One of the great things about Disney World is that they offer complementary transportation between the Parks, Resorts, ESPN World of Sports and Disney Springs. This includes buses, boats and monorails. If you are staying in a Disney resort the buses will be the most common form of transportation. Here is what you need to know.
You do not need to be a Disney resort guest to use the complementary buses.
Most resorts have the buses as the main transportation between the theme parks and the resorts. If the monorail or boats are offered at a resort a bus will not be available to the theme park. The great thing about the buses is you do not need to stay on property to use them.
The bus drivers can not accept tips.
While the Magical Express drivers will gladly take tips the bus drivers of the Disney park buses are not allowed. We have tried before during a trip where our driver was so great but he could not take the money. Instead if you had great service you can email a compliment to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com and it will be added into their file.
The buses run every 15 to 20 minutes.
If you are staying at a Disney resort the waiting area for the buses now feature a monitor with bus pick up times. This system rolled out back in 2016 and is great for knowing how long until the next bus arrives.
The buses can get crowded (and you may have to stand!)
First thing in the morning and at the end of the day the buses are going to get crowded. When all the seats are filled the rest of the riders have to stand, there are rails to hold on to and most of the time adults will offer their seat to children (but my kids like to stand). At the end of the night right around the Park closing time is when its the busiest. Expect to wait longer than normal to get back to the resort, the longest we have had to wait was 45 minutes.
ECV/electric scooters/Wheelchairs are loaded on first and exited off last.
If someone in your party will be using an electric scooter or wheelchair they are loaded on the bus first to get buckled in and then unloaded at the destination after all other passengers are off. There is a spot to wait just beside the line so that the driver can loan it on via a ramp.
Strollers will need to be folded before getting on the bus.
The buses are not very big so to save space all strollers will need to be folded to bring on board. This is tricky at night when all the little ones are falling asleep. It also helps to bring a small, lightweight stroller. The monorail and most of the boats do allow you to just roll your stroller on.
Some resorts share buses.
At resorts that are in close proximity at certain times of the year will share buses. The Yacht and Beach club as well as Port Orleans Riverside and French quarter are most common. Not only does this add time on to your trip but you may have to wait for several buses to have space available if you are at the 2nd stop. We have run into this problem at the Beach club resort.
At night the lights come on unexpectedly.
After dark the lights inside the bus get turned off while driving between locations. Once the bus reaches the stop the bus driver will turn the lights on so everyone can get off safely. This is usually sudden and unexpected, everyone has the same reaction of groans and temporary blindness. Every so often we get a nice driver who warns us before they flip them back on.
The value resort bus stations are farther away.
At the theme parks and Disney Springs there are buses for most of the resorts and the Deluxe resorts usually have the shortest walk where the value resorts have the farthest to walk. The value resorts also have longer lines at the end of the night.
The buses are a great way to get around Disney World, just make sure you allow plenty of time to get where you are going.