This Summer, annual passholders can get a spectacular rate on the Express Bus Service at Walt Disney World, valid for over 2 months of use.
The all-new Express Transportation Summer Pass is available just to Passholders for just $59.00 per guest. This pass will go on sale June 5th through July 31st, 2017, allowing passholders to use the service in an unlimited fashion June 5th through August 10th, 2017.
For a full explanation of how the Express Bus Service works, please check out our review. The service recently raised its rates, making this Passholder offer an even more spectacular deal if you will be visiting the parks a lot now through August 10th.
It seems they are making a good deal available to those least likely to want or need the service. To my thinking this bus service is for those trying to experience all of WDW’s offerings in a day or two. AP’s are not likely needing to hop parks. Is this an valueless offer to appease APs who get the short end of the stick when making Dining Reservations or FP+ reservations compared to one time hotel guests??
It’s actually a fantastic service – much less walking, much faster inter-park transport, reliable departure times, etc. You don’t need to use it, but it’s definitely a great option.
Im an annual passholder and I love the service. It works for me especially if Im only up there for one day and I dont want to drive from park to park. I know I can have Disney do the driving and I just go back to the original park at the end of the night.
Uh no. Not really. I’m an AP holder and will definitely use this service.
I also don’t whine about not getting to make reservations early, but to each their own.
60 bucks for riding buses. From there to charging for the free resort buses is right around the corner…
@Disney Pete You do understand that this is an express service that was never offered before? No one is forcing you to buy this, it’s just a nice perk to avoid walking out of a park, waiting for the bus, then going through security all over again.
Do you understand that there’s nothing really special about this bus route and that they’re getting a taste at how many people fall for this so they can charge for all transportation? Do you understand that this should be included in the Park Hopper option just like resort buses are included with your hotel stay?
Disney loves the foolish that always fall in line no matter what they do.
Don’t they get this is pure crap , even if it does generate revenue, its things like this this that make wdw tacky, when I have to explain to my twelve yr old what exactly that sign means in black and white ,it takes away what it is we’re trying to do and that’s enjoy something holsum. Why not just enjoy the crowds having fun and relax with all the tinkering.
How dare Disney charge for a premium, and entirely optional, service!!! Walt would be rollin’ in his grave. This is nothing bit another shameless money grab!! Disney should include transportation via limo to and from anywhere in the state of Florida with the price of admission. If you don’t agree, you must be a Disney employee!!
I DON’T AGREE!!!
People that love being taken advantage of are funny. This shut up & take my money crowd is awesome.
@Disney Pete: I paid under $2/ride for using the Express. Each trip saved me an average of maybe 20 minutes (or more) because (a) I knew exactly then the bus would leave and so never waited, and (b) I didn’t have to walk out of one park all the way to the bus and then back in to another park all that way plus through security. I didn’t have to stand. I didn’t need to wonder if I’d make it on the bus. It all just worked. And over the course of the week, I saved many hours of time. I wasn’t taken advantage of – I knew exactly what I was paying for, I used it, and it was as advertised. I absolutely let them take my money, because it was a service that was worth it to me. Could I have not paid and not used the service? Sure. I could also camp in a tent at Fort Wilderness or stay off property to save money, and I could always bring all my food into the parks, and so on. But I don’t do that. I spend money to relax, which is why I go on vacation, and $29 to spend a week avoiding the outer buses between parks was easily worth it. If it became a free service, then a lot of the benefit would go away. As it stands, a week of service costs about what two counter-service meals would run. Easily worth it.
What part of “It should be included in your park hopper” & “They’re doing this to later charge for resort buses” don’t you get? Are you gonna use the same rationale when Disney begins charging for resort buses & resort parking?
If it was included in the Park Hopper, the buses would all be full, departure times would not be consistent, etc. And yes, if they start charging for resort buses – which seems exceptionally unlikely – I’d pay for that, too. WDW isn’t a place to go to save money. It costs what it costs, unfortunately. There are things I *don’t* pay for, but I *do* pay for the things that provide a benefit to me that’s either (a) worth the cost (like these buses) or (b) essentially mandatory (like an upgraded AP if I’ll be visiting during Gold Pass blackout dates). Do I wish the costs were lower, that DVD points went farther, that there were more options for Fast Passes, and so on? Sure. But complaining isn’t going to bring the prices down, and if it reaches a point I can’t afford to go, I’ll stop going. For now, though, I think the Express buses offer a great value, relative to costs of other Disney things.
You’re still doing a disservice for all parkgoers. And you’re not the only person paying for being there. Nobody is asking Disney to make something that was a paid option free.
BTW, everyone is paying for those buses. DVC (Not DVD) members pay for the buses and so do staying at the resort because it’s already included in the room price. Disney just want to charge more and separated from the room rate (without lowering room rates)
There is a very easy way to prevent “being taken advantage of”…don’t buy what Disney is selling. If you feel that you are not getting the value that you want from services and goods that Disney offers, don’t buy them! It is as simple as that. Don’t buy park tickets, don’t make hotel reservations, don’t go to Disney restaurants, don’t buy Disney merchandise, don’t pay for Disney services (such as the service being discussed), and basically keep your money. There, now Disney cannot “take advantage of you”. Sorted.
Your welcome.
Another one totally missing the point. Is like talking to those people abusing the weaknesses of the FP+ system.
The FP+ abuse is the other end of what’s wrong at Disney parks: A bunch of a-holes thinking they’re out smarting other people & Disney.
In the case of this paid bus, is the other way around: Disney trying to take advantage from people and trying to scapegoat their managerial faults by charging for things they have never charged before and the enablers that let them get away with it.
Both cases are good examples of how mindless drones inside & outside Disney parks are bringing down the value of the whole resort.
What gives you the right to decide what Disney should or should not charge for? Oh, that’s right…your buying decisions, and ONLY your buying decisions. If you do not like what Disney is selling, don’t buy it!!! If you want it, and you think it is worth the money, then buy it! Otherwise, do us all a HUGE favor, stop trolling this site, and STFU already. Put your money where your mouth is…or better yet, don’t!!! You won’t be missed in the lines at the parks.
Boy, you know you have a weak argument when you have to call someone pointing your error a troll. Do you even know what an internet troll is? Your own reply buries you.
Yes, the only way a consumer has to let a company know you dislike something they are doing is with your wallet. And people who go along with stupid, money grabbing ideas get in the way of those who use their wallets to show they don’t like those money grabbing ideas. You’re enabling & emboldening the company into making more decisions (and God knows Disney has done plenty of those decision lately) that go against the consumer and you create a fairy tale in your head as to why you go on with your behavior and in your mind make those who dislike a company’s decision the bad ones as opposed to actually seeing the company’s abuse.
And where’s the abuse? You charge extra to go into multiple park in the same day. You put barriers (for whatever the reason) for people to enter those parks and lose time doing so. Fine so far. You have a history of having free transportation throughout the resort. Then, instead of following that policy, specially since you decided one day to charge extra for the privilege of visiting more than one park in one day and that people waste so much time entering a park, you charge them even more more if they want to actually make that visit to any other park useful by charging for their transportation.
And while you refer to Walt Disney, he was squarely against destroying the sense of being inside parks by completely separating the backstage from the park. Orlando’s Magic Kingdom was painstakingly designed this way because he saw how this played out in Anaheim and made sure that didn’t happen in Orlando. This philosophy was key in his financial success.
In their money grabbing lust, this new management goes against Walt’s philosophy and puts the stops for those “special” buses in the backstage area. If you have to go against the company creator’s own philosophy for a successful business to increase your revenue, that’s the best indication that it is a cheap money grabbing attempt which should be stopped before they keep going for more.
Disney is a for profit company. They are seeking to make money. Walt Disney himself died an extremely wealthy man. If you want to visit a not-for-profit theme park, you should do so. In the meantime, Disney is going to do what they can to profit from people like you and I. If you do not care for that, you should consider taking your business elsewhere.
Just keep snorting the pixie dust , and you’ll start believing the crap you type.
Ignore Disney Pete comments
Thanks Management
Aw. Hurt feelings? Too much truth & common sense?
Being new here, I didn’t initially realize that Disney Pete is simply trolling the comments section. Either that, or he genuinely believes that the best way to stop Disney from charging more is to boycott it when they charge a reasonable price for an optional service.
As someone who has actually used the service on two separate trips, I can vouch for it being on time and convenient. Whether that’s worth $29/week (or $59/summer) to anyone is up to them. It’s not worth it to Disney Pete, it seems. It’s worth it to me. If Disney wants to continue to create entirely optional new services, I’ll evaluate each of them individually as well.
Disney will charge what it charges, and there’s nothing to be done about that. Demand is high enough that, if you don’t go, someone else will, and they’ll keep raising the prices until demand falls. That’s business. If people don’t use the Express service, Disney won’t just make it free – they’ll abandon it like those overpriced tents they set up for a while by Space Mountain. I want them to continue providing the buses, so I’ll continue to pay for them.
Is good to know I’m not alone in my sentiment. Here are some comments I’ve found around on the subject. Hopefully they won’t get mislabeled as trolls either.
“So Disney has a consistent problem with transportation regarding their extra priced hopper passes. They acknowledge that but don’t fix the problem. No, their solution is behind another paywall and people love it. That is really knowing your guests. I guess there is business sense in creating bad experiences and offering payed solution.”
“Not one more thin dime! No, no and no. Pay enough for annuals as it is and the price keeps going up. If you keep paying for these ‘added’ services eventually they’ll charge for breathing in the parks.”
“I find it ridiculous to pay extra to get in an already free bus system… Are people that much in a hurry… Your supposed to be on VACATION at Disney World and RELAXING…”
I think Disney Pete speaks sensible and totally agree with him. Hell I’d even like to buy him a beer sometime, unfortunately I’m going to wdw this fall and am unable to afford it. Perhaps I’ll go to jersey next year than I’ll have the cabbage.