Disney World Transportation Summer Update
One big problem point at Walt Disney World in the last few months has been transportation. In this update, we’ll take offer a report on our experiences traveling between resorts and the parks with buses, boats, and Park Hopping via the Skyliner gondolas thus far in Summer 2021.
For the last several months, the transportation situation was…a situation. Capacity was cut dramatically across the board. The Skyliner only allowed one party per gondola, making it difficult to arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Epcot by park opening unless you lined up early. Buses were better, but still only 6-8 parties allowed per vehicle and standing not allowed. Similar story for boats and monorails. All of this resulted in long lines and wait times for transportation at park opening, closing, and other peak travel times.
Accordingly, our advice beginning around last July was to rent a car or take an Uber/Lyft upon from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World, and all around the resort. Unfortunately, that recommendation became less viable back in March, as rental car and Uber shortages coupled with a dramatic uptake travel volume made pricing prohibitive for many Walt Disney World visitors. After several months of bad news on the Walt Disney World transportation front, our Summer 2021 update is the bearer of good news!
Before we delve into the improvements to Walt Disney World transportation, we want to preface this by conceding that it’s always possible to have a negative experience with Walt Disney World transportation. You could visit during the slowest week of the year in September and have a terrible experience. You could go the week between Christmas and New Year’s and have a great one.
Two parties staying at the same resort for the same dates could have dramatically different experiences simply by virtue of luck. That has always been the case and probably always will be. When it comes to Walt Disney World transportation, inconsistency is the only thing that’s consistent. With that said, we are seeing objective, measurable improvements–and that’s what we’re going to report on here.
The next caveat is that these improvements to Walt Disney World transportation are still in progress. We started doing the “research” for this article Memorial Day weekend and the following week, and had to revisit the topic before publishing because even more had changed.
On more than one occasion, we’ve literally observed policy changes occur overnight. Seating and standing areas have expanded, “unavailable” stickers have been removed, and more. The points here are twofold: what’s published here could be partially inaccurate by tomorrow or whenever your trip rolls around. However, the trajectory is pretty clear.
In terms of official policy, the biggest change that was just published is Walt Disney World ending most indoor face mask rules for the fully vaccinated. Transportation is a notable exception: Face coverings will still be required of all guests on Disney transportation, including Disney buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner.
In addition to this, Walt Disney World has also reduced physical distancing, with those changes “visible in places like queues, shops, restaurants, attraction boarding, transportation and our theaters.”
All of the changes we’ve observed are a result of physical distancing being relaxed, which has been a work in progress since Memorial Day, but kicked into high gear the last couple of weeks.
We’ll start with buses, which have gradually been increasing the number of guests per vehicle. Perhaps the most notable change is that standing is also now allowed. Buses are still not being loaded to 100% capacity, but efficiency and guest loads have more than doubled–tripled might be more accurate–as compared to spring break.
I don’t think anyone relishes the idea of standing elbow to arm pit with other guests, especially at the end of a long day when everyone has slow-cooked in the Florida sun. It can be an, ahem, olfactory overload.
However, the buses are not to that point yet, and the upside is undeniable. No more standing in line waiting for two or three buses and taking 45 minutes just to get picked up. Midday things are more or less the same as before–lower usage, a seat for everyone, and no lines.
In addition to physical distancing being relaxed, Walt Disney World has been contracting with Academy to provide relief to its bus driver shortage. If you’ve visited recently, you’ve undoubtedly seen these buses around Walt Disney World. That has also helped address transportation woes.
We wouldn’t go as far as to say the buses are operating as normal at Walt Disney World, as we don’t have sufficient experience to make such a proclamation. It’s been pretty close in our anecdotal experiences, though. (It wouldn’t surprise me if Coronado Springs in particular and maybe the other sprawling resorts are still having issues from time to time.)
Another thing we’ve noticed is that the bus wait time boards are displaying times. Sometimes.
These were such an improvement (along with the feature in My Disney Experience) back when they debuted, but their reliability had deteriorated even pre-closure. These can be a huge asset when they’re working consistently and accurate–it would be great for Walt Disney World to work on restoring and improving this system.
One recommendation we’d offer–and this applies to normal times as well as right now–is not to leave any park right at closing. This is when bus lines back to the resort are at their worst (see above) and you’ll frequently have multiple busloads of other guests in front of you.
You’re going to be waiting 30+ minutes one way or the other, so spend that time on Main Street, soaking up the atmosphere of World Showcase, etc., rather than standing in an uncomfortable and frustrating bus line. Walt Disney World will not strand you at the park. We’ve left (literally) 2 hours after park closing before and there was a private bus waiting for us. Buses are waiting until the parks are cleared of all guests. There’s absolutely no upside to rushing to leave in order to stand around and wait.
No issues to report whatsoever with watercraft.
These were previously blocking off more than half of the seats on some boats, and having long lines at some points in the day as a result. They’re now gone from the boats we’ve seen, with the exception of a remaining marker to provide a buffer between the captain and guests.
Turning to the Skyliner, where multiple parties are now being loaded into the same gondola.
We’ve flown the Skyliner several times since this policy change was made, and only once has another party been loaded with us. However, we’ve used it exclusively for Park Hopping during the middle of the day. Even pre-closure, it was informal policy to not mix parties if there was not much of a line. Based upon our observations and usage, that’s once again the case.
Whatever improvements have been made with the Skyliner’s efficiency are going to be most noticeable around park opening and, to a lesser extent, around park closing. We had hoped to book a stay at Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, or Riviera Resorts to test that out.
Unfortunately, the rates we could get at the aforementioned hotels were more than we wanted to pay and we haven’t found DVC availability at Riviera Resort in the last couple weeks. Apologies there. We’ll try to get a firsthand update later this summer.
Based on feedback we’ve received from readers, lines at the Caribbean Beach hub station right when the Skyliner starts operating are minimal, as is also the case at Pop Century/Art of Animation and Riviera Resort. The closer to park opening, the longer the line gets at each of these stations. However, it’s significantly shorter than before and moves quickly.
This certainly makes sense, and is consistent with morning transportation trends at Walt Disney World in general. For now, you are much better off arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as possible. (Epcot, less so…but what else do you have to do at ~10 am?) It’s possible to do Slinky Dog Dash or the other headliners multiple times before off-site guests are even allowed to park. Remember: When it comes to rope dropping Walt Disney World, early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.
Ultimately, it’s good to see the transportation situation improving at Walt Disney World. It had been pretty rough at times between March and May (and even before then, albeit to a lesser degree), so it’s great to see significant, positive developments on that front. And since we’ve reported on the bad here, we thought it was only fairly to call the good to your attention.
Oh, and a couple of final parting notes. First, Orlando International Airport is predictably bonkers. This based on a mix of firsthand observations picking up family, reader reports, and photos on social media. We also departed from MCO at 6 am yesterday, and it was literally the busiest we had ever seen the airport at that hour. There have also been countless reports of long lines for Disney’s Magical Express and rental car pickup midday (consider an early morning arrival if you have the flexibility).
Second, it’s too early to say whether this is part of a larger trend, but we’re starting to see early signs that rental car and Uber prices and availability are likewise improving. We’ve heard reports of people rebooking cars for significantly cheaper prices, and also having better luck booking. (This was identical to our experience in Anaheim–prices fell closer to our travel dates.) This comes in spite of higher demand, but is hopefully a result of supply chain issues, plus vehicle and labor shortages starting to work themselves out. We should know for sure whether this is part of a larger trend in the coming months. We’ll continue to keep you posted on transportation developments and all other changes at Walt Disney World!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you traveled through MCO recently? Encounter any lines for Disney’s Magical Express, rental cars, or anything else? Crowds at the airport? Any recent experience with the Skyliner around park opening or closing? Have you used Walt Disney World buses between the parks and resorts in June 2021? What about earlier during the phased reopening of Walt Disney World? Have any experiences of your own to share with regard to Walt Disney World transportation? (If so, please share your dates, resort, and typical travel times.) Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Where is the walkway between HS and Epcot?
@Pillars it shouldn’t be a huge issue. My brother and I hit all four parks in one day in January, using only Disney transportation from BLT. We did at least one E ticket in each park and ate not one, but two table service meals. And Oga’s, and shopping.
First, why do flights at the idiotic time of 6am or any time before 8 even exist? Seriously. No way. Otherwise it’s looking good. We were able to reserve a full size van for our Sept-Oct trip, but will likely still be using some Uber as the old fart will want to go back to house to sleep, etc earlier than us.
We have a one day park hopper trip planned. I was hoping the Epcot monorail would be back available since our plan is to do MK first and Epcot later in the day. However, it’s closure is causing planning anxiety.
What say you experts?! Do we park at MK then take a bus to a resort then Epcot and same way back that evening? Should we just Uber back to MK That night?
Was hoping to book Caribbean Beach in late January so that my son and I could take the Skyliner as transportation. This changed my mind quickly. It was just bad timing, but I reconsidered our trip plans and will now be staying at either Portofino Bay or Royal Pacific (Both of which I’d love to hear your opinions about).
“From January 23 through January 28, 2022, Disney Skyliner service between Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort and Epcot will be out of operation for refurbishment. Complimentary bus service will be available.”
@Denise,
It looks like the boats to Disney Springs are still shut down.
If anyone was wondering, the smaller transportation boats will also shut down due to lightning in the area. (Sometimes the TTC ferryboat is the only boat running; not sure if that’s due to lightning or high winds.) I highly recommend checking the weather everyday, but especially if you’re counting on anything besides monorails and ground transport.
Also, the boats from Epcot to the Studios stops are these in this order:
International Gateway – Boardwalk Inn – Yacht/Beach Club – Swan/Dolphin – Hollywood Studios. Going from the Studios to Epcot is the exact same order in reverse. As a result, it’s often faster to walk from the Yacht/Beach Club to the International Gateway (and reverse) and walk from the Swan/Dolphin to the Boardwalk Inn (and reverse).
@Lane The quickest way between Epcot & DHS during middle of day (barring disaster) would definitely be skyliner. The gondola route does look a bit “out of the way” when you look at a map, but it’s still much faster than the more direct routes (think flying vs driving). The skyliner is continuously loading, so there’s rarely any wait outside of backups at peak times (park opening & closing).
Skyliner aside, it’s a legit 1.5 mile walk between the two, so whether walking or boating would be faster depends on your party’s walking speed (and how long you have to wait for a boat). If you just miss the boat at Epcot, you can also walk to the Y/B boat dock and catch it there, since the boat stops at boardwalk first.
Beware of the Skyliner shutting down due to lightning in the Disney area. No discussions to my knowledge on this subject matter have been posted, nor have there been any warnings posted at the Skyliner stations. Just a few days ago my family and I took the Skyliner from DHS to the Carribean Beach Resort station in order to eventually disembark near the Boardwalk (EPCOT). They suspended operation at CBeach and we waited for almost 90 minutes before deciding to take an Uber, which was never our intention. The Cast Members said there would be a bus coming to take us to our destinations and that simply didn’t happen. We were late for our dinner reservations. This is a major problem as everyone knows that Summers in Florida will feature storms almost on a daily basis (not exactly breaking news). The Cast Members had no answer for this dilemma except for echoing the fact that it was for our safety which of course goes without saying. I’m just mentioning this because you can get stuck at one of the stations- We certainly did!
What is usually the quickest way to go between DHS and Epcot? We’re park hopping one day late afternoon/early evening and deciding between just walking or taking the boat. Gondolas seem a little out of the way with the multiple transfers but could be wrong there.
We stayed at AoA mid may. Skyliner was great, even when the lines looked long, they moved pretty quick. Definitely use those for HS & Epcot. We never had any issues with bussing to AK or MK, but we also tried to go early, and with young kids never made it to closing.
Related question but different coast–what do you currently recommend for transportation in getting from Long Beach Airport to Disneyland?
We r staying at POP in September. Debating Magical express or a Rental . We heard Hotels charge per night parking, so we want to Save. Especially since my mom will have a Scooter and its NOT Disassemble. We love Buses. Can’t wait to use Skyliner for First time. We Normally only have Issues with Buses at End of night right after Fireworks.
Any word on the boats to Disney Springs? Eg., fro, OKW and SSR DVC? Thanks!
Tom, I figured I would ask here since its your latest post. I just saw saw nighttime spectaculars returning July 2021. Do you have any info on this? It just popped on the the disney youtube page, but its literally a 15 second blip with no info.
thanks
Hi Tom,
Thanks for usual great work. Your blog raised a question. If you are staying on site but using a car to get to mk does that mean you won’t be able to get in early like you would on bus? Also does “on site” still include Disney springs hotels. Thanks again.
Until Disney provides transportation from the airport to DisneyWorld, my family will NOT be visiting Disney. In my opinion, and that of many others, Disney made a bad decision in cancelling the Disney Magic Bus service.
We’ve purposely avoided the mega bus resorts like CBR and CSR for this very reason. We stayed last August at CBR and the bus situation was AWFUL! You get conflicting advice on the bus protocol when the skyliner goes down, which is a common summer time occurrence. There is no alert when it does go down in MDE which would be great to know.
Our last trip, we chose Swan to avoid issues with DHS/Epcot and it was the best decision ever. IMO right now the boardwalk area resorts have superior transport benefits, even over the monorail resorts since there is no epcot monorail running right now.
Skyline was down most of the day yesterday. Sure would be nice if they would send out alerts saying skylines isn’t working. The buses and skylines at Epcot are at opposite sides.
Any idea when the Epcot monorail will resume?
We will be staying at Art of Animation. Anyone have tips on Disney transportation to and from each of the four parks?