New Express Transportation: $19/day or $29/week-SERVICE ENDING AUGUST 23RD 2017

[cyndiella]

Now that the trial month is over for this... does anyone know if it is still running? I would love to use this next month so I'm hoping it is "fully operational" still.. Please, anyone, let me know what you know!! Thanks!

 

[gap2368]

I think it is to the end of this month now. After this any ones guess only time will tell

 

[Alesia]

You can probably find what you're looking for here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-express-transportation-add-on-starting-dec-7th.3563694/

 

[michellelovesthemous]

I may have missed the answer reading thru all 46pages if I did I am sorry for the repeat BUT in regards to wheelchair that you bring yourself are you able to use this service if you have your own...and can you transfer like on the normal busses?

 

[Stitch808]

I may have missed the answer reading thru all 46pages if I did I am sorry for the repeat BUT in regards to wheelchair that you bring yourself are you able to use this service if you have your own...and can you transfer like on the normal busses?

Yes, it's the same buses as the regular resort transportation.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Should be modified for Florida residents. We don't do seven days in a row, but may be interested in an alternative.

MG

 

[rteetz]

Okay now that I have returned I can share my thoughts on this service. We bought the $24 for 7 days option. We used the service from 1/3-1/9. Of those 7 days I believe we actually used the service 4-5 days. Even with not using it every day its a great service and saves so much time. We traveled with a DVC member and right off the bat she said that the price of this is going to go up as soon as more word gets out. I have to agree with her. While we never encountered a full bus we encountered others using the service every time we used it. I think pricing will go up if this becomes a permanent thing.

Two improvements I wish they could make. The first would be to post the times that the buses leave for each park. I don't want to have to go up and ask every time to find out when the bus leaves. Posting the times online or on the flyer would help. The second would be something we encountered. We literally just missed the DHS bus from Epcot so the next bus was in 30 minutes. Okay, no problem, however the CM came over 15 minutes later and said the the DHS bus arrived but we had to wait until the AK bus departed. I thought that would take a couple minutes. No, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the full 30 minute before we could leave. I was a little ticked off at that.

 

[shoreward]

Two improvements I wish they could make. The first would be to post the times that the buses leave for each park. I don't want to have to go up and ask every time to find out when the bus leaves. Posting the times online or on the flyer would help. The second would be something we encountered. We literally just missed the DHS bus from Epcot so the next bus was in 30 minutes. Okay, no problem, however the CM came over 15 minutes later and said the the DHS bus arrived but we had to wait until the AK bus departed. I thought that would take a couple minutes. No, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the full 30 minute before we could leave. I was a little ticked off at that.

When I used the service in early December, I asked the CMs if the schedules were available, other than just at the check-in sites. They said that the info was not available elsewhere...one reason being that the schedules were not permanently set, at least at that time; they always had to check that day's print-out for times each day. I did ask them to pass on the suggestion of posting times online, if the service continued past the initial test period.

As for departure times, they have to stay on schedule, even if there is a bus waiting, as other guests may be counting on that schedule in their planning.

There was one time where I just missed a departure by a few minutes and had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. There was also a time when the CM checked his schedule and told me that the next bus was due to depart in ten minutes, but I ended up waiting about 20; his schedule did not match to the actual departure. It was for the first departure of the day, on that particular route.

Like many others who have used the service, I also hope that it continues. I believe, however, that Disney will need to keep the price point under control, in order to maintain acceptable load levels. While I waited for some of my departures, there were a number of guests who walked up to the check-in stands to inquire about the service. When they heard there was an extra cost and how much it was, they walked away, almost saying "thanks, but no thanks."

 

[rteetz]

When I used the service in early December, I asked the CMs if the schedules were available, other than just at the check-in sites. They said that the info was not available elsewhere...one reason being that the schedules were not permanently set, at least at that time; they always had to check that day's print-out for times each day. I did ask them to pass on the suggestion of posting times online, if the service continued past the initial test period.

As for departure times, they have to stay on schedule, even if there is a bus waiting, as other guests may be counting on that schedule in their planning.

There was one time where I just missed a departure by a few minutes and had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. There was also a time when the CM checked his schedule and told me that the next bus was due to depart in ten minutes, but I ended up waiting about 20; his schedule did not match to the actual departure. It was for the first departure of the day, on that particular route.

Like many others who have used the service, I also hope that it continues. I believe, however, that Disney will need to keep the price point under control, in order to maintain acceptable load levels. While I waited for some of my departures, there were a number of guests who walked up to the check-in stands to inquire about the service. When they heard there was an extra cost and how much it was, they walked away, almost saying "thanks, but no thanks."

Yes I saw other inquire about it as well when I was over there. I hope they take the suggestions of having a posted schedule out if the service continues. Even if they had the times on a piece of paper that would be better. I enjoyed being able to try it out.

 

[Suzanne74]

I am undecided if I would use this. I rarely purchase hoppers unless we are staying long enough to get good use of them. Otherwise we find park hopping time consuming for trips shorter than 6 days. This obviously seems like it would alleviate some issues but it all depends on how you tour a park and once again, I feel like I would have to do more planning ahead of time.

Animal Kingdom: We usually hit the safari early morning for more active animals so to go back there again seems like a lot of walking too. I think being closer to EE would have been more ideal but my guess is that it is all animals around there that would be an issue.

At Epcot, I would much prefer a location closer to Test Track/Mexico (near Odyssey) since the boat entrance is on the other side. The Epcot location saves very little time in my opinion. If we don't stay at a monorail resort, the kids ALWAYS want to take the monorail between Epcot/MK anyway. Last time it was great view to see the Epcot flowers via the monorail during the festival. I wish their was a monorail stop for park hoppers right in the middle of Epcot For now, I would still walk or use the boat from DHS to Epcot because I prefer the drop-off.

MK is a great location if you plan on ending in Tomorrowland but again, you have to plan. You don't want first FP to be Splash Mountain.

For us the location at DHS is the worst. Those with young kids are rarely down that way except for the Beauty and the Beast show. If I was at Star Tours, I would just go out the front entrance as that is the least amount of walking from the parks. But I understand the big headliners down there make it ideal for most.

We go in March and most of the time, I will be with just my 7yr old (older DD is playing at Wide World of Sports and DH will be with her) so I may get them for just us two as a trial - IF they are still this price.

 

[Suzanne74]

Okay now that I have returned I can share my thoughts on this service. We bought the $24 for 7 days option. We used the service from 1/3-1/9. Of those 7 days I believe we actually used the service 4-5 days. Even with not using it every day its a great service and saves so much time. We traveled with a DVC member and right off the bat she said that the price of this is going to go up as soon as more word gets out. I have to agree with her. While we never encountered a full bus we encountered others using the service every time we used it. I think pricing will go up if this becomes a permanent thing.

Two improvements I wish they could make. The first would be to post the times that the buses leave for each park. I don't want to have to go up and ask every time to find out when the bus leaves. Posting the times online or on the flyer would help. The second would be something we encountered. We literally just missed the DHS bus from Epcot so the next bus was in 30 minutes. Okay, no problem, however the CM came over 15 minutes later and said the the DHS bus arrived but we had to wait until the AK bus departed. I thought that would take a couple minutes. No, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the full 30 minute before we could leave. I was a little ticked off at that.

Which express location did you like the best and least? Does Epcot really make a difference

 

[sharonabe]

Two improvements I wish they could make. The first would be to post the times that the buses leave for each park. I don't want to have to go up and ask every time to find out when the bus leaves. Posting the times online or on the flyer would help.

As I read through your report, the thought came to me that there may be a reason the schedules are not posted during this testing time. My thought is they may be trying to see which schedule is the most efficient for ALL parks. What are the traffic patterns throughout the day? What time schedule works the best for each individual park with those traffic patterns? It certainly seems like they have changed up the times from day to day, so this makes sense to me from a logistical mind. Hopefully, once they have their data, they will come up with a permanent schedule for each park that truly cuts down on the time it takes to get from point A to point B.

 

[ericar]

It would be great to have departure times available on the app.

 

[AngiTN]

Yes I saw other inquire about it as well when I was over there. I hope they take the suggestions of having a posted schedule out if the service continues. Even if they had the times on a piece of paper that would be better. I enjoyed being able to try it out.

I was hoping they'd put it up on a website somewhere. That way it would be easy to update/change. But that would be expecting a lot out of Disney IT.....

I am undecided if I would use this. I rarely purchase hoppers unless we are staying long enough to get good use of them. Otherwise we find park hopping time consuming for trips shorter than 6 days. This obviously seems like it would alleviate some issues but it all depends on how you tour a park and once again, I feel like I would have to do more planning ahead of time.

Animal Kingdom: We usually hit the safari early morning for more active animals so to go back there again seems like a lot of walking too. I think being closer to EE would have been more ideal but my guess is that it is all animals around there that would be an issue.

At Epcot, I would much prefer a location closer to Test Track/Mexico (near Odyssey) since the boat entrance is on the other side. The Epcot location saves very little time in my opinion. If we don't stay at a monorail resort, the kids ALWAYS want to take the monorail between Epcot/MK anyway. Last time it was great view to see the Epcot flowers via the monorail during the festival. I wish their was a monorail stop for park hoppers right in the middle of Epcot For now, I would still walk or use the boat from DHS to Epcot because I prefer the drop-off.

MK is a great location if you plan on ending in Tomorrowland but again, you have to plan. You don't want first FP to be Splash Mountain.

For us the location at DHS is the worst. Those with young kids are rarely down that way except for the Beauty and the Beast show. If I was at Star Tours, I would just go out the front entrance as that is the least amount of walking from the parks. But I understand the big headliners down there make it ideal for most.

We go in March and most of the time, I will be with just my 7yr old (older DD is playing at Wide World of Sports and DH will be with her) so I may get them for just us two as a trial - IF they are still this price.

You are leaving out a huge part of the service's benefit, not just the location in the park. It's the skipping security/turnstiles.
And no matter where it is in the park, it's closer to the park than the bus stops are. Or at worse, no further.

 

[cakebaker]

We're here and tried express out last night. It's amazing. We did the Star Wars Dessert Buffet, watched the show and then boarded the express to the MK at 8:20. Within 15 minutes I was inside the MK for EMH's. There's no way we could've done that without the express bus. With our touring style on this trip, it's invaluable.

 

[shoreward]

When I was there in December, I was told that the last bus left at official park closing, but others have posted otherwise, since then. I had to skip SW fireworks and use Friendship boat to get over to EPCOT.

 

[rteetz]

Which express location did you like the best and least? Does Epcot really make a difference

I probably liked Epcot or DHS the best. I don't I ever used it to go from MK to another park.

 

[rteetz]

As I read through your report, the thought came to me that there may be a reason the schedules are not posted during this testing time. My thought is they may be trying to see which schedule is the most efficient for ALL parks. What are the traffic patterns throughout the day? What time schedule works the best for each individual park with those traffic patterns? It certainly seems like they have changed up the times from day to day, so this makes sense to me from a logistical mind. Hopefully, once they have their data, they will come up with a permanent schedule for each park that truly cuts down on the time it takes to get from point A to point B.

That is probably true. I think if and when this becomes permanent a time schedule should be posted. Otherwise I really enjoyed the service.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

we are heading down next week and got an e-mail yesterday about the express bus service. So glad it is going to be running for this trip - we are looking forward to trying it out.

 

[yulilin3]

we are heading down next week and got an e-mail yesterday about the express bus service. So glad it is going to be running for this trip - we are looking forward to trying it out.

I'm very eager to hear you're impressions since your family park hops a lot