A big change has hit Disney Springs, and we are here to tell you all about it. In case you did not know, there are buses that will take you from each of the Disney World hotels directly to Disney Springs.
Disney Springs
This is a fantastic transportation option and lets resort guests easily reach Disney Springs. In the past, non-resort guests would use these buses as well, however, that has officially changed. Let’s dive into everything you need to know.
Disney has officially started a new rule that the Disney Springs buses and boats are only available to guests with a hotel stay or a reservation for a meal or experience at one of the Disney hotels. And those reservations must be within two hours in order to be granted access to the buses and boats. Cast Members are stationed at the entrance to the bus area and boat dock to scan Magic Bands and passes to confirm a valid hotel stay or reservation before letting anyone in.
Disney Spring Bus Station
This is important for several reasons, the first being resort hopping. One of the most popular Disney activities to do without a park ticket is to resort hop and visit different Disney hotels. However, since the Disney Springs buses can no longer be used to resort hop, there is no free way to do this activity. Guests can still access the resorts from the buses at the parks; however, unlike parking at Disney Springs, parking at the four theme parks has a fee. Which is why so many people would park at Disney Springs and then resort hop from there for free.
Disney Springs transportation rules
This also does mean that resort guests will have better use of their transportation perk. Since it was so popular to resort hop from Disney Springs, those bus lines could get very long, which meant that resort guests actually staying at these hotels could experience long waits to use this transportation perk.
Disney Springs Bus Station
We are sad to see one of our favorite resort-hopping options be removed at Disney World, although we do hope that it ensures a more positive experience for guests paying to stay at a Disney hotel. And if you had your heart set on exploring Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, the Contemporary Resort, or any of these Disney hotels, you still can!
Disney Bus
It will just require a little more planning and for you to pay for parking at a Disney park, or reserve dining or an experience at one of the hotels. As an important note, if you do have dining or an experience booked, you can park directly at whichever hotel you have the reservation booked for free.
Disney Bus
We always make sure to bring you all the Disney World news, so stay tuned with Disney Food Blog, so you never miss anything!
We’ve Got Some Bad News About This Popular Disney Springs Restaurant!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What do you think of this huge rule change? Let us know in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
so if you are staying at a Disney resort, you can use the DIsney Transportation anytime? You do not have to have a reservation, or be travelling back to your own resort?
We were very sad to see that you can’t “park hop” anymore using Disney transportation. We like to “check out” the different Disney properties, go to Animal Kingdom Lodge to look at the animals, walk the Boardwalk & get a corn dog & use the boats & gondolas. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ON ANY OF THE BUSES WHERE THERE WERE LONG LINES WAITING OR LONG LINES AT ANY OF THE TRANSPORTATION. We do spend money on food, etc. when we “park hop”. Of all the money they make on everything else it is a shame that they felt they had to do this.
Thank you for clarifying! These been so much noise and incorrect information on this topic. As a Passholder. We park at the transportation center to start our monorail pub crawl. It appears this is still a Disney Park Perk for passholders.
There are many restaurants to eat at that do not take reservations and the only way to get there would be to do it from a park and not the resort you are staying at should you be at Disney springs. I understand some of the reasoning, but if you are staying at a Disney resort I feel there should be bus service for you to any other resort.
Thank you for this update. However your explanations about how to still be able to resort hop assumes one has a car. Please explain how to navigate this without a car. Thank you for all your great info!
@Diane, just to clarify, she said nothing about Park Hopping. You absolutely can “park hop”, that’s why they have Park Hopper tickets.
If I am at Epcot and go to Boardwalk…can I get on the bus from the hotel to get to Disney springs?
So I guess the question is this. Lets say were staying at Art of Animation, and are at Disney Springs for the evening. And while there you got a craving for some Port Orleans beignets. Could you hop a boat as you are staying at a Disney Resort? Or would you have to be staying at Port Orleans? Or felt like watching the fireworks from The Polynesian. Would you have to go back to your resort, then a park, then to Polynesian?
Living in Orlando has always meant taking friends to WDW in some fashion. Locals have just been eliminated from bringing guests to the property. This is where they would grab a bite to eat, buy a souveneir, maybe they or guests would decide to stay & book a few nights & plan their vacatin on property next time. It seems ashamed & narrow minded to elimate a way for locals to participate in what was a great place to be. So sad.
As a resort guest i am glad that using Disney busses intended for resort guests has been curtailed. I am tired getting squeezed on a bus and having to stand after I have paid money for a resort stay and annual pass. Next, they need to restrict the resort monorail to resort guests. I am tired of standing and waiting 90 minutes to get on a monorail, so drunk nonresort guests can ride it doing the Monorail crawl and not bother to give their seat to someone 70 years old who paid to be there. This has to stop.
Looking for an answer to a previous comment…if staying on property can you take a bus to a different hotel without a dining reservation?l
Once again, this only applies to Disney Springs – you can still resort hop via the monorail or Skyliner or buses from a Disney park. Also just to note – Shades of Green already requires you to show proof of resort reservation to get on the bus from any location, so this is not a new thing for the Disney bubble
I have never had to wait in long lines nor have I seen long lines for the Disney bus. This is another way for Disney to remove accessibility and charge more. It’s beyond sad. When people stop going to Disney Springs to spend money maybe they will realize this was a bad idea. When the resorts report a decrease in merchandise sold maybe they will realize this was a bad idea. People resort hop to SPEND MONEY!!
Hi Lisa! Yes, if you are staying at ANY Disney Resort, you will be able to use ALL Disney transportation, including buses from Disney Springs.
Hi Jeremy. Yes, if you are staying at ANY Disney Resort, you will be able to use ALL Disney transportation, including the busses and boats at Disney Springs without having to have a dining reservation. You will just need to show them your hotel reservation so they can confirm it and then you will be allowed to board.
Hi Diane. You can get on a bus at any resort or park to head to Disney Springs, but you will not be able to get on a bus at Disney Springs to return unless you can show that you are staying at one of the Disney properties or have a dining reservation at one of those properties.
Hi Janice! You can resort hop just fine without a car if you are staying at one of the Disney Resorts. If you are staying off-site, however, you can still resort hop between resorts and parks, but you will not be able to board a bus or boat at Disney Springs if you can not show that you have a Disney Resort reservation or a dining reservation at the resort that you are trying to hop to. The new rule is Disney Springs specific.
Hi Tom! If you are staying at a Disney Resort, you still have access to all of the Disney transportation, including Disney Springs. It’s only if you’re staying off-site that you would have to prove that you had a dining reservation.
Hi John! You’ll still be able to do the monorail pub crawl. The new rule is specific to Disney Springs. There’s a bit of a workaround if you’re willing to take the time, however. If you are already at Disney Springs and want to visit a resort without a reservation, you can legally use the pedestrian bridge to walk directly over to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Because it is a walking path, there is no transport checkpoint. Once you are on Saratoga Springs property, you can technically use their internal bus stops to head to a theme park and transfer elsewhere, though it adds significant travel time.