Hi Lisa,
Your magical Disney vacation is just a couple of short weeks away! I hope that you're starting to think about packing and counting down the days to all of the magic and fun, because your trip will be here before you know it. SO exciting!
It sounds to me like you've done a great job planning! You'll love experiencing smaller crowds at
Epcot in the morning with
Extra Magic Hours, and enjoying a delicious meal and napkin-swinging fun with Mickey and his pals at
Chef Mickey's is
always a wonderful time! You're exactly right that the easiest way to get to Disney's Contemporary Resort from Epcot is to take the
monorail. You will need to switch monorails at the Transportation & Ticket Center, though, and then Disney's Contemporary Resort will be the last stop. However, with that said, the monorail is not only fun to ride (it's one of my youngest son's favorite parts of the whole trip!), but it's quite efficient as well. I do have a couple of other options for you, though, if you don't want to take the monorail. You could also take a
bus from Epcot to Disney's Hollywood Studios. From there, you could transfer buses and hop on the one heading to Disney's Contemporary Resort. With buses generally coming every 20 minutes, though, there's a chance that you'd have two 20-minute waits for buses, so I'm not sure it will be any faster than taking the monorail. If you're really wanting to save time, your fastest option will likely be to use a
Minnie Van. There is a small fee to use the Minnie Van service, but you'll be riding in style, and your driver will take you directly from Epcot to
Disney's Contemporary Resort, which is only about a 15-minute ride.
As for
bus wait times within the My Disney Experience mobile app, they're only currently available for the Disney Resort hotel where you're staying. It's wonderful information to have when you're getting ready in the morning, though, and you're wondering how long it will be until the next bus arrives!
Hopefully this helps as you're planning your trip, Lisa, and please feel free to keep bringing us more great questions! I hope that you have a truly magical vacation next month!
Missy