Resorts Gal » Disney World Transportation Options

Disney World Transportation Options (A Guide to Getting Around)

Learning to maneuver your way around Walt Disney World during a week’s vacation can be daunting. The difference between knowing or not knowing your transportation options at Disney can make or break your vacation.

Guests often spend countless hours of their precious vacation time backtracking because they went the wrong way. I know because we cover transportation extensively on this website. We’re in the parks an average of 2.5 days per week.

During our park visits, I can guarantee that I will end up giving at least one family directions to get where they’re going. I was raised with the core teaching that if you know the right thing to do, it’s wrong not to do it. I cannot pretend that I know every single thing about Walt Disney World. But when it comes to things like the resorts, character meet-and-greets, and transportation, I can talk the talk because I walk the walk. Regularly.

If we combined all of the transportation articles on Resorts Gal, we’d have an entire book. Luckily for you, you don’t need a book. You just need to know your options. So below, we’ve put together an overview of how transportation works at Walt Disney World. When an option applies to you, we recommend reading more about it.

For instance, if you’re staying on Walt Disney World property, the most helpful resource we can offer is our transportation guide specific to that resort. It’s taken us years of practice and experience to put these guides together, but they will give you an overview of how you can travel from your resort to almost anywhere on the property you want to visit.

In other cases, you might want to utilize a specific form of transportation for the fun of it. For example, we love to ride the monorail through Epcot or take the Skyliner for the experience alone. So, we have specific guides for each transportation option. Our guides include photo walk-throughs of where, when, and how to use these forms of transportation.

A monorail traveling through Epcot during the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.
A monorail traveling through Epcot.

Major Forms of Transportation at Disney World

Below, we’ll discuss each of the major forms of transportation at Walt Disney World. For specifics, consult the in-depth guide for each option.

Monorail

Disney World’s monorail system transports guests to and from the following locations:

  • The Express Monorail travels between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Magic Kingdom. The Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) is the parking lot for Magic Kingdom.
  • The Resort Monorail stops at all the Magic Kingdom Monorail Resorts, Magic Kingdom, and the TTC.
  • The Epcot Monorail travels between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Epcot. It returns the same way.

Monorail Resorts: Disney’s Contemporary, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

If you plan to use the monorail during your vacation, our monorail guide provides hours of operation, tips, and other planning information.

Monorail Black with red accents
Monorail Black

Skyliner

The Disney Skyliner transports guests to and from the following locations:

  • Epcot’s International Gateway
  • Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Disney’s Pop Century Resort
  • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Skyliner Resorts: Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, Art of Animation

You must use the Skyliner when staying at one of the above-listed Skyliner Resorts for travel to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Alternative transportation is only provided in the event the Skyliner cannot operate, e.g., inclement weather.

You can also take the Skyliner when park-hopping between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Note that you must exit at Caribbean Beach and transfer to either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. From our experience, the Skyliner’s hours vary. Our best tip is to use your phone to take a photo of the hours of operation for the Skyliner at the start of our vacation.

If you want to get to the parks for early theme park entry, you’ll want to get in line early. The lines for the Skyliner are often extreme first thing in the morning and at the park’s closing times. If you do not want to deal with a massive line at the end of the night, take your time leaving the park. Most of the shops stay open until an hour after the park closes. Grab a snack, shop, or relax on a bench and give the line time to clear out.

The Skyliner coming and going from Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Disney Skyliner Station

Ferry

The Magic Kingdom Ferry is an alternative to the monorail at Magic Kingdom. Guests can take the ferryboat to and from Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticker Center. When you park at Magic Kingdom, you’ll have the option to walk or take a tram to the TTC. Upon arrival, you’ll go through a security clearance. From there, you can take the monorail, which is ahead of you, or the ferry to Magic Kingdom. The ferry entrance is to the left of the monorail.

The Magic Kingdom Ferry as it sails across Seven Seas Lagoon.
Magic Kingdom Ferry

Magic Kingdom Resorts Watercraft

All of the Magic Kingdom Resorts offer various watercraft options. They are as follows:

  • Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort offers boat service to Magic Kingdom and then on to Grand Floridian.
  • Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa offers boat service to the Polynesian and then on to Magic Kingdom.
  • Disney’s Contemporary offers boat service to Fort Wilderness or Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. (This service is limited to the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.)
  • Disney’s Fort Wilderness offers direct boat service to Magic Kingdom. (Limited service to the Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge is available between 3:00 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.)
  • Disney’s Wilderness Lodge offers direct boat service to Magic Kingdom. (Limited service to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness is available between 3:00 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.)

The Blue Flag launch between the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness allows guests to get to and from popular dining options like the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.

interior benches on a resort boat
The interior rows of a resort boat that travels across Seven Seas Lagoon.
a resort boat docked at the Wilderness Lodge
A resort boat docked at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Friendship Boats

Disney’s Friendship Boats travel between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, stopping at the resorts in between. They travel the following path:

  • Epcot International Gateway
  • Disney’s Boardwalk
  • Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club
  • Disney’s Swan and Dolphin
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios

When the boat reaches Hollywood Studios, it picks up guests and returns in the opposite order. If you’re park-hopping, the entire route is approximately 25 minutes long.

A Friendship Boat as it travels from
A Friendship Boat on Crescent Lake

Buses

Disney Buses travel to and from the resorts to most major destinations. Our resort guides discuss how to locate each resort’s bus stop and what to expect. We have a separate guide with the Disney Resort’s Bus Schedule.

One of the most important things you’ll want to know is that the theme park buses do not travel to Disney Springs. You also cannot take a bus from Disney Springs to the theme parks. If you’re at a park and want to leave for dinner at Disney Springs, you’ll have options. Most people will catch a bus from the theme park to Disney’s Saratoga Springs and then exit at the Congress Park Bus Stop. From Congress Park, a walkway continues to Disney Springs. It enters the venue on the Marketplace side of Disney Springs.

A Disney Bus waiting to pick up guests at Old Key West.
Disney Bus

Minnie Vans

Minnie Vans are expensive but offer the option to get dropped off at the closest locations to the theme parks. You can order a Minnie Van from the My Disney Experience app. We don’t usually recommend this option unless you feel pressed for time and have the extra funds. Of course, if you do not have budget restrictions, Minnie Vans are exceptionally convenient.

A Minnie Van dropping off guests at Magic Kingdom.
Minnie Van Drop-Off at Magic Kingdom

Parking

If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World-owned and operated resort, you don’t have to worry about parking charges unless you want to upgrade to preferred parking at the parks or use valet services at your hotel. This is a huge relief. However, if you’re staying off-property, you’ll need to consider possible parking charges at your resort hotel and at the theme parks. Those charges can add up. Our parking guide lists the current rates for parking along with where and when you’ll need to pay.

Epcot's entrance from the parking lot with the American flag and Spaceship Earth in the background.
Epcot Entrance from the Parking Lot

Parking Trams

If you elect to park at the theme parks, you’ll likely want to use the trams. Trams drop guests visiting Magic Kingdom off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. From there, you’ll take the monorail or ferry to the park. All other parks offer trams that drop guests off at the park’s entrance. We have a separate guide that details how to use the trams at Disney World.

Walking

You’re probably going to end up walking a lot more than usual during your vacation. But many of the walks between the parks and resorts are pleasant. For instance, you can walk between Hollywood Studios and Epcot if you like. It’s a long walk, but you can check out the Boardwalk or the Beach and Yacht Club on your way. It’s also one of the most scenic walks on the property. Here are a few of our guides related to walking at Walt Disney World:

Directions that show the Boardwalk one way and Hollywood Studios the opposite.
Walking Path between Hollywood Studios and The Boardwalk

Disney Springs

Disney Springs is a destination that offers complimentary parking, resort boat service, and resort bus service. If you’re driving, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the best ways to get to and from the venue. Our guide lists all your options for getting to and around Disney Springs.

A bus parked at one of the resort pick ups at Disney Springs
Disney Springs Bus Stop

How Long Does it Take?

Our documented transportation times share how long it takes to get to and from every resort hotel at Walt Disney World to every major destination.

Find Out More

Disney Hotel Transportation Guides

The following transportation guides are specific to each resort. Again, we consider these guides among our top planning tools. They will help you learn your options ahead of time. You can also save them and use them for a quick reference during your vacation. We’ve listed the transportation options for each resort next to each guide.

Deluxe Resort Transportation Guides

(The Disney Skyliner is within walking distance of Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, and the Swan and Dolphin. However, it would be more for leisure or using it to get to a Skyliner Resort for a meal.)

Villa Resorts Transportation Guides

Moderate Resort Transportation Guides

*Some of the walking paths mentioned are paths between one resort and another resort. For example, you can walk between Port Orleans Riverside and the French Quarter.

Value Resort Transportation Guides

We hope this guide gave you an overview of where to start when it comes to learning transportation options at Disney World. If you get confused during your trip, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most of the transportation cast members will be able to get you going in the right direction. But remember that many of the cast members that work at the hotels and parks, do not practice these methods regularly. So they may not always be able to give you the right or the best information.

Make sure you stay up-to-date on Disney World transportation before your trip. Things can change, and we update our guides when those changes take place. We genuinely believe that transportation is one of the most significant factors at Disney World that can make or break your vacation.