Complete Guide to Disney World Transportation – Incl. Disney Cruise

Navigating Walt Disney World’s vast property can feel overwhelming, whether this is your first visit or even if you have visited the parks multiple times. However, Disney’s complimentary and efficient transportation system ensures that getting around is both convenient and enjoyable.

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This complete guide to Disney World Transportation covers transportation options from every Disney Resort hotel to all Walt Disney World parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. Additionally, it includes helpful tips, parking details, and more, plus Disney Cruise transportation information. 

There are many perks to staying in a Walt Disney World resort hotel, one of the top being the access to free Disney World transportation all over the property. You can easily park your car and not touch it until it’s time to go home; even book transportation from the airport or other locations, and you do not need to drive once during your stay. It’s all about the Disney bubble, in my opinion, and that means- I am not driving! 

Understanding the various modes of Disney World transportation around Walt Disney World will help to alleviate as much stress as possible while on vacation. My #1 piece of advice is to pay attention to where specific Disney World transportation goes, as not all transportation is created equal, nor does it go to every park and resort. 

Before we dive into the specific modes of Disney World transportation and how Disney makes it possible to take advantage of the free rides all over the property, I want to touch on a few things that are helpful to know about Disney. 

Helpful Tips About Walt Disney World

Disney World is a beast, there are multiple logistics to be considered when visiting the park in Orlando. 

• There are four Walt Disney World theme parks. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. 
• There are over 25 Walt Disney World resorts on the property. 
• There are over 5 Good Neighbor hotels where you can stay to get Disney World perks. 
• There are two Disney World water parks, which rotate which is open throughout the year. 
• Disney Springs is the Walt Disney World shopping and entertainment district. 
• DVC, or Disney Vacation Club, is Disney’s version of a timeshare offering. Those staying in DVC rooms get all of the same benefits as guests staying in the resort who are booked through Disney directly or have used a travel agent (I highly recommend it!) 
• The closest airport to Walt Disney World is the Orlando airport, Orlando International Airport or, MCO. It’s about 40 minutes from Walt Disney World property. 
• The closest port with Disney cruise vacation options to Walt Disney World is Port Canaveral. More on this below!
• Disney’s Magical Express is no longer in service. If you visited Disney before 2020, you may have utilized the Magical Express, however, it has since been replaced with paid private transportation and group transfer options not provided by Disney itself. However, there are plenty of options to get you from MCO to a WDW resort, and round trip options as well. 

Overview of Disney World Transportation Options

There are multiple modes of transportation around Walt Disney World to ensure you are able to stay in the Disney bubble and have a magical vacation.  

1. Disney Bus Transportation: Available at all Disney Resort hotels, buses provide transportation to all theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. This is the most popular mode of transportation and will likely be used at some point during your stay. 
2. Disney Monorail: A convenient option for accessing Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and select resorts on the Monorail loop. Details on the monorail loop are below. 
3. Disney Skyliner: A gondola system connecting select resorts with EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There are a few resort hotels located on the Skyliner route, as long as a few others that have quick access but or not generally considered a Skyliner resort. This is our favorite mode of Disney World transportation! Some of the gondola’s are wrapped in fun Disney details like scenes from movies, or Disney characters. 
4. Ferryboats and Water Taxis: Available for select routes and resorts, primarily around Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs. There are many water-related transportation options, though it is important to keep in mind that they are not in a loop- so you will not be able to get one a boat in one place and access all of the above locations. Please read below to understand where each boat will take you. 
5. Walking Paths: Convenient paths are available between some resorts and parks. This is a great option to get in some steps and again, potentially have your own security line. 
6. Parking: Self-parking, ride-share service, and valet options are available for those driving to Disney destinations.
7. Minnie Vans: These are provided via the Lyft app but with a Cast Member driving, which is a great experience! There are also two car seats supplied if you are more comfortable. 

Helpful Tips About Using Disney World Transportation 

• The Stroller. Some Disney World transportation options are better than others when it comes to strollers. For example, you do not need to fold your single stroller on the monorail or the Skyliner, but you will be asked to fold it on the bus and potentially on boats. Double-wide strollers will need to be folded on the Skyliner.
• Understand the Disney World Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Magic Kingdom does not have it’s own parking lot near the entrance of the park. Instead, you will park at the TTC and take either the monorail or Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom gates. Parking at TTC can also get you to Epcot via the monorail, though Epcot does have its own parking lot.  
• Save Money With Disney World Transportation! It’s a complimentary service for no additional cost and the best option to save on transportation or parking fees while in Disney World. 

Disney World Transportation Service Options By Resort

Are you trying to determine which resort in Walt Disney World is right for your family? Check out the Ultimate Walt Disney World Resort Guide to learn everything there is to know about each resort – from cost to location, activities to perks.

Monorail Resorts

These resorts can be found on the monorail loop and have convenient access within the lobby. A major benefit to this transportation option is the private security! Once you go through security at the resort, you will not need to go through again once you arrive to either Magic Kingdom or Epcot. 

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • To Magic Kingdom: Walk (10 minutes) or take the Monorail. The private walking path is the ideal option in my opinion, and it’s the main reason to stay at this resort. 
  • To EPCOT: Take the monorail from the lobby and transfer at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC).
  • To Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Water Parks, and Disney Springs: Use Disney Buses.
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
  • To Magic Kingdom: Take the Monorail or boat.
  • To EPCOT: Transfer at the TTC. You could get on the monorail from the resort and make the loop to the TTC, though I highly recommend walking from the Polynesian. It’s about a 20-minute walk if you are in the Polynesian tower or a 5-minute walk if you are in the resort building closest to the TTC. 
  • To Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Water Parks, and Disney Springs: Use Disney Buses.
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • To Magic Kingdom: Monorail, boat, or walk. The walking path is longer than the path from the Contemporary, but in about 20 minutes you are at the gates to your own security line, which is worth it to me. The monorail line in the morning can get quite long. 
  • To EPCOT: Take the monorail and transfer at the TTC.
  • To Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Water Parks, and Disney Springs: Use Disney Buses.

Skyliner Resorts

Our favorite mode of Disney World transportation! It’s scenic, less busy and takes us to our favorite park- EPCOT! There are five stops on the full skyliner, one of them being a transfer hub between Hollywood Studios and Epcot. 

Pro Tip: If you are taking the Skyliner to Epcot, you will be entering from the International Gateway, rather than the front entrance.

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (Skyliner Hub)
  • To EPCOT: Take the Skyliner. Depending on where you are located within the resort, you could either walk to the Riviera Resort skyliner station or walk to the Caribbean Beach transfer station. If you do get on at the transfer/hub station, you will stay on to Skyliner at the Riviera and continue on to Epcot. 
  • To Hollywood Studios: Take the Skyliner. Again, depending on where you are in the resort, you could get on at either stop, though you will want to get off at the transfer/hub station to board a Skyliner on another route if you get on at Riviera. 
  • To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and the water parks: Use Disney Buses. There are multiple bus stops all around the park, including an internal resort bus system. 
• Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts
  • These resorts share a Skyliner station, right in the middle of the two resorts. 
    • To EPCOT: Take the skyliner and transfer to the Skyliner going in the same direction as the one you were just on. 
    • To Hollywood Studios: Take the Skyliner and transfer to the Skyliner to the left of the route you were just on. 
    • To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and the water parks: Use Disney Buses from the lobby area of the resort.
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • To EPCOT: Walk to the Skyliner station and hop on for a ~15 minute ride to International Gateway of Epcot. 
  • To Hollywood Studios: Take the Skyliner to the Transfer hub and go to the right when you get off of the Skyliner. 
  • To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and the water parks: Take the bus from the front of the resort. 

Crescent Lake Resorts (Walking/Boat Access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios)

• Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
  • To EPCOT: Walk (5-10 minutes) or take the boat from the waterside of the resort. It’s by far the easiest and quickest to walk. 
  • To Hollywood Studios: Walk (30 minutes) or take the boat.
  • To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and the water parks: Take the bus from the front of the resort. 
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
  • To EPCOT: Walk (5-10 minutes) or take the boat. I always walk from Boardwalk!
  • To Hollywood Studios: Walk (15-20 minutes) or boat. We usually walk to Hollywood from Boardwalk. 
  • To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and the water parks: Take the bus from the front of the resort. 

All Other Resorts 

The remaining resorts only provide bus transportation to all parks and Disney Springs. 

• Animal Kingdom Lodge 
• Saratoga Springs
  • While there is only bus access to all the parks, you can walk to Disney Springs!
• Coronado Springs
• Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music and Sports resorts 

Resorts With Water Access 

• Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts (Riverside and French Quarter)
  • To Disney Springs: Water taxi.
  • To All Parks and Water Parks: Use Disney Buses.
• Old Key West 
  • To Disney Springs: Water taxi.
  • To All Parks and Water Parks: Use Disney Buses.
• Wilderness Lodge & Fort Wilderness
  • To Magic Kingdom: Take the boat. 
  • To Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs: Take the buses from the front of the resort at Wilderness Lodge and throughout the resort to the main bus station in Fort Wilderness. 

Disney World Transportation Between Parks

While you are visiting Disney parks, you can use Disney World transportation between parks and resorts. Essentially, once you are on Disney property, you can get around whenever you want to go on the property while using free transportation. 

• Magic Kingdom to EPCOT: Take the Monorail, transferring at the TTC to the Epcot route.
• Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom: Take the buses from the bus depot as the front of the park. 
• EPCOT to Hollywood Studios: Use the Skyliner, Friendship Boats, or walk. The Skyliner takes the longest as you need to leave Epcot and transfer to the hub station. Walking takes around 30 minutes, and the boats are great, but do make a few stops. 
• EPCOT to Animal Kingdom: Use the buses between these parks
• Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom: Take the buses between these parks. 

Transportation to Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach 
  • Take the bus from your Disney resort to Animal Kingdom & transfer to Blizzard Beach.
• Typhoon Lagoon
  • Take the bus from your Disney resort to Disney Springs & transfer to Typhoon Lagoon. 

Transportation to Disney Springs

• Buses are available from all Disney Resort hotels to Disney Springs. 
• Select resorts (e.g., Port Orleans, Old Key West) offer water taxi services. 
• There is no direct transportation available between Disney Springs and theme parks, so plan to connect via a resort.

Parking Information

• Theme Park Parking: $25 per day for standard parking; $50-$55 for preferred parking. 
• Disney Springs Parking: Complimentary parking in garages. Its rare that the parking garages are full, but some of them are far away. 
• Resort Parking: Parking is free at Walt Disney World Resorts. 

Tips for Using Disney World Transportation

• Plan Extra Time: Allocate 45-60 minutes for travel between destinations.
• Use My Disney Experience App: Check real-time bus schedules and transportation routes.
• Travel During Off-Peak Times: Avoid transportation during park opening and closing times to minimize wait times. However, I honestly don’t recommend this because road drop is the best way to see the parks. 
• Stay Near Your Priority Park: Choose a resort with easy access to the park you’ll visit most.
• Be Patient: Delays can happen, so remain flexible with your plans. 
• Car seats: Leave the car seats at home or in your car if you are driving, you won’t need them on Disney transportation. 

Disney Cruise Transportation

I know many people add on a stay in Disney hotel before or after their magical cruise, and thankfully there are cruise transfers between the two areas so you can stay in the Disney bubble the entire time. 

If you are hoping to participate in port adventures near Cocoa Beach or at the Kennedy Space Center, I suggest looking into alternative ground transportation options to get to your cruise ship afterward. There are many great options for private transfers or booking a one-way rental car if you want to see multiple places. 

• To Port Canaveral from Walt Disney World Resorts:
  • Disney Cruise Line offers a paid Disney Cruise line shuttle service on a Disney cruise line bus from most Walt Disney World Resort hotels to Port Canaveral.
  • Reservations are required and can be added to your cruise package via the Disney cruise line website. The service includes luggage transfer from your resort to the ship.
  • Pick-up typically occurs in the morning on embarkation day, ensuring you have a great port arrival time with plenty of time to board.
• From Port Canaveral to Walt Disney World Resorts:
  • Post-cruise transportation is also available via Disney cruise shuttle service, returning you to your resort or directly to the airport. 

Walt Disney World’s transportation network is designed to ensure you can focus on the magic of Disney rather than the logistics. Whether you’re taking a leisurely ferry ride, enjoying the bird’s-eye views on the Skyliner, or hopping on a classic Disney bus, getting around the parks is part of the magical memories you and your family are sure to make.