GOING TO DISNEY WORLD?
So you’re planning a trip to Disney World. At first, you’re excited to be headed to one of the most magical vacation destinations. But soon, you begin to get overwhelmed at all the different aspects of planning a Disney trip. Should you buy park hopper or single park tickets? Which rides should you get a FastPass for? Which hotel should you pick? And what about dining plans and reservations? All of a sudden, the Happiest Place on Earth is starting to sound like a headache. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Our Disney World posts are created as easy-to-understand resources to help you get the most out of your trip. In this particular post, we’ll explain the different types of free Disney World transportation available and how you can use them to your advantage on your vacation.
HOW TO GET AROUND DISNEY WORLD FOR FREE
The entire Disney World complex in Orlando is massive. At 40 square miles, it is around the size of San Francisco or double the size of Manhattan. So naturally, you may be wondering how you’re supposed to get around such a large area. Some of you may be driving to Orlando or renting a vehicle after flying into the airport. But don’t worry if you are not planning on having your own car! Disney has a wide variety of unique and FREE transportation methods available. These options can provide a convenient alternative, even when you have your own vehicle.
But there really is no need for your own car at Disney World. In fact, without one, you’ll be saving on parking fees at both the hotel and at the theme parks. Depending on the parks you visit or the hotels you stay at, you’re likely going to mix and match the transportation choices at Disney World. Read on as we dissect each option to help you figure out which ones to utilize on your vacation.
THE MAGICAL EXPRESS
If you are staying on property at a Disney World resort hotel and flying into Orlando International Airport (MCO), the first free transportation you will take is the Magical Express. This is a great benefit of staying at a Disney hotel if you’re flying. Instead of renting a car or getting a ride from the airport, you’ll get a complimentary ride in a comfortable coach bus.
When you’re planning your trip and decide to take the Magical Express, you will be asked to provide your flight information to Disney. If you don’t have those details when you’re booking your hotel, you will need to call or fill out this form to reserve your spot on the Magical Express. You must do this at least 10 days in advance, but preferably much earlier. If you made your reservations at least 30 days in advance, you will also receive tags in the mail to put on any checked luggage. Disney will then pick up any tagged luggage and deliver them to your room so there’s no reason to go to the baggage claim. (However, this service is canceled at the moment due to COVID-19).
At the airport, follow the signs for the Magical Express down to the first level. Here, you’ll show the Cast Member your confirmation letter. But don’t worry if you forget to bring it. We’ve forgotten it before but they are still able to look up and confirm your reservation. Then, they will tell you which line to get in for the bus to your hotel. If you’re lucky, you may not have to wait too long to board your bus. But if you do end up having to wait a bit, consider it a preview to all the waiting in lines you will do over the next several days!
On the day before you check out, you will receive a letter at your room containing your bus departure time. Disney also provides check-in services for certain airlines (again, currently not available due to COVID-19). On your last day, head to the Magical Express departure location at your hotel. Although on this sad day of departure, we prefer to call it the “Tragical” Express… The bus will then drop you off at MCO. Along the way, you’ll watch a bus video that will only make you want to book your next Disney vacation right there in your seat. That’s the power of Disney marketing for you!
BUSES
Disney World also offers free bus transportation to and from the 4 theme parks, Disney Springs and Disney resort hotels. Now, these buses are not the nice coach buses of the Magical Express. Instead, they more resemble a typical public transportation bus. While they have seats, depending on how crowded it is, you may have to stand in the aisles packed like a can of sardines. They do have air conditioning and Wi-Fi though!
From a Disney hotel, you will be able to take a bus to a theme park or Disney Springs. However, you cannot take a bus between hotels unless it is already on a shared route. For example, many times, a bus will stop at all 3 All-Star resorts before heading back to its destination. So if you are heading to another hotel to dine at or just to check out, you will likely need to either go to a park or Disney Springs first. Then, get on another bus or other form of transportation to get to the other hotel. If you’re heading to a hotel that doesn’t have monorail, Skyliner or boat access, Disney Springs is a nice place to use as a bus transportation hub. Many times, we’ve found it to have shorter bus lines than the theme parks.
Due to potentially long lines and crowded buses, some guests prefer to utilize their own vehicle or request a ride through the Minnie-Van service. But the way we see it is, if a service is free, then you should expect some trade-offs. So to avoid disappointment or frustration, be sure to go with the right expectations of the bus service!
MONORAIL
The monorail is maybe the most iconic of the free transportation at Disney World. Funny side story: when David went as a child, he thought the train that connects the gates with the main terminal at the Orlando airport was already the Disney monorail… ha!
Originally conceived as an idea for futuristic public transport, the monorail mainly operates in the Magic Kingdom area. For those that drive to and park at Magic Kingdom, you will take the monorail from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to the entrance of the theme park. You can also take a monorail to Epcot from the TTC as well. If you’re spending a day off from the parks, a great free activity for the kids is to ride the full monorail loop. To do so, you’ll just need to transfer between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot tracks at the TTC.
There are 3 resorts along the monorail: the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian and the Contemporary. Even if you’re not staying at one of these hotels, the monorail provides convenient access for a visit. During one trip, we were staying at Old Key West Resort but had a dinner reservation at ‘Ohana in the Polynesian. So we took a bus to Magic Kingdom, then hopped onto the monorail to get to the Poly.
One thing to note is you will have to go through security when getting on the monorail. In our example above, once we got off the bus at Magic Kingdom, we had to go through park security before being able to go to the monorail station. Don’t worry, though. This is before where they scan for park admission. So you do not need a park ticket to get to the monorail! If you have a dinner reservation and use the monorail to get there, make sure you leave some time to get through security. You will also go through a security check before getting on the monorail from one of the resorts on the loop. While this may be inconvenient, the monorail is still a smooth, fast and fun way to get around.
SKYLINER
The newest form of transportation at Disney World is the Skyliner. These aerial gondolas provide a beautiful view from high up in the sky. They are incredibly smooth and even though they don’t have air conditioning, they are designed for maximum air flow, keeping you cool throughout the ride. Like the monorail, the Skyliner is a great activity to do with your family on a day off from the parks.
Currently, the parks that can be accessed by the Skyliner are Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Several resorts have stations available. Caribbean Beach acts as a hub where all the lines originate. If you need to make a transfer, this is the place to do so. Pop Century and Art of Animation share a station between the two resorts. The Riviera is a stop along the Epcot route.
If you are taking the Skyliner to Epcot, it will drop you off right outside the International Gateway, which is right by the Boardwalk. Essentially, this means all the resorts in this area (Beach Club, Yacht Club and the Boardwalk Inn) as well as the dining and entertainment options here are accessible by the Skyliner. It may be a newer system, but you can reach many locations. The most magical flight on earth is definitely worth checking out!
BOATS
Lastly, if you are a more nautical person, Disney World has no shortage of water transportation. Many of the ferry and water taxi routes are available in the Magic Kingdom area. You can take a boat to Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness and the TTC. The Contemporary is also connected to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness by boat. During a previous trip on one of our non-park days, we had planned to eat lunch at Wilderness Lodge at Geyser Point. So we grabbed a bus to Magic Kingdom from our resort and then took a boat over.
The Friendship boats offer a leisurely ride between Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk area hotels. These include the Beach and Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, as well as the Swan and Dolphin hotels. These aren’t the fastest boats around and you might even be able to walk faster along the sidewalk. But it’s also nice to slow down during what can be a hectic vacation destination at times. We usually enjoy spending some time on the Boardwalk during our Disney trips. So what we’ll typically do is take a bus from our resort to Hollywood Studios, then take a Friendship boat over.
If you’re staying at Old Key Resort (one of our favorites!), Saratoga Springs, or either of the Port Orleans resorts, you can take a boat to Disney Springs. Again, they’re not the fastest boats and you might be able to get there quicker by bus. But if you’re not in a rush and want to relax a bit, this is a great choice. And if you’re traveling with kids, it’s always fun to change things up and get on a boat!
NOW THAT YOU'RE A DISNEY TRANSPORTATION PRO...
As you can see, being familiar with the free transportation at Disney World can help you come up with creative combinations to get you from Point A to Point B. When we spend a day resort-hopping, we usually take advantage of most, if not all of these options.
For example, we may start the day by riding a bus to Disney Springs for the morning. Then for lunch, we’ll take another bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Afterwards, we’ll take a bus to Hollywood Studios and either take a boat or the Skyliner over to the Boardwalk area. After hanging out there for the afternoon, we’ll take a bus from one of the nearby resorts to Magic Kingdom, then take the monorail to the Polynesian for dinner. After watching the fireworks from the beach, we may take a bus back to Disney Springs and a final bus back to our hotel.
By utilizing the free transportation at Disney World, you don’t have to worry about renting a car and/or parking fees. Plus, we believe that part of the Disney experience includes checking out the unique transportation available. Where else can you hop on a monorail, a boat and a gondola back to back for free in a single day? We hope our post helped you understand the different transportation options and routes available. For our other posts on Disney World, click here. We hope you have a great magical vacation!