Hey Mark!
Thanks for bringing your question to planDisney! Several years ago, I remember hearing narration on a Disney bus stating, “Sit back, relax, and let us do the driving.” That phrase has stuck in my head since then, and now Disney transportation is my preferred method to travel around Walt Disney World Resort!
All Guests are welcome to use the complimentary Disney Transportation available throughout the resort. I would like to note that if you pay for theme park parking, your
parking pass is good all day at all four theme parks, so if you decide to drive yourself to the next park, you will not have to pay for parking a second time. As a non-Resort guest, you would not be eligible to park at a Disney Resort.
Your transportation options depend on where you are planning to start and end your day. Bus service begins 45 minutes before the theme parks open and ends one hour after the theme parks close. You could park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and take the bus to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, or the monorail to EPCOT. If you are traveling between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, you can take the
Skyliner or
water transportation. My suggestion is to end the day at Magic Kingdom with a viewing of Happily Ever After, then take the
Monorail, or water transportation to return to the Transportation and Ticket Center.
I hope this helps with your planning, Mark! If you ask me, Walt Disney World transportation is an attraction outside the theme parks, so I try to use all the options while I’m on vacation. Some Transportation Cast Members even carry Disney Transport trading cards that have pictures of the modes of transportation with fun facts on the back. Not every Cast Member carries these, so I consider it a fun mission to ask the Cast Members if they have any when I exit the vehicle. Maybe one day I’ll complete my collection! In the meantime, I’ll be
here at planDisney to help answer any other vacation questions you have!
Kaitlin