Welcome to planDisney, Jessica!
I'm so glad you decided to bring us a question today. As those well-known lyrics exclaim, "You've got a friend in me." I'm thrilled to help you put the finishing touches on your magical vacation plans. How about you be Jesse and I'll be Bo Peep? Yee haw, let's go, girl!
You're smart to be thinking ahead to your park day logistics. I know that travel and parking might seem overwhelming, but please don't be a "nervous Rex" about your plans to stay offsite. You'll be able to enjoy the fun whether you arrive by car, rideshare, Buzz's spaceship, or you want to ride like the wind like Woody and Bullseye. Actually, I wouldn't recommend arriving by horse, but you can certainly stop by
Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Disney's Fort Wilderness Lodge to say hello to some of Cinderella's ponies.
Now, I'm not sure about your travel time from your offsite accommodations, but I'd plan for an extra 20-30 minutes from the time you pull up to the parking entrance to the time you get through security and walk through the ticket turnstiles. When I visited EPCOT last month I saw a decent queue of cars waiting to pay for parking, but the lines seemed to be moving fairly well. Once parked, you can walk or utilize the complimentary trams to transport you from your car to the main gates. Please note that if you'll be using
strollers during your trip you'll need to collapse those before boarding the trams. You may also have the option to upgrade to a
preferred parking spot at each of the theme parks which will put you closer to the entrance.
The exception would be when visiting Magic Kingdom Park. I'd allow for an extra 30-40 minutes as you'll first need to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and then board the
Monorail or
Ferryboat to the main entrance. The Monorail typically begins running 30 min before the official park opening so you'll still arrive right on time if you plan to get there early. Side note- you'll go through security at the TTC before boarding transportation across Seven Seas Lagoon to Magic Kingdom Park.
Be sure to
check the park hours as your travel dates approach. Though resort guests can take advantage of
Early Entry and get a 30-minute head start on select attractions each day, you may still be allowed to enter the parks before the official opening time. This is particularly true at Magic Kingdom Park where Main Street, U.S.A. opens to guests to shop and caffeinate before the park officially opens. Eligible resort guests will need to scan their MagicBand or ticket for entry into the lands with participating attractions, but you can usually get up toward the Partners statue for some photos while you're waiting to begin your day.
I hope this helped, Jessica! If I can answer any more questions please don't hesitate to come back and let me know. I'm always happy to share my best tips, to infinity and beyond! Wishing you the "rootinest, tootinest," most magical vacation!
So long, partner,
Amy