5 HUGE Transportation Changes Disney World Made This Year

Disney World transportation can be super helpful and make travel way easier for a lot of families.

Monorail

Using Disney transportation means you don’t need to bring your own vehicle to get around Disney property. But Disney transportation isn’t without its faults, and things can change on a dime. Here are 5 HUGE transportation changes Disney made this year that you need to know about.

Sunshine Flyer Merges with Mears

The biggest and most recent transportation change involves getting to/from the Orlando International Airport and Disney World. Disney’s free Magical Express service is long gone and was replaced with Mears Connect and The Sunshine Flyer. Now, however, the two companies have merged together.

©The Sunshine Flyer

This means that there are no longer two separate services — it’s just Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine now. The company will still provide guests with advance booking, 24/7 service, as well as transportation to and from Disney World hotels and the airport. To book your reservation, you’ll want to call (407) 423-5566 or by email at [email protected].

Free Parking Returns for Hotel Guests

If you are driving to Disney World in your own car or renting a car, you will need to park at your hotel. Many guests were thrilled to hear that free parking has returned for Disney World hotel guests.

Mickey Parking Lot

This major change helps guests save a good chunk of cash; it was not cheap to pay a fee to park at the resort each night. This policy was removed in January, much to the excitement of hotel guests.

EPCOT Rideshare Drop-Off/Pick-Up Changes

Using a rideshare program like Uber or Lyft is a popular choice among guests. Many use it to head to and from Disney World, and services like Uber can be a big help for those staying off-property or those that don’t have a car to use.

Have you ever used Uber or Lyft in Disney World?

Over in EPCOT, there’s been a change to the rideshare procedure. Previously, the rideshare drop-off/pick-up spot was close to the front of EPCOT, but that’s not the case anymore.

New EPCOT Rideshare Spot

Now rideshare users heading to EPCOT will be dropped off/picked up at the Eve lot, which is a HIKE to the front entrance. For reference, this was the old rideshare zone; it was at the front of the parking lot closest to the EPCOT entrance.

Old rideshare zone in EPCOT

This means that you’ll want to allow more time to get to and from the front gates, so you can rope drop efficiently or so don’t miss your rideshare.

Skyliner Closure

Back in January, the Disney Skyliner closed for a short refurbishment. While it reopened on time just a few days later, it is important to note that we expect a closure like this to happen again in the future.

Disney Skyliner

The Skyliner is a complicated, popular transportation method, so it’ll likely need to continue to undergo consistent maintenance to maintain its safety, which is why we may see short closures like this in the future.

Skyliner Station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

When this mode of transportation is closed, guests will need to use a car, Disney boats, buses, walking trails, or rideshares to get to where they need to go.

Disney Springs Boats Suspended Service

More recently, the Disney Springs boat services to and from 4 different Disney World hotels were suspended at the beginning of the summer due to low water levels. This meant you couldn’t take the boats to/from any of these resorts:

River boats to Disney Springs

This was due to a lack of rain and issues with the water levels impacting the Disney Springs-area waterways. The problem was fortunately resolved at the end of June, and the boats are now fully in service again. That said, you never know when something like this could happen again, so keep your eyes out for major closures.

EPCOT Monorail

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