Disney World Transportation: Everything You Need to Know

There are many ways to get around Disney World. Some ways may take longer, and some may be more scenic, but there are many free transportation options at your disposal at Disney World.

If you aren't sure about the time it will take with the Disney-offered transportation, you can always rent a car and drive yourself around Disney World. This way is not free. You can also always Uber or Lyft in Disney World. Disney even has its own Minnie Van service through Lyft, but again, this option costs money.

The Free Transportation Options in Disney World

Disney Bus

Disney Buses can be found at all of the Disney World hotels, Disney Springs, Disney Parks, and at hotels on Disney property that are not Disney-owned. Buses can take a while depending on where you are staying and what park you are going to. Some resort hotels are so big the buses make multiple stops within that one hotel. This may be your only transportation option at your hotel, and it works well. Sometimes buses get too full in the morning before the park opens and at the end of the night, and you may need to wait longer to get on a bus. Sometimes buses can seem inconvenient but they are a perfectly fine way to get to and from the parks and Disney Springs.

Disney Monorail

There are three Disney Monorails.

• The Express Monorail takes you directly from the TTC (Transportation and Ticketing Center) to Magic Kingdom.

• The Resort Monorail takes you to Magic Kingdom and the three Magic Kingdom Resort Hotels (Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa).

• The Epcot Monorail takes you from the TTC straight to EPCOT.

  Keep in mind that the Resort Monorail can take a while depending on what Resort you are staying at since it stops at all three resorts and then Magic Kingdom. This can be a quick way to get two and from the TTC to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom (Magic Kingdom does not have a parking lot so if you have a rental car, you will have to park at the TTC on your Magic Kingdom day, and then take either the Ferry or the Monorail)

Disney Boats

Different kinds of boats take you from places to the parks or other resort hotels.

• The Ferry boat takes you from the TTC to Magic Kingdom. It is a nice scenic ride full of fresh air and the boat is relatively large so it can fit a lot of people.

• You can find Friendship boats connecting EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the EPCOT Resort hotels (Disney's BoardWalk, Yacht & Beach Club, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels)

• Resort Water Launches only serve specific places.

  • Magic Kingdom to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

  • Disney Springs to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney's Port Orleans Resort (Riverside and French Quarter), and Disney's Old Key West Resort.

• Sassagoula River Cruise boats are small pontoon-style boats. They only serve Disney’s Port Orleans Resort and Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

• Disney Springs Water-Taxis take you around the different sections of Disney Springs.

The Skyliner

I like to describe the Skyliner as a free ride before you even get into the parks. It is a sky gondola ride from some designated Disney Resort Hotels to either other hotels, EPCOT, or Disney's Hollywood Studios. It is usually a quick ride, but sometimes the gondolas stop moving, slow down, or on especially windy or stormy days, they can be shut down. When this happens there is always another available form of transportation, such as buses. Keep in mind that some hotels that provide this service will not provide buses to EPCOT or Disney's Hollywood Studios unless the Skyliner is not operational. The Skyliner also gives you information about the places you are soaring over and has either pictures of Disney characters on the outside or a single color.

The different Skyliner stops are:

• Hub station at Caribbean Beach Resort - From here you can go in one of three directions

  • Disney's Riviera Resort - A stop on the way to EPCOT

  • EPCOT - Brings you to EPCOT. There is even a cool turning station on this route that explains how it works. It brings you to the International Gateway entrance of EPCOT.

  • Disney's Hollywood Studios - This brings you directly to Disney's Hollywood Studios, there are no resort stops on this path. Drops you off pretty close to the entrance of the park.

  • Disney's Pop Century and Art of Animation. This drops you off right in between the two resorts. There are no other stops in this direction.