With so many perks Walt Disney World has to offer while staying on property, it can be hard to choose your favorite. However, mine would definitely be all of the different transportation options they have to choose from. For me, it’s almost like a whole other ride in itself.
Let’s breakdown all of the ways you can get around Walt Disney World, for FREE!
1. Buses
The buses are probably the most popular and well known way to get from your resort to the four parks on property, as well as to all of the other Walt Disney World resorts, Disney Springs and their two water parks; Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.
Granted, yes, the buses are the most crowded out of all of the transportation Disney provides, but it is also the most efficient and are offered everywhere on property. With buses running every 15-20 minutes to each park as well as running both the earliest and latest out of all of the transportation offered, you can always count on them to get you to where you need to be.
The bus stations can be found at the front of each resort and park entrance with signs designating which bus is going to where, as well as when the next one will arrive when heading out from a resort. The bus system is my least favorite option because of how packed they can get. However, you can always count on it in a pinch.
2. Monorail
The monorail is the next well known mode of transportation at Walt Disney World and maybe the most loved by both kids and adults. It is also my second favorite way to get around.
Although the monorail only connects to specific locations, it is a great place to cool off in the air conditioning and relax. The monorail is very much like a train, just a little faster and above the ground. It connects to the three Magic Kingdom resorts; The Grand Floridian, The Polynesian and The Contemporary as well as Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
If you are staying at any other resorts, but you need to get to, say, The Grand Floridian for a breakfast reservation, before heading to Magic Kingdom for the day, you just take a bus over to Magic Kingdom and then jump on the monorail to get to The Grand Floridian. This is also great if you are park hopping between Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Just keep in mind that the monorail does not continuously run all night, as it only runs 30 minutes before the Magic Kingdom opens and 1 hour after both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT close.
The monorail has two separate lines. The express and EPCOT line, which only goes between the Ticket and Transportation Center (aka the TTC), Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Then the Walt Disney World monorail line supplies access to Magic Kingdom, the TTC, and the three Magic Kingdom deluxe resorts that I noted above. The Magic Kingdom station can be found just outside the entrance to the right if you are looking onto Bay Lake. The Polynesian and Grand Floridan stations are located just outside the second floor hotel entrances while The Contemporary station picks up and drops off right inside the hotel itself!
3. Skyliner
Walt Disney World’s newest transportation system is the Skyliner. Think like a ski lift, but way cooler! With giant 10-seater enclosed gondolas soaring over Disney World, while feeling the cool breeze through the well ventilated windows, these make for an awesome experience.
Similar to the monorail, the Skyliner connects you to specific parks and resorts. It connects you to both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, as well as these four resorts; Pop Century, Art of Animation, The Riviera, and Caribbean Beach Resort. So if you are staying at any of these resorts, you can access the Skyliner as well as if you are park hopping between Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
The Skyliner has similar hours to the monorail, where you can ride until 1 hour after each park closes, however they do open earlier than the monorail system does. Keep in mind a few things with the Skyliner, however. The Skyliner is the only mode of transportation from Hollywood Studios and EPCOT to the 4 resorts that I mentioned above, unless there is inclement weather in the area, such as thunder and lightning. So, if you are trying to catch the Skyliner at park close, especially after the EPCOT fireworks show, “Harmonious”, it is going to be slammed and you should be prepared to wait quite some time. Also, if you are not a fan of heights, this may not be the option for you.
Pop Century and Art of Animation share a Skyliner station which is located right in the middle of both resorts at the connecting bridge. The Riveira station is just to the side of the resort and only a short walk to the famous Topolino’s restaurant. The Caribbean Beach Skyliner station is located in the back of the resort, closest to the Trinidad portion of the resort, so it can be a little far if you are staying in a preferred room. This station is also the main Skyliner hub, which connects to other Skyliner lines, so it will be the busiest of all of the resort stations. However, if you are staying here, you won’t have to “connect” to a second line, which is nice.
The Hollywood Studios Skyliner station is just outside security to the right, if you are looking at the park entrance from the parking lot. The EPCOT station is located in the back of the park. Be sure to keep this in mind if you plan to head to the front of EPCOT first, to see, say Spaceship Earth or rope drop Test Track, because you will have quite the walk to get there.
Even though I love the Skyliner because of its convenience to a variety of resorts and privacy factor, the lines can get very long at park close and the location of some of the stations are not ideal, for me anyway. That puts the Skyliner in my number three spot.
4. Boats
Finally, taking my top spot, is the boat transportation throughout Walt Disney World. It’s probably the least popular in my opinion as well.
With four different boat transportation services, it can get a little confusing, so I will break it down for you.
First you have the Ferryboat, which is the largest and most popular of the four. This boat takes you back and forth between Magic Kingdom and the Ticket and Transportation Center. This boat is my least favorite because it gets very crowded and waits can be long, especially at park closing and leaving Magic Kingdom.
Second, you have the water taxi’s. The water taxi’s can take you to and from the Magic Kingdom from any of the following resorts; Fort Wilderness Campground, Grand Floridian, The Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge. Each resort has their own dock and most boats run every 20-30 minutes.
Next are the Watercraft Boats. These boats connect to both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT from the following five, yes five, resorts; Boardwalk Villas, Beach & Yacht Club, and both the Swan & Dolphin hotels. The EPCOT boat station is in the back of the park near the Skyliner, and the Hollywood Studios dock is located in the front of the park near the entrance.
Lastly, and my most favorite of the four, is the Friendship Boats. These are very similar to the Watercraft boats, however these boats are on Crescent Lake and take guests between Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and the surrounding resorts.
The reason I love the boats so much is not only do they run from many different resorts, but they are rarely crowded and generally do not have long waits. Plus, there is just something so peaceful and calming about riding these boats, feeling the wind in your hair, all while being in the most magical place on earth.
So, to recap, there are four different modes of free transportation throughout Walt Disney World. The monorail, the bus, the Skyliner and the boats, with the boat transportation ranking in first, and the buses coming in last place.
Oh! Also, if you ever want to splurge on special Disney transportation, you can always invest in the Minnie vans. These are a great way to get directly where you want to go without sharing a space and without waiting. They are available to book through the Lyft App. However, with so many different FREE options to choose between, and all the ways to connect to them, is it really necessary? I doubt it!
Let us know what your favorite Walt Disney World transportation is by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
