[unamadreditre]

All ears says the launch from the Contemporary to the Wilderness Lodge operates seasonally. What does this mean?? Which season?? Does it usually operate the first part of June?

[Daisee]

We always travel in early June, and the boats are running then.

[unamadreditre]

Thanks Daisee, I'm trying to figure out some dining options but I don't want to have to take the bus. The launch would make dining at Wilderness Lodge so much easier.

We've never been in early June. Just how bad are the crowds? We've always done WDW in the winter but now with two in high school, we have to wait until the kids are out of school.

[Soundgod]

Seasonally? Yes, it only runs in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. I guess if it's down in the 30's they won't run the open Navigator class launches.
Also, I believe if they did cancel this service, they'd be forced to run buses on the route from Contemporary/WL/FW.
I wouldn't worry about June.

[Daisee]

Originally Posted by unamadreditre

Thanks Daisee, I'm trying to figure out some dining options but I don't want to have to take the bus. The launch would make dining at Wilderness Lodge so much easier.

We've never been in early June. Just how bad are the crowds? We've always done WDW in the winter but now with two in high school, we have to wait until the kids are out of school.

I do know that if severe weather is in the area such as lightening, they will suspend all boat travel until it passes through.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by Daisee

I do know that if severe weather is in the area such as lightening, they will suspend all boat travel until it passes through.

That is true, and I was going to post myself, but we're talking about a very heavy lightning loaded storm. Also, in extremely high winds, they'd have to suspend as well.

[DisneyTeacher]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

Also, I believe if they did cancel this service, they'd be forced to run buses on the route from Contemporary/WL/FW.

Why is that? Most of the resorts don't have direct transportation to other resorts so why would they have to make that a bus route if the boat didn't run? If there wasn't a boat from WL to CR we could always go tot MK and walk to CR, same as from any resort.

[unamadreditre]

Thanks for all the good info. All ears just really had me puzzled saying that it only ran seasonally. I knew you all could straighten it out for me.

[Soundgod]

That was a highly speculative statement I made about substitute service.
But the case for it is sound. It's not creating a service that doesn't exist, it's a foul weather alternate. You've already got guests in motion, guests who have already arrived at FW and will need to return to Contemporary and FW guests over at Contemporary( who probably don't even know they can walk to MK. But then again, if the weather is so bad that the launches are suspended, it's too foul to walk from Contemporary to MK.
Service back to WL isn't as hard as the two already share most buses anyway.

[Daisee]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

That is true, and I was going to post myself, but we're talking about a very heavy lightning loaded storm. Also, in extremely high winds, they'd have to suspend as well.

Heavy or not, if lightening is in the vicinity, they suspend service. We have experienced this before first hand.

[Soundgod]

The little boats or the big boats too? What about the ferries? Friendships?

I know I've been at Cedar Point when there was lightning in the area and they'd shut down most of the coasters for safety's sake and HersheyPark has their own Doppler radar and shut down their tall rides when lightning is near.

[DisneyTeacher]

We've been on the bigger launch in a storm but that was before the bus route was in place. They may shut the launch down a little quicker now that there is a regular bus route.

[Daisee]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

The little boats or the big boats too? What about the ferries? Friendships?

I know I've been at Cedar Point when there was lightning in the area and they'd shut down most of the coasters for safety's sake and HersheyPark has their own Doppler radar and shut down their tall rides when lightning is near.

I'm talking about the big boats that travel between OKW & DDT, WL, FW, & Contemporary, etc. The captains shut them down with lightening. They get a radio signal to dock until further notice. They of course run in the rain, wind, but NO lightening. Safety first..

[Soundgod]

There's the open boats and then there's the really big boats (Castaways, Bon Voyage, and Mermaid III) with cabins and air conditioning, h/c roll on-roll off, and room for 120 passengers.
For open boats, there's the extra large pontoon boats from PO/OKW to DTD, plus a few of them on Seven Seas Lagoon that they use for the pirate cruises and at park close when the whole world is in the Magic Kingdom. Then there's Navigator/Adventurer/Mariner (and the other three)(the oversized Jungle Cruise boats) that run from MK to the monorail resorts and the Bay Lake hotel shuttle.
I'm just curious because I've been lucky enough to not have face weather interruption on boats (or monorail either).

[zefyr]

I've been on the little boats that go from the MK to the GF/Poly in a lightning storm. In fact two years ago it happened. It was cool and scary at the same time.