Crash Course in WDW Transportation

Walt Disney World has a pretty impressive transportation system that can get you around their property and even get you to and from the airport. And it’s all included with your stay at a Disney Resort. Since it’s where you’ll start on you vacation, let’s look first at getting to your resort from the airport.

Disney’s Magical Express

This is an awesome service for those flying into Orlando International Airport with participating airlines. There are two parts to the Magical Express, you and your checked bags. With your travel documents, you’ll be sent special yellow luggage tags (like the ones they put on at the airport) for your bags that have your resort name and area on them. These go on your checked bags and after you check into your airline, you won’t see your bags again until they reach your room. Disney picks them up from the airport and them directly to your room for you. So that’s how your bags get there, but how do you get there? You (and your unchecked bags) take a Magical Express coach bus from the airport to your resort. When you get to the airport, you follow the signs to the Disney’s Magical Express area. You will need your MagicBands to check in, then you get directed to the line for your resort where you wait for the bus. While on the bus they show you videos about Walt Disney World and Mickey Mouse shorts. The bus will stop at other resorts in the same area, so you may not be the first stop. Getting back to the airport is just as easy. You check your bags at your resort and pick them up at baggage claim as you normally would at the end of your flight. For your sad trip back to the airport, you hop on the Magical Express bus again and watch some different videos.

Bus System

The most common way to get around Walt Disney World is by bus. Busses take you to the four theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs and depart resorts near the lobby. At some of the more spread out resorts, the buses stop at multiple places around the perimeter before stopping at the main depot and head out. The depots are covered waiting areas with a few benches and the main depots have a monitor that usually shows when the next bus for each location will be arriving. Most main depots have two covered areas to split up the crowd by where they want to go, so it is important to make sure you’re standing in the right spot. The buses display where they are going and will pull up to the appropriate spot. Drop off at the parks and Disney Springs is just outside the main entrance. When you’re ready to go back to your resort, head to the bus area and look for the board displaying a number corresponding to your resort. Signs will show which numbers are which way and each bus area is not only numbered but shows the resort name too. Buses come every 20 minutes or so and begin 45 minutes before park opening and end 2 hours after closing.

Just a warning with the buses: they will pack as many people as possible onto the buses, so you may end up standing. Out of courtesy, never be that person that doesn’t go all the way back and leaves empty space. You are preventing people from getting on the bus. It may not be fun standing inches away from strangers, but it’s even worse if you get cut off from getting on a bus because people won’t move back.

Another warning: Buses only go from resort to park. This means if you are trying to go between resorts or between parks you need to make a bus or transportation change. (i.e. going from Pop Century to the Contemporary, take a bus to Magic Kingdom and then take the monorail or bus or boat)

 Monorail

The famous Walt Disney World Monorail has three loops. The resort line goes to the Contemporary, the Polynesian Village, the Grand Floridian, and Magic Kingdom (in that order). The express monorail also goes Magic Kingdom, but the only other stop is the Ticket and Transportation Center, which is where Magic Kingdom parking is and where you can transfer to the Epcot line. The Epcot line goes from the Ticket and Transportation Center to Epcot. So, if you want to go from the Grand Floridian to Epcot by monorail, you hop on and go to the TTC and then transfer there to the Epcot monorail. Even if you’re not staying at any of the resorts, you can still ride the monorail for fun, I always try to when I go.

The monorail outside Magic Kingdom

Water Transportation

There are three different “boat areas” at Walt Disney World. Near Magic Kingdom two boat loops go from the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom and from the Polynesian Village and the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom. Over near Disney Springs boats go to the two Port Orleans resorts, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West. Boats also go to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from the Boardwalk Inn, Yacht & Beach Club, and the Swan and Dolphin. Each of these areas have different style/sized boats but are all fairly small rather than large ferry boats. Boats run at around 15-30-minute intervals and keep in mind that you may stop at other resorts before going to the parks or Disney Springs.

Disney Springs boat at Port Orleans Riverside

Disney Skyliner (Coming Soon!)

The Disney Skyliner is going to be a gondola system connecting Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and the new Riviera resort to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. The cabins of the gondola are designed with Disney characters (even parks characters!) on the exterior so it looks like they are riding in the cabins. The Skyliner looks amazing and I can’t wait to see it.