There are so many transportation options at Disney World! 

Transportation to and from the parks can be a ride in itself! You can hop aboard a Skyliner gondola and take in the views of Disney World from above. You might find yourself in an adorably wrapped Disney bus. Regardless of how you get to the park, different modes of transportation operate at different times so we wanted to give you an overview of all the transportation options available at Disney World!

Depending on where you’re going, different modes of transportation are available to you! Disney has boats, monorails, buses, and the Skyliner to take you to where you need to be! But it IS important to understand which transportation mode to use to get to different parts of the resort — and it’s especially important to understand the HOURS that transportation is available! Be sure to check out the transportation rules here so you don’t get stranded somewhere. 

Before we dive in, all of the following transportation is complimentary. Hours of operation vary based on park hours, so make sure to check the My Disney Experience app for updated hours as they will affect when transportation starts and stops.

Buses

Disney bus transportation is the mode of transportation that is the most widespread throughout Disney World.

Disney bus transportation is offered at each Disney hotel as well as all four theme parks, both water parks and Disney Springs. While bus options are available at all of these locations, buses are sometimes not offered for certain locations depending on your pick-up location. 

For example, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will run buses to Disney Springs, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and the water parks. This resort does not run buses to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT since the monorail is available for transportation. If you have any questions about whether your resort will be running buses to a certain location, you can check the boards at the bus stops or ask a Cast Member.

There are times when locations will run buses when they do not normally. For example, if there is bad weather at Skyliner resorts and the Skyliner shuts down, Disney will make sure to deploy buses to these locations. 

If you are traveling to a theme park by bus, the buses normally operate 45 minutes before a theme park’s opening time and stop running one hour after a theme park’s closing time. 

For example, if Magic Kingdom’s hours were 9 AM – 11 PM, the buses to Magic Kingdom would start running at 8:15 AM and stop running at 12 AM. These times will vary based on your destination so make sure to check park hours each day.

If Early Theme Park Entry is offered that day, bus transportation will start 45 minutes before the Early Entry time. This means that if Magic Kingdom opened at 8:30 AM with Early Theme Park Entry, the buses would start running to Magic Kingdom at 7:45 AM. The same goes for Extended Evening Hours. Buses will run one hour after Extended Evening Hours end. If Extended Evening Hours run until 1 AM, buses will run until 2 AM. 

As for Disney Springs, buses will start running each morning around 9 AM and will run until 12:30 AM. Bus service to the theme parks is not offered at Disney Springs. 

Park hours vary each day so it is extremely important to make sure you download the My Disney Experience app to monitor park hours!

Monorails

You can also take Disney’s Highway in the Sky as your transportation to certain locations around the resort!

This mode of transportation runs 30 minutes before Magic Kingdom’s opening and 1 hour after Magic Kingdom’s close. If you are traveling to EPCOT, the monorail will also start running 30 minutes before EPCOT’s opening and 2 hours after EPCOT’s close. 

For example, if Magic Kingdom opens at 9 AM and closes at 11 PM, monorail transportation will start at 8:30 AM and run until 12 AM. If EPCOT opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 9 PM, monorail transportation will start at 8:30 AM and run until 11 PM.

Just like resort buses, if Early Theme Park Entry is being offered, both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT monorail lines will start 30 minutes before the Early Entry time. If Extended Evening Hours are offered, both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT monorail lines will only run one hour after Extended Evening Hours end. 

There are three lines on the monorail system, and each can be found at the Transportation and Ticket Center. There is the Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom, which makes one stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center and one stop at Magic Kingdom. 

There is also the Resort Monorail. This line will make stops at the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. If you are staying at one of these resorts, you can hop on the monorail from your hotel directly. 

If you are traveling to EPCOT via monorail, you will board at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the only other stop on this line is EPCOT. 

We know we have said this a lot but, park hours vary each day, so be sure to download the My Disney Experience app to monitor park hours!

Skyliner

The Skyliner is Disney’s newest mode of transportation! You can ride in a gondola above part of the resort!

Just like the monorail, the Skyliner is not offered everywhere. The Skyliner will provide transportation to and from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. You can pick up the Skyliner at either of these parks or from one of these hotels:

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort

Transfers for certain lines take place at the Caribbean Beach station. This stop is similar to the Transportation and Ticket Center as it is the hub of connecting all the Skyliner stops. It is also important to note that Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner station.

The Skyliner will start running one hour before the park opens. If Hollywood Studios opens at 9 AM and closes at 8 PM, the Skyliner will start running at 8 AM! The Skyliner will stop running 90 minutes after the park closes. Meaning if Hollywood Studios is open until 8 PM, the Skyliner will stop running at 9:30 PM.

If Early Theme Park Entry is being offered, the Skyliner will run one hour before the start of Early Entry. If Early Theme Park Entry at Hollywood Studios starts at 8:30 AM, this means the Skyliner will start running at 7:30 AM.

The Skyliner will also stay open for one hour after Extended Evening Hours. If Extended Evening hours are to end at 11 PM, that means the Skyliner will run until 12 AM.

Sometimes, the Skyliner will have to close due to weather. While the Skyliner can run in the rain, it does not run when there is lightning in the area or there are strong winds. As mentioned previously, Disney will make sure to deploy buses to Skyliner locations to allow you to still have a mode of transportation. 

We cannot stress this enough! Theme park hours do change, which means transportation hours change. Make sure to check the My Disney Experience app for theme park hours to make sure you know when the Skyliner will start and stop for each day.

Boats

Disney even offers transportation on the water! Certain resorts have boat lines to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and even Disney Springs!

Magic Kingdom Ferryboat

To start, the Ferry is offered at the Transportation and Ticket Center to take you to the Magic Kingdom. The Ferry tends to run on a similar schedule as the Magic Kingdom monorail, to be sure of exact operating times, see a Cast Member if you plan to use the Ferry Boat to return to the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Water Launches and Water Taxis

Boat transportation is also available from certain resorts to the Magic Kingdom! You can take a boat from the following resorts to Magic Kingdom:

• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

You can even take water taxis between certain resorts:

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Operating hours vary day by day, so check with a Cast Member at the launch to confirm when the Water Taxis will be running.

FriendShip Boats

FriendShip Boats run between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios from the following hotels:

• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel

Generally, the FriendShip boats run one hour before and after the park closes. Remember to check park hours each day as times do vary. You can also check with a Cast Member for exact operating hours each day.

Disney Springs Water Transportation

You can also catch a boat to Disney Springs on the Sassagoula River Cruise from the following hotels:

• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Treehouse Villas
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter

There are so many transportation options around the Disney World Resort! Here is a quick recap:

• Buses will run 45 minutes before each park opens. If Early Theme Park Entry is being offered, bus transportation will start 45 minutes before the Early Theme Park Entry start time. Buses will run one hour after the park closes. If Extended Evening Hours are offered, buses will run one hour after Extended Evening Hours end.

• Monorails will start to run 30 minutes before the park opens. If Early Theme Park Entry is being offered, monorails will start 30 minutes before Early Theme Park Entry start time. Monorails will run one hour after Magic Kingdom closes and two hours after EPCOT closes. If Extended Evening Hours are offered, buses will run one hour after Extended Evening Hours end.

• The Skyliner will start to run one hour before the park opens. If Early Theme Park Entry is being offered, then the Skyliner will run one hour before Early Theme Park Entry starts. The Skyliner will run 90 minutes after the park closes. If Extended Evening Hours are offered, the Skyliner will close 1 hour after the park closes. There are sandwich boards placed around the Skyliner stations that will give you each day’s updated hours of operation.

• Boat transportation varies on your destination. When using boat transportation, make sure to ask a Cast Member when the last boat will set sail.

No matter which mode of transportation you choose, make sure to heed our warning and download the My Disney Experience app to stay up to date with hours of operation for the parks as they affect operating hours of transportation.

Click Here to Read About a Paid Transportation Service at Disney World!

What is your favorite mode of transportation at Disney World? Let us know down below!