Two Keys to Mousing Transportation at Disney World

Quick, what’s the fastest ride at Disney World? Officially it’s Test Track at 60-65mph, depending on your source. Second would be Rock-n-Roller Coaster at 57.6 mph (in the first 3 seconds of the ride). Unofficially, there is another experience that can travel just a bit faster than either of these two. Rumor has it, when the parks are closed, the monorail can run up to around 70mph. This begs the question, even at normal operating speeds, is the monorail a “ride?” The answer is yes, the monorail IS a ride (disguised as transportation). Change my mind. If the People Mover is a ride (an underrated ride) then certainly the monorail is too. Hold that thought. Oh wait, one more. The Skyliner is a ride (disguised as transportation).

It is amazing how many people are transported at Walt Disney World everyday. There are over 140,000 on just the monorails, the ride. So how do you know which mode to take and at what times and to what locations? Keep reading. Seriously, keep going.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the two keys to navigating Disney transportation: planning and patience.

micKEY #1: PLANNING (Don’t wing it)

Don’t get us wrong, “winging it” can be quite the adventure and a fun way to experience the parks. Also, there are times when you will forced to wing it because plans will fail. In our experience however, a little effort thinking through how you will get around the parks can increase your overall enjoyment of the day in the most magical place on earth. Especially if you perceive transportation as rides. There’s even a way to treat the buses as a ride.

• Know what’s available. There are only four modes of transportation Disney World offers to get you from place to place around the kingdom (I’ve always enjoyed referring to Disney World as “the kingdom”): buses, boats, the Skyliner, and the Monorail. Knowing the options available at the resorts and parks is a key in planning. So where can you find these options? The best place is the My Disney Experience app. On the home screen (figure 1) tap the waypoint at the bottom (circled in red). When the map pops up (figure 2) tap on the drop down menu (again, circled in red) and select transportation. You can now navigate to any location in the entire kingdom to discover what transportation is available. If you prefer not to use the ease and convenience of the My Disney Experience app, you can always check with any Guest Services location, your best friends at Disney World.

• A few words about the buses. If we’re honest, the buses are our least favorite form of transportation at WDW. Having said that, we have had some great moments on those things. Conversations with people we did not know. Listening to children talk about their favorite rides and/or attractions. At the end of our day, and the bus is not crowded (keep reading to see when you can ride the bus when it’s not crowded) and there’s soft piano Disney tunes playing…so nice. But that is not always the case on the bus.
  • It is the rare moment when you can arrive at the bus stop and just walk right on the bus. You WILL have to wait. It supposed to be 20-25 minutes but expect it to be longer. Attitude is everything.
  • If you can get a seat you’re golden. If you end up standing, well, now it’s a different game. If you are from a big city and are used to public transportation, standing armpit to armpit in a metal can on wheels this might not be that big of a deal. Attitude is everything. If you end up standing, enjoy it. Listen to conversations. Ask people questions. Laugh. Smile. You’re at Disney World man!
  • If you’re headed to Animal Kingdom, the buses are your only option if you’re using Disney transportation. So how does Animal Kingdom only have buses? C’mon Disney, at least give us one more option to get out there. I get that the boats are almost an impossibility but what about the Skyliner? You KNOW it would be awesome and it is incredibly quiet so as not to scare any animals. It’s perfect. I digress. 
  • Check bus wait times on the app. If you are going to ride the buses, you can check the wait times on the My Disney Experience app. Please remember that the times listed are estimated. “Estimated” is very similar to “assume.”
  • Buses, The Ride. There is one way the buses can be enjoyed as a ride. Almost an “E-ticket” ride. First jump on one of the long accordion or bendy buses. AND stand in the section where the accordion is. Now hold on. The floor moves! A lot! The more turns, the more fun. It’s not as easy as it sounds. To be honest, I’m actually surprised Disney lets you stand in this section. And yes, if you can get on an accordion bus and stand in the bendy section, it IS a ride.

• Timing is your friend. There are no down days at WDW anymore. It is always crowded (click here to read how to mouse the crowds). If you stay at a Value Resort and you want to take the bus to Magic Kingdom and you get in line an hour or less before the parks open, you will be on a crowded bus. There’s a good chance you will be standing and it will be real close to people you do not know. Attitude is everything.
  • The “golden hours.” There are however, moments during the day when the transportation systems are far less crowded than they are at other times. Any time to anywhere from 10am-1pm is golden. Also from 3pm-6pm you should be good. The golden hours.

• Do not ignore this paragraph. What we’re about to explain here, you will probably ignore. Here we go: do not, and I repeat, do not take any type of transportation right after a fireworks show. When the show is over, an estimated 15 million people leave the park. Either they think the park is about to close and they must leave or they kept their kids up WAY past their bedtimes and now must get them to bed. Our recommendations? You could Uber or you could plan on staying until the park actually closes .The parks generally stay open for about an hour after the fireworks have concluded and by then transportation lines will still be a little long but not as bad. You’ve been warned.

• Man, the Skyliner! Anytime you can work the Skyliner into your plans, do it. The line is rarely long (see previous point for the exception). The line moves quickly. Lots of room in the cars. It is a nice, relaxing ride. We recently stayed at Pop Century (a Skyliner hotel) during the Christmas season (read crowded). Our longest wait for the Skyliner was less than five minutes. We will probably stay at a Skyliner hotel every time we go to Disney from here on out. So quiet and peaceful after going hard all day. Great views. No standing.

• Don’t count on transportation. Remember, the transportation is great but don’t be in a hurry. If you have reservations for dinner and you’re counting on the transportation to get you there on time, you’re gambling. Also, depending on where your reservation is, there may not be a direct route. Guest Services will be your best friend.

• What about walking? So what about walking? Walking is doable to some parks but generally only if you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort. Walking can be a nice venture but remember, you’ll be walking 273 miles just to make your way around in the park. Might want to save those steps for later.

• You can’t park at the Magic Kingdom. It’s the only park that does not have parking at the park. I’m using the word “park” a lot. For the Magic Kingdom, if you’re driving your own car, you have to park at the Ticket & Transportation Center and take either the monorail or the ferry to the park. If there’s a long line for either you can walk (not far) to the Polynesian and pick up the monorail there.

• Be weather aware. If you’re a thrill seeker, make sure you’re on the Skyliner when a thunderstorm rolls in (please read with sarcasm). Almost as fun is taking a Friendship boat in high winds (again, sarcasm). Because Disney closes these two down during thunderstorms, you would have to already be on the vehicle and the storm would have to roll in fast, which does happen. In reality, in threatening weather you’re limited to the monorail and buses. Stay flexible and remember, you’ll eventually dry out. And that leads us to our second key…

micKEY #2: PATIENCE (Attitude is everything): 

If you’ve been to the parks you’ve seen people lose their minds when things don’t go the way they want them to. Seriously, it’s like they’re looking for their brains but they can’t find them so they become irrational. Exaggeration steps in. Complaints grow louder. Videos recorded and posted. “We’re going to give Disney a bad review.”

• Expect it. No one has ever had the perfect Disney vacation where everything went exactly as they had planned. As great as Disney is, there are things that happen beyond their control. Go to Disney World expecting things to not work smoothly, especially transportation. Things being crowded and things breaking down should not surprise anyone and therefore, do not require an irrational response. It is normal.
• See it as a game. A challenge to beat. Not to beat the system but beat the temptation to become mad, frustrated or vengeful. Recognize it when it shows up. “It” being anger or frustration.
• Reward yourself. As a part of the game, every time you are delayed because of transportation, you get a Disney World snack (you probably were going to get the snacks anyway, but now there’s a justification). My personal favorite is the Mickey-shaped ice cream sandwich. Eat ‘em like popcorn. Get some popcorn.
• Say hello. Say hello to the bus driver or cast member who is working your form of transportation. It forces you to be nice, even if you’ve had to wait awhile.
• Tell jokes. Look around, what do you see. A tree? Quick, google jokes about trees. “Why did the tree need to take a nap? For rest (Forest).” I’ll show myself out.
• Give up your seat. Yeah, you’ve waited a long time to finally sit down, but there’s a lot of people standing (most likely to happen on a bus, but NOT the Skyliner. See above). It’s an attitude thing. Give up your seat to a child or someone that might be a little fragile. Your ride won’t take long and you’ll feel better about yourself as a human. Do this a lot.
• Distraction. I’ve already mentioned two: say hello and tell jokes. Get your mind off of what is causing irritation. Start a conversation with someone you don’t know. Heck, start a conversation with people you DO know. Debate the greatest movie Disney has ever produced. Debate the greatest ride at Disney World.
• You’re at Disney World, man. “Let it go.” Sorry. Don’t unfriend me.