Disney Transport is the privately run transportation system at Walt Disney World. Most movements are made using buses that run along the public (maintained by the
Reedy Creek Improvement DistrictThe Reedy Creek Improvement District is the immediate governing jurisdiction for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort. As of the late 1990s, it comprised an area of within the outer limits of Orange and Osceola counties in Florida...
) and private roads of the resort. Other transportation is provided by the
Walt Disney World Monorail SystemThe Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit system in operation around the Walt Disney World Resort.The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates ten Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service, with two additional trains expected to come online by 2010...
and
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
.
Except where monorail or ferry service exists or walking is practical, direct
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
service is provided from every hotel to every attraction, and between attractions.
Disney Transport is the privately run transportation system at Walt Disney World. Most movements are made using buses that run along the public (maintained by the
Reedy Creek Improvement DistrictThe Reedy Creek Improvement District is the immediate governing jurisdiction for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort. As of the late 1990s, it comprised an area of within the outer limits of Orange and Osceola counties in Florida...
) and private roads of the resort. Other transportation is provided by the
Walt Disney World Monorail SystemThe Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit system in operation around the Walt Disney World Resort.The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates ten Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service, with two additional trains expected to come online by 2010...
and
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
.
Except where monorail or ferry service exists or walking is practical, direct
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
service is provided from every hotel to every attraction, and between attractions. This contrasts with most public transportation systems, which use a
hub-and-spokeThe hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
system. Disney's approach avoids transfers for most movements but leads to longer wait times (Disney tries to keep waits under 20 minutes) and does not provide direct transportation between hotels unless they happen to be on the same bus route. No service is provided between
Downtown DisneyDowntown Disney is the name of two outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes located at two Disney resorts:* Downtown Disney , at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California...
and other attractions (except Typhoon Lagoon, which is on the same route) because, when it was, people would park for free at
Downtown DisneyDowntown Disney is the name of two outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes located at two Disney resorts:* Downtown Disney , at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California...
to avoid paying to park at the theme parks.
Disney Transport buses also take cast members (employees) around the resort; these buses are marked 'Special' or 'VIP Cast Member'.
Disney Transport operates a fleet of
TMCTransportation Manufacturing Corporation was a bus manufacturer based in Roswell, New Mexico.The company was formed in 1974 by Greyhound Bus Lines to manufacture Motor Coach Industries vehicles...
RTS,
Nova BusNova Bus is a bus manufacturing company based in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. The company is now owned by Volvo Buses.- History :The factory was originally a General Motors' plant for building city transit buses intended for the Canadian market...
LFS, and
GilligGillig Corporation, formerly Gillig Bros., is a manufacturer of heavy-duty low floor transit buses located in Hayward, CA. Prior to 1993, Gillig had also been a manufacturer of school buses.-History:...
Advantage bus models. They have approximately 300 buses in their fleet.
The resort also maintains a fleet of watercraft providing additional access between various Disney resorts and parks. While some route duplication does take place, the watercraft provide an alternative way to travel from one location to another. The most well-known boats are the large ferries that traverse the
Seven Seas LagoonThe Seven Seas Lagoon is the man-made lake in front of the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The lake reaches a depth of 14 feet. The lake connects with the adjacent Bay Lake.- Uses and history :...
between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the
Magic KingdomThe Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world....
. However, there are several other routes, including:
- Water launches link the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort is a Disney owned and operated AAA Four-Diamond award winning resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with...
via the Seven Seas Lagoon
- Water launches also connect over to Bay Lake using an unusual water bridge
Navigable aqueducts are bridge structures which carry waterway canals over other rivers, valleys or railways or roads. They are primarily distinguished by their size, carrying a larger cross-section of water than most water-supply aqueducts...
to reach Disney's Contemporary ResortDisney's Contemporary Resort is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the hotel first opened on October 1, 1971 as one of the first two hotels in the resort complex. It is categorized as a 'Deluxe' Disney resort...
, Disney's Wilderness LodgeDisney's Wilderness Lodge is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was opened on May 28, 1994. The resort is themed to evoke the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, and it features both natural and Native American elements. The resort includes a working geyser and hot springs...
and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & CampgroundDisney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is a themed camping resort within Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The site officially opened on November 19, 1971....
- FriendShip launches operate on the World Showcase Lagoon in Epcot
Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center until 1994....
- Other FriendShip launches connect Epcot's International Gateway to the Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
via Crescent Lake, with additional service to the Epcot Resorts (Disney's BoardWalk ResortDisney's BoardWalk Resort is a hotel and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort. First opened in 1996, the BoardWalk Resort lies alongside Crescent Lake and is situated between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.-Disney's BoardWalk Inn:...
, Disney's Beach Club ResortDisney's Beach Club Resort is a beach-themed resort which is part of the Walt Disney World Resort. The Beach Club Resort is one of the Epcot Area Resorts. It is located on Crescent Lake, which lies between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios and is close enough to walk to either Epcot's...
, Disney's Yacht Club ResortDisney's Yacht Club Resort is a New England nautical-themed resort, at Walt Disney World. First opened on November 5, 1990, it is one of several Epcot Area Resorts...
, Walt Disney World SwanThe Walt Disney World Swan is a resort hotel designed by architect Michael Graves located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios behind Disney's BoardWalk Resort and across from its sister resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin. The Swan, which opened January 13, 1990 on Disney property, is...
and Walt Disney World DolphinThe Walt Disney World Dolphin is a resort hotel designed by architect Michael Graves located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios next to Disney's BoardWalk Resort area. It opened in June, 1990 and is joined to its sister hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan by a palm-tree lined covered...
)
- Water taxis link Disney's Port Orleans Resort
Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter and Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside are a pair of resort hotels located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The two hotels are themed to look like New Orleans or the Old South...
, Disney's Old Key West ResortDisney's Old Key West Resort is a Disney Vacation Club resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on December 20, 1991 and was formerly known as Disney's Vacation Club Resort . It was the first Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Resort, and has the largest rooms of any of the seven Disney...
and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa to Downtown DisneyDowntown Disney is the name of two outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes located at two Disney resorts:* Downtown Disney , at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California...
along the Sassagoula River
Other Disney-run transportation exists in the form of
parking lot tramA trackless train is a road going articulated vehicle used for the transport passengers, comprising a driving vehicle pulling one or more carriages connected by drawbar couplings, in the manner of a road going railway train.-Terminology:Trackless train or land train are descriptive terms...
s at various parking lots, railroads in the
Magic KingdomThe Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world....
and
Disney's Animal KingdomDisney's Animal Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than 500 acres . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around...
, and a
horse drawn streetcarA horsecar was an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes or from the omnibus that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly-invented iron or steel rail or 'tramway'...
in the Magic Kingdom.
See also
- Walt Disney World Monorail System
The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit system in operation around the Walt Disney World Resort.The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates ten Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service, with two additional trains expected to come online by 2010...