# Calling all OKW experts!!!



## laxmom (Jul 13, 2008)

We leave a week from today!  Whoo hooo!!  We have never stayed DVC so we are really excited.

I have a couple of specials things planned that I was lucky enough to reserve in advance.  We are doing an Illuminations cruise one night and we have ressies at Hoop Dee Doo Revue for Laxdad's birthday one night.  So, here is the question;

How to get from OKW to the Yacht Club for our cruise?  Do I take the DTD bus and then catch a bus from there to YC?

And...  How to get to Fort Wilderness from OKW?  Which is better?  OKW bus to MK, then boat to FT. Wilderness or DTD bus from OKW and bus to FT. Wilderness?  We have 9:30 ressies so do you think we will have a tough time getting home on a Sat. night?  No EMH that night.

Thanks guys!!  I can't believe that this trip is here so quick!


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## Lisa P (Jul 13, 2008)

Not an expert but glad to share anyway.  Assuming you won't have a car, since that's by far the easiest and fastest way to do these inter-resort treks......



laxmom said:


> How to get from OKW to the Yacht Club for our cruise?  Do I take the DTD bus and then catch a bus from there to YC?


That's a good option.  Remember that the buses servicing the YC are the same as the ones for the Swan, Dolphin, Beach Club and BoardWalk.  Also, if you're waiting for the bus to DTD and you see the bus to DHS first, you could take that.  Then from DHS, take the boat or walk to the Yacht Club.



laxmom said:


> How to get to Fort Wilderness from OKW?  Which is better?  OKW bus to MK, then boat to FT. Wilderness or DTD bus from OKW and bus to FT. Wilderness?


I'd choose the first:  OKW bus to MK, then boat to FWC.  Pioneer Hall, where the HDDR dinner show is performed, is just a short walk from the boat launch dock.  If you take a bus into FWC, it may be one that stops at the front of the campground and requires you to take another bus to get to the back of the campground.  That's an extra transfer and wait.



laxmom said:


> We have 9:30 ressies so do you think we will have a tough time getting home on a Sat. night?  No EMH that night.


No, you'll get back fine.  If the MK is still open, you could reverse your route with the MK boat then bus to OKW.  But if it's fireworks time, that line for the OKW bus from MK will be looooong.  If it's more than an hour past closing, it may not be possible to take this route.

The alternate route back to OKW is to go to the bus stop nearest to Pioneer Hall.  Look on the posted routes for which buses will take you to either the TTC or DTD.  Take whichever comes first.  Transfer to an OKW bus.

Have a great trip!


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## laxmom (Jul 13, 2008)

Thanks, Lisa.  I really appreciate the advice.  We won't have a car- which is a first for us.  Decided to try the Disney transportation this trip.


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## icydog (Jul 13, 2008)

TAKE A CAB!! Cabs are cheap in Orlando and I guarantee you will spend over an hour getting to the Camp Grounds from OKW on the busses. In the olden days when I first bought Disney they used to have a dedicated bus to the campground each way for the last Hoop Dee Doo show. 

You should do the same thing to get to the BC or YC. In order to get from resort to resort you MUST change buses somewhere. You can change at any park or at the ticket and trade center or at Downtown Disney. But it will take forever and really cut into your enjoyment. You are on vacation and the $5 each way is well worth an hour or more of your time.


Yes you will have a tough time getting home on a Saturday night or any night for that matter on busses. I reiterate take cabs!!!!!!


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## laxmom (Jul 13, 2008)

I am considering cabs as an option just to make it a more pleasant experience.  At least on the way home from Ft. Wilderness.  We plan on heading over to the Boardwalk for a while prior to our cruise so I may still try the buses for that one.  We are also planning to go and explore at WL and FT Wilderness for a couple of hours before our dinner so we may be ok on the way there.  I will decide once I see how smoothly transportation goes for the first part of our trip.  I may chuck it all and go for cabs!!  One thing I did do was not plan park visits on these days so we are open to head to our destinations at any time.

Thanks guys!


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 14, 2008)

laxmom said:


> I am considering cabs as an option just to make it a more pleasant experience.  At least on the way home from Ft. Wilderness.  We plan on heading over to the Boardwalk for a while prior to our cruise so I may still try the buses for that one.  We are also planning to go and explore at WL and FT Wilderness for a couple of hours before our dinner so we may be ok on the way there.  I will decide once I see how smoothly transportation goes for the first part of our trip.  I may chuck it all and go for cabs!!  One thing I did do was not plan park visits on these days so we are open to head to our destinations at any time.
> 
> Thanks guys!



I would definately take a cab over to BC/YC for your Illuminations cruise. When we did Hoop Dee Doo(early show) we had been at AK and took the bus to FW. Some very nice campers told us what bus to get on to get to Pioneer hall.

After the show we took the boat back to MK and hopped on an SSR bus there. This was Thanksgiving night(yes learned my lesson not to wait until late September to make ADR's :hysterical: ). HDDR was really the only thing available when I called. 

If you do take the buses give yourself a big cushion, like at least 1.5hrs.


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## richardm (Jul 14, 2008)

Laxmom! It's so great to see your excitement... Congrats again and have a great time!


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## Lisa P (Jul 14, 2008)

We've taken cabs at WDW before but not to FWC.  Seems to me it's always $10-$15 one-way w/tip when traveling between onsite locales, no?

When taking a cab into FWC, will the resort permit the cab to drive you all the way back to Pioneer Hall or are you dropped at the gated front check-in area and still have to take a bus back to Pioneer Hall?  I ask this because some buses from the parks will take you all the way back.  The boat ride from MK is so pleasant and it drops you off very close to Pioneer Hall.


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## Momtotwo (Jul 15, 2008)

*Did the OKW to HDH a few weeks ago..*



Twinkstarr said:


> I
> If you do take the buses give yourself a big cushion, like at least 1.5hrs.



I vote for the bus to MK and then the boat to Pioneer Hall area - walk is very easy from the dock.  We DIDN'T do this route though.. We took the boat to DTD and from there the bus to FW.  THEN the internal bus to the HDR.  Took well over one hour...    The internal bus also has many routes and lucky for us we picked the quickest one.  We were still a bit late...

I would go to MK and then take the boat over... The boats run late too - just ask the captain until what time... Quicker home is a cab though... 
never went that route..


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 15, 2008)

Momtotwo said:


> I vote for the bus to MK and then the boat to Pioneer Hall area - walk is very easy from the dock.  We DIDN'T do this route though.. We took the boat to DTD and from there the bus to FW.  THEN the internal bus to the HDR.  Took well over one hour...    The internal bus also has many routes and lucky for us we picked the quickest one.  We were still a bit late...
> 
> I would go to MK and then take the boat over... The boats run late too - just ask the captain until what time... Quicker home is a cab though...
> never went that route..



I avoid DTD buses, they are slow!!  Only time I spend anytime at DTD is when we stay at SSR and can walk. Nor would I try to get to a resort from DTD. Heard too many horror stories on DIS about 1hr+ rides to "insert resort name".


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## tomandrobin (Jul 15, 2008)

Where are you having dinner the night of your Illumination Cruise? I would have tied my dinner plans to the Illumination Cruise. I would take a cab to Yacht Club, total cost $12-$15. 

For FW I would take the MK bus, transfer to the boat to FW. Makes a great setup for the evening. I am not sure of the 1.5 hour travel time. At the most 45-50 minutes, unless there is a complete breakdown in the transportation system.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 15, 2008)

tomandrobin said:


> Where are you having dinner the night of your Illumination Cruise? I would have tied my dinner plans to the Illumination Cruise. I would take a cab to Yacht Club, total cost $12-$15.
> 
> For FW I would take the MK bus, transfer to the boat to FW. Makes a great setup for the evening. I am not sure of the 1.5 hour travel time. At the most 45-50 minutes, unless there is a complete breakdown in the transportation system.



It doesn't take 1.5hrs, but I always allow a buffer. If I have an ADR at point A at 6:00pm, I'll be waiting for my bus at 5pm. I would rather get there early and walk around.


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## laxmom (Jul 16, 2008)

*Another question!!*

Thanks guys!  Good advice.  We will try the buses with plenty of cushion.  We do want to explore FW and BW prior to our "events".  We don't really have dinner plans and may eat an early dinner in our room and grab a snack at the Boardwalk that evening.  I will do the bus thru MK but be open to a taxi should things look like the buses are on melt down that week.

Now, next question.  Laxdad will have to check in with work via internet.  We are DVC members but are staying on an exchange.  Will there be an internet fee?  His company will pay it but I was just curious.


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## icydog (Jul 16, 2008)

laxmom said:


> Thanks guys!  Good advice.  We will try the buses with plenty of cushion.  We do want to explore FW and BW prior to our "events".  We don't really have dinner plans and may eat an early dinner in our room and grab a snack at the Boardwalk that evening.  I will do the bus thru MK but be open to a taxi should things look like the buses are on melt down that week.
> 
> Now, next question.  Laxdad will have to check in with work via internet.  We are DVC members but are staying on an exchange.  Will there be an internet fee?  His company will pay it but I was just curious.



Good question. We will be in the same boat in Sept. When you find out will you pls let us know? Thanks


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## icydog (Jul 16, 2008)

If you think riding on buses would be an adventure then go for it. I know lots of folks who love the experience. I, for one, having been there a million times, wouldn't even consider a multi-transportation journey from one resort to the other. Is it worth your time. It may be if you plan on spending time in each place you land in say the Magic Kingdom or the TTC. But to take buses to save a few dollars on vacation is counter productive in my opinion. Figure a cab costs $14-$15 including tip. Divide that by a family of four and your cost is less than $4 a person. YOU get there in a fraction of the time and you will give yourself more time to look around if you want. But as I said, if you want to try it for "fun" this time-- be my guest:ignore:


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## laxmom (Aug 1, 2008)

*Reporting Back post OKW!!*

Just have to tell you guys how much fun we had!  It was such a great trip.  Your advice really helped guys!  We did the boat on our way to HDDR and when we came out, they had buses parked to take us back to our resort.  They asked which resort we were going to and off we went, right to our bus stop at OKW.  We ended up in the Turtle Pond area and loved it there.  So convenient to the pool and the bus stop.

We had dinner at Flying Fish one night; absolutely fantastic!  We did an Illuminations Cruise that night.  What a wonderful evening.  The next day, we were given Ultimate Dream Fast Passes to MK; we were able to almost walk on all the major rides.  That was really nice.

We loved OKW!!  The resort was so well maintained and our room was immaculate!  I can't believe the resort has aged so well!  CM's were very friendly and eager to help with whatever we needed.  We would have been charged the daily internet fee if we had not been DVC members.  We just had to go to the front desk and get it corrected.  We also used our DVC card on several occasions for meal discounts.  We asked at the front desk and they advised us that we could.

Thanks for your help, guys!  Your advice helped make our trip truly magical!!


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## RumpleMom (Aug 8, 2008)

I'm happy to hear you liked OKW, our home resort.  We have always had great stays there.

Our second favorite place is HHI. Great minds think alike?


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