Getting to the parks from Pop Century

[skooby]

ANybody have any feedback or advice on getting to the parks from Pop Century? I am going the last week of August, 23-30th. My kids will be 11 and 8 so I don't have any strollers or anything. What kind of experience am I in for?

[disneydame2004]

Pop Century has WDW bus service to all the parks. There is a bus stop outside the main building where the food court/gift shop is. Normally, buses run every 20 minutes or so (a little longer during the mid-day). They will bring you to the bus depots just outside the turnstiles at each park.
All Disney buses are crowded first thing in the morning and at park closing, but they shouldn't be too bad the rest of the time, especially that time in August.

Have a great trip!

[skooby]

Thank you very much.

[mritty]

ANybody have any feedback or advice on getting to the parks from Pop Century? I am going the last week of August, 23-30th. My kids will be 11 and 8 so I don't have any strollers or anything. What kind of experience am I in for?

I have no problem with the bus transportation from POP, but others complain that the busses are too crowded. Yes, they are crowded in the morning and evening, but who cares. It's 20 minutes out of your entire day. Be prepared that you may be standing on the bus. And everywhere except the Studios, Pop's is the last or second-to-last bus stop, so you'll also have the furthest walk. On the plus side, no Pop Century bus ever shares a route with any other hotel, so you never have to pick anyone else up, and there will never be people already on your bus when it goes to pick you up.

There are five stops outside the Classic Hall (main resort lobby/gift shop/food court), one each for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Studios. Downtown Disney and Typhoon Lagoon share a bus, and Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach also share a bus (in both cases, the water park is the first stop).

My worst wait ever was about 35-40 minutes when I left Typhoon Lagoon in the middle of the day. When I was there this past August, my sister and I left the Magic Kingdom with the herd at park closing, and found what looked like it would be a 2 hour long line for our bus at the Pop stop. Fortunately, Disney had us covered, and no less than 7 busses arrived within 20 minutes. The entire wait took us *maybe* 25 minutes from getting to the line to getting on the bus.

The resort is fairly close to the Studios and Epcot, each about 10 minutes away. Animal Kingdom is a little longer, maybe 15 minutes. Magic Kingdom is the furthest, probably 20-25 minutes, depending on how many red lights your driver manages to miss on the way.

Overall, the transportation is reliable, fast, and convenient. It should not be a concern as you plan your trip.

Hope this helps,
Paul Lalli

[skooby]

Thanks for the great info. This is going to be my family's second trip, but our first staying on Disney. It is comforting to know that getting around to the parks won't be something that will detract from the magic of Disney.

[mattj4226]

I'm going to "mooch" off of this thread:
I'm going down next week and I'll be staying at Pop and using WDW transportation. About how early should I be there to ensure that I can beat the crowds at the bus stop? I want to beat the crowds so I can be at the park at least 30 minutes before the parks open.

[mritty]

I'm going down next week and I'll be staying at Pop and using WDW transportation. About how early should I be there to ensure that I can beat the crowds at the bus stop? I want to beat the crowds so I can be at the park at least 30 minutes before the parks open.

In general, I'd say arrive at the bus stop 30-40 minutes before you want to arrive at the park. Especially in the morning, busses run very frequently, about 15-20 minutes between each. So if you want to make sure you're there 30 minutes before opening, I'd get to the bus stop about an hour before opening.

[momike]

One thing we like about the Pop busses is that they are strictly for this resort and do not stop at any other resort. The longest wait we have had was after Fantasmic where the line stretched pass two other lines. At took 45 minutes, but one bus after another loaded passengers. Normally 20 minutes was longest wait.

[mousehouseguy]

I will agree with everyone.......take the shuttle!

[InStitches]

Of all the resorts we have stayed, the bus service has been better at Pop. Since there is only one stop, you know that when you get on, you're going straight to the park. At POFQ and Coronado Springs (probably some others also) if you are not at the first stop, you may not get a seat.

[elvistelth]

I prefer to just drive from the hotel to the parks...it's free with a resort pass anyway. I hate the busses.

[bigpodcastfan]

The buses realy are just fine. There is wait but where is there not a wait at DW. Usually the busy parks have several buses that come by so you don't wait forever. I feel renting a car to go to parks is a waste of money.

[elvistelth]

I don't rent a car...I live in Florida so I bring my own. I wouldn't rent one if I lived out of state...my comments were directed to those who live in driving distance.

[iggyaa]

oops - duplicate post

[iggyaa]

I have a different scenario. We'll be staying at Pop Dec 6-12. I'll have my 4 year-old-twins, who will need to go back to the hotel every day for a nap. I'm expecting that I will take them (and hopefully a double stroller) back by myself each day, then return to the parks to meet the other adults for dinner. I'm mostly concerned about all the time the waiting and riding will use up during our day, but I'm also a little nervous about dealing with tired and cranky kids and a stroller. Would we be better off renting a car and driving each day? I've always used the bus transportation in the past, but I've never gone with children. Does this scenario change the recommendation of bus vs car? Also, what's it like getting from the parking lots to the parks? Is that a hassle in and of itself?

thanks,
Alicia