(Article last updated: June 7, 2018)
One of the things I really didn't understand before our first Disney World trip was how to navigate using the Disney World transportation.
This led to some big frustration as I tried to figure out how to get back to our hotel from our dinner at another hotel.
I want to keep you from having similar issues, so today I'm going to try to break it down.
Let's get started...
In this article
Forms of Disney World transportation
Disney uses a few forms of transport within its system. The options are:
- buses
- monorail
- boats (sometimes known as Friendships) and ferries
- Minnie Vans
- And, coming soon, gondolas
Buses will take you just about anywhere, with monorail and ferries being options in some locations.
Minnie Vans are a premium service (they cost $25/ride) and are about as close to door-to-door service as you can get at a theme park. Minnie Vans are now available everywhere and anybody can use them (not just Walt Disney World Resort guests).
Outside of Disney World transportation, you can obviously drive but you can also make use of taxis/Uber.
Going from Values and Moderates to theme parks
People staying at Value and Moderate resorts currently only have the option of taking buses to the theme parks.
After the Disney Skyliner gondolas are completed, guests at Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, and Pop Century will also have that as an option for travel to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Going from Deluxes to theme parks
Magic Kingdom resorts can take the monorail or boats to Magic Kingdom, monorail to Epcot, and buses to the other parks (guests at The Contemporary can also walk to MK).
Boardwalk resorts (Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan, & Dolphin) can take a Friendship or walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Buses are available to the other parks.
All other Deluxe resort guests will take buses to theme parks.
Traveling between resorts
Traveling from resort to resort is one of the most difficult things to figure out at Disney World. I've often considered making a dining reservation at a hotel, but changed my mind once I thought about getting to and from the restaurant.
The quickest way to get between resorts is often by taxi/Uber. I don't think taxis are used enough at Disney World. It doesn't usually cost more than $10 or $15 for a taxi (less for an Uber) and can get you to your destination within a few minutes (use the Mears taxi fare estimator for a closer estimate). Disney's Minnie Vans are also an option for $25 each way.
If you're using Disney's free transportation, a good general rule is to get to the theme park closest to the destination resort and catch a bus or monorail from there to your destination resort.
For example, if you're at Pop Century and need to get to The Grand Floridian, you'd want to take a bus to Magic Kingdom and then take the monorail to The Grand Floridian.
Another example: if you're at Port Orleans Riverside and need to get to Animal Kingdom Lodge, you could take a bus to Animal Kingdom and then catch a bus over to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Disney World Cast Members will likely suggest going to Disney Springs and connecting there, but going to the nearest theme park usually makes much more sense.
Traveling between parks
All 4 parks have transportation available to allow you to hop to another park.
- From the Magic Kingdom to:
- Epcot - Take the Magic Kingdom monorail or ferry to the Transportation and Ticket Center and transfer to the Epcot monorail
- Disney's Hollywood Studios - bus
- Animal Kingdom - bus
- From Epcot to:
- Animal Kingdom - bus
- Disney's Hollywood Studios - bus, boat or you can even walk
- Magic Kingdom - Take the Epcot monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center and transfer to either the Magic Kingdom monorail or take the ferry
- From Disney's Hollywood Studios to:
- Animal Kingdom - bus
- Magic Kingdom - bus
- Epcot - bus, boat or you can even walk
- From Animal Kingdom to:
- Disney's Hollywood Studios - bus
- Epcot - bus
- Magic Kingdom - bus
Some special situations
Getting to Ft. Wilderness - many people need to get to Ft. Wilderness for various activities, including the popular Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue show. My previous advice to go to a theme park and catch a bus to your destination resort will work here, but there is also a boat from Magic Kingdom that you might want to take.
If you are short on time, we also recommend taking a Minnie Van as this service drops you off extremely close to Pioneer Hall (which is where Hoop-Dee-Doo is located).
After parks close - after the nighttime entertainment ends and crowds leave in droves, there will be long, long.....long lines at the bus stops. To avoid this, consider 1 of these options:
- Take a taxi/Uber back to your resort
- Use a Minnie Van
- Position yourself so you're one of the first to leave the park and one of the first to get to your bus stop
- View from outside the park so you're not caught in the crowds at all. This mainly works at Magic Kingdom where you can view fireworks from one of the beaches at the monorail resorts. It doesn't work as well at the other nighttime shows.
There are no buses from Disney Springs to the theme parks. Resort guests can get directly to theme parks or Disney Springs, and you can travel to Disney Springs from the theme parks after 4 p.m., but people wanting to park for free in Disney Springs and go to the theme parks will not be able to do that.
Early-morning breakfast reservations - Have an early morning breakfast reservations and concerned how to get there? Read my article on character meals for info on how to do that.
Disney World has started including navigational information in the My Disney Experience app, but it's confusing and often completely incorrect, so we made our own! Select starting/ending points below for tips on how to navigate between Disney World locations.
| ⍏ WDW Prep Navigator ⍖ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allow up to an hour each way to get between resorts and theme parks (up to 90 minutes to get between resorts), with each trip leg taking 10-20 minutes once you're en route. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Here's another option: open this tool on its own page to easily reference it anytime. You might also consider going to that link on your phone and adding it to your home screen to pull it up easily during your trip.
Transportation map
Here's a fantastically awesome transportation map from http://www.wdwfocus.com/map/ (click to enlarge) that you might like as a handy reference. I bought a print of it that hangs in my office.
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Have you tried out one of the Disney World transportation options? Leave a comments below and tell us how it went!
What’s the best way to get to Ohana at Polynesian from Pop? I assume bus to MK then monorail to Poly? If you have a later ADR at Ohana, is there any issue with buses from MK not running to prevent getting back to Pop? (Maybe I’m unecesssrily concerned since MK is usually open pretty late.)
If we have a 7:30 a.m. reservation at Chef Mickey’s, can we drive and park our vehicle at Contemporary, monorail to Epcot and back during the day, and then drive our vehicle back to our All Star Music Resort all for Free? We made our reservation early enough that we don’t have to pay overnight parking, and I think day parking at the resort is free with a dining reservation. Is that all correct?
You said “…but people wanting to park for free in Disney Springs and go to the theme parks will not be able to do that.” Well, we travel ALL the time for free from Disney Springs (I still say “Downtown Disney”) but you do need to add a small step to the process. We park for free in Disney Springs then grab a resort bus to the nearest resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian, Bay Lake or Grand Floridian, and sometimes Old Key West if that bus is about to leave Disney Springs). Then upon arriving at the resort we go straight to… Read more »
This awesome to know, we’re staying at a hotel across from Disney Springs and I Was worried about getting into the parks.
Really, really grateful for the amazing navigation source for traveling around the Disney property! I’ve been all over the net trying to find this info, including the disappointing Disney website – to no avail! WDW Prep School, you are a major life saver. BIG thanks!!
This article contains everything I was hoping to find about going from one place to another using Disney’s transportation system. Thanks a lot for it.
This article helped more than you know! Do you have a chart that gives the estimates of when the buses for each park start running in the morning? Do they all usually start around 630/7 am?
Thanks again!
The Navigator…sigh! You have everything covered Shannon! My question is… Epcot to Contemporary for Chef Mickey at lunch: Navigator said E> TTC> Resort monorail…… would E> TTC> MK> walk to Contemporary be any faster? Thanks a million times over!!
I have Early Magic Hour privileges and a hopper pass, so I was thinking that I’d take advantage of the Magic Hour until a bit after the park opened and then goto a non-Magic Hour park to avoid the post-Magic Hour crowds. But reading your post and considering travel time between parks, it may not be worth it. Animal Kingdom on Monday, Epcot on Thursday, MK on Friday . For example, Would it wind up being a waste of time/effort to start our day on Monday at Animal Kingdom, until 9:15 AM or so, and then spend the rest of… Read more »
We have a 7:50am breakfast reservation at Bon Voyage (on the Boardwalk). We do have park tickets to Epcot that day as well. We are staying at AoA. What time should we leave AoA to get there in time and what is the best way to get there using Disney transportation?
There really isn’t an easy way to get between those resorts. You could take a bus to MK or HS and then go from MK or HS to the Boardwalk, but that might take up to 90 minutes (and buses to MK start running between 6:30 and 7 usually). I would highly recommend a taxi or Uber. That will only take a few minutes to get there and usually cost a max of $10 or so.
My husband, son, and dad are not going with us. Would they be able to take us to the Boardwalk and drop us off that morning?
Is the express bus service still available? I had heard it wasn’t and was hoping to use in april.
No, it’s not still available, unfortunately.
My daughter has an appointment at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique in Disney Springs @9:40 and we will be meeting the rest of our family in Epcot for a 1:30 character meal. What is the quickest way to get from Disney Springs to Epcot? We are staying off of Disney property.
Will you have a car since you’re staying offsite? If you will, it would probably be easiest to just drive from Disney Springs to Epcot. If you try and take buses you’ll have to go back to Disney Springs at the end of the day to go get your car. It should only be a 15 minute drive. If not, you can take the bus from Disney Springs to the Beach Club resort and then walk through the International Gateway into the back side of Epcot.
That makes sense to get a tax to travel between resorts. I’m sure it’s really hard to navigate on your own with a car. I’m planning a vacation to disney since the kids are old enough to get something out of it now.
There are 6 of us traveling together. Is it easy to get a minivan taxi/Uber?
You would need to user UberXL level of service (usually minivans or SUVs) or call to request a larger taxi. More info on Uber at http://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-use-uber-at-disney-world/
You are awesome. I love following you on Pinterest and many of my Disney ‘saves’ are from you! Thank you for providing such informative, easy to follow, and pertinent information!
Hi, I am staying at the All Stars Movie Resort in Spetember.
Is there a way to get to Disney Springs? Or would it be betterto use a cab or uber?
There are buses from your resort to Disney Springs. Taxi/uber is also an option, but totally optional.
I am wondering if we can still use the Disney transportation system (bus)to get to Disney Springs immediately AFTER checking out of our resort. So that we can then rent a car from one of the hotels in the Disney Springs location.
Thanks!
Anybody can use Disney’s on-site transportation whether they are staying at a resort or not. However, the bus to Disney Springs won’t take you right to the Disney Springs resorts. You’ll either have to Uber/taxi there or see if they have a shuttle that can pick you up.
I need to get from Hollywood Studios to Obama by 8:45
We’re not in a rush
Best way?
Do you mean ‘Ohana at the Polynesian? Theres a bus from Hollywood Studios direct to the Poly. I’d allow at least an hour…theres lots to pass the time with at the Poly if you are early.
Just curious – you mention going from Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios by bus. But, I read somewhere else you would need to take the monorail to the TTC and then a bus to HS. Can you clarify?
There hasn’t been a bus to Hollywood Studios from the TTC for years, so I assume you just came across old info.
I’m so happy to have stumbled upon this! This is going to be a life saver for our trip. It’s the first time staying on site. Thanks for putting all the work into this!!
This is a fantastic website and super helpful! Thank you for your hard work!
We are staying at Saratoga Springs in October and plan to use Disney transportation. Does the bus go directly to the theme parks from the resorts or does it stop at other resorts? On the return trip are there designated buses for each resort. This is our first time staying on site.
I have a quick question. My family is going to Disney World in July and we are going to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue at 6:15. We are wanting to then go to the Evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot. What is the best way for us to get there? Will the Epcot Monorail run back to MK after EMH?
Wow Shannon! It’s like you read my mind. I’ll be in WDW in two weeks and was just trying to figure out the best ways between Epcot and HS- this tool is so very helpful!
I haven’t visited Disney for over 20 years and I am now finally taking my daughter there next June (very excited). I really want to travel the monorail into Magic Kingdom on the first day we visit but if its part of the route in from our hotel – Port Orleans French Quarter. It looks like we take the bus to MK but do you then need to take the monorail to enter the park or do we get dropped off right at the entrance. If is the latter is there a route I could take to ensure we need… Read more »
The Disney buses drop you off right in front of Magic Kingdom. If you want to ride the monorail, I’d suggest taking an afternoon break from Magic Kingdom and riding it around the loop (if you have time, you could hop off to check out the resorts) before heading back to your resort.
If you have a car with you and have small children, you should drive to the parks. Our last trip we drove to the parks for the first time and my husband and I decided we will never use Disney buses again (until maybe our kids are older), it was SO much easier driving. It is a big nightmare trying to wrangle small children (sometimes sleeping) onto the bus, strollers, bags and then everyone is rushing you because they want to get on the bus. Between the waits, the hassle and sometimes having to stand holding sleeping toddlers. Taking the… Read more »
Thank you!! Great advice!
This will be my first Disney trip as a Mom and with three smalll children, avoiding the buses will make things so much easier.
How do you know where to park if you are driving yourself? Is there a map somewhere? Also, what do you mean by “The only thing I would say about Magic Kingdom is that you want to be there early so you don’t have to take a tram to the Transportation Center. Then you can just roll your stroller onto the monorail.” I don’t quite understand this. I would love some advice on driving through WDW Resort with a car as I am considering driving from CA to WDW and am trying to decide if I should use the car… Read more »
I used to be scared about driving at Disney World but I’ve done it a few times since last summer, and it couldn’t be easier. There are signs everywhere. Parking is obvious and there are staff members standing outside to point you in the right direction as you drive to a park. The comment about Magic Kingdom is because people who drive to Magic Kingdom actually park across the water at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and have to take a boat or monorail over to Magic Kingdom. If you arrive early, you can park really close to the… Read more »
Will the Navigator take into account the new security procedures at the Magic Kingdom. I need to get from my resort to Wilderness Lodge for dinner and had planned on busing to MK then onto a launch. With the new procedures I’ll have to go through security before I can get to the boat dock,right? But Magic Bands will still be scanned up closer to the railroad station, I’m assuming, so it won’t “cost” me a day’s pass to use MK as a transportation hub. Thanks!
I have recently ridden the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and then gotten on the boat to the Wilderness Lodge, without having to go through security. I am sure the same applies for riding the bus – you won’t have to go through security to get on a boat.
I heard that they now have buses that go from the parks to Disney Springs. Can you verify that?
Yes. After 4pm.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/08/new-bus-service-offers-direct-access-to-disney-springs-from-theme-parks-after-4-p-m/
I’m looking for the best way to get from Epcot to Disney Springs for a 3:45 reservation.
Either take a taxi/Uber or walk out the International Gateway entrance/exit at Epcot (located near the UK pavilion) and head to the Beach Club for a bus to Disney Springs.
How early do the buses start running? Looking for the easiest way to get from the Contemporary to the Boardwalk for 7:30am breakfast reservations.
There aren’t any buses that go directly between resorts. You could walk to the Magic Kingdom bus stops and take the Boardwalk bus, or you’d need to take a taxi/Uber to get there.
Thank you so much to everyone for your inputs. This is my families first trip to WDW and I been debating whether to get a rental car or use the shuttle. I don’t think I want to wait hours each day for their transportation and since I’m staying at WDW resort, I get a free parking pass anyway. I just booked a minivan for 9 days in June for $282 through Alamo at Orlando airport. I went through Costco if anyone is interested.
Can’t believe I’m back on your site! Eeeek 🙂 we have planned a super last minute trip, and by super last minute, I mean like today, lol. You helped us tremendously on our 10 day trip last year so I’m hoping to reach out for a rescue now! We are leaving Wednesday and plan to go to MVMCP Thursday and Friday nights. We bought tickets for the party but are staying off site this time due to unavailability on site so last minute. We flew last time and solely relied on Disney transportation from POR, which worked out great. But… Read more »
Is there a way to get a cab (not uber) from Magic Kingdom to get to Pop Century? After a long day there we would like to get back to the hotel without any wait or hassle. If so, how much does it approximatly cost? Thanks for your help !
Thanks so much for this article. My wife & I just experienced this nightmare. She’s a die hard Disney fan. I, on the other hand, after tonight’s transportation fiasco, have decided that if I never set foot in Disney parks again, I would be ok with that. That being said, your comment about a transportation app is dead on. They have magic bands to track where we stay, where we go, and what we buy, but a transportation app to track where THEY are is too difficult? Get on the ball, Disney.
Good point Jeff! This is my biggest concern when we go for the first time next year.
How early does the transportations begin at disney springs in the morning ? If i Park there,will i be able to take a bus to a hotel and then an another one to go to a major park?
I mean before rope drop
We will be doing a split day between Epcot and Magic Kingdom (staying to watch Wishes).
Any transportation suggestions are welcome.
We will have a rental car at our disposal and not bothered with parking fees if this is a better option.
My family and I will be staying at Bonnet Creek and going to Epcot on a Friday afternoon and evening in April. We want to watch Illuminations and then head over to the Boardwalk area to check out street performers, get ice cream, and hang out. But I’m stumped as to how we will get back to Bonnet Creek since Epcot will then be officially closed when we are done visiting the Boardwalk and we won’t be able to get back through to get to our car. I’m considering valet parking at Boardwalk Villas but I’ve read there is construction… Read more »
Parking is free at the Disney Springs garage. You can leave your car there and catch the bus to The Boardwalk and enter and leave Epcot from there. After you are done for the day/evening you can just hop on the bus from the resort back to Disney Springs to pick up the car,
You can move the car once Epcot closes. The hotels allow free parking if you are visiting.
I think it is fun to utilize Disney’s different means of transportation and is just part of enjoying WDW! Our last visit on our arrival evening we left Pop Century by bus to the front of MK, where we then took a boat to Fort Wilderness. We went over to the Chip N Dale campfire and roasted Smores!! The boat ride over was nice. It was a smaller boat and we saw wildlife along the way before landing at a sandy beach area. Before we headed back to the hotel, we watched a light parade on the water and then… Read more »
Hi! We will be staying at All Star Movies for our upcoming trip and have a few transportation questions. We are going to Animal Kingdom but will have dinner at the Animal Kingdom lodge after Animal Kingdom closes. What do you recommend is the best way to get from Animal Kingdom lodge back to All Star Movies after we eat? We will also be going to Magic Kingdom but will have lunch at Chef Mickey’s over at the Contemporary. What is the best way to and from the Contemporary from MK (I wasn’t sure if the monorail went straight to… Read more »
I would recommend taking a bus from Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), and there you will be able to get a bus to your resort.
The monorail does go directly from Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary Resort.
Hi, I’m so stressed over making it to my ADR on time after my daughters BBB appointment. The appointment is at DTD BBB @ 12:30 and our ADR Akershus is at 2:45.
We will have a car, but I see on the map that the taxi station look very close to BBB as compared to the parking garage. Should we plan to taxi it? I’ve tried pushing back my ADR with no success and BBB is full on that date as well, so I have to make this work.
Thanks!
We are staying at beach club the first week in December. I’m debating getting a park hopper only for the purpose of being able to use the monorail to get back and forth faster from Magic Kingdom. Is this even feasible? I’ve been told that we should plan on about an hour to get from beach club to magic kingdom by bus. We will be traveling with a 2 year old and will need to go back to the room to take a nap. If it truly is an hour one way that will be almost 4 hours of bus… Read more »
The Beach Club is a great location for Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You can walk to both or take a boat which is not long and fun. The monorail in Epcot to the Transportation center than another one to Magic Kingdom is located at the front of Epcot. The entrance you will enter staying at the Beach Club is at the back of Epcot. You will need to walk the distance from the back Epcot entrance to the front entrance and then take the monorail and switch at the transportation center. I would do this to go to the party… Read more »
What about park to park buses? If I want to go to Downtown after day in the Studios do I have to go to a resort and transfer to a HS bus?
take a bus to Saratoga Springs and walk to Downtown Disney. It’s a quick (and pretty) walk around the lake! 🙂
Hi Shannon,
I love the idea of taking a taxi back to our hotel after fireworks and park closings. Your podcast mentioned that the cabs will be lined up for passengers to jump in, but do you happen to know if these “ready to go” taxis have booster seats? Or, do you know what the FL laws are for the ages/heights/weights that children no longer need the booster? I have 5 and 9 year old boys, so I’m not sure.
Thanks for all you do!
Hi, We own a timeshare and are trying exchange our week to stay at a Disney deluxe resort. We realize this may not happen and need a plan B. We were looking into several resorts that are within walking distance of Disney resorts. Can we just walk over in the mornings and take buses to the parks we wish to attend? I have heard that the bus drivers require you to present your room card to ride in the mornings but we have never experienced that when we previously stayed on property. Any advice or help would be great, Thank… Read more »
That map would make a great t-shirt graphic!
I am staying at Caribbean beach and made dining reservations at the Boardwalk. What would be the quickest/easiest way to get there? I know they are close, but I honestly cannot remember seeing buses from our resort to the Boardwalk.
Thanks!
They are really close but there’s no direct transportation to get between them. I took an Uber to do that on my last trip.
I am staying at Art of Animation in mid September. I have a dining reservation at chef mickey’s at 7:45 am. Will i be able to make it on time taking Disney’s transportation or do i need to get a taxi? It sounds like a lot of transfers and if everything starts running only an hour before the parks open I’m worried i won’t have time?!
We will be staying offsite memorial day weekend and driving to magic kingdom. How early do we need to be headed to MK to beat crowds and make it to Rope Drop? Is 7 am early enough to make a 9 am opening? How bad can we expect traffic to be? How early do the ferries and monorail operate?
Hi Shannon,
My Wife and I love your site!!
My Question is, are we able to take a Cab to the MK or would we have to go to the Disney transportation center?
I have two questions. My first one is how do I get to Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom if I’m staying off site? My second question is what is the fastest way to get from Animal Kingdom to Hollywood Studios? Thanks!
By the way we will have a car. Thanks!
How do I get from Downtown Disney to Epcot?
I would walk out the International Gateway (between the UK and France sections) and go to The Beach Club resort bus stop and catch it from there.