Disney Transportation
Updated March 2023
There are many ways to get to and from Walt Disney World and there are also many forms of free Disney transportation once you are on site.
As we said in our Disney World Resort Hotels page, transportation options maybe a factor in your hotel choice.
So lets start with how you can get to Walt Disney World.
As UK residents we usually fly British Airways from Gatwick (LGW) to Orlando International (MCO), and the flight time is about 9 1/2 hours. Unfortunately since the Covid closures Disney have removed their free bus transportation (the Magical Express) which took you from the airport to your Disney resort hotel. Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine has sprung up to fill the gap left by the Magical Express. Mears offer pre-bookable bus transportation from the airport to your hotel. Once you land at the airport and have been through border control and got your bags you can head towards the clearly labelled pick up points where you will be directed to your bus for your roughly 30min drive to Walt Disney World. Please note that these are shared bus rides and you may have to wait for other parties and you may also stop at other hotels before getting to your own. We have used Mears Connect on our previous trips and not had any issues with wait times or too many drop off points before our hotel. If you would like a nice easy option to get to your hotel without having to navigate traffic this is the option for you.
If you don’t want to share transportation you could always book an Uber, Lyft or pick up a taxi from the airport. These are more expensive and subject to surge pricing depending on the time of day and demand.
There are also multiple car hire companies based at Orlando International airport if you would prefer to drive to Disney World. For our trip in June 2023 we are hiring a car as we will be driving to Miami for our cruise. This worked out cheaper for us rather than getting the Mears Connect from the airport to our hotel and then picking up a hire car from one of the companies based in Disney Springs. When hiring a car please bear in mind that although it is free to park at your Disney World hotel, if you want to drive to one of the parks then you will have to pay $25 per day per park. So if you choose to park hop you could spend $50 just to leave your car in a very hot car park. When parking at Magic Kingdom you actually leave your car at the Ticket and Transportation Centre and then have to get either a boat, bus or Monorail into the park itself. The only way to get directly to the gate of Magic Kingdom is by Disney transport.
Since the reopening you are not allowed to park at any resort unless you are staying the night or have a dining reservation for one of the restaurants. If you have a dining reservation you will be given a time limit, you can’t just leave your car there for a whole day.
If you are planning on staying on site for your entire holiday I would recommend not hiring a car and making use of the extensive free Disney transportation.
There are 4 types of Disney World transportation - Bus, Boat, Monorail and Skyliner. Each resort hotel has one or more forms of free transportation to and from the parks.
All are wheelchair accessible and run from 45 minutes prior to theme park opening (this includes before early access) and stop 1 hour after the theme park closes.
Buses to Disney Springs from resort hotels start 1 hour before Disney Springs open and stop running 1 hour after Disney Springs closes.
It doesn’t matter if you are staying at a Disney World Resort hotel or not, all the Disney transport is free and available to you to help you travel around the parks.
If you don’t want to share transportation you could always book a ‘Minnie Van’. This private hire car is bookable via the ’Lyft’ app and prices vary by distance and time. These ‘Minnie Vans’ seat 6 guests and come equipped with 2 child safety seats that can be installed on request. The ‘Minnie Vans’ operate from 6.30am to 12.20am. At the moment they only operate on Walt Disney World property.
Lets start with the old faithful Disney buses.
There are hundreds of Disney buses that run from every resort hotel to each of the theme parks. Some hotels have multiple bus stops depending on the size of the resort and some only have one. These bus stops will always be clearly marked and are indicated on the hotel maps available from the reception desk.
At each bus stop there is a digital screen telling you the estimated time to the next bus and which park it is going to.
If your hotel only has bus transportation like the ‘All-Star’ resorts you could find yourself waiting quite a while at peak times, and you may not get a seat when you do get on the bus.
When planning your Disney day make sure you allow plenty of time to get the bus to the parks or dining reservations. Some resorts are 20mins away from the furthest parks, and may encounter traffic en route.
Likewise when leaving the parks after the fireworks for instance, you could also be waiting up to an hour for a bus back to your hotel.
If your hotel has another form of transport to a specific park you may find there are less buses for that route. For instance there are fewer buses running from the Polynesian to Magic Kingdom as you could get the Monorail
Odd fact but Disney buses are notoriously cold because of the air conditioning!
The Monorail is the “public transport of the future” and one of Walt Disney’s original ideas from Epcot. The Monorail serves the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC)
The Monorail runs 30 minutes prior to the opening of Magic Kingdom and Epcot and stops 1 hour after Magic Kingdom closes and 2 hours after Epcot closes.
There are 3 Monorail routes.
One serves the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary resort, Polynesian resort, Grand Floridian and the Ticket and Transportation center. This is one of the perks of staying in a deluxe hotel.
The second route is an express route from the Ticket and Transportation Center to Magic Kingdom. This is available to those people who wish to drive to the park.
The final route is from Ticket and Transportation Center to Epcot. This route takes you on a loop into the park around the Epcot’s Spaceship Earth, and then drops you off just outside the gate. If you are staying at one of the deluxe resorts on the Monorail and want to go to Epcot you will have to change at the TTC.
The Monorail is a fantastic way to travel to the parks and an be enjoyed by all guests even if you aren’t staying in on of the hotels.
Travelling by boat is an underated option available at Disney World.
If you park at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TCC) you can get a ferryboat across Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. There is something quite magical about seeing Cinderella Castle come into view as you cross the water.
If you are staying at Fort Wilderness, Grand Floridian, Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge you can get a water taxi to Magic Kingdom. These are a fantastic option and sometimes overlooked even by the seasoned traveler.
If you are staying in one of the Epcot area hotels (BoardWalk, Beach Club & Yacht Club) you can get a water taxi to Epcot or Hollywood studios.
And finally if you are staying at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs or the Port Orleans resorts you can get a water taxi to Disney Springs.
All water travel is subject to weather conditions and you can’t take any luggage or alcohol on to the boats.
The newest form of Disney transportation is the Skyliner. These gondolas soar above the Walt Disney World area, and connect multiple resorts with Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Whilst you travel you are treated to fun facts about Disney World.
The Skyliner has a joint stop at Art of Animation & Pop Century, this then travels to Caribbean Beach, where you can either travel to Hollywood Studios or change gondolas to reach Riviera and then on to Epcot. The Epcot stop is outside ‘World Showcase’.
The Skyliner is an interesting experience. I’m not the biggest fan of heights, and there are moments when the gondolas do need to stop to allow wheelchairs to board. The Skyliner is almost like a ride in itself, and something to be experienced.
If you are interested in exploring the different resort hotels it’s a quick and easy way to travel. Like with all Disney transport you may have to queue at peak times and share a gondola with another party.
Walt Disney World covers an area the size of Manhattan, and you will use some form of Disney transport during your trip. Planing your route to and from a park or dining reservation will hopefully help you have a stress free day.
Remember you will be doing A LOT of walking during your trip so comfortable shoes and a bottle of water are a must pack. Make sure you plan rest breaks into your day, and apply sunscreen, you don’t want to end up with heatstroke and ruin the rest of your trip.