Transportation at Walt Disney World

March 29, 2020 By Callie 1 Comment

Walt Disney World Resorts have a variety of different transportation options available for guests to make your travel to and from your resort to parks and shopping easy and stress free.

Magical Express is Disney’s bus system that takes guest to and from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Disney World Resorts. This is an easy and stress free option included in your resort package. Want more detailed information about the Magical Express? You can find more information in my post here.

Magical Express buses waiting to whisk you away to WDW!

Disney buses are provided for guests staying on property at a Disney Resort, as well as, to and from Disney parks. Disney buses run roughly an hour before parks open and until all guests arrive back at their resort locations once the parks and shopping close at night. Disney buses have various bus stops throughout the resorts. Value resorts share one combined bus location at the front of each resort, moderate resorts have bus stops throughout the resort and deluxe resorts have special stop areas outside their resorts in covered areas. You can find detailed information about each resort’s bus pick up schedule and area in your My Disney Experience app and also in the resort maps you receive upon check in. Bus stops are also located at the front of each park back to resorts and also from park to park.

Disney Boats operate from several deluxe resorts including Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness Camp Grounds, Polynesian and Grand Floridian Resorts back and forth to the Magic Kingdom area. Boat drop off locations vary by resort and all are dropped off right before the gates of the Magic Kingdom. The Ferry boat also runs from the car parking area outside Magic Kingdom to the front of the park for easy access. Boats also operate to and from Disney Springs and Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarters, Key West and Saratoga Springs resorts. Additionally, you can also ride boats to and from Epcot to Board Walk Inn, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan and Dolphin Resorts. The boats are small and make for a much calmer back and forth! Boats generally run every fifteen to thirty minutes back and forth.

Riding the boat back to Wilderness Lodge

Disney’s Monorail is a closed track train system that runs on two separate run tracks. The Magic Kingdom line runs and drops off at the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort and Polynesian Resort. The Epcot and ticket and transportation line runs from the parking area of ticket and transportation through Epcot and Magic Kingdom. The monorail is one of those magical Disney must dos so even if you don’t have a reason to ride the monorail you should definitely add it to your Disney bucket list.

Disney’s Skyliner is a gondola system that runs to and from select resorts and parks. Disney’s Skyliner operates with a hub at the Caribbean Beach resort which allows guests to travel onto both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Skyliners rarely have lines and move quickly through the air. The Skyliner has an option for guests in scooters and wheelchairs set up as well-simply look for the Handicap signs when entering the Skyliner area and wait in line at those locations. If you’re traveling with a stroller no need to fold them up. Strollers can be pushed directly onto the Skyliner with your child inside. The Skyliner operates from the Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera, Pop Century, and Art of Animation.

Disney Minnie Vans are operated through the app Lyft. Simply download the app and book your ride. Ride costs vary based on time of day, length of trip and size of vehicle. Minnie Vans can take you to and from the airport and throughout the Disney Parks and Resorts. Minnie Vans are great for the end of the day, when you need to quickly get to a dining reservation at another resort or my favorite for your last ride back to your resort before boarding the Magical Express to fly back home.

Minnie Van picks up areas are different at each park so ask a Cast Member.

Disney has so many ways to get from one place to the next! Which way will you travel? Need help planning a magical vacation! Feel free to message me at callie@fairygodmothertravel.com or find me on Facebook at Callie at Wanderkeep Travel. As always my services are complimentary!

What’s a Magic Band?

March 19, 2020 By Callie Leave a Comment

A Magic Band is a colorful and/or personalized band which can be purchased online or in the Walt Disney World (WDW) parks and resorts or comes included in your on site resort vacation package.

Magic Bands come shipped in a plain white box-in case you want to surprise someone!

The Magic Band is a wrist band which is easily worn and is also waterproof. Magic Bands come in a standard adult size but have a pull apart gray outer band that can be removed to fit smaller guests. Magic Bands contain RFID radios that allow you to communicate information to points throughout the resorts and parks.

What exactly do you use your Magic Band for? So, so much! Magic Bands are used for accessing your reservation in places such as Disney’s Magical Express, your resort and parks. You’ll find machines with symbols on them that match the symbol of Mickey Mouse on your band throughout your visit to WDW. Magic Bands can be set up with a pin number and can hold payment information in order to make purchases at stores, resorts and dining throughout WDW. Magic Bands can be used to open your resort room. Magic Bands check you in at dining reservations and hold your dining plan credits if you’ve added a dining plan to your resort stay. Magic Bands also hold your tickets-tickets to the parks, water parks and special events such a parties, etc. You can also access resort pool using your band.

If you are staying on property you have the option of receiving a solid color Magic Band in gray, pink, purple, red, green, orange, yellow or blue included in your package price. Disney also offers specialty bands which you can order online through your My Disney Experience account, simply pay the difference in price or you can purchase bands in the parks and resorts. I recommend getting your band before traveling for added ease.

Magic bands are shipped within a month of final payment of your travel package. If you opt for specialty Magic Bands they ship roughly a week after purchase. I recommend having your Magic Band in your carry on luggage if flying so you can put your bands on as soon as you land. Magic Bands are just another way Disney has created a seamless and easy vacation experience for their guests!

Need help planning your magical vacation? Feel free to message me at Callie@Fairygodmothertravel.com or you can find me on Facebook at Callie at Wanderkeep Travel .

How to Use Your Disney Dining Plan

March 12, 2020 By Callie Leave a Comment

Disney dining plan is one of the most popular add on features for guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (WDW). Disney dining can be added to any resort package for the length of stay and comes in four different packages to fit the different needs of families and travelers. Need information on the differences in each package? You can find a more detailed post here.

Once you have purchased your plan now what? What do I need to do? The first thing is make dining reservations or if you have a trusty travel agent they will happily make them for you. WDW opens dining reservations 180 days before travel and it’s important that you book before you go. I recommend that clients make decisions about 2 weeks before that 180 day window opens. It’s important that you have lots of options and are flexible with where you will be dining and at what times you will be dining while making these reservations.

Fried Chicken and Doughnuts from Homecoming

Once you have all your reservations in place they will be listed for you in your My Disney Experience account which you can view online or on your Disney World smartphone app.

If you are staying on property and receive a Magic Band or have your reservations linked to a purchased Magic Band then all of your dining reservations will automatically be saved to your Magic Band. Your dining plans are also saved under the My Plans section in your My Disney Experience App.

Your dining plan is issued to you in the form of credits. Depending upon what dining plan you have purchase you will receive a certain number of credits per person, per nights stayed (nights not days). For example, if you purchased the Disney Dining Plan (the most popular plan) you would receive 1 quick serve, 1 table serve, and 2 snack credits per night stayed. The credits come to you all at one time when you check in and remain active until midnight the day you check out. Credits can be checked for availability on you Disney World app, at the bottom of your receipt after purchasing snacks or meals or by going to the guest relations or check in at any park or resort.

Once you are at a restaurant, quick serve, or snack location simply tell the cast member you would like to use your dining plan-they will often ask if you’re on the dining plan-, scan you Magic Band or phone, enter you pin and that’s it! Easy peasy!

What if you have credits left over? Leave no credits behind! Table and quick serve credits can be traded in for 3 snack credits. You can also trade in a table for a quick-so in other words you can trade down but not up. The last day of travel stop into your resort gift shop or the bakery in Magic Kingdom and use up your credits on snacks you can take home including, nuts, rice krispy treats, candy, cookies, etc…

Grab treats with snack credits to take home.

Need help planning your Magical trip? You can message me at Callie@Fairygodmothertravel.com or find me on Facebook at Callie at Wanderkeep Travel. As always my services are complimentary!