Disney World has an excellent bus system!
This article includes everything you need to know to use the Disney World bus system. If you’re looking for information on wheelchair and ECV access on the buses, read this page first, and then go to our article called Wheelchairs and ECV info for the Disney World Buses.
The best things about the Disney World buses:
- They’re free!
- They allow you the freedom of going just about anywhere on Disney property, even with a wheelchair or ECV.
- The bus drivers tend to be really helpful and friendly.
- You don’t have to drive! Yes!!!
The downside of the Disney World buses:
- They can get very crowded, especially at the beginning and end of park hours.
- Depending on your destination and start point, you may need to have patience. If a bus is full, you may have to wait for another one. Then once you’re on, depending on the bus route, you may have to wait through several stops as people get on and off.
- There will often be guests standing in the aisle, and that can be uncomfortable for those with claustrophobia or allergies.
- For folks with allergies, when the bus approaches or other buses leave the area where you’re waiting, there can be a lot of gas fumes.
Here’s a Tip: The buses come on on average every 20 minutes, but that’s only an average. It can be longer. If you find that you’ve been waiting for a bus at any Disney bus stop longer than 20 minutes, approach a cast member to request they call in and have a bus sent. If there’s no cast member where you’re waiting, there’s usually an in-house hotel or Disney phone in the bus waiting area. Use that to call in your request.
Here’s another Tip: Keep in mind that there are some bus seats that fold back to make room for wheelchairs and ECVs. If people are sitting in them, they may be asked to move to another seat or stand to make way for a wheelchair or ECV. Those who can’t stand for long periods of time should take note and avoid these seats which are clearly marked.
There are three types of bus services that Disney offers:
- The first is the Disney Resort bus system, and these buses take guests from their Disney Resort to the theme parks and Disney Springs.
- The second bus is called Disney’s Magical Express and they takes guests to and from the Orlando International Airport.
- The third bus is called the Disney Cruise Line bus and they take guests to and from Port Canaveral where the Disney Cruise ship docks.
We’ll be covering the Disney Resort bus system here. Stay tuned for future articles on the other two bus systems.
What Disney World locations offer bus service?
Each hotel has bus stops with continuous bus transportation to the four main Disney parks and Disney Springs, but Please be aware that there are some exceptions:
- The resorts on the Monorail line don’t have a direct bus to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. This includes the Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Polynesian Resorts. If you stay there and wish to avoid the Monorail, you’ll need to either take a boat or make a series of bus connections.
- The Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk Resorts are all a short stroll from the Epcot International Gateway entrance near the World Showcase, so they don’t have bus service to Epcot. However, they do have boat service to the International Gateway entrance. We find this boat service to be crowded and slow, with long waits if the parks are crowded. In nice weather many people choose to walk. It’s a picturesque stroll by the lake to get to Epcot’s World Showcase entrance.
- There is no bus service (only boat service) available to and from Disney’s Hollywood Studios if you are a guest at either Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Boardwalk Inn Resort, Yacht Club Resort, World Dolphin Hotel, or the World Swan Hotel.
- For the water parks, you can pick up a bus to Typhoon Lagoon at Disney Springs, and you can get a bus directly to Blizzard Beach from the All-Stars resorts or Coronado Springs. If you’re staying anywhere else you’ll have to take a bus to Animal Kingdom where you can pick up a bus to Blizzard Beach.
Disney Springs has buses to all of the resorts, but DOES NOT have service to the parks, except Typhoon Lagoon. If you’re in Disney Springs and wish to go to a park, you could take a bus to a resort that’s located in the general area of the park that you wish to get to. You can then transfer to whatever type of transportation that resort has to your destination.
What are the Disney World buses like?
Most of the buses have hard plastic seats, and the back of the seats reach about mid-back for an average sized adult. Some seats have upholstery but this doesn’t add any padding. Disney has added on-board digital caption screens, audio and music. They all have air conditioners to cool the buses.
Bus stops and where to wait for your Disney World bus:
At some of the resorts and all of the parks, the bus stops are divided into separate areas. Each bus has a pre-assigned loading spot. So a bus will stop and allow boarding in a certain area based on where its destination is. So for example, at Epcot all buses going to the Port Orleans Riverside Resort will stop in a particular waiting area in the bus stop. So when you arrive at the bus depot you’ll need to look for the correct waiting area by finding the sign with your intended destination.
At many resorts all buses stop in the same area at all of the resort’s bus stops. To find the right bus you’ll need to look at the bus’s destination signs on the front of the bus. These are easily visible as the buses approach.
When do the Walt Disney World buses run to the parks?
For the parks, you’ll be able to catch a bus approximately one hour prior to each park’s opening. This includes Extra Magic Hours. Buses run for one hour after closing.
Have you used the Disney World bus system? What do you think of it? Do you prefer to have your own car?
Please feel free to post them in a comment below. We’d love your input.
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