· Disney Busses are unreliable.
· The best times to use Disney Busses are when park hopping or at non-peak times.
· At peak times give yourself an hour and a half when traveling for any time sensitive reservations.
Disney Busses are my most beloved enemy. Pre-covid Busses at Disney still had issues, but where way more reliable than they have been as of late. Those other blogs you have read were not lying when they said to give at least an hour to travel anywhere in the Disney World Resort. I would say sometimes, especially in the evenings to give yourself an hour and a half if you are going into a park for a dinner reservation.
Yes, eventually a bus may show up and get you to where you are going, but I’d say 5 out of 10 times you will be waiting 30+ minutes for a bus. I do have friends that have never had a problem with the busses; oh, to be that lucky. Disney proclaims that busses will come between 20–30 minutes. I have waited over an hour several times before.
The times that come through for the app when you stay at a Disney Resort are subject to change. You can look in the My Disney Experience app to see when the next bus is leaving your resort for one of the parks or Disney Springs. This is more reliable at non-busy times. These times, again, are not concrete and I have experienced several instances where these are pushed back even 5 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive.
Bus dependability comes down to luck and which resort you are staying at. Disney resorts are massive which means hundreds of people will be wanting to go to the parks at the same time. In the mornings you can expect to wait for several busses before it will be your turn to ride. The deluxe resorts have less guests, so the busses seem to keep a better schedule.
If you stay at any of the larger resorts, there is an internal bus loop which means that when the bus actually shows up to take you to the park it can be full… and you could be stuck waiting on another bus with hopes that this one comes with a spot for your party. Most of the resorts with internal bus loop are moderate resorts. Caribbean beach is the only moderate resort with an additional free transportation option – the Disney Skyliner.
Am I saying to never use the Disney Bus system, no. I am saying to make sure you know this information going in and expect the worst and get the best. I have had great experiences, but the majority, especially near park closing times, have been not so great.
Do you have good luck with Disney Bus transportation?