I’m not giving away money. Gotta get that off my chest right off the bat. (Free money seems to be part of the games recently, and, well, I’m just not that rich!)
But…for those who have stayed at multiple locations on Disney property, I’m curious as to which resort(s) you would pick if you could ONLY base your decision on the quality of the Disney transportation (no Ubers, Lyfts, Minnie Vans, or driving your own vehicle!). For the sake of argument, let’s say the resorts all have the same exact amenities in all other ways. Also, presume this is for a trip where you will be spending a roughly equal amount of time in all of the parks.
And after you make your choice (or choices), please explain why.
I think I’m going to go with Poly. Multiple transportation options at your doorstep - monorail, boat, bus - and location allows easy access to two parks since you can walk to TTC.
Having not stayed at Poly or Contemporary, Boardwalk is my winner. So easy to get to Epcot and Hollywood.
Only transportation issue with Boardwalk is for race weekends it shares the bus back from the race with Beach Club, Dolphin and Swan and it’s the last stop!
BC or Poly. BC has the easy walk to Epcot, nice boat ride to HS (or walk but we were there in July where it wasn’t a real appealing walk) and our bus service at BC was exemplary everywhere else we went.
Poly has a variety of options to get to MK quickly plus the easy monorail to Epcot. Don’t recall any bus issues, but it was long enough ago I’m sure it’s changed 5 times since then anyway so it’s likely not material. Guess I’d lean BC between those two, but it’s relatively close…
My kids are older and we really like the EPCOT area. This time it will be BWI because it has the room type I want, but we also really liked YC.
This area is great for park hopping- we always pair MK or AK with DHS or EP because we like a mid-day break, and that way the most we’ll need the bus for for is one round-trip per day. And just walk to the other two parks.
The best Disney transportation is no Disney transportation.
We prefer the Boardwalk area for easy access to Epcot and HS. I think all of the Disney transportation is great…once you actually get to board. Waiting for the opportunity to board is the annoying part, never knowing how long it will actually be. With boardwalk area, you can always walk. Even in hot weather, we do just that rather than waiting for a boat. Unless the boat arrives within a few minutes of when you start walking, you’ll get where you’re going faster by walking. Throw in the walking access to all the restaurants in the area and this is a clear winner for me.
What I don’t like is the free-for-all style bus waiting areas to get to MK and AK. I wish they could dedicate a little more space to bus stops like the value resorts to have an organized line to wait in vs the mad rush to get on the bus, especially when buses are shared.
Depending on how the sky ovens work out in practice, my answer might change to Pop/AoA, if they can get me to Epcot/HS as fast as I can walk from boardwalk area.
I prefer walking to standing and waiting, just like I prefer driving a longer distance to sitting in heavy traffic on a shorter route (even if the total time is the same)
I think I would go with any of the MK resorts, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Contemporary. I haven’t stayed in any yet, but my trip in November is at WL. I just think the proximity to the premiere park is enough for me. But the Contemporary having the monorail puts it over the top for me.
I also vote for the Polynesian. It was my second choice for my upcoming trip but we really want a 2-bedroom. You are on the MK monorail line, but you can walk to the TTC to get the Epcot monorail. You could also walk to the ferry or express monorail as well. The Contemporary is really only great for walking to MK, otherwise you have to transfer monorails to get to Epcot.
Okay. You didn’t know it, but you were being judged. No, no, not in that “judge not, lest ye be judged” sense. I compiled the most popular responses and did some calculations of “average” times for transportation, adding up the time to each of the parks (including DS) to see which one comes out on top. Of course, this does presume you are visiting each park equally. Obviously, your individual results may vary based on if you decide to frequent Epcot more than MK, etc!
Anyhow:
If you include DS:
In fourth place, with a total of 135 minutes: The Contemporary
In third place, with a total of 124 minutes: The Polynesian
In second place, with a total of 115 minutes: The Boardwalk.
And in first place, with a total of 90 minutes: Beach Club!
Now, if you do NOT include DS, the results are slightly different:
Fourth, with 97 minutes: The Polynesian
Third, with 88 minutes: The Contemporary
Second, with 75 minutes: The Boardwalk
And first, with only 67 minutes: Beach Club!
I now realize, after tallying the results, that this really isn’t fair. I only did a one-way comparison. I should take the time to add in the trip BACK as well, to see if it balances out better in some cases. More data to follow!
