Guide to Walt Disney World Transportation: Part 1

Still, first time guests often travel home, unhappy with their experience. Often this is due to not knowing what to expect and how to plan for it. Walt Disney World is a huge place, and while they make every effort to make your stay magical, there's just too much to plan for. If you're planning a trip to the World, I hope that this article will help make your stay even better.

Remember, these options are all free to Walt Disney World Resort guests.

Resorts To Parks:

While you always have the option of driving or taking a taxi from your hotel to the parks, Disney can do the driving for you.

Bus:

All Walt Disney World Resort hotels have bus service to the parks, water parks, and Downtown Disney. Most hotels have several bus stops each, which can lengthen travel time, but which also means less walking for you. While travel time is generally under one half hour, it can go beyond an hour. Make sure that you have plenty of time if you're going by bus, and if you have reservations somewhere, plan to arrive early.

Motor Launch:

These small boats take guests at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness resorts to and from the Magic Kingdom- bypassing the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Motor Cruisers:

Larger than the Motor Launches, these Motor Cruisers offer the same service as above, but only to guests at the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground.

Friendships:

Similar to the Motor Launch and the Motor Cruisers, Friendships offer transportation to Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club, and Swan & Dolphin resorts guests to M.G.M. and Epcot. The bonus with using the Friendships to get to Epcot is that you can enter the Park through the International Gateway in the World Showcase rather than using the main entrance.

Monorail:

This is the only other way to bypass the Transportation and Ticket Center. Guests at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary resorts can hop onto the monorail from their resorts and go straight to the Magic Kingdom. You can transfer from the resort monorail to the Epcot monorail at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Transportation And Ticket Center To Magic Kingdom:

There are many ways to get to the Transportation and Ticket Center, but only two ways to get from there to the Magic Kingdom. And don't be fooled, you have to go through the Transportation and Ticket Center to get to the Magic Kingdom unless you're staying at one of the Deluxe Resorts that have Ferry or Monorail service to the park.

Ferry:

If you love the Disney magic, try taking the Ferry from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom. Not only do you have a view of Cinderella's Castle for most of the trip, but it tends to be less crowded as the entrance is off to the side. The monorail entrance is straight ahead as you enter the Transportation and Ticket Center, so most people just head straight onto the monorail without even noticing that a ferry is available. Mornings you may be lucky enough to have a few characters join you for the cruise, and the nighttime fireworks display is nearly as beautiful from the ferry as it is in the park.

Some seating is available, but most is standing room only. The ferries are rarely too full to take on more passengers, but if you need to sit and you're not among the first in line, you may wish to wait for the next ferry.

Monorail:

The monorail is a very comfortable ride when it's not at peak capacity, and entertaining with a pre-recorded narration explaining the history of the monorail and what you'll see if you look out of the windows. Taking the resort monorail from the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center or your connected resort can give you time to wind down after a long day at the park.

While parking is free to resort guests, and you may find it faster to drive yourself, or take a taxi, Disney makes it's transportation as convenient as possible. And really, there are some views that you just can't get from a car.