This is one of the busiest times of the year in Disney World, and that means that some new rules may be temporarily put in place to help deal with the crowds visiting the parks and hotels right now.
Recently, buses at Disney Springs started adhering to a temporary rule restricting who can take buses to Disney World hotels. We’re going to break down those restrictions for you and tell you how to get around them.
We recently noticed that when you walk to the bus depot in Disney Springs, there are barricades near the entrance to the bus queue areas to keep people from just jumping in line to go visit a Disney World hotel. Here, you’ll speak with a Guest Relations Cast Member who will ask you why you’re visiting the hotel. You’ll scan your MagicBand and then be let into the line if you’re either staying at the hotel or have a dining reservation at the hotel.
Previously, Disney World visitors could park at Disney Springs and take a bus to whatever hotel they’d like without having to pay any parking fees (parking at Disney Springs is free). Also, you can’t really drive to a Disney World hotel and pay for parking — you’re only generally allowed to park there if you’re staying there or have a dining reservation at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
Taking a bus to Disney Springs first is also a free way to travel from one Disney World hotel to another by taking a bus to Disney Springs and then taking another bus to the hotel you wish to visit. Now, though, that won’t be allowed, at least until the busy Spring Break season is over.
So how can you travel to a hotel without going through Disney Springs? Well, it’s complicated. If you’re driving, you likely won’t be allowed to drive directly to a hotel unless you’re staying there or have a dining reservation there during the busy Spring Break season. You could drive to one of the parks and take a bus from there, but you’ll have to pay for parking at the theme parks.
If you go to Magic Kingdom, though, you have to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and then take a Monorail to Magic Kingdom, and then take a bus to the hotel you’re visiting if it isn’t a Monorail resort.
If you’re traveling from one hotel to another, though, this is easier: you could just take a bus to a park and then hop on a bus for whichever hotel you’d like to visit.
If you’re traveling from one Disney World hotel to another, the easiest thing to do is take a rideshare like Uber or Lyft. However, you still need to be staying at or have a dining reservation for that hotel you’re visiting. You could always take a rideshare to one of the parks, though, and take bus transportation to a hotel from there — except at Magic Kingdom, where you’ll be dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center, so you’d have to take the Monorail to Magic Kingdom to access the Disney bus system.
The same goes for Minnie Vans. You can have a Minnie Van pick you up at one Disney World hotel and take you to another, but you’ll still need a reservation to get into that hotel. You could also take a Minnie Van to the parks and then hop on a bus from there (but, again, you’d have to take the monorail to get to the buses at Magic Kingdom).
If you’re visiting Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, or Disney’s Contemporary Resort, you can always park at the Transportation and Ticket Center. and take the Monorail to that hotel. However, you will also have to pay to park there. You can also take a ride share directly to the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Finally, if you’re visiting a Skyliner resort, you can drive to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, pay for parking, and take the Skyliner to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, the EPCOT area resorts, and Disney’s Riviera Resort. Likewise, you could take a rideshare to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
As you can see, it’s not really easy to travel to Disney World hotels, especially now, if you are not staying at that hotel or don’t have a dining reservation. If you really want to visit a hotel for some shopping or sightseeing, you might just want to make things easy by booking a dining reservation there and enjoying some good food while you’re at it.
We’ll keep you updated on ALL Disney news, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.
Where to Stay: On Disney Property or Off-Site?
What do you think? How do you travel around Disney World when you want to visit hotels? Let us know in the comments!
You could say you are eating at Resorts food courts which do not require reservations like Captain Hook’s at Polynesian or Port Orleans food courts which do not require reservations. We have had no problems getting gluten free beignets at Port Orleans.
So if my wife and I are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and for a date night want to play the game Winner Picks Dinner Monorail Crawl? We can’t do this anymore for April 17th-24th?