Pros and Cons of All Forms of Disney Transportation
Now that the Disney Skyliner is operational, you’re probably wondering which form of transportation is best for you. During your next Walt Disney World vacation, you want to travel to and from the parks as efficiently and effortlessly as possible. And MickeyBlog has got you covered! Here are the pros and cons of all current forms of official Disney transportation.
Boats
Disney has built a fleet of ships, sea-worthy vessels that can make you feel like a pirate while you ride. These crafts sail around Bay Lake, Crescent Lake, Lake Hollywood, Seven Seas Lagoon, and World Showcase Lagoon. According to the official site, they generally run on either a 15- or 30-minute schedule.
Pros:
Presuming that your tummy doesn’t mind a boat ride, Disney’s water transportation provides a serene way to manage travel. Other forms of transportation listed here, especially buses, can stress you out. When you’re on a boat, the vehicle’s relaxing ambiance exudes tranquility.
You’ll float past some of Disney’s most gorgeous settings, viewing them from an otherwise impossible perspective. Plus, some captains are known to break out into song…DISNEY song!
Cons:
Disney water transportation isn’t available everywhere on the Disney campus for the obvious reason that bodies of water aren’t everywhere. Also, the arrival/departure timing of some boats, particularly ones at Disney resorts, is mercurial. You may find the boat system unreliable when you’re on a set schedule. Disney fans who care more about the journey than the destination will love every second of a boat ride.
Buses
Out of all free forms of transportation at Walt Disney World, only the bus service covers the entire campus. You’ll ride on a bus at least a few times during your Disney visit, no matter what you have planned. It’s unavoidable. And Disney deserves a lot of credit for refreshing its bus fleet occasionally to improve its offerings.
Pros:
Sometimes, I feel like there are more buses at Walt Disney World than people. Mathematically, that doesn’t check out, but it demonstrates just how frequently I see them. With more than 350 buses, Disney has confirmed that it operatess the third-largest fleet in the state, trailing only Jacksonville and Miami.
Disney’s buses are always clean, comfortable, and spacious. Anyone who needs an Electronic Convenience Vehicle (ECV) will appreciate the boarding system. Cast members receive training in proper order, and ECVs go first. You’ll get a guaranteed spot to park your ECV. Plus, your family will have seats to join you.
Some of the newest buses include USB ports, places to recharge your smart devices. Also, Disney has given them some exciting wraps, giving them the appearance of some of your favorite characters.
The most important pro circles back to space. During the most crowded times in the mornings and late at night, buses can seat a ton of people. It’s a much larger number than you’d expect. So, you’ll rarely need to wait for a second bus.
Cons:
I have a love/hate relationship with Disney’s bus system. I deeply admire its utility and understand that the company does the best that it can. Walt Disney World’s campus covers a lot of space, some of which is more popular with travelers than other spots. Managing the flow of traffic is a herculean undertaking. For this reason, Disney may let you down on occasion.
One of the most frustrating moments during a Disney trip happens when you watch a bus drive away right in front of you. It means that you must wait 10-20 minutes for another one. This, unfortunately, happens at least once a trip, possibly once a day. Sadly, you can’t do anything about it.
However, in recent years, Disney’s added some bus information on My Disney Experience that mitigates the problem, at least somewhat. Make sure to use it whenever you can.
Disney Skyliner
The newest form of transportation at Walt Disney World embodies the company’s current approach. Disney’s going back to the future with several updates, improving the parks with modernized versions of older strategies.
Some of the Epcot renovations in place reflect this philosophy, but it’s the gondola system that proves that Disney will never entirely abandon a good idea. In the earliest days of Magic Kingdom, guests could travel in the air between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
Today, Disney has expanded the idea with a far-reaching gondola system, one that covers several parks and resorts. These continually moving sky lifts carry guests to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and multiple resorts.
Pros:
The Disney Skyliner service is fast, convenient, and just plain cool. Since the system rarely stops, you’ll have something rare here. You’ll have timeline certainty. You’ll know within a minute or two exactly when you’ll arrive. Anytime you’re not sure, you can pull up a YouTube video and estimate your travel time.
Realistically, above-ground transportation makes the most sense for the Disney campus. Walt Disney knew it in the 1960s and mentioned the PeopleMover for this reason. The Disney Skyliner is already the smartest form of transportation because the stations connect via straight lines, the shortest distances between two points.
Finally, the Disney Skyliner is a more intimate experience than most forms of free transportation. The gondolas seat a maximum of 10. Usually, the only guests on board are the ones in your traveling party. That’s never going to be the case on a Disney bus, boat, or monorail.
Cons:
I’ll publish a piece soon on the future of the Disney Skyliner. In it, I’ll discuss plans already under consideration for future expansion. Until then, the major con is that Disney doesn’t have enough gondola stations.
You’ll find them at two parks and three (arguably four) resorts. That’s out of four parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and more than 20 resorts. So, the main problem with the Skyliner is scarcity.
Another potential con is the heat. Disney famously chose not to add air-conditioning into the gondolas. While riders report that the temperature is fine, the situation could change during those rare moments when the Skyliner stops.
Minnie Vans
The most stylish and convenient form of transportation represents Disney’s first attempt at ride-sharing. When Uber and Lyft demonstrated that some park guests prefer chauffeur service, park executives took note.
They realized that loyal Disney fans would prefer cast members as drivers/de facto trip advisors. Thus, Minnie Vans were born. With this service, a cast member picks up your party and drives you directly to your destination…for a fee.
Pros:
Direct drop-off service exemplifies a dream come true at Walt Disney World. You get an Orlando resident to drive you around the campus, but you don’t experience any safety concerns since the person works for Disney.
Your ride is also so stylish that you’ll want to take pictures of it to upload on social media. Plus, it comfortably seats six. Even better, when you need Disney advice, you can pick the brains of cast members during the trip. Finally, I reiterate that thing about the shortest distance between two points. With Minnie Vans, you’ll get there faster than almost any other form of transportation.
Cons:
The Minnie Van really only has one significant negative. This service isn’t free. To the contrary, it’s relatively expensive. Standard Uber and Lyft drop-offs are much cheaper, and nothing beats free, which all other forms of official Disney transportation are.
Monorails
During his research for new forms of travel, Walt Disney personally chose the monorail as the idea system at Disneyland. He planned similarly for Walt Disney World before his death. When you ride one of these above-ground monorails, you’re living out one man’s dream for a better tomorrow.
Pros:
Monorails are distinctly Disney. You’ll only find them at a few other places in America. And most of these systems exist due to the appeal of the original one at Disneyland. While that one’s primarily for fun, the utility of the resort monorail system at Walt Disney World is undeniable.
On the main monorail route, you’re never more than a few stops away from Magic Kingdom. You can also switch at the Transportation and Ticket Center, taking a different monorail directly to Epcot.
Cons:
Once Walt Disney World opened the monorail system, they mostly let it stagnate. The operational range of the monorail isn’t significant. It won’t help you get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and you’ll need two different rides to get to Epcot.
Also, perhaps you’ve heard that the current line of monorail trains has had some issues. I can’t accurately describe the service as unreliable, as the number of snafus is infinitesimal. Still, when you are one of the unlucky few on the monorail when it experiences downtime, it’s incredibly frustrating.