Back to geek-level planning… In a previous post, I’ve explained in excruciating detail why you should think realistically about how long things actually take at Disney World. Well, here, we’ll do a deep dive into the variables associated with what I think is the most time-sensitive part of your Disney vacation: getting to the parks. As I said in the other post, actually getting TO the Park of your choice is the part of your trip where having a plan can make the biggest impact. In this post, I’ll explain the variables associated with transportation to the four Disney World parks. I’ll do a follow-up post later where I’ll show you how long it can take with some real-world examples.

1) WHERE ARE YOU STAYING?

The first big question you need to answer, if you’re trying to figure out how long it will take for you to get to the entrance of the Disney World Park that morning, is “Where are you staying”? The answer to this question is critical. It will determine what transportation options are even available to you, as well as how long the walk to transportation from your room may be. Of course, the mode of transportation you choose will determine how long it will take to commute to the Park.

On or Off?

One of the biggest variables is whether you’re staying “on-site” (at a Disney World hotel), or “off-site” (not at a Disney World hotel). Now there are good reasons to stay off-property. Like, if you’re a local, or live a few hours away in Florida, you’re likely coming from home. But, even if you’re from out of town, you may choose to stay at a non-Disney hotel. Or you might choose a Vrbo/Airbnb rental property. You can certainly find cheaper accommodations that way.

But, you also won’t have access to Disney transportation. And you are likely to have a longer drive to the Park than if you were staying in WDW. Most Disney hotels are closer to the parks. At Magic Kingdom specifically, not having access to Disney buses is a significant impact to the commute time (more below).

Staying on property at a Walt Disney World hotel has its benefits even beyond access to Disney’s transportation options. For instance, most of them will keep you immersed in the Disney magic even while you’re not at the parks. And, maybe most importantly, on-site guests get access to Early Theme Park Entry, which gives them entry to each theme park 30 minutes before off-site guests. This is an ENORMOUS benefit. You can read about it in this post.

Either way, the choice of staying on or off property makes a difference in the time it takes to get to the parks. I’m biasing this post towards those staying on-site, but the concepts discussed are pretty relevant either way.

The Walk to Transportation – Centralized or Sprawling Resort?

So, let’s assume that you are, indeed, staying on-site. Even before we consider actual commute times in your car/bus/monorail/boat, there’s the time it takes for you to leave the comfort of your Disney hotel room and arrive at the transportation of your choice. You may think it silly to worry about something seemingly so trivial. But let me assure you, there is a wild difference between hotels when it comes to simply getting to your car or bus from your room.

Centralized Resorts

If you are staying on-site at a Deluxe Resort, these tend to be more centralized hotels; meaning, they tend to have a central main building with the individual rooms housed in wings. These wings may be attached to the building, or be in relative close proximity. The overall layout of these resorts are ore compact. In these hotels (like Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort, and Beach Club Resort), the parking lots tend to be in front of the main building, and your room could be a 10-15 minute walk from your rental car.

Likewise, in these centralized resorts, the Disney bus depots, boat launches, and monorail stations can be far from your room. For instance, your room could be a few floors up, and at the end of a building wing. When you factor in the wait for the elevator, it can be a longer walk than you think.

Spread-out Resorts

Now, that’s not the case in all of the Disney hotels. Moderate Resorts (Port Orleans Riverside Resort or Caribbean Beach Resort, for instance), and Value Resorts (Pop Century Resort, Art of Animation Resort, or the All-Star Resorts), are very spread out. Even some of the Deluxe Resorts (Old Key West, as an example) are similarly designed. They are laid out completely differently than their compact counterparts. Usually, these resorts consist of several smaller hotel buildings separated by landscape and parking lots. All-Star Sports Resort, pictured above, is a good example.

Some of them can actually be described as “sprawling” – where the most remote rooms are 15 to 20 minutes from the lobby building. In these kinds of hotels, because several parking lots surround the many separate buildings, your room could be a mere 2 to 3 minute walk from your rental car. It could be longer for most rooms, but it’s more likely to be 5 minutes or less.

The Disney transportation options vary at these resorts. At the Value Resorts, the bus stop is in front of the main building, which could be a long walk from the most remote rooms. But at the Moderate Resorts, there are several bus stops ringing the resort property. Some of these sprawling resorts have additional transportation options as well, like Skyliner access.

In order to plan for the time it takes to get to your car or other transportation option, Google Earth can be helpful. You can use their measuring tool to get a real sense of how far it is. An average pace for a person is 20 minutes per mile. So, if your room is .25 miles away from the parking lot, it should take around 5 minutes to get there. Your mileage may vary of course… kids, age, or mood can slow that down. Of course, you won’t know which room you will have before you arrive, but you can still better understand what the worst-case may be.

2) HOW ARE YOU PLANNING ON GETTING TO THE PARKS?

OK – so you know where you are staying. Now, it’s time to figure out how you’re getting around. Are you going to rent a car during your stay? Or do you have your own car? Are you going to take an Uber/Lyft from the airport, and then use WDW transportation once on property? Or are you going to rely on rideshare services (Uber / Lyft) to get around throughout your vacation?

Mode of Transportation?

If using your own car – rental or otherwise, the drive times to the various Parks vary wildly depending on where you’re staying. The parks can be a 5 minute drive from some hotels, and a 20 minute drive from others. Walt Disney World is a very large place.

Similarly, if using Uber/Lyft/some other Ride Service, the drive times can vary significantly as well. It can take extra time for the drivers to pick you up as well. And they can, and do, make wrong turns.

Now, if you are planning on using Disney transportation to get around, then there are things to keep in mind:

Disney Buses

While the monorail, Skyliner gondolas, and boats can be significant shortcuts if your hotel has access to them, the buses can be anywhere from kinda slow to painfully slow. That still may be a better option than driving in some cases (see Magic Kingdom’s arrival variables below). But you are likely to encounter long lines and slower drives when taking the bus. And if you just miss a bus, you could wait a significant amount of time before the next one arrives. Officially, buses run every 20 minutes, but in reality they often run every 5 to 10 minutes around park entry times, and less frequently in the middle of the day.

Additionally, as mentioned above, if you are staying at a large, sprawling resort (like Port Orleans Riverside or Old Key West), remember that the buses stop at several internal stops before getting on their way, which can add an inordinate amount of time to your commute.

Monorails, Boats, and Skyliner

If you are fortunate enough to have access to one of the parks via Disney Skyliner, the Walt Disney World Monorail, or one of the boat launches, then it is likely the most convenient way to get to that park.

The Disney Skyliner, for instance, runs continuously, with seconds in between individual gondolas. So, while you may experience a line, it moves pretty quickly. Access is only to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Animal Kingdom added during this decade.

Several resorts have boat access to one of the parks. You may have to wait a little for the next one to arrive, but boat is the quickest way to get to Magic Kingdom from Wilderness Lodge, for sure. The Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian, and Fort Wilderness Campgrounds provide boat transportation to Magic Kingdom as well. And Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk, and the Swan and Dolphin provide connections via boat to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, although walking to Epcot from those hotels makes more sense. The time between boats varies depending on the route, but you may want to budget 10 to 20 minutes. You can do some research to get a better range.

And the WDW Monorail will be the fastest way to get from the Polynesian Village Resort and the Grand Floridian Resort to the Magic Kingdom. Include the Contemporary Resort in that group, if you want the most convenient way to Epcot. However, it’s quicker to walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom. The wait can vary greatly depending on the time of day and year. But, in general, you can assume between 4 and 10 minutes.

Arrival Point Variables

Well, depending on your choice of transportation, there are differences in the time associated with getting to the park entrance once you disembark. That “arrival point” depends on whether you are driving, getting dropped off by a Rideshare Service, or disembarking Disney transportation. It makes a MASSIVE difference at Magic Kingdom, where riding a Disney bus can save you 20-30 minutes over driving because it bypasses the trip around the Seven Seas Lagoon via monorail or ferry. On the other hand, at Epcot, Uber/Lyft will drop you off very close to the main entrance – closer than parking your own car likely will.

If you drive and self-park, then getting to the park entrance can be a time-consuming affair. You can often end up parking a good 10 to 15 minute walk from the main entrance. Or, you could luck out and be at the better end of a row of parking, and be only 5 minutes from the entrance. Or, you could decide to wait for a parking tram, which could save you time… or could delay you as it waits 5 additional minutes to wait for a family that just parked at the end of the row and is walking SLOOOOOOOOOOW.

You know what… a map of each park’s arrival points may be helpful:

Magic Kingdom

You can get a sense for how enormous the Magic Kingdom “arrival area” is from the map below. The difference between parking yourself and getting dropped off by a Disney bus is almost a mile!

• Buses – 2 to 5 minute walk to the entrance (including security check)
• Uber / Lyft – 5 to 7 minute walk to monorail or ferry (including security check) + wait for monorail or ferry + 10 to 15 minute to cross the Seven Seas Lagoon + 2 to 4 minute walk to the entrance = 20 minutes minimum – but plan for at least 30 minutes, and potentially much more at busy times.
• Drive yourself + great parking space! – a few minutes longer than Uber / Lyft. 7 to 10 minute walk to monorail or ferry (including security check) + wait for monorail or ferry + 10 to 15 minute to cross the Seven Seas Lagoon + 2 to 4 minute walk to the entrance = 20 minutes minimum – but plan for at least 30 minutes
• Drive yourself + bad parking space – add ten minutes for waiting for and taking the parking tram to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Plan on 40 minutes or more.
• Contemporary Resort and Grand Floridian Resort – 10 to 15 minute walk if you are staying, or have a dining reservation, there.
• Monorail station / Boat Launch – 2 to 4 minute walk to the entrance

Epcot – Front Entrance

Epcot has two entrances. If you’re driving or taking a Disney bus, you’ll end up at the Front Entrance. If you’re staying at an Epcot Area Resort, or have access to Skyliner, you can use the much-less-crowded International Gateway Entrance.

• Buses – 2 to 5 minute walk to the entrance (including security check)
• Uber / Lyft – 3 to 5 minute walk to the entrance (including security check)
• Drive yourself + great parking space! – 4 to 6 minute walk to the entrance (including security check)
• Drive yourself + bad parking space – add ten minutes for waiting for and taking the parking tram. Plan on 15 minutes or so.
• Monorail Station – 1 to 2 minutes (and bypassing security check)

Epcot – International Gateway Entrance

• Buses – nope
• Skyliner (gondolas) – 1 to 2 minutes.
• Uber / Lyft – With a Dining Reservation at one of the Epcot Area resorts, you can get dropped off at Beach Club, Yacht Club, or Boardwalk for that meal and walk over. Without a Dining Reservation, you are unlikely to make it past the security guard. However, you can still get dropped off at the Swan hotel and walk over. You’re looking at a 15 minute walk from there.
• Drive yourself – nope. You’re not allowed to park at an Epcot Area resort unless you have a Dining Reservation. Even then, you cannot leave your car in the lot while you go to the Park.
• Walk from Epcot Area Resorts – 5 minutes for the very closest rooms at Beach Club. 20-25 minutes for some remote rooms at Swan and Dolphin hotels.
• Boat Launch – 2 minute walk.

Hollywood Studios

If you’re fortunate enough to have access to Skyliner, that’s the shortest walk to the entrance. But, Uber or Lyft will get you there earliest – along with walking from the Epcot Resorts.

• Buses – 3 to 10 minute walk (the difference depending on where the specific bus stop is can be quite large)
• Uber / Lyft – 7 to 10 minute walk
• Drive yourself + great parking space! – 5 minute walk
• Drive yourself + bad parking space – add ten minutes for waiting for and taking the parking tram. Plan on 15 minutes or so.
• Skyliner (gondolas) – 3 minute walk
• Walk from Epcot Area Resorts – 15-25 minutes depending on your room
• Boat Launch – 3 minute walk

Animal Kingdom

And then there’s Animal Kingdom. It’s pretty straightforward…

• Buses – 3 to 7 minute walk
• Uber / Lyft – 3 minute walk
• Drive yourself + great parking space! – 5-8 minute walk
• Drive yourself + bad parking space – add ten minutes for waiting for and taking the parking tram. Plan on 15 to 20 minutes.

CONCLUSION

The only missing piece is the commute itself – that is, how long it takes to drive/bus/uber/monorail/walk to the Park. Thankfully, I’ve got you covered! Click below to download The WDWArchiGEEK Commute Time Matrix. I’ve given you the expected commuting time from each Disney World hotel to each Disney World Park (and Disney Springs) via each form of transportation. The Arrival Point to Entry info from above is in there too.

In summary, getting to the parks in the morning may be the most important part of your day. I highly suggest you do a little research here, and understand how long it will take you to get to the park. It’s a simple formula, albeit with three significant variables:

The Walk to Transportation + The Commute (Matrix) + The Walk from the Arrival Point (Matrix) = Total Time.

I’ll do a future post giving some real life examples. Until then, get planning!