Question about Disney hotels...

[BaconAndAvocado]

Never stayed in one, always stayed in a villa.

Very tempted just to see what all,the fuss is about!

One of,the things that appeals is easier access to,the parks.

What is,the maximum time you might spend on a bus and which hotels generally have the best access?

[Alice Disney]

Originally Posted by BaconAndAvocado

Never stayed in one, always stayed in a villa.

Very tempted just to see what all,the fuss is about!

One of,the things that appeals is easier access to,the parks.

What is,the maximum time you might spend on a bus and which hotels generally have the best access?

See more...

I've only stayed in CBR & POR but I'd say the bus transport was similar at both.
Generally the wait for a bus would be up to 10 minutes (occasionally 20 minutes but that was rare) and the journey would be a few minutes (10-15 minutes would be my guess). The journeys never seemed long, it was a pleasure to sit on them due to the fabulous A/C.

We love staying onsite due to the free dining & 60 day FP+ booking. Plus the hotels look after you so well...
On one occasion we had some really bad luck with transport on the monorail from Grand Floridian to MK. It was very delayed & we missed HEA. When I mentioned this to the desk at POR, they gave me extra TS dining credits & 3 extra FPs for each remaining day of our stay.

Disney Magic is real!

[Floridatilly]

Originally Posted by BaconAndAvocado

Never stayed in one, always stayed in a villa.

Very tempted just to see what all,the fuss is about!

One of,the things that appeals is easier access to,the parks.

What is,the maximum time you might spend on a bus and which hotels generally have the best access?

See more...

We used to always stay in a villa. We now do a split stay starting with onsite then move to a villa.
Only stayed at POR & YC so cant comment on buses at other resorts. Never spent long a bus at either resort, it’s a pleasant ride in the air conditioning lol
Getting to MK is so much easier & quicker! MK is my favourite park but I find parking up (never seem to get near) tram, monorail or boat is a drag.
It’s like you are immersed in Disney even after leaving the parks which I love!
We seem to get more done and are more on the go when staying onsite whereas we chill out and relax more when we hit the villa.
Obviously not as much space or own private pool as you get in a villa. It is a different experience

[mattomeara]

We have stayed in a couple now and prefer them to off site, especially with the DDP etc. The transport can be slightly frustrating if the 'right' bus does not turn up quickly but this is rare. I would reccomend trying it at least then you can compare it to off site/villa.
Make sure you put time in researching where you want to stay as each resort has its good and not so good when it comes to location and transport options.

[disney332]

Staying at a Disney hotel is more than busses and travel time.

Its about diving in the pool of Disney magic and not coming up for air.

Disney332

[elliecjno1]

We stayed on site for the first time last year & loved the easy of the DDP, FP's & being in the Disney bubble. Transport wise, I like my own space & think I would lose my mind queuing for buses after HEA etc so we hire a car. I know we'll be paying to park overnight at the resort next time but the flexibility & option to pop out off site shopping etc far outweighs the cost for us.

[bighal]

As to which has easier access to the parks, well that changes depending on the park to be honest. None of them actually take that long to get, 15-20 minutes max and that includes going from AKL to MK which looks the longest distance.So.e are quicker such as 5 minutes to walk from Beach Club to Epcot or CR to MK.

[Nimbus]

Easier access to the parks is certainly something that appealed to us too. That and free dining.

Transport time is variable depending on where you are staying. For example, if you're at the Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn then it's a short 5 min walk to Epcot and a longer 15 min walk to HS. But for the buses, you generally wait about 10 or 15 minutes for the next bus and then it's a 15 or 20 minute ride to the park - and you get let off close to the entrance and not the other side of a large parking lot. On the negative side, we have once waited for over half an hour for a bus. And the buses can sometimes be busy, especially at park closing.

The deluxe resorts tend to have better access to at least one park. The monorail resorts are convenient for MK and Epcot and the Boardwalk area resorts are convenient for Epcot and HS. So these are the "best" resorts in terms of access. Unfortunately, they also tend to be fairly expensive as well.

There are other benefits in additional to easier access - Extra Magic Hours, free MagicBands, pay for things on your MagicBand, the ability to have gifts sent straight to you resort, able to watch some fireworks in the evening, great level of Disney service, the previously mentioned free dining, etc. If you do decide to try out a Disney hotel (rather than a Disney villa), then just to warn you that you may find the reduction in space from a villa a bit limiting.

[BaconAndAvocado]

Yes I agree re the space element, Nimbus.

I think we will aim to,do 5 days Disney then move to a villa for 12 days.