Walt Disney World is the size of San Francisco! The idea of getting around property could be daunting, but Disney makes travel time part of the whole vacation experience. While you can rent a car, if you really want to experience the Disney Bubble in all its glory, I say use Disney Transportation. From the fun theming to the kind cast members who get us from place to place, Disney efficiently and seamlessly moves millions of guests around its parks each year.
General Tips and Info:
- All Disney World Resort guests can use Disney Transportation, as well as off-site guests and locals, with a couple of new caveats that are detailed below.
- Use of Disney Transportation is included with your stay, and there is no additional cost.
- Guests using mobility device and parents with strollers can use all forms of Disney transportation.
- The My Disney Experience app will list wait times for busses at your resort (toggle to your reservation screen, and swipe to the bus schedule), and notify you of any service disruptions due to weather or other factors.
- You can also use the My Disney Experience app to plan your route and understand how long your travel will take. Getting to some locations may require transferring from one bus to another, or from one mode of transportation to another. Use the search function to type in your destination, select it from the results, and then tap “Get Directions” on the next screen. It will use your current location if you are on property, or you can type in starting location if you are using this to plan your trip in advance.
Disney Bus Transportation
Most common and very accessible, Disney busses are free and convenient. All Disney resorts have bus transportation to take you to and from each theme park – with a few caveats for resorts that are on specific Monorail, Skyliner, and Boat routes (more on that later). Disney buses run every approximately 20 minutes, and will frequently arrive at closer intervals in the morning when people are heading to the parks, and at night after fireworks end and the parks are emptying out.
The Disney buses can accommodate guests of all mobility options, with assistance for those using ECVs (mobility scooters), wheelchairs, etc. Guests with young ones in strollers will need to collapse their stroller when getting on the bus, and have their kiddo sit in their lap. In the morning and evening especially, they will *completely fill* these buses, asking for people to stand in the aisle as well.
Most bus rides will average 10-12 minutes from resort to theme park. Some resorts in the Animal Kingdom area like Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs Resort can take a little bit longer to get to the Magic Kingdom area, but in my experience staying at each of these resorts, the ride was only about 5 minutes longer than other locations.
Guests can also park hop using the Disney Bus Transportation system. Beginning at 10am each day, “park to park” buses will begin running, allowing you to hit early entry rope drop at one park, spend a few hours enjoying the attractions, and then hop to your next destination for lunch.
Buses stop running approximately one hour after the park closes. However, never fear – you will not be left behind at a theme park. If you take your time strolling down Main Street USA to capture those magical pictures of an empty park with Cinderella Castle glowing in the distance, Disney Cast Members will be sure to get you back to your resort.
As of June 28, 2026, bus transportation from Disney Springs to the Walt Disney World Resorts will require confirmation of a reservation in order to board. Guests staying at Walt Disney World Resorts will continue to be able to use the bus system from Disney Springs to any resort by showing their room key card or verifying their reservation in the My Disney Experience App. (My guess is that there will be handheld readers for tapping Magic Bands as well.) Off-site guests will need to show proof of a dining reservation or enchanting extra at a resort in order to board the bus. They will be allowed to travel to the resort from Disney Springs up to 2 hours before the start of their reservation. The same system will be in place for boat access to the resorts on the Sassagoula River from Disney Springs – Saratoga Springs Resort, Old Key West Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Port Orleans Riverside.
Disney’s Skyliner
The fan-favorite mode of transportation is arguably Disney’s Skyliner. Opening in September 2019, this gondola system services Pop Century, Art of Animation, Riviera Resort, and Caribbean Beach Resort. Guests staying at these resorts will have to use the Skyliner to access EPCOT or Hollywood Studios – there are no busses from the Skyliner resorts to those two parks, except during severe weather and scheduled maintenance downtime. (They do have bus routes for Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom from here.) Guests staying at the EPCOT resorts also have easy access to the Skyliner for resort hopping or just enjoying the ride.
The main “hub” of the Skyliner is at Caribbean Beach Resort. Guests will fly to the CBR hub, and transfer from there to either the EPCOT line (which also stops at Riviera Resort) or the Hollywood Studios line (which has no additional stops). There is a bathroom at the hub stop, and if you are not in a time crunch, you can also exit the hub/loading area to visit the Joffrey’s stand nearby and load up on a nice iced Shakin’ Jamaican before the next leg of your trip.
Travel time can vary, and you will have to factor in a morning wait time if you are heading to rope drop – especially from Pop Century or Art of Animation. On average, it takes about 12-15 minutes of flying time to get where you’re going on the Skyliner from Pop Century and Art of Animation, with less time from Caribbean Beach and Riviera as they are farther along the route. If you have aspirations of being at the head of the crowd for rope drop, you need to be up and out before the Skyliner starts running (around 7am, or one hour before early entry opening).
My favorite aspect of the Skyliner is the space that you have, compared to riding the bus or monorail. Often, your party will have its own gondola, or you might share with another small group. Everyone has a seat – you’re not allowed to stand in these gondolas – and it makes for a really pleasant ride. Single strollers do not need to be folded up (though double strollers do), and ECV riders will have a stationary gondola to board.
I do encourage guests to bring a handheld fan if you have one; the Skyliner gondolas are not air conditioned, and the line occasionally stops for guests who need mobility assistance to get on or off. When the gondola slows or stops, so does the breeze, and it can get quite warm in these floating boxes in the hotter months!
Anyone can ride the Skyliner and you do not need to show proof of a reservation to hop aboard. If you are planning a resort day during your vacation, riding the Skyliner to explore new places around Disney World is a great way to spend your downtime, or an evening at the Boardwalk.
Disney’s Monorail
Perhaps the most recognizable form of Disney Transportation is the Monorail. Running since 1971, this is the quintessential way to get around any Disney property. For some guests, the boarding welcome recording is the first Spanish phrasing we learned: Please stand clear of the doors. ¡Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas!
If you’ve rented a car or drove your own to Disney World, you’ll park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and board the Monorail (or a Ferry Boat) to the Magic Kingdom. Guests staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower, and the Polynesian Resort and Village are required to use the Monorail to travel to EPCOT, and can use the Monorail to travel to Magic Kingdom. (Though for many of these guests, using the walking path is the most efficient way to get to the park.)
Anyone can ride the Monorail, and you do not need to show proof of a reservation to board. Enjoying a Monorail Bar Crawl or checking out the gingerbread houses at Christmastime are a couple of way to enjoy this transportation on a non-park day. The Resort Monorail line stops running about 2 hours after park close, and the Transportation and Ticket Center Monorail stops running about 1 hour after park close.
Fun Monorail Facts:
- There are 12 trains, each identified by color lines: peach, teal, red, black, coral, orange, gold, green, blue, lime, silver, and yellow.
- The Magic Kingdom Monorail services approximately 50 million riders annually.
- In severe weather, Monorail service will stop with sustained winds over 39mph. In these situations, two trains are parked inside the Contemporary Resort with the storm doors closed (as well as parked in other areas of the line).
- When the Monorail first debuted (and for many years) the doors were not automated and had to be opened individually by Cast Members – they also opened outward like a regular door, rather than sideways.
Disney Boat Services
My favorite mode of transportation at Walt Disney World is by boat! This often-overlooked means of getting around is only available in a few areas, but it is easily the most relaxing conveyance of them all. Over at Crescent Lake in the EPCOT resort area, guests can board a Friendship Boat and travel from the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Swan & Dolphin Resorts to the International Gateway at EPCOT, or to the entrance of Hollywood Studios. You can also park hop from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios by boat, making the resort stops along the way. Traveling from end to end takes about 20 minutes, and sure beats walking in the blazing sun – though, you can walk all the way from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios if you wish. It takes about 20 minutes.
Over along the Sassagoula River, guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or those who have dining reservations at the resorts along the river can board a boat in Disney Springs (showing proof of reservation as noted in the bus section), and travel by Ferry Boat to Old Key West Resort, Saratoga Springs Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, or Port Orleans Riverside. The farthest stop on the river is Port Orleans Riverside, and the trip to/from Disney Springs can take about 20 minutes.
As mentioned in the Monorail section, there is also a Ferry Boat from the Transportation and Ticket Center over to the Magic Kingdom gates. Truthfully, this is the faster way to get to the park, versus the Monorail. The Ferry has a very high capacity and can fit many more guests per run than the Monorail can. You are also less likely to be on top of your fellow guests, with more room to roam around the deck.
Magic Kingdom also uses boat launches as another way for guests at Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness Campground to get to and from the park (and is the only way for Wilderness guests to travel there). These boat launches are the most efficient way to get to and from Magic Kingdom from these resorts, unless you are walking from Contemporary. The only time you may find a delay on these boats is at the end of the night, when the Electric Light Pageant is making its way across the Seven Seas Lagoon for the classic nighttime show. But, you get a front row seat to a bit of classic Disney entertainment as a silver lining.
Perhaps the most overlooked boat service in Disney World is actually within a theme park. If your feet are aching and you just want to be transported from the front of the World Showcase to either Morocco or Germany, you may get lucky and find that the lagoon boats are running. These boats are not always in active service, but if you do see them ferrying guests across the World Showcase Lagoon, this is a unique way to get around the (very large) showcase.
Is there anywhere I can just walk to?
Yes! If you are lucky enough to stay at the EPCOT resorts – Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Yacht Club, or the Swan & Dolphin, you will be able to walk to EPCOT via the International Gateway (which places you in the back of the park when you enter), as well as Hollywood Studios.
If you find yourself at the Magic Kingdom Resorts, you can walk from the Polynesian Resort and Village, Grand Floridian, or Contemporary Resort. The walk from Grand Floridian will take about 15 minutes depending on what area of the resort you are staying in, with the trip from Polynesian taking closer to 25-30 minutes. Walking from Contemporary is probably the most luxurious entrance of all – it takes no more than 5 minutes and includes its own separate security line.
Other walkable routes are:
- Port Orleans Riverside to/from Port Orleans French Quarter – a great way to enjoy beignets and a little jazz at the Scat Cat Club
- Pop Century to/from Art of Animation Resort – a fun way for kids to explore the larger than life themed areas
- Saratoga Springs Resort to/from Disney Springs – a 5-10 minute walk that is discouraged after dusk due to wildlife, but a great daytime route to the Springs
- All Star Sports to/from Blizzard Beach – a 10-15 minute walk, this one is a little wild because it is a sidewalk along a road but it can be done and there is signage for pedestrians!
I do really enjoy the ease of using Disney Transportation, whether that be by ground, sky, or water. With a property as large as Walt Disney World, I couldn’t fathom having to take a Lyft around property or schedule rides and transfers along the way. The efficiency of Disney Transportation really cannot be beat, when you step back and look at how many people use these modes of transportation each year.
What is your favorite way to get around Walt Disney World? For planning assistance, including how to use Disney Transportation during your stay, contact me today!
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