Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WaltDisneyWorldresortandusetheDisneytransportationsystem,you'llhavea5-to
10-minute walk to the bus stop, monorail station, or dock (whichever applies). Once
there, buses, trains, or boats generally run about every 15-25 minutes, so you might
have to wait a short time for your transportation to arrive. Once you're on board, most
conveyances make additional stops en route to your destination, and many take a less-
than-direct route. Upon arrival, however, they deposit you fairly close to the entrance
of the theme park. Returning to your hotel is the same process in reverse and takes
about the same amount of time.
Regardless of whether or not you stay in Walt Disney World, if you use your own
car,here'showyourcommuteshakesout.Aftera1-to5-minutewalkfromyourroom
to your car, you drive to the theme park, stopping to pay a parking fee or showing
your MagicBand for free parking (if you're a Disney resort guest). Disney cast mem-
bers then direct you to a parking space. If you arrive early, your space may be close
enough to the park entrance (Magic Kingdom excepted) to walk. If you park farther
afield, a Disney tram will come along every 5 minutes to collect you and transport
you to the entrance.
At the Magic Kingdom, the entrance to the park is separated from the parking
lot by the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and the Seven Seas Lagoon. After
parking at the Magic Kingdom lot, you take a tram to the TTC and then board a ferry
or monorail (your choice) for the trip across the lagoon to the park. All this is fairly
time-consuming and is to be avoided if possible. The only way to avoid it, however,
is to lodge in a Disney hotel and commute directly to the Magic Kingdom entrance
via Disney bus, boat, or monorail. Happily, all of the other theme parks are situated
adjacent to their parking lots.
Because families with children tend to spend more time on average at the Magic
Kingdom than at the other parks, and because it's so important to return to your hotel
for rest, the business of getting around the lagoon can be a major consideration when
choosing a place to stay; the extra hassle of crossing the lagoon (to get back to your
car) makes coming and going much more difficult. The half hour it takes to commute
to your hotel via car from the Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, or Ep-
cottakesanhourorlongerfromtheMagicKingdom.IfyoustayinaDisneyhoteland
use the Disney transportation system, you may have to wait 5-25 minutes for your
