The Disney bus system is clearly not up to the task of moving people when it’s busy (greater then 6 out of 10). The bus arrival times are inconsistent and the wait can be longer than 20 minutes. We used a taxi (that was sitting right at the Port Orleans main building) to get to the Contemporary for a Chef Mickey dinner reservation at 6:10pm. It was great. Very quick and door to door. It was $13.60 and I gave him a $20. Best $20 I spent all week.
Taking a taxi to MK is not feasible as you have to go the Contemporary and then walk over. Might as well wait for the bus. But I’m thinking that next time we’ll use the taxis to get to AK, HS and Epcot. Depends how much time you can waste waiting for the busses.
The other annoying thing with Riverside busses is that they go in the wrong direction when returning from the parks. They drive right by the South (main) depot, go around riverside to pick up more people in an already packed bus, and then stop at the South depot last. EVERY bus we rode had at least 80% of the people get off at the South depot. Their path is neither logical or economical. All they would need to do is to have the riders tell the driver which stop they want and then he or she can adjust the route. It would be better for everyone.
The walk from Contemporary to Mk is less than 10 minutes. Maybe up to 15 if you have young children not in a stroller. And the security check is much quicker than the bus one. Might still be worth it.
You know I have stayed at the Port of New Orleans Riverside and my wife and I love it. The bus service to and from is iffy but that’s to be expected especially at a time where everyone seems to want to leave for a park. We have stayed at CB, Pop, and even Poly. Bus service is close to the same. When we were there the buses didn’t always pick up in the same order. Different drivers seem to go different routes. Poly of coarse uses the Mono but you know recently one of them always seems to be broken down. They are unreliable. In the mornings Disney generally provides a Cast member at bus stops with a connection to dispatch. Some times the bus you may be looking for shows up right away and maybe two or three to the same park in a row. Sometimes you must wait for up to 30 minutes but that is rare. Everyone wants to get to their park as fast as possible but patience is the key. Now at park closing, if you wait until the last minute expect long waits and standing room only. Disney drivers are told to pack their buses at this time to get as many people as possible back to there resorts. It’s not fun being packed in but at the end of the night people will deal with it to catch that bus that is waiting. Now I am from the Midwest and we were raised with manors when it comes to women, children, and older folks having to stand, so most of us will offer our seats so that they may sit. Many other area’s of the US will do the same but some were raised differently I guess. BYW I am 68 years old. Summing this up. Be patient and courteous to others and enjoy the Magic. That’s what you came for and so did they.