Hi Michelle,
Thank you for visiting us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your planning questions. It is our goal to assist other guests get the most magic out of their Walt Disney World vacations. I am so excited for you to be traveling during the Thanksgiving break. You will love all the special holiday touches that await you.
Resort transportation can be confusing at first, so I hope to give you a little more insight to make it more manageable and not quite as daunting. You are correct, the bus transportation from
Disney's Art of Animation Resort will be available directly to the four theme parks, as well as
Disney Springs and the water parks (if open). However, transportation between resorts will require a transfer at either another theme park or Disney Springs. In this case, you will want to allow about an hour to go from resort to resort to allow for traffic, transfer, and possible waiting time between buses. Buses generally begin operating daily one hour prior to park opening time and continue until one hour past the park closing time. In addition, bus transportation will continue to run to and from Disney Springs until 2am.
I hope this clarifies the topic for you. Enjoy making wonderful memories to last a lifetime.
~Allison L