Travel time between parks

[KTR]

Hello!
We have done 2 WDW trips in the past but never with parkhoppers. For our next trip we will have them. Can anyone give me the expected travel time between the parks.

Our first day will start in MK and I expect we will be hopping in the early afternoon. I hope to have a FP already booked for another park but really have no clue what to expect for transport time. We will be using the busses.

Thanks

 

[Hopefully]

Hello!
We have done 2 WDW trips in the past but never with parkhoppers. For our next trip we will have them. Can anyone give me the expected travel time between the parks.

Our first day will start in MK and I expect we will be hopping in the early afternoon. I hope to have a FP already booked for another park but really have no clue what to expect for transport time. We will be using the busses.

Thanks

We need to know more about your plans to best help you. There is not one single specific answer.
From MK to where?
If you need a generic answer I would say 45-70 minutes including time to wait for transportation.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Depending where you are, it usually takes about an hour. This includes time to walk out from wherever you are in the park, wait in line for the bus, drive over to the next park, go through security, and walk to whichever attraction you want next.

 

[KTR]

I don’t really know yet. It will depend what FPs I can get. Ideally, I would love to know the travel time between all the parks. I don’t think we will ever be starting in Epcot, but other than that I think we might be going between any possible combination of them over the course of our week.

 

[Robo]

Ideally, I would love to know the travel time between all the parks.

There is no definitive answer to that question.
It is truly 50% "luck of timing."

So, you should "allow for unlucky timing."

The "most isolated from the others" park is MK.

So, assume that if you are standing at the MK bus terminal ready to leave, you can reach DHS or DAK within 20-45 minutes.
If you are standing at the MK monorail station and you are headed to Epcot, you can reach that park in 15-35 minutes.

Once you are at the next park, you must go through security check and the park gates, then walk to your restaurant or attraction.

So, add another 10-45 minutes, depending on the park (Epcot's World Showcase is a very long walk from the front entrance) and your luck of timing vs. other guests' arrivals (which will affect the security check timing.)

This question does not have a simple answer.

 

[KTR]

Thank you. This is quite helpful. We don’t have any dinner ADRs this trip so mostly we would just be dealing with FP windows. Do the busses generally come about every 15 minutes? Or is there not a set schedule?

 

[Robo]

Thank you. This is quite helpful. We don’t have any dinner ADRs this trip so mostly we would just be dealing with FP windows. Do the busses generally come about every 15 minutes? Or is there not a set schedule?

The “bus arrival” figures heavily into the “luck factor.”
There may be a bus already waiting when you walk up... or one might take 20+ minutes to arrive.
Then it must load passengers (and there might be a mobility scooter (or two) to load before other guests.)
It is absolutely a toss-up as to how long the trip can take.
If getting TO something at X time is very important to you, it is better to allow extra time and depart far “too early,” than it is to depart one minute too late.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The “bus arrival” figures heavily into the “luck factor.”
There may be a bus already waiting when you walk up... or one might take 20+ minutes to arrive

Or, looking at it from the other side, you might walk up moments after the bus you want left, so it might be 20+ minutes before another one shows up

 

[CarolynFH]

I generally allow an hour to an hour and a half to hop due to possibility of transportation delays, long lines at security, etc. If only a FP is involved, keep in mind that you don’t have to be there at the very start of the FP window - you have the entire hour, plus 15 minutes grace at the end.

 

[BlueRibbon]

For us, on average its about an hour from where we are in any park when we decide "Hey! Let's head off to <other park>" to when we actually arrive at that other park.

 

[holden]

Even the monorail from MK to EP can take an hour. Disney advises to allow approximately 1.5hr for transportation.

 

[Lewisc]

Middle of the day, just miss a bus and you could be waiting 30 minutes. PP are right an hour to 1.5 hours should be safe.
Some ideas. Consider alternates. You're going to the MK. If you see a Contemporary bus loading get on and walk to the MK. Ride share shouldn't take more then 30 minutes.

Park hopping can waste time. I think it works best if you're planning on going back to your resort for a break. MK in the morning, back to BC for a swim/shower then walk to EPCOT for dinner, a few attraction then Illumination.

 

[NJ Goofy]

If an event, FP or ADR, is time critical we use Uber/Lyft to hop between parks. The cost, depending on time of day, is usually between $8 and $12 plus tip. The time from park to park can be as little as 15 mins all in.

 

[KTR]

Middle of the day, just miss a bus and you could be waiting 30 minutes. PP are right an hour to 1.5 hours should be safe.
Some ideas. Consider alternates. You're going to the MK. If you see a Contemporary bus loading get on and walk to the MK. Ride share shouldn't take more then 30 minutes.

Park hopping can waste time. I think it works best if you're planning on going back to your resort for a break. MK in the morning, back to BC for a swim/shower then walk to EPCOT for dinner, a few attraction then Illumination.

Good idea on looking for resort busses nearby. We are talking about a trip in September and with all of the crazy early EMH and Halloween parties I imagine we will be hopping pretty much every day. Though I do suspect the days we start in HS we will be taking a break at our resort, maybe we will do that most days. It’s hard to know.

 

[MinnieMSue]

So we will be at HS with Slinky FP at 7:50. We will be going to DAH at MK which starts at 10. We don’t care if we get there much before 10 but do want to be in the park by 10 so as not to miss much time (plus we will be walking against the herds). Would you wait for a MK bus from HS or would you take a contemporary bus then walk to MK? Also is the path to MK near the bus stop at contemporary? We don’t have a lot of experience at contemporary

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

Or, looking at it from the other side, you might walk up moments after the bus you want left, so it might be 20+ minutes before another one shows up

Even with the bus times available on the MDE app this is always my luck.

I plan on an hour if it’s just because I want to go from where I am to something else. If I’m trying to get to an ADR or FP, I allow 1.5 hours (or use rideshare depending on what else is in the schedule and who I’m traveling with).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Would you wait for a MK bus from HS or would you take a contemporary bus then walk to MK?

Use the FP earlier in the window. Leave. Plenty of time for MK bus with zero concerns about a walkway. Only way I would suggest a Contemporary bus is if it were there and boardable.

 

[saturn5]

My best piece of advice is 90 minutes of travel time. If traveling early afternoon like you said, you probably will run into longer waits for the buses (you can figure this out by how many buses you see shut down along the loops). Since most guests are usually in the parks and are not leaving Disney likes to think they don't need to run as many buses (also doesn't help that drivers are going home and coming in). It can be tough to grab one. Try to keep an eye on resorts close to other parks besides DAK. Best of luck, and just remain happy. A bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at work.

 

[nkereina]

We use 60 minutes as a rule of thumb with Disney transportation when going from park to park or resort to park. If we need to go resort to resort with a transfer point, we use 90 minutes. Knock on wood, we haven't missed an ADR/FP yet.

 

[ember1205]

Like @saturn5 , I would suggest allowing for 90 minutes between parks unless you take a Minnie Van to speed things up (or are driving yourself).

Also, you can't have FP pre-booked into different parks on the same day. You can pre-book up to three experiences in a single park on any given day. For all parks except MK, you can book only one Tier-1 attraction and can not book additional Tier-1 attractions until all three reservations have been used.