Disney World has so much to see and do but how do you get to it all? This might be one of your first questions when you start planning a Disney World trip. Here is your guide to all things Disney World transportation.
Airport Transportation
First things first! You have landed at Orlando’s MCO airport. You can already tell you are in the house of the Mouse by the signage and airport Disney Store. So how will you get to your hotel?
Bus:
Several companies offer bus transportation from MCO to all the Disney hotels and several Disney area hotels as well. Mears Connect is the largest of these. These are shared bus rides so you may have to wait a bit before you bus departs and the bus may stop at more than one hotel for drop off. When returning to the hotel you will be assigned a pick up time about 3 hours prior to departure
Private Car Transfer:
Lots of options for private car rental are available as well if you want to travel in luxury.
Uber / Taxi:
If you are looking for a private ride to your hotel consider calling an Uber or a grabbing a taxi at the airport.
Rental Car:
There is always the option of picking up a rental car for your stay as well. Be aware that parking at Disney Resorts does incur a nightly charge, this charge will cover your parking at the theme parks as well. While this is likely the most expensive option it does give you the most control and flexibility during your stay.
- Disney Value Resorts: $15 per night
- Disney Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
- Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per night
Getting Around On Property
Buses!
They are everywhere and they will take you pretty much everywhere. The Disney bus fleet is large and is the most used form of transportation on property.
The newer buses even have Wi-Fi and charging ports.
All hotels have buses that will take you to all of the theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. Depending on the hotel you might have one bus stop in front of the main building, or serval stops throughout the grounds of the resort.
In front of every theme park etc. there will be bus pick-ups for each resort.
The frequency of buses will vary depending on time of day, with more buses during busier travel times. However, they tend to arrive every 15 – 30 minutes and there are signs at the stops telling you when to expect the next bus. You can even check the bus times for your hotel on you’re My Disney Experience app.
Bus service from Disney Resort hotels begins 45 minutes prior to park opening and ends 1 hour prior to park closing.
Return service to Disney Resort hotels ends 2 hours after park closing.
***Buses will not take you from resort to resort. You would have to take a bus from your hotel to a theme park, then take another bus to the destination hotel.***
Ferries:
There are a lot of ferries around Disney World. Many hotels offer ferry transportation to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or Disney Springs.
There is also the option to take the ferry from the parking area, Ticket and Transportation Center, at Magic Kingdom to the park entrance.
Monorail:
The Monorail consists of resort stops and park stops.
The resort stops are the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian.
The park stops are Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
It is the most classically Disney way to travel.
Skyliner:
New in 2019 the gondola system connects Hollywood Studios and Epcot to Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera.
Driving Yourself:
If you drove from home or rented a car at the airport you will have the option to drive to the parks.
See above for pricing for hotel guests.
Parking at the theme parks is in large lots, be sure to take note of the Disney character or letter that represents your section of the lot.
- Preferred parking: car or motorcycle – $45-$50 per day
- Standard parking: car or motorcycle – $25 per day
- Oversized Vehicle Parking: Shuttle, Limo, Camper Trailer, RV, Bus or Tractor Trailer – $30 per day
These parking prices get you parking for one day good at all 4 Disney parks.
Once parked you can walk or take a tram to the park entrances.
The exception being Magic Kingdom where your walk or tram ride will end at the TTC, Ticket and Transportation Center, where you will need to take the monorail or the ferry to the park entrance.
** If you did drive from home and are having car trouble visit Disney’s Car Care Center for your service needs**
On Site Rental Car:
Many Disney visitors want to take a day of two to see some other Orlando sites.
You have the option of taking Uber or a taxi, there are also shuttle bus services for hire to locations like Universal Studios.
Another option is to rent a car onsite for a day.
You can sign up for a free shuttle ride to Disney’s Car Care Center and pick up a rental car for the day from one of the well know rental companies operating on site, Alamo and National.
The Swan and Dolphin hotels located outside of Epcot and accessible by Skyliner or bus also offer car rental service through Alamo.
Ride Share:
You can use ride share to get around the Disney World property. For certain location you would need to look for the designated ride share pick up area but just look at the signs or ask a cast member where that area is.
While Disney World is a vast place you have many options for how to get anywhere you are looking to go. Pick the option that works best for your and enjoy the journey.
If you are looking to travel to Disney World I would love to be your travel agent. Get expert advice in planning your vacation and a personalized experience at no additional cost to you.
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Katie - The Magic's Yours Travel 
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