FROM: Why Did Disney DO That?!? Published As Necessary

Waiting in the Rain for a Disney Bus

Like water rides? Stay at a Disney Value Resort! As Lee Beatens points out, you WILL get wet while waiting for a bus at a Value Resort because the bus stops are unsheltered. But why? Is it a dig from Disney? Nope! Says Lee, it's a perk.

- Lee Beatens, April 24, 2011

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Walt Disney World is unique of all the Disney Parks. It alone needs a fleet of buses and other transportation to get Guests from their Resorts to the attractions. And back again. Day after day, thousands of weary Guests stand for what seems like hours, waiting for that next bus.

Disney promises that every twenty minutes a new bus will arrive bound for the destination of your choice (but that's a bit of a stretch). They post signs for each Resort and Park so that you know exactly where to stand and wait.

Thanks Disney.

Value Resorts: You WILL Get Wet

Overall, this system works well, and I have always been thankful for not having to drive my car every day of my vacation. I can just relax and let someone else do the work. So if you thought I was going to rant about the bus ride itself, you're wrong. What I'm going to rant about is the decision to provide no bus shelters at the Value Resorts.

Why did Disney DO That?!?

Now, you can stand under a protruding roof for shelter from the sun and the occasional rain shower. But these are beside, and not over, where you actually stand in line. So if you want to avail yourself of such shelter, you have to give up your place.

Why don't I want to do that?

To be perfectly honest, it can be a long ride to a Park from a Resort. To stand for twenty to thirty minutes on a full bus before the inevitable ten mile walk around a Park is not high on my 'got to do' list! So being first in line has its perks, namely, a seat.

Why don't I want to wait in line without shelter?

Florida has two patterns of weather: dry and wet. When it's dry, it's hot! At times, I've had to stand in the sun for over 30 minutes before a bus came. When it's wet, it's pouring with rain! I'm not a duck, so I don't enjoy impromptu showers. Especially in public. With my clothes on.

It's All About the Aesthetics

I know I can avoid these problems by changing my habits. But that would be asking way too much of me to be reasonable, so my point is this:

Deluxe Resorts have bus shelters. Moderate Resorts have bus shelters. The Parks have bus shelters. Even Downtown Disney has bus shelters! Why not the Value Resorts?

I'm glad you asked. The answer is: Aesthetics.

Each Value Resort has a huge 'All-Star' written on the side of the building where the buses come and go. And when you pull up to the Resort, that is what you see. An extended bus shelter would ruin that 'reveal', and thus the aesthetics of the building.

So you and I, the value-conscious Guests, get to bake or drown.

Could I at least get a complimentary umbrella?

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