Learn from Our Disney World Transportation MISTAKES

We try every food, ride every ride, see every show, and stay in every resort at Walt Disney World so we can help you make your vacation decisions. But every once in a while we make a mistake — specifically when it comes to getting to and from the parks.

At Walt Disney World, two factors typically come into play with regard to transportation: the park to which you’re going and the resort from which you’re coming. There are boats, trains, buses, Skyliner gondolas, and Monorails. So how do you choose which transportation method to use? And how do you avoid the pitfalls of each one?

Here are some of the mistakes we’ve made — and our recommendations for avoiding them!

Buses

Shared transportation is particularly challenging when it comes to buses. At times, all three All-Star Resorts share a bus line to the parks. At the beginning and end of park days, this can result in long waits at bus stops and standing room only when the buses are full. If you’re staying at the All-Stars and want to cut down on time spent on the bus, check out the layouts of the 3 resorts (All-Star Sports, Music, and Movies). Sometimes your room can actually be closer to one of the other hotel’s bus stops; you may be able to board or get off a bus sooner by using a different stop.

Another shared bus issue can arise at resorts with multiple bus stops — Disney’s Port Orleans — Riverside Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort spring to mind. These resorts are spread out over large areas, and buses shared between stops can make for some long waits.

Mistake Made? We’ve made the mistake of not checking for a closer bus stop or not learning the loop of an internal bus stop system. Save time by researching both before you leave home or as soon as you know what building you’ve been assigned.

Skyliner

The Skyliner gondola system is another form of transportation that is shared between resorts. One line runs from a shared station for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

Riders need to change from that line to a park line (to either Hollywood Studios or EPCOT) at Caribbean Beach Resort (Skyliner’s hub).

Disney’s Riviera Resort has a station on the EPCOT park line, which can slow things down a bit if you transfer to the EPCOT line. Know that depending on which resort you stay in on the Skyliner system, you will likely need to include time to transfer at Caribbean Beach. When you arrive at the Caribbean Beach stop, you’ll need to wait in another line to board the gondolas heading to your desired location.

Note that Skyliner gondolas board nonstop (barring delays or mechanical problems), so lines tend to move fairly quickly at the stations. Still, transfers can add time if you’re on a tight schedule.

Mistake Made? Not taking time to learn about the 3 Skyliner lines and their associated endpoints plus the need to transfer lines at Caribbean Beach Resort can lead to lots of confusion and time lost. Check out our page for the Skyliner here; we’ve got information on all the stations and how to connect from place to place.

Boats

Now, if you are in a real rush, you may want to avoid this form of transportation altogether. No matter what park or resort you are trying to get to, the boats are usually not the most efficient choice. Boats are typically slow, and they don’t run as frequently as buses or Monorails.

We do enjoy a Magic Kingdom Ferry Boat ride to or from the Transportation and Ticket Center, but otherwise, boats tend not to be a good choice for those in a rush. However, a boat ride can be very enjoyable if you have the time to spare and want a relaxing trip to your next stop.

Mistake Made? Boarding a boat — particularly a Friendship Boat in the EPCOT resort area — at all can be a huge time suck. With the exception of the Ferry Boat across Seven Seas Lagoon, boat rides will pretty much always take you more time than other forms of transportation — sometimes including your own feet!

What to Do?

Buses

Most resorts have Disney buses for transportation, and fortunately, they do run with regularity. However, at the beginning or end of a day, wait times for these buses can be LONG as everyone tries to get to and from the parks.

Don’t want to spend a lot of time in a line at the bus stop? Check your My Disney Experience app for bus wait times at your resort, or look for the screens at your bus stop that share wait times.

Paid Transportation

If buses, boats, the Monorail, and the Skyliner won’t work when you’re in a rush, you can get a cab or summon a ride-share service. All of the resorts, on or off Disney property, can call you a cab, and you can request a ride share (like Uber and Lyft) to come pick you up. They can take you pretty close to the entrance of the parks (with the exception of Magic Kingdom, which drops off at  TTC).

You can also get one of Disney’s Minnie Vans via the Lyft app. The service recently returned to the parks, and can be an effective use of time and money.

Renting a Car

If you want to control your own transportation, renting a car is your best bet. We’ve got more information about that here. There are some hassles to driving in Disney World — namely the unpredictability of traffic and the distance from parking lot to park entrance — but if you want to be in command of your own destiny, this is the way.

Car rental prices have surged recently, so be sure to look up the cost of rentals in Orlando before you arrive. Reserving a car ahead of time could save you some money, but it will likely be expensive no matter what. This is only accentuated by the fact that gas prices are also on the rise.

Plan Ahead

The most important thing to remember when traveling anywhere in Disney World is to avoid needing to rush in the first place. Whether you’re heading to a dining reservation, trying to make it in time for a Genie+ Lightning Lane, or trying to Park Hop, leave yourself plenty of time. Try to plan ahead before you leave home, then, remember to be flexible once you’re on site.

Keep following AllEars for more tips as you plan your upcoming vacation!

Find out how Disney World transportation is CHANGING in 2022.

What are some of your favorite transportation hacks in Disney World? Let us know in the comments.

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