Disney World offers a litany of hotel options across its property, with accommodations ranging from Value Tier family hotels to luxurious Deluxe hotels. However, when it comes to transportation, not every Disney World hotel is created equal.
Skyliner at Riviera
Over my 30 years of visiting Disney World, I’ve come to realize that available transportation options are nearly as important when choosing a hotel as theme and amenities. That’s why I’ve assembled this, ranking the resort’s hotel options based on best to worst based SOLEY on transportation options. So let’s begin…
1. Disney Contemporary Resort
One of Disney’s opening day hotels takes the top spot, based almost entirely on its iconic Monorail station — which resides INSIDE the building — and takes guests to the doorstep of the Magic Kingdom within minutes. EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs are all accessible via bus. The resort also offers Water Taxi transportation.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
2. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Number 2 on the list is Disney’s OTHER opening day resort, the Polynesian. The Poly, as many refer to it, offers the same transportation options as the Contemporary, as well as water transportation. So, what gives the Contemporary the slight edge? The route through the buildings, Grand Canyon Concourse, can’t be beat.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a Deluxe Resort
3. Disney’s Riviera Resort
From Disney World’s two oldest hotels to its newest, next we’re at the Riviera Resort. While this hotel provides bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs, its transportation claim to fame is serving as the hub of the Disney Skyliner Gondola system. The hotel’s station provides direct routes to both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT’s International Gateway.
Skyliner
4. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Back to the Magic Kingdom Resort Area, the Grand Floridian offers essentially the same transportation options as the Contemporary and the Polynesian, but is docked slightly for being further from the Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
5. Disney’s Pop Century Resort & Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (TIE)
In addition to bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs, Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner station, meaning that the resorts provide a Deluxe Level perk at Value Tier prices.
Disney Skyliner at Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts
6. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
The Wilderness Lodge provides bus service to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs, as well as boat and ferry service to the Magic Kingdom.
Wilderness Lodge Lobby
7. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disney’s campground — which has been open since Walt Disney World’s second month of operation– provides similar transportation options to Wilderness Lodge.
The Fort Wilderness Campsite
8. Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
The Boardwalk provides bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney Springs, as well as boat service to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Plus, there’s even a direct walking path to EPCOT.
Disney’s BoardWalk
9. Disney’s Beach Club Resort & Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (TIE)
The Yacht and Beach Club Resorts provide similar transportation options to the Boardwalk.
Yacht Club Lighthouse
10. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
The Caribbean Beach Resort provides bus service to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs, and Skyliner service to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. However, it’s a bit lower than the other Skyliner hotels thanks to the inter-hotel transportation issues.
Skyliner at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
11. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Cornado Springs is a bus-only resort, providing bus service to each of the resort’s theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs.
Coronado Springs
12. Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, & Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter & Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (TIE)
These four resorts each feature bus service to the resort’s four theme parks and water parks, and water service connecting them to Disney Springs through the Sassagoula River Cruise watercraft.
Port Orleans Sassagoula
13. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
While the Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the most unique hotels on Disney World property, it’s also in a bit of a transportation desert. It’s only serviced by buses and located far from nearly everything else on property.
Animal Kingdom Lodge — Kidani Village
14. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort & Disney’s All-Star Music Resort & Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort (TIE)
Finally, the three All-Star Resorts come in last. Each of the three are serviced by buses, usually with long waits due to its distance from most of the rest of Disney property.
All-Star Sports Bus Stop
While you probably shouldn’t base your Disney World hotel choice ONLY on transportation, it’s definitely something you should take into consideration! Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney vacation tips!
3 Disney World Hotels in Desperate Need of New Life
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For 8 and 9, I would add – if you can walk to EPCOT then theoretically you can walk to the Skyliner too. It may not be the best transportation option for where you need to get, but there can be times when having more options is important.
We have stayed at Pop Century many times and the skyliner is a huge plus for staying there. Can’t wait we arrive on 9/7.
From the Epcot area resorts you can also walk to Hollywood Studios in under 20 min.
If you are an annual passholder or have a parkhopper, you can walk through EPCOT and monorail to Magic Kingdom.
One of the best things about the Contemporary is it is just a short walk to Magic Kingdom. Great for reliably getting there for Early Entry!
It’s hard to beat the Beach Club/Boardwalk area for the walk to Epcot, the skyliner, and ferry or walk to HS.
Contemporary, GF and Poly are undeniably close to MK, but that’s about it. It’s a 40 min ride from Contemporary to Epcot on the monorail — and that’s without a long morning wait for the train. And the bus to HS was 30 min.
Wilderness is ferry dependent for MK, which often stops for thunderstorms (happened to us on our way to HDDR and we had to quickly uber to make dinner).
AKL is bus dependent, but it is about 5-10 minutes to AK, about 15 min to HS, about 20 min to Epcot and 25-30 min to MK. The commutes weren’t as bad as I thought they may be.
I kinda think the benefits of the Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon resorts are over sold unless you are ONLY going to MK, which may be the case with littles.