Transportation By Type



(Updated 2/2/2023)

Guests of Disney World have access to free transportation to and from the parks, resorts and Disney Springs. 

Disney World has buses, boats, monorail and gondola systems to help you to navigate the property.  However, not all forms of transportation are easily accessible to every resort or park.  Some trips may even require a combination of different types of transportation. 

There is also a special ridesharing service, Minnie Vans, available through the Lyft app. Minnie Vans are NOT free transportation but are driven by Disney World Cast Members. Find out more about this service here.

Below is the breakdown of Disney World transportation by type. 

Be sure to check bus and boat schedules at the stops and docks. Bus arrivals and departures are also available on My Disney Experience if you have a resort hotel reservation.

BUSES | MONORAIL |  SEVEN SEAS LAGOON/BAY LAKE BOAT LAUNCHES | FRIENDSHIP BOATS | SASSAGOULA RIVER FERRY | SKYLINER GONDOLA |   TICKET & TRANSPORTATION CENTER FERRY

BUSES  

The bus system is probably the most popular form of transportation at Disney World. In a nutshell, they travel everywhere. However, they don’t travel directly from resort hotel to resort hotel. In that case, you need to take a bus from the resort to a park OR Disney Springs and THEN take a bus from there to the other resort.  Buses start operating before park opening and run well after park closing.

Resorts

All

Parks

All

Service Times

1-1 1/2 hours before park opening. 1-1 1/2 hour after park closing.

Arrival Times

Arrive at stops generally every 20 min but can take longer in the afternoon.

Travels Between

  • Resorts – Parks (Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village and Contemporary only have boat and monorail service to Magic Kingdom) (Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness only have boat service to Magic Kingdom) (Pop Century and Caribbean Beach only have Skyliner service to Epcot and Hollywood Studios unless the Skyliner is down).
  • Park-Park
  • Resort – Disney Springs (Disney Springs opening to one hour after close)

MONORAIL

The monorail lines offer transportation to 3 of the resorts as well as 2 of the parks. There are three specific lines: Resort, Epcot and Express.

Resorts

Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian  

Parks

Magic Kingdom, Epcot

Service Times

Service runs  about an hour before park opening and an hour after park closing

Arrival Times

Arrive generally every 10 minutes

Travels 

  • Resort Line (Clockwise Loop) Magic Kingdom-Contemporary Resort-Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC)-Polynesian Resort-Grand Floridan Resort
  • Epcot Line  Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) – Epcot
  • Express Line Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) – Magic Kingdom

BOATS: FRIENDSHIP BOATS

The Friendship boats travel between two of the parks and 3 of the resorts along Crescent Lake as well the Swan and Dolphin resort. In addition, there are also Friendship boats that go back and forth from Canada to Morocco OR Mexico to Germany across the World Showcase Lagoon INSIDE Epcot.

While it may be quicker to use the walking path or the Skyliner between Hollywood Studios and Epcot, it’s a nice way to get from point a to b if you have the time. Rest your tired feet and enjoy the ride!

Resorts

Boardwalk Inn, Beach/Yacht Club, Swan & Dolphin

Parks

Epcot, Hollywood Studios

Service Times

Crescent Lake boats generally runs from 45 minutes before park opening  to  1 hour after park closing. World Showcase Lagoon boats begin running around 11am.

Arrival Times

The time varies. Around every 15-20 minutes

Travels

  • Crescent Lake: Hollywood Studios-Swan and Dolphin-Boardwalk Inn-Beach/Yacht Club-Epcot
  • Epcot World Showcase Lagoon: shuttles from Canada to Morocco OR  Mexico to Germany 

THE FERRYBOAT (TICKET AND TRANSPORTATION CENTER)

The Ticket and Transportation Ferry boats serve a single purpose. Simply put, these Ferries travel back and forth from the TTC to  Magic Kingdom.  Magic Kingdom’s parking lot is located at the TTC so, consequently, this is how folks get from Magic Kingdom’s parking lot to the park. Guests not driving their own cars or rental cars, really will have no need to use this service. However, lots of folks love the dramatic reveal of Cinderella’s castle as the Ferry rounds the corner heading toward Magic Kingdom.

Parks

Magic Kingdom

Service Times

An hour before Magic Kingdom opening to an hour after park closing

Arrival Times

Every 15-30 minutes

Travels

Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) – Magic Kingdom

BOATS: SEVEN SEAS LAGOON/BAY LAKE LAUNCHES

These boats travel back and forth to the Magic Kingdom and between several resorts in that area.  They are actually a fun way to get around if you have the time.

Resorts

Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness 

Parks

Magic Kingdom

Service Times

Blue Flag: 6:45A – 11:30 P

Red, Green & Gold Flag: 8:30A until around 1-1 1/2 hours after Magic Kingdom closing

Arrival Times

Most routes run every 15-20 minutes

  • Red Flag: Magic Kingdom – Wilderness Lodge
  • Blue Flag: Wilderness Lodge – Contemporary – Fort Wilderness
  • Green Flag: Magic Kingdom – Fort Wilderness
  • Gold Flag: Magic Kingdom – Polynesian – Grand Floridian

Travels

BOATS: SASSAGOULA RIVER FERRIES

These boats are basically a great service for guests of the Port Orleans resorts. But, you don’t have to be a guest there to reap the benefits. The boats are also a great way to get to Disney Springs. We like to head over to Port Orleans French Quarter, grab a breakfast beignet and then hop on a boat to Disney Springs. It’s a way to resort snoop as well as take advantage of a fun boat ride to shopping!

Resorts

Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter

Parks

None

Service Times

10AM-11PM

Arrival Times

Around every 20 minutes

Travels

  • Red Flag (Counter Clockwise Loop) Disney Springs Internal Docks: The Landing – West Side – Marketplace 
  • Blue Flag: Port Orleans Riverside – Port Orleans French Quarter – Disney Springs

SKYLINER GONDOLA

This is a gondola system connecting 2 parks and 4 resorts. There are 5 stations: Art of Animation/Pop Century Station, Caribbean Beach Station, Riviera Resort Station, Hollywood Studios Station and Epcot International Gateway Station. The Caribbean Beach station acts as the main hub like the Transportation and Ticket Center does for the monorail. Guests will transfer from one Gondola “line” to another at this main hub.

Resorts

Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach and Riviera. Guests in some sections of the Caribbean Beach resort will find the Riviera Station to be closer to their rooms than the main hub.

Parks

Hollywood Studios, Epcot International Gateway (World Showcase entrance)

Service Times

The times vary, but generally between 7:30 am and 11pm. Make sure to check the posted schedules at the stations.

Arrival Times

Run continuously during operating hours.

Travels 

  • Art of Animation/Pop Century Line ( Art of Animation/Pop Century – Caribbean Beach Resort)
  • Epcot International Gateway Line ( Epcot International Gateway – Riviera Resort – Caribbean Beach Resort)
  • Hollywood Studios Line (Hollywood Studios – Caribbean Beach Resort)