort that the transportation should reflect that high quality of service as well. Now that the monorail is not operating for EMH, and reading about all the horror stories online, the monorail resorts are simply not worth the extra price for us. Staying at an Epcot resort ensures that we can at least walk to Epcot and DHS when Disney transportation is running poorly. Over crowded buses and cutbacks on the monorail are a big turn off and will eventually drive more vacationers off property - especially if they have experienced better service in the past.

 

[jimandami]

We also just returned from BLT and while we didn't have an issue with the busses, the decreased monorail service is a pain! We left Epcot after illuminations one night and just as we were boarding the monorail, we were informed that the resort monorail was closed and we would have to take a bus from TTC to CR. Now, my DH and the other boys were quite a bit behind us so we told them to just take the bus straight to CR (which was running only bc the monorail was closed). By the time we got to the TTC and waited for a bus to CR (along with everyone else in Epcot it seemed), they beat us to the room by over 20 minutes! I knew they had cutback on monorail service but for some reason, I hadn't realized it would close that early. Honestly, I think if you are paying for a monorail resort, the monorail should be running until 1 hour after park closing, no matter what time that might be!

 

[goofy4tink]

I really hate to nitpik, but CR/BLT, Polynesian and GF are not monorail resorts...they are MK resorts.

While I do understand that the decrease in monorail service is not such a terrific thing for those staying at these resorts (especially since Disney uses the monorail as a huge selling point for getting to and from MK), there have been more and more issues with the monorail. And it's been happening for years now. I try to actually avoid the monorail if I'm on a set schedule...way too much room for error with the monorail!!

While it would be nice to have better transportation options while staying at a WDW resort, it is what it is. The buses do a more than adequate job of moving tens of thousands of guests around the entire area every day. Is it quick? Nope, not particularly. But, it gets the job done.

There are always going to be those who feel that the deluxe resorts should have better transportation. But, in all reality, that's not the way Disney works. You get nicer rooms, larger rooms, nice amenities, beautiful theming, onsite table service restaurants, terrific pool areas, and 'decent' park transportation, with the ability to take a boat or walk to at least one park, and sometimes two. That's Disney's definition of a deluxe resort..not the industry's definition.

 

[Greysword]

If each resort had it's own bus service, you are going to be hugely surprised at your new resort rates. They would skyrocket. Someone has to pay for those addtl buses....and it's not going to be park visitors, it's going to be us, the resort guest.

I'm not sold, since SSR and OKW members shoulder the transportation burden ourselves and AKL and the value resorts have the same costs baked into their rates. As such, how much more would resort rates actually increase (per night), if each Deluxe resort had their own, especially since BLT can spread the burden to the BLT members?

 

[luckyman_apd]

WOW! This is a first for me. Hearing a complaint about transportation from BLT by Monorail! I guess this is why everyone is different. Personally, I love disney....period. I don't where I stay, but I will say, the BLT was VERY nice because of the monorail. The Studios are smaller than other studios, but I am ok with it BECAUSE of the monorail. I never felt transferring at the TTC was a hassle. I've always hoped Disney would add a monorail from other resorts to the TTC, so you could get a to the MK or Epcot. These are my favorite resorts, and waiting for busses is more of a hassle IMHO. I can almost ALWAYS guess the wait/travel times when using the monorail. The busses never seem to always be on the right schedule.

Example. Our last trip in July we were at SSR. Our building was NEXT to the the first bus stop. We came out of our room trying to get to magic hours at epcot and the bus had just pulled in. getting down to the ground floor gave us no shot at catching that bus. They claim you will never wait more than 20 minutes for a bus, but that is not always true. They usually throw more busses in service for the magic hour resorts. I'm telling you we saw 3 typhoon lagoon busses before the next Epcot bus came. At least 30 min later. I would have given my left arm for a monorail right there and then.

BLT is my favorite because of the location, but as a resort whole, I prefer others. It all depends what your planning for your trip. Shorter trips with more time in the park, I like BLT because less time in the room and quicker transportation to my favorite parks. I like SSR and all their pools (including the new one that opened while we were there! Met Goofy and Mickey in their swim gear! kids loved it) for longer summer trips.

 

[spiceycat]

We were not aware that at BLT there is no bus to Epcot, only monorail AND that for the other parks, CR, Poly and GF share a bus!!! Why is that? Seems to me that each resort deserves it's own bus. Transferring monorails for Epcot just seemed like a hassle. We are used to hopping on a bus and going directly there.

Transportation aside, we would definitely stay at BLT again but probably only for a short stay.

when WL does not share with CR - it shares with FW.

you can ride the boat to WL/VWL and get on their Epcot bus. all deluxe resort share a bus. the only one who didn't was AKL but that was before Kidani was build. Now they all share one.

love BLT it is my favorite!!! Disney has never had the deluxe resorts with their own buses.

the ideal is if you are staying at a MK resort then go to the MK and epcot (but check the schedule first - if MK is closing earlier than Epcot - you will have a problem getting back)

sorry you were not told about this before.
don't know how long this rehab will be - but think it is schedule for all of 2012.

 

[Kidanifan08]

I have to agree with OP. When we stayed at BLT last month, I was a little disappointed in the transportation. We took the monorail to/from Epcot and took buses to/from AK. One of our one way Epcot trips took at least 45 minutes. We loved being able to walk to MK, but getting anywhere else was time consuming. We are staying there again for half of our trip in June 2012. We will be with family who will be able to take advantage of the late park hours in June, so it will be worth it, but I am not looking forward to transferring to other parks from BLT. We may rent a car for part of the trip.