Do You Need a Car while at Walt Disney World?

A Chip & Co. reader recently asked: Do you need a car while at Walt Disney World Resort? The short answer is no.

My family and I vacationed at Walt Disney World Resort not long ago, and while I’d love to be there still, my feet are overjoyed not to be walking miles and miles a day. There’s one aspect of a Walt Disney World vacation that just can’t be beat: the transportation system.

Guests bound for Disney-owned Resort hotels via commercial flights to Orlando International Airport experience VIP treatment before they ever enter the Parks. Guests can arrange prior to their arrival to be treated like royalty with Disney’s Magical Express system. Special luggage tags allow vacationers to check their bags at departure and not have to worry about them again. Guests can bypass baggage claim, enjoy a complimentary ride aboard comfy motor coaches to their Resort, and find their bags magically awaiting them in their Guestroom. And, of course, when it’s time to leave the Kingdom, Guests again check their luggage and board motor coaches for complimentary transportation back to the airport. It’s all available at no extra charge no matter where you stay on Property.

Once onsite, Guests have many modes of travel to choose from within the Walt Disney World Transportation System. We drove our own vehicle to get there, but once it was parked, it stayed parked. Most convenient is the bus service. More than 300 buses driven by 1,100 full-time and 400 part-time drivers track 20 million miles per year toting Guests to and from the Parks, Resorts, and onsite attractions. The buses go just about everywhere on Disney Property. However, they do not transport Guests from Resort to Resort. To get from one hotel to another, Guests must take a bus to one of the Parks or Downtown Disney and transfer to another bus. Always allow extra time to get where you need to go.

While each Park has its own unique representative attraction, the monorail is Walt Disney World’s wienie. One line services the transportation center, Magic Kingdom, and the Resorts surrounding Seven Seas Lagoon, and a second line runs between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. According to Lou Mongello’s The Walt Disney World Trivia Book Volume Two, if you were to add up all the trips these German engineered trains have made over the 14.7 mile track since 1971, the mileage logged would equate to more than 25 round trips to the moon!

Ferry boats (or fairy boats?) provide one more option. Since they are limited to waterways, they do not offer access to all entertainment or Resort areas. Guests can, however, take in some scenic relaxation while en route to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, and select Resorts. Boats launch about every 15-30 minutes, but I’ve found them to be one of the quickest rides to catch.

Perhaps the best part of Walt Disney World Transporation is that it’s all available at no extra charge no matter where you stay on Property. Segway tours, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, surrey bikes, canoes, yachts, and golf carts are some fee-based options offered at various locations around Walt Disney World Resort.

So, do you need a car at Walt Disney World? Four out of the five times my family has vacationed there, we have driven our own car. We’ve used it onsite once! I would say that if you have a restaurant reservation outside of the Parks, say at ‘Ohana or Whispering Canyon, since buses do not run between Resort hotels, it may be quicker and easier to take your own vehicle. If I remember correctly, the one time we drove our car it was to Downtown Disney in the pouring rain when our youngest was an infant. That worked out well for us, but for most other instances, Disney’s taken good care of us.

A previous version of this article originally appeared at Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, where Disney IS school.

Related articles

• Official Announcement: Leap Year 2012 Calls for ‘One More Disney Day’ (chipandco.com)

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Click Here for your FREE No Obligation Quote.