Boats, Monorails and Busses Oh My! 4 Things You Need to Know About Disney Transportation

When visiting the Disney Parks, there are many places to visit and check out. Most guests spend a good amount of time traveling from one location to the next. This sounds like a damper on all of the fun, but the good news is that Disney provides several modes of transportation to add some magic your traveling. Staying in Disney resorts is also an easy way to snag a ride from several forms of transportation. Even if you don’t decide to book a Disney resort reservation, you can still enjoy all of these ways to travel around the kingdom. Here are some of the ways you can use Disney transportation to get around the happiest place on earth!

4. Monorails

Walt Disney dreamed of a futuristic mode of transportation many moons ago, and it is really amazing how it is still modern and actually in use today. The Walt Disney World Monorail travels between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot with a few stops along the way at the Magic Kingdom resort area. For guests visiting Disney that are staying at an off site resort, you can head over to the ticket and transportation center and hop on to a monorail to head on over to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. For those that are dining or staying at a Magic Kingdom Resort, you can hop on the monorail from Magic Kingdom or the Ticket and Transportation center, and head over to the resort. The monorail only travels to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, The Polynesian, and The Contemporary. For guests traveling to Epcot, you can take the monorail from the ticket and transportation center. All guests staying at the Magic Kingdom Resorts can ride a connecting monorail at the ticket and transportation center to get them to Epcot. There are several monorails operating at one time and they travel pretty quickly, so the wait isn’t very long. If the seats are completely occupied, there is enough space to stand. Monorails are also accessible to those who are in wheel chairs. Monorails are a great mode of transportation to head over to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or any of the three Magic Kingdom Resorts.

3. Busses

The busses are one of the most popular modes of transportation. I absolutely love the busses because it is the reason I don’t have to get in my car for the entire length of my stay! Every resort on Disney property offers busses to all four theme parks, both water parks, and Disney Springs (otherwise known as Downtown Disney). You can also utilize the busses to park hop, and if you want to visit other hotels, you can hop on a bus at any of the theme parks or Disney springs to check out any of the resorts. The busses for each park come in increments of 15-20 minutes. Sometimes the lines can get a little long and when traveling with those that are handicapped, it can take a few extra minutes for the bus driver to assist the families with disabilities. This mode of transportation is probably the most popular, so I cannot stress how important it is to give your party some additional time for traveling on these. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have missed a dining reservation because of underestimating the amount of time I would spend on the bus. I look forward to using the busses on every trip!

2. Disney’s Magical Express

For guests flying into Orlando for your special trip to the happiest place on earth, don’t worry about calling a cab or renting a car. Disney’s Magical Express is a complimentary bus service that picks up and drops off guests at the airport when they arrive or depart. Just be sure to make a reservation for pick up and/or drop off services when you book your hotel reservation.

Bonus Tip!

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1. Water Transpiration

Who doesn’t like riding along the beautiful lakes of Walt Disney World? There are several resorts and parks that offer ferryboats for guests to travel in to the theme parks or Disney springs. This is a great way to not only travel to the parks, but to experience a relaxing little ride along the lakes on Disney property. The boats travel a short distance to get you to your destination, and they arrive every 10-15 minutes continuously. All of the Magic Kingdom resorts (The Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower, and Fort Wilderness campgrounds) offer the ferry services to the Magic Kingdom only. If you are staying at the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, or Swan and Dolphin resorts, you can enjoy the ferryboat rides to Hollywood Studios and Epcot as well as any of these three resorts. Guests staying at the Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, or the Port Orleans resorts can enjoy water transportation to Disney Springs. All boats are accessible to handicapped guests. Ferryboats typically take about 20 minutes to arrive at each resort. You will want to schedule enough traveling time if you are taking the boats. Even though they travel short distances, they don’t carry as many guests or travel as quickly as a bus or monorail would.

Next time you visit the happiest place on earth, be sure to check out these magical ways to travel around the Walt Disney World property!

BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best price for your vacation, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!