We have a 6:15 Hoop Dee Doo Revue reservation after a day of touring Hollywood Studios. I have read a lot of info about boats and buses, etc and have decided we will take this route:
Hollywood studios bus to Contemporary
Contemporary Boat to Ft Wilderness
Enjoy HDDR
Ft Wilderness Boat to Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge (where we’re staying)
My questions:
Where is the boat launch at Contemporary? Is it easy to find once we get off the bus? (never been)
I think we take the Blue Flag from Contemporary to Ft Wilderness, anyone know?
Is my boat/bus ride back to AKL the right thing to do? (if we want free transportation)
Is the boat from Ft Wilderness to MK the green flag?
I’m 19 days away from my trip and getting down to the little details! I have 2 little boys and it’s going to be a long day so I don’t want to get to The Contemporary and lead them on a wild goose chase because I dont know where to go. Thank you!
Why not just take HS bus straight to FW? We did that in January, but from AK and it worked great.
That being said, the CR boat launch is easy to find - just walk through main lobby/check-in area and out the back of the building and the boat launch is on the other side of the pool (you walk past a topiary and the pool bathrooms, but you’ll see it).
I can’t remember which flag colors are which, but there are signs and you can always ask the boat captain. Yes, the boat/bus ride back is probably the best thing to do, but there will be a line for that boat (at least there was for us in Jan) because that’s how a lot of people get back to their home resort or cars. All it means is you may have to wait for a boat or two. I guess another option if the line is crazy long is to take the CR boat and then walk over to MK (if you’ve still got a little walk left in you).
There is also clear signage for which boat to take when you’re leaving FW. I can’t remember the colors, but as you walk towards and are facing the water, the line to MK boat will be on the left and the boat to CR will be on your right.
Sounds like we are going at the same time. I’ve got 17 days and all I want to do is Disney plan . . . must get back to work! 
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I might suggest HS to WL and then boat over to FW - that way you don’t have to deal with the internal bus service at FW (if you went from HS to FW). Plus it is shorter from WL to FW than CR to FW. You could even walk from WL to FW (but probz not with 2 little boys) Everything else looks good
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Thanks guys! Good info. I read somewhere that the boat from Contemporary drops you right at HDDR and the boat from Wilderness Lodge to Ft Wilderness still requires a walk. Is that inaccurate? If so, a bus to WL, then shorter boat to Ft Wilderness makes sense. I haven’t been to WDW since 1999 and have never been to any of these resorts so I’m planning blindly! 
oh. I thought they dropped you off at the same dock. I think there is a short walk from dock no matter where you are coming from.
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It’s the same boat. The blue flag boat runs between Ft. Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. The green flag boat runs between MK and Ft. Wilderness.
Also, don’t forget that if you’re running late, call a Minnie Van. While expensive, they are the only form of transportation that can drop you off literally right in front of Pioneer Hall where Hoop de Doo is located.
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The boat dock at the Contemporary is straight through the lobby to the back, and past the marina.
There is only one boat dock at FW. Be aware that from the Contemporary, there are sometimes two boats running in opposite ways around Bay Lake. So one will go to WL first and then FW; the other will go to FW first. But either will get you there.
If you went to WL by bus, you would need to be careful not to get the MK boat. And the walking path is closed due to the new “Reflections” construction.
A bus to FW will require a change onto the internal shuttle.
As for getting back, if you go to the last show, they will have buses to take you back. Last time we went it had changed to take everyone to the MK and you then transferred to your own resort bus.
Finally, be aware that in the event of lightning, all boats will stop running. So although I would take the bus from DHS to either WL or Contemporary, if it looks like it may rain heavily with lightning, be prepared to change your plans.
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yea and last time we went from AK to FW by bus, to see HDDR, it was easy peasy! We did luck out and the internal bus showed up like 2 minutes after we stepped off bus from AK
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If I take the bus to WL, can I take the boat from WL to Ft Wilderness as @JonMcIntosh indicates below? Is it easy to get from the bus at WL to the boat that takes me to Ft Wilderness?
Yes you can.
And again, you would walk through the lobby of WL (hint: allow time to be awe-struck, and allow time later in your trip to return because you will want to when you see it - so much to explore at WL) and follow the path past the pool to the Geyser and then left onto the wooden walkway to the dock.
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You can even plan to take the lodge tour - 9 AM many days of the week.
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Lol!! They end up hating it??? Or just have a very different personality than me.
Every time ive got it figured out a new question forms in my head and inevitably leads to 10 more questions and 4,092 more hours adjusting my TPs.
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Boat to MK = have to clear security upon disembarking just as FYI
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I’m pretty sure Contemporary and WL use the same boat to Ft. Wilderness.
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This thread made me chuckle. WDW is great at so many things, yet transportation is a bit of a mess at times.
Personally, I would do this:
HS bus to FW
Drops you off at the Outpost.
Bus from Outpost to Settlement (any and all internal buses will get you there)
Short walk to Pioneer Hall
Buses run frequently, in my experience.
And, as someone pointed out earlier, there will be no weather concerns if you stick with buses.
Enjoy! HDDR is the best.
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Just don’t follow my transportation example. It was mostly done on purpose because DS2 at the time wanted to ride all the vehicles. He was melting down after lunch at MK, so it was my turn to take him back to the hotel for a nap at AoA. Here is our trip, the best I can remember it:
- Walk from Pecos Bill to the Frontierland train station.
- Train to Main Street
- Monorail to TTC.
- Monorail back to MK.
- Monorail to TTC.
- Bus to Disney Springs.
- Bus to Grand Floridian.
- Monorail to MK.
- Bus to AoA
I really should have taken the ferry, but I thought we should probably get back for nap time. 
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If taking the two bus option, bus from HS to WL and then bus from WL to FW, the bus from WL to FW drops you off just a short walk to Pioneer Hall (in other words, you don’t have to then take the internal bus to get there like you would if you got the bus to FW from other sources like from HS directly). So this would not involve 3 busses in case that was a concern to anyone. Good option if it’s raining and the boats aren’t running.
There is an art station set up under the covered walkway near the WL bus stops where you can make tie-dye Mickey shirts on certain afternoons for like $18. Ours turned out actually really cool and they wrap them up really nice so not messy to pack with you. In case you have a few minutes to kill waiting for a bus or walking to the boat.
