One of the perks of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is the complimentary transportation and proximity to the parks. Once you arrive at your resort, you have a variety of methods to travel to and from the Disney parks, resorts, and Disney Springs, all included with your stay.
If you have not been before, here is a guide to understanding how Walt Disney World transportation operates. Once you arrive, 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, Disney 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, Disney Skyliner, boat, or walking path.
- Resort to Disney Springs: Mostly by bus (Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside and Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, and Disney's Old Key West Resort 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 Disney's Contemporary Resort, 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.)
- Lyft or Minnie Vans will be the quickest way to get from resort to resort, but are not included and will incur an extra fee. If you think you might want to use this service on your trip, make sure you have the Lyft app installed on your phone before your trip.
Transportation Beyond Buses
Magic Kingdom Area
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort are all located on the Magic Kingdom Monorail loop, which connects to the Magic Kingdom and Transportation and Ticket Center/Magic Kingdom Parking. The Grand Floridian and Polynesian also have boat service to the Magic Kingdom.
- The Contemporary and Grand Floridian have walkways to the Magic Kingdom, but the Contemporary's is shorter.
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort have boat service to the Magic Kingdom.
Epcot Area
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Resort, and Disney's BoardWalk Inn are all within walking distance of Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and each other. The walk from Hollywood 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, but it is not a direct route to Hollywood Studios. This is a great option to get to Disney's Riviera Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort.
Animal Kingdom Area
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is only reachable by bus- from all theme parks and Disney Springs.
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 Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort.
Disney Skyliner
This state-of-the-art gondola system conveniently connects Disney's Hollywood Studios and International Gateway at Epcot to the following Resort hotels: Disney's Riviera Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort. The main hub is at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort where you can transfer between the Hollywood Studios and Epcot Lines.Planning a Walt Disney World vacation? We are here to help! Contact your Kingdom Konsultant travel professional or submit a request form for a free quote today. Make sure to check out our Planning for Walt Disney World Vacations page for more posts.
We Want to Hear From You
What other questions do you have about Walt Disney World transportation options? Do you have a favorite mode of Walt Disney World transportation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Maci Schau
Maci is an avid foodie and loves trying out new restaurants and seasonal food offerings in the parks. You can email Maci at maci@kingdomkonsultant.com.
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