Happy April y’all! Jackson and I traveled this past weekend, which was so much fun! More to come on our quick trip within the coming weeks! With this being the first Thursday of the month, you know what that means.. our monthly Disney 101 chat!
Disney 101: Outfits // Memory Maker
Today’s chat is about Disney transportation! I am sure you are wondering, with all of the wonderful things about Disney, why in the heck are we going to talk about transportation!? Because you guys, Disney does it right and it is important to know before your big, magical trip.
All Bus, Water, Monorail, and Disney’s Magical Express are FREE! Always plan ahead when traveling from park to park. I would suggest giving yourself 30 minutes to be safe!
Please note: All of the information below in italic has been pulled from the Walt Disney World website.
Bus Transportation
The main transportation around the WDW resort are the buses. Each resort has multiple bus stops and when you check-in, they will let you know which stop is closest to your room. Within the past few years, they have been adding more detail to the bus transportation system. Each bus stop has a screen to let you know what time the bus for each park will be arriving! When you are staying on resort, you will be taking buses 80% of the time. Each bus is handicap accessible and you do not have to have car seats for your kiddos! But be prepared to break down your stroller every time.
As you can see in the image below, the Blizzard Beach bus is a transfer. This only happens during the “off season for water parks”. If you are visiting during the warmer months, each water park has their own bus!
Bus Stops at the Disney Parks: At each park, not far from the entrance, there is a very large bus stop (Image #3 below is at Animal Kingdom). Right before the stops, there is a huge board to let you know which stop number your resort is.
Bus Times for Disney Resorts: A park bus will arrive every 20 minutes. The buses start 45 minutes before the parks open. However, what we found out during our last trip, you can request an earlier bus if you have a character breakfast reservation. The buses will run for two hours after the parks close.
Bus Times for Disney Springs: Each bus stop also includes a bus to Disney Springs. With the HUGE renovation of Disney Springs, the relocation of the bus stops has been the most helpful. Bus service from Disney Resort hotels begins 45 minutes before opening until 1:00 AM. Return service to Disney Resort hotels ends at 2:00 AM. One-way bus service from the 4 Disney theme parks operates daily from 4:00 PM until 11:00 PM or 2 hours after theme parks close, whichever is earlier.
Bus from Park to Park: Before, if you wanted to park hop, you would have to catch a bus to one of the resorts then the bus to the park you wanted. But each park now offers a bus to and from each park! Making your travel time more convenient.
Pro Tip: If you are staying until the park closes, don’t try to rush back. Everyone, and I mean, everyone in the park will be rushing towards the bus stops. If you are at Magic Kingdom, stop and enjoy the emptiness of Main Street. Instead of standing at the bus stop for 30 minutes!
Water Transportation
Besides buses, their are three main water taxis. The largest water taxi is around Magic Kingdom. This transportation system takes you to the following resorts:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa // The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa // Disney’s Contemporary Resort // Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort // Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort // Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground // Disney’s Wilderness Lodge // Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Ferryboats connect Magic Kingdom park to the Transportation and Ticket Center.
The second water transportation option you have is the boat from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. We have taken this boat many, many times! Here are the places this boat option takes you:
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn // Disney’s BoardWalk Villas // Disney’s Beach Club Resort // Disney’s Beach Club Villas // Disney’s Yacht Club Resort // Walt Disney World Swan Hotel // Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
And finally, there is a ferryboat that is connected to Disney Springs! Since we stay at Old Key West, we are able to take this ferry to and from our resort. The other resorts the ferry leads to are:
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort—French Quarter // Disney’s Port Orleans Resort—Riverside // Disney’s Old Key West Resort // Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
When riding the boat, please estimate about 30-40 minutes for each ride since you will stop at multiple locations. The only ride that is direct to your resort is the ferry at Disney Springs. Finally, when boarding the water taxi at Magic Kingdom, it can be a bit confusing on which way to go, so just ask a cast member if you need extra guidance!
Monorail Transportation
Eek! The Monorail! So quick, but can also be a bit scary if you do not like this sort of thing! Since I do not know a ton about the monorail system, here is some information from the Disney site!
Magic Kingdom park, Epcot and select Disney Deluxe Resort hotels are just minutes away by monorail.
The Walt Disney World Monorail System has 3 separate lines that travel throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
The Resort Monorail, makes the following stops:
Magic Kingdom park // Disney’s Contemporary Resort // Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa // Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort // Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC)
The Epcot Monorail and the Express Monorail originate at the TTC and offer express round-trip service to Epcot and Magic Kingdom park.
The Walt Disney World Monorail System operates from 30 minutes prior to earliest park opening until one hour after latest park closing. And remember: If you’re staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa or Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, you can enjoy convenient access to all monorail lines, right from your Disney Resort hotel.
Disney’s Magical Express
The Disney Magical Express is probably one of the best transportation systems because it is SO convenient. Are you ready for it.. the magical express picks you up from the airport!! Wooho! No taxi, no uber cost, completely free for Walt Disney World Resort guests. Want to know something EVEN better? They will pick up your bags from baggage claim and take them to your room!
When booking your vacation, you can add your flights at the same time. However, if you are booking at different times, just call and let them know you would like to sign-up for the Disney’s Magical Express. A couple weeks before your magical vacation starts, you will receive your confirmation number and Disney bag tags. Make sure each bag that you are checking, has the correct tag. If not, then it will not get picked up by Disney and you will have to go grab it before you head to the check-in point for the bus.
The Orlando airport has a ton of signs, so finding the check-in area is a breeze. The ride takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the resorts! Plan on stopping at a couple of closer resorts first or stopping at a couple on your way back home. On your way home, your Disney Magical Express bus will leave about 3 hours before your flight. Also, kiddos do NOT need carseats on the buses, so leave those at home! Finally, on the way back, you might even get to watch a Disney movie! 🙂
Pro Tip: Take advantage of the airport check-in system at your resort! You will be able to check your bags and get your boarding passes without heading to the airport extra early.
NEW! Minnie Vans
This past trip was the first one when Minnie Vans were available to use, however we did not use them! They work just like Lyft or Uber, but are driven by Disney cast members. There is a $25.00 flat fee and two carseats are available for each van! I found this great article with all of the Minnie van information that you will need if this interests you! Find the article from WDW Prep school, here.
Parking at the Parks
I have actually never parked at the parks, minus when we went to Disneyland! To find all of the parking information, click here!
Pro Tip: If you are not staying on resort, but close to Disney Springs, you can take the buses to from the parks via Disney Springs. Parking at DS is free, or you can just walk/take an car service to Disney Springs. This adds a little more transportation time to your trip but it will save you $22-$45 a day!
I hope this little Disney 101 chat helps make your next visit a little more magical
xxoo,
nicole