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Transport |
Disney Transport is the public transit system of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida, United States. It offers guests a variety of fare-free options to navigate the resort, including buses, the Walt Disney World Monorail System, the Disney Skyliner gondola lift system, and watercraft. This network facilitates movement between the resort's four theme parks, its shopping district, and all Disney-owned lodging on the property. Additionally, Disney Transport operates trams, providing assistance navigating large parking lots, and the Minnie Van rideshare service (available for a fee), offering on-demand, point-to-point transportation.
Except where monorail, gondola or watercraft service exists or walking is practical, direct bus service is provided from every hotel to every theme park and to Disney Springs, as well as between theme parks. The buses are fare-free for all visitors to Walt Disney World. [5] [6] [7] Bus service typically operates at headways of every 20 minutes or better. [5] Service to each park starts 45 minutes before opening and ends an hour after closing. Buses between Disney Springs and the resorts is available during operating hours and ends an hour after closing. [8] Bus stations are located near park entrances; near Disney Springs' Town Center entrance; and near the main lobby of each resort, with additional bus stops along the roadways of more expansive resorts. [5]
At each resorts, there are passenger information system screens that indicate when the next bus to a given park will be arriving. [9] This technology tracks the buses through GPS technology to give projected wait times, though buses usually run at intervals of no more than twenty minutes. [5] [9] On board the buses, recorded announcements are played to indicate points of interest and bus stops. These announcements use GPS to determine which announcements should be played at which locations. [10] All buses are air-conditioned and accessible and can carry two wheelchairs or mobility scooters per vehicle. Strollers must be folded before boarding the buses. [7]
Along Buena Vista Drive between Epcot Center Drive and the Disney Springs, new bus lanes were installed between 2014 and May 2016. [11] [12] These lanes allow buses headed to/from Disney Springs and Typhoon Lagoon to use their own, exclusive right-of-way in the median of Buena Vista Drive. [11] [12] [13]
The bus system operates using a hub-and-spoke paradigm, with the routes usually operating non-stop. [14] The four theme parks and Disney Springs are the five hubs, and each has service to the resort hotels, the spokes of the system. [14] Additionally, buses operate between the theme parks. One-way service formerly operated from the theme parks to Disney Springs after 4 p.m. [15] Buses are also used for internal resort guest transportation within several of the larger resorts. [d]
Direct transportation between the spokes (the hotels) is not provided, unless they happen to be on the same bus route. [14] Also, bus service is not provided on some routes served by monorail, Skyliner, or watercraft.
The Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex have much more limited service. Buses only operate between Blizzard Beach and the Animal Kingdom hub and between Typhoon Lagoon and the Disney Springs hub. Buses only operate between the sports complex and the Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and All-Star resorts. [16]
Disney Transport operates a fleet of nearly 490 buses, [17] primarily 40-foot-long (12 m) Gillig Low Floor models. The fleet currently is the third largest fleet of any Florida transportation system, behind Miami's Metrobus and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. [17]
In 2014, Disney experimented with adding 60-foot-long (18 m) articulated buses as a pilot project to increase capacity on certain routes. [18] [19] However, no articulated buses have been purchased since that time. All Disney Transport buses run on R50 renewable diesel fuel. [20]
Disney Transport has two depots, one near the Magic Kingdom Car Care Center, the other on Recycle Way near Animal Kingdom.
Model | Photo | Numbers | Qty | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gillig Low Floor | 4954–4962 | 9 | 2007 | ||
4963–4983 | 21 | 2008 | |||
4985–4999 | 15 | 2009 | |||
5010–5022 | 13 | 2010 | |||
5023–5069 | 47 | 2011 | |||
5070–5121 | 52 | 2012 | |||
5122–5145 | 24 | 2013 | |||
5158–5199 | 42 | 2015 | |||
5200–5206 | 7 | 2016 | |||
5207–5212 | 6 | 2017 | |||
5213–5288 | 75 | 2019 | |||
5289–5379 | 90 | 2024 | |||
New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 | 5146–5151 | 6 | 2013 | ||
Nova Bus LFS | 5000–5009 | 10 | 2010 | ||
Nova Bus LFS Articulated | 5152–5157 | 6 | 2013 |
Disney Skyliner is a gondola lift system connecting four Disney resort hotels and two theme parks. Opened in 2019, [21] [22] the Skyliner has three lines radiating from a central hub located at the Caribbean Beach Resort. These lines extend to: [23] [24]
Each gondola cabin seats up to ten guests and is wheelchair-accessible. The gondolas travel at 11 miles per hour (18 km/h) and do not have air-conditioning systems, although there are windows and floor vents through which air can be circulated. At each station, cabins can be pulled aside, allowing disabled riders to board without delaying the cabins behind them. [22]
Complementing the bus network, is the Walt Disney World Monorail System, one of the iconic features of the resort. This fare-free service operates three lines departing from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). [6] [7] [25]
The system utilizes twelve Mark VI monorails. [25] [26] A portable ramp at each station bridges the vertical gap between the platform and the monorail, ensuring accessibility for wheelchair users. [7]
The monorail system debuted in 1971 with the Magic Kingdom Resort and Express lines and expanded in 1982 with the addition of the Epcot line. [26] [25] As of 2013, it remains one of the world's busiest monorail systems, transporting over 150,000 guests daily. [27]
The resort maintains a fleet of watercraft to move guests between various Disney resorts and parks. These ferries are also free to ride. [5] While some routes duplicate bus or monorail routes, the watercraft provide a scenic, albeit slower, way to travel from one location to another. [7]
Strollers can be transported aboard all of the vessels, ferries, motor cruisers, Friendship boats, and River Cruise Ferries are accessible when water conditions are favorable. Motor launches cannot accept motorized or unfolded wheelchairs. [28]
The boats with the highest capacities are the large ferryboats that cross the Seven Seas Lagoon between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom. The three ferries are clad in different trim colors and are named for past Disney executives. They are the two twin Magic Kingdom-class ferries, the Richard F. Irvine (red trim) and the Admiral Joe Fowler (blue trim) along with the Kingdom Queen-class General Joe Potter (green trim). [29] [30]
Each ferryboat can carry up to 600 guests and are staffed by three crew members. During park opening and closing, all three ferries operate, if available. During all other times, two ferries operate with wait times between 10 and 20 minutes in most cases. The crossing takes just six minutes, but each trip can take 10-12 minutes with departure and docking. [7] [30]
Motor launches and motor cruisers link the resorts along Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon, using colored flags to indicate the route. The six motor launches are smaller vessels that are not accessible to people with mobility disabilities and are named Adventurer, Explorer, Mariner, Navigator, Seafarer and Voyager. The four motor cruisers are larger vessels that are accessible and are named Bon Voyage, Castaway's, Mermaid I, and Tradewinds. [31] [30]
The gold flag route connects the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian and Polynesian using one launch and one cruiser. The green flag route links the Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness using two cruisers. The red flag route connects the Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge using one launch and one cruiser. The blue flag route provides continuous circular service between the Contemporary, Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge resorts using two launches, and is therefore not accessible to people with mobility disabilities. [7] [32] [30] [33]
Sassagoula River Cruise Ferries, which also have colored flags as route indicators, transport passengers from Disney Springs to Disney Springs Resort Area hotels located along the Sassagoula River using a fleet of 15 vessels named Azalea Bloom, Bayou Princess, Blossom Queen, Buena Vista Queen, Crescent City Queen, Delta Lady, Florida Queen, Jazz Lady, Jazz Queen, Louisiana Lady, Magnolia Blossom, Memphis Miss, Saratoga Queen, Sassagoula Sunset, and Southern Breeze. [30]
The green flag route connects Disney Springs with Old Key West, the blue flag route travels between Disney Springs and the Treehouse Villas via Saratoga Springs. The yellow flag route takes people between Disney Springs and Port Orleans–Riverside, while the purple flag route travels between Disney Springs and Port Orleans–French Quarter. At times of lower traffic, the yellow and purple flag routes combine to travel between Disney Springs and Riverside via French Quarter. [7] [2]
Friendship boats connect the International Gateway entrance of Epcot to the Hollywood Studios via the Epcot Resort Area hotels: BoardWalk, Beach Club/Yacht Club and Swan/Dolphin. [2] They also connect Epcot's Canada and Morocco pavilions in the World Showcase section. [34] The eight vessels are named Friendship I through Friendship VIII.
Type | Photo | Route | North/west terminal | Intermediate stops | South/east terminal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ferry (3 boats) | Magic Kingdom | None | Transportation and Ticket Center | ||
Motor launch (6 boats) Motor cruiser (4 boats) | Gold (1 launch, 1 cruiser) | Before 3 p.m.: Clockwise operation between Magic Kingdom, Polynesian Village & Grand Floridian. After 3 p.m.: Counterclockwise operation between Magic Kingdom, Grand Floridian & Polynesian Village. | |||
Green (2 cruisers) | Magic Kingdom | None | Fort Wilderness | ||
Red (1 launch, 1 cruiser) | Wilderness Lodge | ||||
Blue (2 launches) | Clockwise operation between Contemporary, Fort Wilderness & Wilderness Lodge. | ||||
River Cruise (15 boats) | Yellow/Purple | Port Orleans–Riverside (Yellow) | Port Orleans–French Quarter (Purple) | Disney Springs–Marketplace | |
Blue | Treehouse Villas | Saratoga Springs | |||
Green | Old Key West | None | |||
Red | Disney Springs internal counterclockwise operation between Marketplace, West Side & The Landing. | ||||
Friendship boats (8 boats) | Epcot–International Gateway | BoardWalk Beach/Yacht Club Swan/Dolphin | Hollywood Studios | ||
Epcot–Canada | None | Epcot–Morocco |
Disney Transport operates a fleet of trams that shuttle guests between parking lots and the main entrances of theme parks (except Magic Kingdom, where trams drop guests off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. [4] [6] The trams provide an alternative to walking, especially for longer distances. The trams are not wheelchair accessible, instead guests with mobility disabilities are directed to park close to the main entrance. [7]
There are six tram lines across the four theme parks: [4]
The original tram tractors, purchased in 1969, were powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). [35] However, these tractors encountered frequent technical issues, leading to a custom-designed replacement fleet in 1972. [36] These initially ran on CNG as well, but were later converted to diesel fuel due to operational challenges. Over time, technology improved, allowing the trams to be converted back to CNG in the late 1990s and early 2000s. [36]
For enhanced safety, outward-facing speakers and doors were installed on all tram cars in late 2010 and 2011. In the mid-2010s, Disney replaced the entire tractor fleet with a model based on JBT AeroTech's tractors used to move aircraft. [37]
Walt Disney World offers a ridesharing system called the Minnie Van. Launched in 2017, Minnie Vans operate on-demand and offer direct, door-to-door service within the resort and nearby areas. [23] [38] Guests can choose from standard Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon SUVs that seat up to six passengers and are equipped with child safety seats, or accessible Ford Transit vans that accommodate four passengers with additional space for two wheelchairs or other mobility devices. [39] [40]
Minnie Vans are booked on the Lyft mobile app, but are operated by Disney Transport employees. Minnie Van service operates with a distance-based fee structure. [41] Unlike the complimentary Disney Transport options, Minnie Vans offer a more private and personalized travel experience. Additionally, Minnie Van riders enjoy the benefit of preferred access to theme park entrances.
The resort previously hosted the small Walt Disney World Airport, also called the Lake Buena Vista STOLport. [42] During the early 1970s, scheduled passenger service was operated by Shawnee Airlines with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops, which had STOL (short takeoff and landing) capabilities on flights to Tampa and Orlando. [43] [44] The airport is no longer in operation, but the landing strip still exists and is currently used as space for offices and storage.
From late 1973 to early 1980, the Fort Wilderness Railroad provided transportation within the Fort Wilderness Resort using steam locomotives. [45] Ties from the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge line remain in place along certain sections of the railroad's former right-of-way.
Watercraft provided service to the Discovery Island zoological attraction from its opening in 1974 to its closure in 1999. [46]
From September 25, 2013, to September 25, 2015, Disney Transport has been involved in 27 total accidents that have been reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, including two fatal accidents and nineteen others involving injuries. [1]
The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been developed. Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay, including four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, conference centers, a competitive sports complex and a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, there are 19 Disney-owned resort hotels and one camping resort on the property, and many other non-Disney-operated resorts on and near the property.
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences division. The park opened on October 1, 1982, as EPCOT Center, the second of four theme parks built at the resort. Often referred to as a "permanent world's fair", Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, particularly technological innovation and international culture and is known for its iconic landmark Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere.
The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, shortened to EPCOT, was an unfinished concept for a planned community, intended to sit on a swath of undeveloped land near Orlando, Florida. It was created by Walt Disney in collaboration with the designers at Walt Disney Imagineering in the 1960s. Based on ideas stemming from modernism and futurism, and inspired by architectural literature about city planning, Disney intended EPCOT to be a utopian autocratic company town. One of the primary stated aims of EPCOT was to replace urban sprawl as the organizing force of community planning in the United States in the 1960s. Disney intended EPCOT to be a real city, and it was planned to feature commercial, residential, industrial, and recreational centers, connected by a mass multimodal transportation system, that would, he said, "Never cease to be a living blueprint of the future".
The Tokyo Disney Resort (東京ディズニーリゾート) is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is fully owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under a license from The Walt Disney Company, which constructed and designed the resort and its various attractions through its Imagineering research & development arm.
Magic Kingdom Park is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, it opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division, the official park name has changed slightly over the years, from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), the park was initialized by Walt Disney and designed by WED Enterprises. The park layout and attractions were based on Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and are dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.
Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando.
The Seven Seas Lagoon is an artificial lake at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Located south of the Magic Kingdom theme park, the Seven Seas Lagoon serves as a natural buffer between the Magic Kingdom and its parking lot and connects with the adjacent Bay Lake. The lake reaches a depth of 14 feet (4.3 m). The lagoon is used mainly for recreational boating, as well as by the resort's three Disney Transport ferryboats that transport guests between the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit monorail in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The resort operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service. The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes and with Mark IV monorail trains. It was expanded to three lines in 1982, and the rolling stock was updated to Mark VI trains in 1989.
The Skyway was a gondola lift attraction at Disneyland, at the Magic Kingdom, and at Tokyo Disneyland. Since all versions of this attraction took riders back and forth between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, the route from Tomorrowland was called Skyway to Fantasyland, and the route from Fantasyland was called Skyway to Tomorrowland.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a Disney-owned and operated 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 492 rooms. It was designed by Welton Becket and Associates and constructed by US Steel Realty Development. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Shades of Green is a resort owned by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) in Bay Lake, Florida on the Walt Disney World Resort property near Orlando. While the resort is on the Walt Disney World Resort, it is annexed as a military resort. It is one of five Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRC) resorts and is part of the military's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program. The resort was expanded between 2004 and 2006 and funds itself from non-appropriated funds, with all profits being reinvested into it.
The Walt Disney World Swan is a resort hotel located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, and across from its sister resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin, both of which are operated by Marriott International. It is one of the few resorts inside Walt Disney World that is not owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on January 13, 1990, partially in response to a lack of convention center space inside Walt Disney World.
The Epcot Resort Area is the area between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort which consists of six individual resorts, five of which are interconnected via footpaths and waterways surrounding a large central lake known as Crescent Lake.
The Magic Kingdom Resort Area includes five resorts located along the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, near the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. The area began with the opening of Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The Walt Disney World Monorail System connects Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom.
The Mark IV monorail (Mk4) was a straddle-type monorail train built for the Walt Disney World Monorail System. The design was developed by Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr. Ten trains were built by Martin Marietta in 1969 at the cost of about $7 million USD each and they were used on the monorail system between 1971 and 1989 before being replaced by the Mark VI monorail, although a few lasted until 1991.
The Transportation and Ticket Center is an intermodal transportation hub served by monorails, ferries, and buses at the Walt Disney World Resort. The station serves all three lines of the Walt Disney World Monorail System, as well as conventional bus and taxis in the Greater Orlando Region.
Rail transport can be found in every theme park resort property owned or licensed by Disney Experiences, one of the three business segments of the Walt Disney Company. The origins of Disney theme park rail transport can be traced back to Walt Disney himself and his personal fondness for railroads, who insisted that they be included in the first Disney park, the original Disneyland in California in the United States, which opened on July 17, 1955. The Disney tradition of including transport by rail in, and adjacent to, its parks has since been extended to other Disney properties with the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida in the United States, Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, Disneyland Paris in France, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in China, and Shanghai Disney Resort in China. The Disney theme park chain is the largest on the planet by annual attendance with over 155 million visitors in 2019, and the rail systems located inside its properties play key roles as modes of transportation and as attractions for its visitors.
Walt Disney World Inside Out was an American television show that aired on the Disney Channel from 1994 to 1997. Initially airing monthly, it later became a weekly program, and featured footage of attractions at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
The Disney Skyliner is a gondola lift system, part of the Disney Transport system, that opened on September 29, 2019, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The system is composed of five stations that serve four resorts and two theme parks, with a fleet of over 250 gondola cabins that can accommodate up to ten guests per cabin, or up to six with an open wheelchair or other mobility device. Guests sit on twin, inward-facing, wooden benches.