Wondering how to get around Disney World? We’re sharing a complete guide to the various transportation options available at the Most Magical Place on Earth!
Coming in at 43 square miles, Walt Disney World Resort is absolutely massive. Anyone who has visited Disney World will tell you it’s truly its own world at the Most Magical Place on Earth. With a property this big, Disney World provides a variety of complimentary transportation to help you get where you need to go. From the iconic Monorail to the newer Disney Skyliner, we’re sharing every single mode of transportation around Disney World, with a complete guide that will explain where to find it, how to use it, and when you can go on it.
- Bus Transportation
- Monorail
- Disney Skylner
- Water Transportation
- Trams
- Airport Transportation
- Other Transportation
Bus Transportation
Take a bus, and you can get pretty much anywhere you want to go on property! Photo by Cliff Wang
Staying at a Disney World Resort hotel? Each on-property Disney World hotel includes complimentary bus service to the parks and Disney Springs (this includes the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotels, as well). Bus service is also offered to the Disney World water parks, but you will likely be required to transfer service over at Disney Springs to complete your journey.
Where You Can Travel To/From:
You can find bus transportation available at every park and Resort hotel, as well as Disney Springs and the water parks. Hotels offer bus service to each of the four parks, though often buses will not be available to parks that have access to the Monorail or Disney Skyliner from your hotel. To get to Disney World’s water parks, you will need to take a bus to Disney Springs and transfer from there.
To better help with your route, you’ll want to tap “Get Directions” in your My Disney Experience app to help plan your trip from one park to another, as the easiest route may involve a combination of using the bus and another mode of Disney World transportation.
Hours of Operation:
Bus service between Disney World Resort hotels and theme parks begins 45 minutes before the park opens and lasts until one hour after the park closes. For transportation to Disney Springs from your hotel, it is available during Disney Springs’ operating hours, ending one hour after it closes.
Monorail
Photo by Laurie Sapp
The Monorail is the quintessential form of transportation in Disney World. The world-famous “public transport of the future” has three separate lines, allowing you to travel from the Transportation and Ticket Center to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Additionally, the Magic Kingdom line loops through Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, providing easy transportation between the hotels and Magic Kingdom.
Where You Can Travel To/From:
The Resort Monorail stops at:
- Magic Kingdom
- Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC)
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
The EPCOT Monorail and Express Monorail both originate at the Transportation and Ticket Center (a.k.a. Magic Kingdom’s “parking lot). They offer round-trip service to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom.
Hours of Operation:
The EPCOT Monorail begins to operate 30 minutes before the park opens and ends two hours after EPCOT closes. The Resort Monorail and Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom each begin operating 30 minutes before the park opens and close one hour after Magic Kingdom closes.
Disney Skyliner
Disney World Skyliner Photo by Tatjana Lazar
Travel high in the sky through the Disney Skyliner gondola transportation service. You’ll find several Skyliner stations throughout Disney World, connecting EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The gondolas offer benches on either side, with a cool breeze created by vents on the sides of the gondola. The ride will give you stunning views of the parks and resorts unlike you’ve ever seen!
Where You Can Travel To/From:
The Disney Skyliner connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT to the following Disney World Resort hotels:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
The hub of the Disney Skyliner is located at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, so you will be able to change lines to go to either park easily through there.
Hours of Operation:
Hours may vary based on when the theme parks open. Typically the Disney Skyliner will open about 60-90 minutes before a park opens, and close around 60-90 minutes after park close. You’ll be able to find daily hours posted outside each station when you disembark.
Water Transportation
Photo by Danny Shuster
At Disney World, you can travel by land and air — so of course you can travel by water as well! Disney World offers boat transportation between several Resort hotels, with service available to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and Disney Springs.
Where You Can Travel To/From:
Boat transportation destinations will vary based on where you’re staying. You can get to each park from the following hotels:
Magic Kingdom
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
You can also take a Ferryboat from the TTC to Magic Kingdom.
EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
Disney Springs
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter
Hours of Operation:
Hours may vary based on park opening and weather conditions. Typically, boats will begin operating 30+ minutes prior to park opening and close 45-60 minutes after park closing. However, you’ll want to make sure to check your daily hours on the day-of your trip.
Airport Transportation
The Sunshine Flyer is one of two shuttle bus options to get from Orlando Airport to Disney World. Photo by Maria Salerno
Previously Disney World offered complimentary service between the airport and Disney World Resort hotels with the Magical Express. However, that service has permanently ended. Now, you have several paid options for airport transportation. These include shuttle services such as Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer and taking a rideshare, rental car, or private car service. For price comparisons and an overview of everything offered with each of these services, make sure to check out our complete guide here!
Other Transportation
Photo by Cliff Wang
There are several other modes of transportation around Disney World that you should know. Minnie Vans are available to use around Walt Disney World Resort. The service is provided by Lyft, but is a fun way to drive around in a Minnie Mouse-themed vehicle. Minnie Vans can be accessed through the Lyft app within Walt Disney World Resort property. All you need to do is open the Lyft app, confirm your pickup location and tap “Select Minnie Van.” Pricing will vary depending on the length of your ride. Your ride will include up to two complimentary child seats, which are required for children under six years. Minnie Vans operate daily from 6:30AM to 12:30AM.
You can also use various rideshare services throughout Walt Disney World. Similarly to Minnie Vans, you can just use the Uber or Lyft app to specify your pick up and get where you need to go. Each park has designated rideshare pick-up and drop-off locations, making it easy to use throughout your day.
