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!
We are planning a trip to WDW in Dec of this year. No kids, just my husband and I. Thanks for keeping everyone updated on what’s happening around the WD World!
It will be interesting to see what the Fall will be like.
Question: My husband I will be at the Swan in late Sept (2021). I think I read that Dolphin-Swan busses can only go to TTC, but Beach Club etc busses go all the way to MagicKingdom’s entrance? So can we walk to nearest “100% disney” resort from our 80% one, and use the Beach Club bus?
and we can just do that?
Also, can we get from Grand Floridian to Swan (or a close enough resort lile Beach/Yacht/Boardwalk) via at least bus (or other interesting transit)? After your lush write-up, we HAVE to explore The Walking Trail between Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian. We’re also into logistics and building design and such, so we LOVE your squee-ing over bathrooms and infrastructure!!
Was at Pop Century June 8-14 we arrived at 10am at MCO it only took us 30 minutes to catch the Magical express lines for skylines were busy at opening time we had our own carthe buses were about normal had to wait for each ti.e we road it was easier to take a taxi back for about $20.00 plus it was faster .we were mask most of the time a day it was in the 90s most of the week
We traveled March 27-April 8, and the transportation was the best we’ve ever experienced. We’ve gone in July, August, February, December, October and September over the last 20 years and have had longer waits then by far. I hope that with increased capacity, the frequency continues. I fear it won’t and they will cut down on frequency.
Buses require some extra time just because they do and always will. Waited 20 minutes for a bus from Poly to Disney Springs and same coming back. I did not see any signs requiring masks on the buses this morning due to the new mask policy. It’s getting better! In other news Tom, I spoke with several cast members who said that the top people at Disney like the park reservation system because they know who and when is coming at any given time. They think it might stay. Any thoughts?
Probably to late a post for a reply but I’ll give it a shot.
We’ve got a magic kingdom reservation on July 1, since we planned to park hop and end the day at Epcot, we also snagged a one night reservation at the yacht club
Rather than parking for mk would it make sense to park at yacht club very early and take bus to mk before rope drop and then back to Epcot or yacht club when we leave magic kingdom Not sure if we have to worry about previously non existent park hopping problems once fireworks start up again. Thanks in advance if anyone can help.
Can scooters be taken on the Skyliner?
Anything on the monorail going from TTC To Epcot opening?
Do we know how often buses are running and how early? What is it like to use the skyliner for rope drop?
The architect of Disney is out of this world. I couldn’t even read a single word minus starring at the photos. How I wish one day, Disney creates the same amusements somewhere in my hoen country, Uganda.
Does anyone know the durations of bus times (not waiting) between resorts and how frequently they run. We are planning to park hop and in building out my schedule just need to factor in travel
This is the complete opposite from what we experienced in late May. That was some of the BEST transportation we ever experienced at WDW and one Covid change we wish we could keep. Wait times for buses were the same, but we always got on the first buses that arrived. It was also nice to have a seat and not the usual pack it in, everyone take a breath, then put 20 more on. Only regret, not having the EPCOT monorail running.
Thanks for the update. Any word on the EPCOT monorail line yet? I don’t know if it is closed for covid or construction?
Thanks for your helpful info. We were there in May and took your advice, foregoing the busses and driving to the parks daily. But we didn’t enjoy the walk back to the car at the end of a long day of walking around the parks. Do you have any idea when the parking lot trams will be back.
We rode the bus, from our hotel to animal Kingdom this morning and the bus was packed with people standing in the middle. I don’t think that’s right. Not at this time.
Tom thanks for your great reporting. I’ve relied on your advice for a long time. We are at Boardwalk Villas right now. Our first time back since COVID and we are seeing the changes day to day as described. Boats here at Epcot Reaorts have been very reliable except when docked due to weather. Which is frequently stopping both boats and Skyliner this week with heavy periods of rain every day. One note : we were told boats are the only transportation where masks are optional. We tried a Lyft yesterday to Hollywood Studios to ensure early arrival but it was a busy because the driver didn’t know the latest (daily) rule change around drop off area. We ended up with him dropping us back at Swan/Dolphin after a comedy of errors and took the boat to Beach Club, walked to Epcot Skyliner and took that to Hollywood Studios. Skyliner was fantastic – about 20 minutes to the park which of course we already missed opening but thankfully we nabbed Boarding Group 12 on Rise if the Resistance so we explored GE for the first time and got to ride that and Star Tours before lunch. Lines for everything we’re long all day but tho we rode little we took your advice and enjoyed the atmosphere etc and made the most of it. Got more time there today after park hopping and we will hit it tomorrow by boat to get there pre-opening. Bus to Magic Kingdom today was perfect – picked us up at 7:25 for 7:40 arrival and nice uncrowded early morning rose time. Bus from MK to HS – we had to monorail to a resort to catch that bus but still went quickly. Agree transportation (and weather) has been roughest point so far, but otherwise happy we decided to visit now in spite of everything. Of course the mask drop today was awesome news and made things much more bearable in the heat (and rain). Sad to report while I embrace your love for the Country Bears my family does not so I missed them today! Lol. Thanks again!
@H: Another blog posted photos of the chains & poles being set up for the parking tram queue outside Epcot. I also saw a TP forum user mention that their kid is one of the new college program CMs, and that she got to assigned to parking tram duty.
All that is to say, while nothing’s been announced, they should be back any day now.
Tom,
Any word on the parking lot trams? Didn’t realize how valuable those were until they weren’t being used.
@seadog
Exit international gateway. Loop around the boardwalk and the path is behind there.
@seadog
Exit at international gateway, loop around the boardwalk and down from there.