Skip to main content

Walt Disney World Transportation Information

One of the perks of staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel is the complimentary transportation. From the moment you step off the plane, everything has been taken care of for you: Disney's Magical Express will take you from the Orlando International Airport to your resort, and you have a variety of methods to travel to and from the Disney parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.  Learn more about Disney's Magical Express here. 

If you have not been before, here is a guide to understanding how Walt Disney World transportation operates. You'll also find friendly Cast Members who are happy to help direct you, should you have questions while on vacation. 

Transportation Basics

You can travel directly between:
  • Park to Park:  mostly by bus. Going between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot is by Monorail, and you also have the option to take the boat, Skyliner or walk between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
  • Resort to Park: mostly by bus. Most Deluxe and Moderate Resorts also have an alternative form of transportation for at least one park- such as Monorail, Skyliner, boat, or walking path.
  • Resort to Disney Springs: mostly by bus (Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West have boats as well)
You CANNOT go directly from resort to resort, or from Disney Springs to the theme parks.

Resort to Resort:  You'll need to take two methods of transportation.
  • You can take the first bus that arrives to any park or Disney Springs. From there, you can transfer to the resort you wish to visit.
  • If you are going to a Deluxe Resort, you may want to go to the park nearest that resort, and take the alternative transportation from that park to the resort. For example, when going to the Contemporary, you could take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, and then either walk or take the Monorail to your final destination. (See below for full list of Deluxe Resort transportation options)
Park to Disney Springs: If you need to go to Disney Springs from a park, you can grab the first resort bus that comes along. From there, you can transfer to a Disney Springs bus. To go in reverse- from Disney Springs to a park- hop on a resort bus, and transfer to the park bus from that resort. You can either take the first resort bus you see- or it would be wise to go to a resort near the park you wish to visit (for example: take a Contemporary bus and walk to the Magic Kingdom. See below for options). Disney does offer one-way bus service from the theme parks to Disney Springs from 4pm until 11pm or 1 hour after theme parks close. Check the transportation boards when departing the park to see if bus service is offered.

Transportation Beyond Buses

Magic Kingdom Area
  • The Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and Polynesian are all located on the Magic Kingdom Monorail loop, which connects to the Magic Kingdom and Transportation and Ticket Center/ Magic Kingdom Parking as well. The Grand Floridian and Polynesian also have boat service to the Magic Kingdom.
  • The Contemporary has a walkway to the Magic Kingdom
  • The Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground have boat service to the Magic Kingdom.
  • The Contemporary, Fort Wilderness, and Wilderness Lodge all have boat service between one another. There is also a walking path connecting Wilderness Lodge with Fort Wilderness campground.
Epcot Area
  • The Yacht Club, Beach Club, and BoardWalk Inn are all within walking distance of Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and each other. The walk from the Studios is about a mile, but the walk to Epcot and between each other is not very long.
  • All 3 of these Epcot area resorts are also connected to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios by boat.
  • From outside the Epcot International Gateway, guests of these resorts can also hop on the Disney Skyliner.


Animal Kingdom Area
  • The Animal Kingdom Lodge is only reachable by bus- from all theme parks and Disney Springs.

Disney Skyliner
  • This new, state-of-the-art gondola system conveniently connects Disney's Hollywood Studios and International Gateway at Epcot to the following Resort hotels: Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort, Disney's Pop Century Resort and Disney's Riviera Resort.


Disney Springs Area
  • There is a river that connects a handful of Disney Resorts to Disney Springs, and from these resorts you can take a boat over to the dining, shopping and entertainment hub.  These resorts are Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, Old Key West Resort and Saratoga Springs Resort.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mythos Restaurant at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Located on The Lost Continent of Universal's Islands of Adventure, Mythos is an award-winning, full-service restaurant that offers an otherworldly experience. If you've ever been to Universal's Islands of Adventure, you've undoubtedly walked by this restaurant with its towering rock formations, waterfalls and ancient figures carved into the side of the building. The restaurant has been calling to me for years and I was finally able to give it a try. When you enter the restaurant, it feels like you've entered a cavernous grotto from another world. There are oceanic and mythical touches throughout the indoor dining room and there's also outdoor seating with great views of the park. View from our table The menu features a mix of Mediterranean, Asian and American cuisine including Spanakopita Dip, Pad Thai and a Bacon Cheeseburger. There's also a kids menu for little ones and a dessert menu featuring Chocolate Banana Gooey Cake.  On our first visit to Mythos, we
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Ways To Get Psyched For Your Disney Trip!

Hey-Howdy-Hey, Disney Guys and Gals!      Is anyone familiar with Barney Stinson's "Get Psyched" Mix? Anyone? How I Met your Mother Fans? Ok, great! So you totally get where I'm going with this! If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can watch a clip  HERE!  Basically, the theory is that no matter what's going on in your life, you can get yourself psyched up and ready for something awesome to happen, all by listening to the right piece of music. Playing off of that theory, I feel that one of the very best things about a Disney trip is actually  preparing  for it, or getting psyched! You can have a whole bunch of crappy stuff happening in your life at the time, but if you have a Disney trip on the horizon... even if it's 564 days away, you have something to look forward to and enjoy preparing yourself for. In fact, many Disney fans, (myself included), pretty much get from one day to the next by preparing for upcoming trips. You may even book a ne
Post a Comment
Read more

Universal's Volcano Bay Private Cabana Review

On a recent training in Universal Orlando Resort, agents Maci, Ashley, Aubrey and Yaritza and I rented a private cabana for the day at Universal's Volcano Bay. There are multiple locations around the park along with the option to have an upper or lower level, all of which reflect in various pricing. Agent Ashley received an email the day before informing her of where to check-in the next morning. While we were personally escorted to the cabana shortly after check in, the line at the check in location is the same as those getting towels, meaning it was not short. As expressed by an additional guest checking into a different cabana, we would have greatly appreciated a separate line, since this caused our group about a half hour wait. We're all adults and made great use of our time getting some fun pictures before the park was filled with guests, but this is important to be aware of if you are traveling with children.  We had an upper level Cabana which came with a splendid view!
Post a Comment
Read more