UPDATE – Disney’s Express Transportation is not available as of August 23 2017.
I am a big believer in the Park Hopper option on your Walt Disney World tickets. Having the flexibility to visit more than one park in a day can really enhance your Disney vacation. I like to park hop to catch a show or have a dining reservation without being ‘tied’ to one park for the whole day. We can enjoy the morning Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom and still be able to catch Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios at night.
For those of us who like to park hop, there is a new service designed just for us.
Here are 5 reasons I loved Disney’s Express Transportation option:
1. Backstage Access
The bus stops in each of the 4 parks are inside of the park, backstage. Once on board the bus, you are treated to a view behind the scenes while you exit/enter the parks. No photos allowed though, but you can enjoy the view. For those of us who love all things ‘behind the scenes’ – this was a real treat.
2. No security
With the bus dropping you off backstage at your desitnation – there is no need to go through security again! No need to get in line to have your bags searched again. Avoiding those security line-ups are a big plus for us.
3. Time savings
Without going through security and having a bus that goes directly from one park to the other, we saved a ton of time. We left Epcot one evening and was in the Magic Kingdom in under 30 minutes. It was a great way to maximize our time that day!
4. No crowds
It may have been just our luck, but it really wasn’t crowded at all. I think we used the bus 6 times during our visit and the most people (in addition to our party) was 4 people. There were a few trips where we had a bus to ourselves!
5. Good value for the price
We opted for the 7 day pass and found that it was a good value for the time savings and convenience. We did a lot of park hopping and used the service to our advantage. I’m not sure that the single day ticket at $19 USD is worth it, but the 7 day at $29 USD definitely was.
Other things to know before you buy:
You can purchase your express transportation tickets while on property – you can’t purchase in advance.
Buses depart approximately every 30 minutes.
Express Transportation is available each day from 10:00 AM until park closing. Make sure you find out when the last bus is scheduled to your destination.
Check in locations:
Magic Kingdom park – next to the exit of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Disney’s Animal Kingdom park – next to the entrance to Kilimanjaro Safaris
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – the courtyard in front of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Epcot – the east side of Spaceship Earth
For more information, see Disney’s official website here.
The only problem that we had with the Express Transportation was timing. With the last bus at ‘closing’ for the park, it made it difficult to enjoy the night time show at Hollywood Studios and catch the bus to Epcot for Illuminations. There were two nights where the last bus didn’t arrive when they said it would. Of course they were still testing the service and I expect they will work out some of these issues in time.
When we used this service outside of the last bus of the night, it worked like a charm. I will definitely be using this service again and I can’t wait to see what improvements they have made for next time.
Will you try the Express Transportation? Do you think it is worth the price?
We are going to try this on our next trip. Going to purchase the 7 day pass for the latter part of our trip. We tend to park hop more in those days. POR – 9 days to go
That’s terrific! I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Please let us know when you return how the express transportation worked out for you!
[…] the launch of the Express Transportation option I was happy to pay extra for a little comfort when I was park hopping. The new Minnie Vans […]