So what is the best way to go about figuring this out?

[krismanda]

Are there cheat sheets in the resort? Do I need a guidebook? How can I figure out the best way to get from resort to parks and resort to other resorts (for dining, etc.)? How do I figure out how much time to plan for transportation?

 

[LockShockBarrel]

There's not really a cheat sheet but the Transportation board has a "How to get from A to B" thread that's pretty helpful. You can always ask the CMs at the hotels for advice, each park usually has pretty well placed signs saying "Boat to Wilderness Lodge" or things like that, and the bus hubs will have a big sign that tells you which stop serves which hotel. In general, if you're in a hurry, Disney transportation is NOT the way to go. They will tell you to budget at least an hour to get from place to place, sometimes you luck out and get there sooner...and sometimes you don't.

 

[wdwmama19]

All the Disney buses will have a sign that lights up saying where it's going. At the parks the bus stop has a queue line for each resort bus and other parks. The monorails are pretty easy to figure out too. It's not hard once you know where you want to go.

 

[ZoZo]

The Unofficial Guide to WDW has a section about how long it takes to get from place to place using different types of transportation (rental car, buses, boat, monorail).

One thing to remember is that it's hard to go from resort to resort, or from one of the parks (like DHS) to DTD, using only disney transportation. In cases where you're going to resort-hop or if you're going from a park to DTD, I'd definitely recommend traveling by car. There are no resort-to-resort buses or park-to-DTD buses - you would always need to transfer, and that takes extra time.

 

[Alesia]

The transportation board is your friend.

 

[GenieCat]

The Unofficial Guide to WDW has a section about how long it takes to get from place to place using different types of transportation (rental car, buses, boat, monorail)...

Agreeing with the suggestion for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, available at larger book stores, Amazon.com and possibly your local public library.

I borrowed a library copy the first time, and then had to buy my own because I didn't want to return it!

 

[MHSweb79]

Your resort will have regular bus service to/ from each park & waterpark, as well as Downtown Disney.

For resort-to-resort travel, you must go to a park (or DD) and transfer to that resort's bus. Or go to the TTC and catch the monorail, if it's one of those resorts. As you can imagine, this can eat up gobs of time. It's almost always easier & faster to take a cab in these cases. You will not regret it!

 

[DisLis]

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/aspx/twiz.aspx

This transportation wizard has served us well in the past.

 

[krismanda]

I forgot about this post. I have a bad case of summer brain. lol Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions!