Official 'how to get from point A to point B while at WDW' thread.

[DisneyFun08]

No, but all you really need to know is that there is transportation between each resort and each of the 4 theme parks & DTD. That transportation is either bus, boat, or monorail. Buses from the resorts start running around 6:30 a.m.; buses back to the resorts run until the last Guest has left a park, and until 2 a.m. from DTD. Start & end times for boat & monorail service vary from that.

There is no service between 2 resorts; you generally have to transfer. It's usually best to go to the park nearest your destination while that park is open (or before opening in the morning), and transfer there to your destination resort. After the parks have closed, you need to transfer at DTD to get from 1 resort to another.

There is also service between any 2 parks, but not between a park & DTD -- for that you need to transfer at a resort.

When the waterparks are open, there is service between each resort and each waterpark. There is no service between the waterparks, and service between the parks & a waterpark is not available except in a few cases.

If you have specific questions, feel free to ask here, or ask any Transportation cm at WDW. (Warning: resort hotel staff sometimes give out inaccurate transportation info.)

Thank you so much for this explanation! You said in one post exactly what I needed to know!!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks. I just remember staying at various resorts and stopping at other resorts on the way, so I figured there was some system in place.

For instance...if you are staying at Boardwalk, your bus to MK will stop at the S/D, and 'possibly' the YC/BC. Going to AK? Same thing. DTD? All those resorts are combined on this one route. Boat or walking to Epcot and DHS.
Staying at the CR? Your bus to AK, DHS and DTD will stop at one or two other resorts along the way. Etc.
The only resorts that don't 'share' a route are Pop and AoA..they will sometimes be combined on a route but not often.
Of course, the moderate resorts don't 'share' a route, but they do make multiple stops within the resort..up to 5 depending on where you are.

the only time you really need to worry about a 'connection' is if you are at resort A and you need to get to resort B...then you have to head to a park and transfer to transportation to resort B there.

If you let us know where you need to go, and from where, we can give you pretty specific info.

 

[dwing1221]

We are going to WDW in July and have reservations for Cinderellas Castle at 8:15 a.m. What time will POP buses start running to MK that morning? We'd like to get there by 7:45 so we have plenty of time to walk to the castle. Also, how do we get into MK early since it won't open til 9 that day?

 

[Alesia]

We are going to WDW in July and have reservations for Cinderellas Castle at 8:15 a.m. What time will POP buses start running to MK that morning? We'd like to get there by 7:45 so we have plenty of time to walk to the castle. Also, how do we get into MK early since it won't open til 9 that day?

Buses start running at 6:30 every day. I would be on the first bus.

 

[goofy4tink]

We are going to WDW in July and have reservations for Cinderellas Castle at 8:15 a.m. What time will POP buses start running to MK that morning? We'd like to get there by 7:45 so we have plenty of time to walk to the castle. Also, how do we get into MK early since it won't open til 9 that day?

Buses start running at 6:30 every morning. But, they run less frequently than regular buses. If you just miss one, you may wait for 20+ mins for the next bus. For an 8:15 ADR, I would be out at the bus stop no later than 7. That should get you on the second bus. Even if you have to wait until closer to 7:30, you'll still be at MK in plenty of time.
When you get to MK, you will see one area where early ADR guests are allowed through. It's usually off to one side or the other. Not a problem.

 

[kristen0147]

We're arriving Wednesday morning at SSR. We have dinner ressies at Whispering Canyon at 6:30, don't plan on being in the park that day, best way from SSR to WL? Bus to DTD then WL, or Bus to TTC then WL?

 

[siskaren]

We're arriving Wednesday morning at SSR. We have dinner ressies at Whispering Canyon at 6:30, don't plan on being in the park that day, best way from SSR to WL? Bus to DTD then WL, or Bus to TTC then WL?

Bus to MK, then boat to WL. There isn't a bus from the TTC to any of the resorts (nor can you take a bus from any of the resorts to the TTC), and you don't enter the MK to get to the boat to WL.

 

[whydoihavetoregister]

If I am not mistaken I can park for free at Downtown Disney, take the bus to a resort and than monorail to anywhere in the kingdom? I can't find a good site to list bus times ie how often they run and how long the trip takes. The one OLP WDW Transportation Wizard doesn't have times and was reported to be inaccurate. (I can find time of the first, last buses to/from parks, downtown but nothing about in between)

I am planning to stay near the park. My hotel offers shuttles but only 4 times in am and 4 times in Pm. I am not sure how that will work for our plans each day so I was planning to drive everyone to downtown disney, park for free, and than take disney transportation into the parks each day. Alternately my hotel is less than 2 miles from Downtown: Is Hotel Plaza BLVD and Buena Vista drive to Downtown safe to walk along?

Is it a hassle to get from downtown to the parks? (Plan to go to each one on different days) It looked like AK might be a pain to get to.

 

[stuntpir8]

Hi,
Is there an easy way to get from the boardwalk to AoA late at night? I'm stayining at AoA in a few weeks but want to meet some friends for drinks at BW around 10:00. How late does Disney transpo run and approx how long will the trip take? Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[kaytieeldr]

If I am not mistaken I can park for free at Downtown Disney, take the bus to a resort and than monorail to anywhere in the kingdom? I can't find a good site to list bus times ie how often they run and how long the trip takes. The one OLP WDW Transportation Wizard doesn't have times and was reported to be inaccurate. (I can find time of the first, last buses to/from parks, downtown but nothing about in between)

I am planning to stay near the park. My hotel offers shuttles but only 4 times in am and 4 times in Pm. I am not sure how that will work for our plans each day so I was planning to drive everyone to downtown disney, park for free, and than take disney transportation into the parks each day. Alternately my hotel is less than 2 miles from Downtown: Is Hotel Plaza BLVD and Buena Vista drive to Downtown safe to walk along?

Is it a hassle to get from downtown to the parks? (Plan to go to each one on different days) It looked like AK might be a pain to get to.

Parking at Downtown Disney is for people visiting Downtown Disney.

Buses don't run on a published schedule, they run about every twenty to thirty minutes.

Buses from Downtown Disney are notoriously slow, plus they start rrunning after the parks open. It can take as long as two hours (extreme but possible) to get between anywhere and DtD.

Hotel Plaza Boulevard is fine for walking. Without knowing your starting point, it's impossible to tell if it's safe to walk between there and DtD.

 

[goofy4tink]

If I am not mistaken I can park for free at Downtown Disney, take the bus to a resort and than monorail to anywhere in the kingdom? I can't find a good site to list bus times ie how often they run and how long the trip takes. The one OLP WDW Transportation Wizard doesn't have times and was reported to be inaccurate. (I can find time of the first, last buses to/from parks, downtown but nothing about in between)

I am planning to stay near the park. My hotel offers shuttles but only 4 times in am and 4 times in Pm. I am not sure how that will work for our plans each day so I was planning to drive everyone to downtown disney, park for free, and than take disney transportation into the parks each day. Alternately my hotel is less than 2 miles from Downtown: Is Hotel Plaza BLVD and Buena Vista drive to Downtown safe to walk along?

Is it a hassle to get from downtown to the parks? (Plan to go to each one on different days) It looked like AK might be a pain to get to.

It's a huge hassle!!! The buses don't start running, to the resorts, frequently (as if they do that at any time!) until after 9ish. So you would have to get there, wait for possibly 30+ mins for a resort bus to come and then go to that resort and transfer to park transportation. It would probably take upwards of 90 mins!! Most of us that know what we're doing never suggest using DTD as a transfer point to get anywhere, other than to a resort...and not that if you're in a hurry!
Transportation to and from DTD is some of the worst on-site! It takes forever.
If people want easy access to the parks, they need to stay on-site...that's the perk we pay for, in our resort rates.
Not to mention the parking situation at DTD now.It's miserable with all the construction they're doing. Parking is at a premium.
I would budget in money to pay to park at the parks...as Disney intended.

Hi,
Is there an easy way to get from the boardwalk to AoA late at night? I'm stayining at AoA in a few weeks but want to meet some friends for drinks at BW around 10:00. How late does Disney transpo run and approx how long will the trip take? Thanks for any help you can provide!

There will be buses that are ultimately heading to DTD (at least that's my understanding), that will take you back to your resort late at night. Each bus, leaving from BW, will take multiple resorts on each run...so it won't be quick. It could take quite awhile! I would recommend taking a cab back to AoA..should be around $10 or so. AoA is only a 5-8 min ride from BW....seems silly to take 90 mins to get there using Disney transportation when you can spend $10 and get there in under 10 mins!!!

 

[stuntpir8]

It's a huge hassle!!! The buses don't start running, to the resorts, frequently (as if they do that at any time!) until after 9ish. So you would have to get there, wait for possibly 30+ mins for a resort bus to come and then go to that resort and transfer to park transportation. It would probably take upwards of 90 mins!! Most of us that know what we're doing never suggest using DTD as a transfer point to get anywhere, other than to a resort...and not that if you're in a hurry! Transportation to and from DTD is some of the worst on-site! It takes forever. If people want easy access to the parks, they need to stay on-site...that's the perk we pay for, in our resort rates. Not to mention the parking situation at DTD now.It's miserable with all the construction they're doing. Parking is at a premium. I would budget in money to pay to park at the parks...as Disney intended. There will be buses that are ultimately heading to DTD (at least that's my understanding), that will take you back to your resort late at night. Each bus, leaving from BW, will take multiple resorts on each run...so it won't be quick. It could take quite awhile! I would recommend taking a cab back to AoA..should be around $10 or so. AoA is only a 5-8 min ride from BW....seems silly to take 90 mins to get there using Disney transportation when you can spend $10 and get there in under 10 mins!!!

Thanks! 90 minutes of my time is defiantly worth 10 bucks!

 

[whydoihavetoregister]

Parking at Downtown Disney is for people visiting Downtown Disney.

Buses don't run on a published schedule, they run about every twenty to thirty minutes.

Buses from Downtown Disney are notoriously slow, plus they start rrunning after the parks open. It can take as long as two hours (extreme but possible) to get between anywhere and DtD.

Hotel Plaza Boulevard is fine for walking. Without knowing your starting point, it's impossible to tell if it's safe to walk between there and DtD.

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Fairfield on South Apopka Vineland Road. I was looking for back up ways for transportation since the hotels shuttles will only run to and from Epcot and I believe only a couple of times a day. We are a family of 7 so I am looking to cut costs. I looked into WDW resorts and it was $850+ per night for a suite for 7 or $150 a night per room x 2 for a value resort. I can book into the fairfield for $95 a night per room, get free breakfast and the perks of Walt Disney World Good Neighbor® Hotel. (eligible for early/late park hours, shuttle, disney desk to buy tickets on site etc) I will also earn four more free nights (via marriott promotion) to use in the future, points etc. I don't think we plan to do much more than put our head down at the hotel so it seems silly to stay on site.

I was also looking at Lynx bus since it would be they seem to run about every 20 minutes and run near the hotel from what I could see.

 

[summermac]

I just want to double check on something that I think I know the answer to but my brain hurts right now. How does one get from resort (Pop in our case) to Polynesian for a breakfast ADR? If it makes any difference, it is not super early morning by the way - the reservation is for 9:55.

Thank you.

 

[summermac]

Double post. Sorry

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Fairfield on South Apopka Vineland Road. I was looking for back up ways for transportation since the hotels shuttles will only run to and from Epcot and I believe only a couple of times a day. We are a family of 7 so I am looking to cut costs. I looked into WDW resorts and it was $850+ per night for a suite for 7 or $150 a night per room x 2 for a value resort. I can book into the fairfield for $95 a night per room, get free breakfast and the perks of Walt Disney World Good Neighbor® Hotel. (eligible for early/late park hours, shuttle, disney desk to buy tickets on site etc) I will also earn four more free nights (via marriott promotion) to use in the future, points etc. I don't think we plan to do much more than put our head down at the hotel so it seems silly to stay on site.

I was also looking at Lynx bus since it would be they seem to run about every 20 minutes and run near the hotel from what I could see.

No early/late park hours. Only Disney-owned hotels, and Shades of Green, Dolphin & Swan, and Hilton Downtown Disney guests. Lynx will cost you $2 per person per direction, or $28 per day. Just pay the $15 to park onsite at the park of your choice.

I just want to double check on something that I think I know the answer to but my brain hurts right now. How does one get from resort (Pop in our case) to Polynesian for a breakfast ADR? If it makes any difference, it is not super early morning by the way - the reservation is for 9:55.

Thank you.

Bus to MK, launch or monorail to Polynesian.

 

[summermac]

It will have to a launch b/c the monorail is down during our trip. Oh wait, not until 11:30. Awesome, thanks!

 

[hemmie]

Hi,
My family (me, DH, DS age 10, DS age 8) is going to be staying at AKL in May (2014). I'm having trouble finding accurate information as to how many minutes - once we are on the WDW bus - it takes to get from AKL to "point B." Miles, fine, but to me that doesn't really answer my question. Any insights would be appreciated! Am trying to figure out how early we need to leave the hotel. Also not opposed to walking to Kidani if buses are full while we are there.

AKL to MK = __ minutes
AKL to Blizzard Beach = __ minutes
AKL to HS = __ minutes
AKL to AK = __ minutes
AKL to Epcot = __ minutes

Thank you!

 

[siskaren]

Hi,
My family (me, DH, DS age 10, DS age 8) is going to be staying at AKL in May (2014). I'm having trouble finding accurate information as to how many minutes - once we are on the WDW bus - it takes to get from AKL to "point B." Miles, fine, but to me that doesn't really answer my question. Any insights would be appreciated! Am trying to figure out how early we need to leave the hotel. Also not opposed to walking to Kidani if buses are full while we are there.

AKL to MK = __ minutes
AKL to Blizzard Beach = __ minutes
AKL to HS = __ minutes
AKL to AK = __ minutes
AKL to Epcot = __ minutes

Thank you!

AKL to MK - about 20 minutes
AKL to Blizzard Beach - about 10 minutes
AKL to HS - about 10 minutes
AKL to AK - about 7 minutes
AKL to Epcot - about 15 minutes

 

[kaytieeldr]

The Unofficial Guidd to Walt Disney World has a chart that compares travel time ranges, car vs. Disney transportation. This chart will show the shortest and longest time ranges and explain the variance. You don't need a current edition; the chart has changed little in the last ten years.