Best transportation Hotel Debate About This Page:

[Jciambor]

After doing extensive research I have named the two best transportation hotels on Disney property. I haven't been to these two though it isn't as hard to figure out what hotel has the best transportation than personal favorite. Because it isn't based on taste its based on the geographical location of your hotel and access to other Disney Parks, and other on-site activities.

Two Best Hotels For Transportation

Beach Club

Polynesian

Polynesian Pros: Easy Monorail access to Magic Kingdom, and through the transportation center Epcot. Easy access to the offerings of Grand Floridian and Polynesian.

Cons: Sharing buses with Grand Floridian and Contemporary. This can be especially tedious when taking long drives to Animal Kingdom.

Beach Club Pros: Ferry access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Also Beach Club is within walking distance to Epcot. From their you can take the Epcot monorail to the transportation center then to the Magic Kingdom. A walk away from Boardwalk and its sister resort Yacht Club .

Cons: Not any that I can think of let me know if there is any.

I choose Beach Club because of its access to Epcot not only for that park but the monorail you can use to get to the Magic Kingdom.

This thread asks for your opinion what do you think is the best of the two.

[jenjen1127]

I agree with your choices but have to add that the Boardwalk is just about as convenient with BC and at the Contemporary you can hop on the monorail just like at the Polynesian. They are all wonderful.

[Sue M.]

I think AKL has good transportation because it doesn't share bus service with other resorts.

[Jciambor]

Originally Posted by Sue M.

I think AKL has good transportation because it doesn't share bus service with other resorts.

Really? I thought AKL's biggest con was that it was far away from every Disney park and on-site activity with the exception of the Animal Kingdom. I guess time in transportation really makes a difference when your not sharing it with other hotels. Keep in mind CSR doesn't have any other resort stops.

[Caldercup]

Originally Posted by Sue M.

I think AKL has good transportation because it doesn't share bus service with other resorts.

I agree, Sue. The AKL has always had lots of buses coming through their pick-up areas (both at the resort and at the parks) and the extra five minutes in actual driving time was always off-set by the fact we didn't have to stop anywhere else at other resorts to drop off/pick up guests. Plus, the buses tend to be less crowded and I am generally able to get a seat.

While I love the Beach Club, the need to stop at the Yacht Club was always a bummer. Same goes for the Poly, although a quick walk over to the TTC can sometimes speed things up a little. Personally, I would say there's a trade-off with almost any resort -- you either have to share, or you have a longer trip, or the buses are more crowded.

My fav (for many, many reasons) is actually POFQ. The transportation has always been superb, it's centrally-located and the addition of a boat to DtD is a real plus for me. But... like all things, these are personal tastes and what one person likes, another won't appreciate.
Eileen

[Teresa]

I think whether you like one or the other for ease of transportation depends on where you will be spending most of your time.
My family tends to spend most of our time at EPCOT and DHS. We don't really like AK for more than a day, and MK is great - it's just not where we spend most time.
So, for us, it's BWI.

Now, when the youngest kids were younger, we tended to like Poly and GF more - easier access to MK and all transport (through TTC)

[Tonichelle]

depends on which park you're looking at... if AKL is your main want then AKL and CSR have teh shortest times...

I like the resorts that don't share with others... and have quick, friendly, and available service... comparing CSR with WL's buses = CSR wins, hands down. We waited far too long for any bus for any park to come at WL... same went for being at a park waiting for a bus from WL to come... CSR not so much.

[chezp]

I agree with your choices, but I do think you need to add the BoardWalk in (buses stop there before the Beach Club, so you've more chance of getting on at that resort) and the Contemporary, which we found to be extremely convenient on our stay earlier this year.

[Sue M.]

Originally Posted by Jciambor

Really? I thought AKL's biggest con was that it was far away from every Disney park and on-site activity with the exception of the Animal Kingdom. I guess time in transportation really makes a difference when your not sharing it with other hotels. Keep in mind CSR doesn't have any other resort stops.

I found the bus service at AKL very good, busses came quickly, no big line-ups, and really the ride from AKL to MK was only 20 minutes. Not very long IMO. So, no I didn't feel I was very far away from anything.
I haven't stayed at CSR, so can't comment on it.
I have stayed at CBR, POR & WL as well and really don't have an issue with any bus transportation. For the most part I found it all good.
I enjoyed the boat to DTD at POR, and the boat to MK at WL.

[jimmymac]

I think the bus service from BC is horrible. We got so fed up a few years ago that we now get a car every trip

[amywma]

Originally Posted by Tonichelle

depends on which park you're looking at... if AKL is your main want then AKL and CSR have teh shortest times...

I like the resorts that don't share with others... and have quick, friendly, and available service... comparing CSR with WL's buses = CSR wins, hands down. We waited far too long for any bus for any park to come at WL... same went for being at a park waiting for a bus from WL to come... CSR not so much.

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge over Columbus Day week, and didn't have to wait very long at all for any transportation. I guess we just hit it right! And the boat ride to Magic Kingdom was wonderful.

[tikiman]

My favorite debate. I know people have the perception of the Epcot resorts being close to everything and I do love the Epcot resorts almost as much as the monorail resorts. I find walking into Epcot enjoyable and somewhat easy from the Epcot resorts but for me that is where the ease of transportation stops. I did some time studies and I will share my opinion based on experience of staying at 4 of the Epcot resorts 6 different times.
You said you could not think of any cons. Well for me the cons of the Beach Club/ Yacht Club area were this. The busses were not ideal when sharing with 5 resorts (Beach Club being the last and the most full on the line). Busses got so bad we avoided them when we could. The boat that I enjoy riding is some of the slowest transportation on property. If you take the boat from the Beach Club to the Studios you have to stop at the Boardwalk and the Swan/ Dolphin before getting to the Studios. On the way back we seem to always wait a long time at the Studios for a boat. In 2006 we got in line as Fantazmic started (we could hear it) and the boat got to the dock as the ending fireworks went off. That was how long we waited for a boat.
Walking to the parks can be fun but if it is brutally hot or raining it can be a tough walk especially with small kids. Now we go into Epcot early and walking from the Yacht Club to Future World (since that is all that is open early) took 17 minutes from room to the edge of Future World. We did a time study once. Now to get from our room at the Polynesian, onto the monorail and over to Future world took almost exactly the same time but 8 minutes of that was riding the monorail inside dry or cool.
You can read more about the time study we did and some comparisons of the transportation between the two. http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/planning-quick/quick-getting-around

Or see more about the Polynesian’s transportation options here http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/amenities-quick/quick-transportation

Hope this helps

[Mystic]

Originally Posted by Jciambor

Polynesian Pros: Easy Monorail access to Magic Kingdom, and through the transportation center Epcot. Easy access to the offerings of Grand Floridian and Polynesian.

The Poly also has a walking path to the TTC which gives guests access to both the Epcot monorail and both MK monorails (the resort and the express) and the ferry that runs from the TTC to the MK. IT also has a small water launch that runs between MK, GF and the Poly which is a nice way to get around.

[AGentlRose]

My problem with transportation from The Beach Club is that it is the 4th stop on a bus line that shares with 4 other resorts. Swan and Dolphin, not Disney owned resorts, get what I call preferrential treatment because they are picked up before any Disney owned resorts. Of course if you are going to be mostly visiting Epcot or the Studios, then the Beach Club is great.

My favorite resort is the Polynesian and I consider the transportation good, not excellent or very good, because it is also the last pickup (except for going to DTD) on a bus shared with either The Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge. We actually chose the WL for our Jan trip, but when the 40% off for Disney Visa card holders came through the category we had for WL was not available and I was able to the Polynesian Club Level with the discount.


Typing from the Grand Californian Disneyland
The pro about the Poly for us is having the option to take the boat launch back to the resort from MK. I have COPD and have a hard time climbing stairs and ramps and the MK ramp kills me every time It all depends on your own personal needs to determine which hotel has the best transportation.

If I had to pick the best, I would have to agree with Sue and say AKL because your bus goes just to your resort.

[tikiman]

Originally Posted by AGentlRose

My problem with transportation from The Beach Club is that it is the 4th stop on a bus line that shares with 4 other resorts. Swan and Dolphin, not Disney owned resorts, get what I call preferrential treatment because they are picked up before any Disney owned resorts. Of course if you are going to be mostly visiting Epcot or the Studios, then the Beach Club is great.

My favorite resort is the Polynesian and I consider the transportation good, not excellent or very good, because it is also the last pickup (except for going to DTD) on a bus shared with either The Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge. We actually chose the WL for our Jan trip, but when the 40% off for Disney Visa card holders came through the category we had for WL was not available and I was able to the Polynesian Club Level with the discount.


Typing from the Grand Californian Disneyland
The pro about the Poly for us is having the option to take the boat launch back to the resort from MK. I have COPD and have a hard time climbing stairs and ramps and the MK ramp kills me every time It all depends on your own personal needs to determine which hotel has the best transportation.

If I had to pick the best, I would have to agree with Sue and say AKL because your bus goes just to your resort.

Now some years ago and different times of the year the Polynesian bus system changes up tis routs. Years ago it use to be WL then Poly then GF and in some odd cases it has been different arrangements but the standard bus order for the Polynesian is Contemporary, Poly and GF. That puts the GF last for the busses just like the monorail which means that much of the time the GF guests end up with a full bus of monorail for their stop.