Disney’s Beach Club Resort Transportation Guide
When it comes to transportation options at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you’ll find more than a few! Below, we’ll discuss how to get from Disney’s Beach Club to the theme parks, Disney Springs, water parks, popular destinations, and more.
Often, I’ve found myself waiting for a bus at Disney’s Beach Club. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen other guests sitting there waiting like me. Only, they are waiting for a bus that’s not coming. For example, one morning, we were at the bus stop bright and early. A large family who were in a hurry to get to breakfast at Akershus arrived. After a few moments of waiting, they began asking if anyone knew how to get to Akershus once they got to the park.
Since they asked, I intervened and explained that they first needed to exit the bus stop and walk back to the resort. Then, I continued with the rest of the directions. (You can walk to Epcot from the Beach Club. There isn’t a bus.)
The saying, “If you don’t know, you don’t know,” has become common in my life. We can all agree that there are many things that many of us don’t know. However, I know a lot about getting around Disney’s Beach Club from practice. Therefore, I thought we would go over the basics for using the transportation options at Disney’s Beach Club. Hopefully, these tips will help you efficiently navigate the area.
This transportation guide was updated April 12, 2025.
Transportation Options at Disney’s Beach Club
The following modes of transportation are available at Disney’s Beach Club:
- Friendship Boats
- Disney Bus Service
- Walking
- Skyliner (The Skyliner is within walking distance.)
Resorts Gal Disclaimer: All of the photos and information provided (including travel times) are from our experience, time spent at the resort, and expenditures.
How to Get to Epcot from Disney’s Beach Club
Location is often the primary reason guests stay at Disney’s Beach Club. It takes approximately five minutes to walk between the Beach Club and Epcot. Of course, that walk depends on how fast or slow you walk and which exit you use when leaving the resort. But most will come and go from the resort lobby.
First, exit the Beach Club and walk out to the pathway along Crescent Lake. Then, you’ll take a left and walk straight to Epcot’s International Gateway, Epcot’s back entrance. You’ll have a beautiful view of Disney’s Boardwalk across the lake.
It’s much easier to enter the park at the International Gateway than the front entrance. However, it is crowded here at certain times, especially at rope drop first thing in the morning. Guests who use this secondary entrance are visiting from the surrounding Epcot Resorts and Skyliner Resorts. Meanwhile, guests of the other Walt Disney World Resorts and off-property guests enter via the park’s front entrance. So, there is a significant difference in crowds between the two entrances. For reference, Epcot is the only park with multiple entrances.
If you prefer not to walk to Epcot, you can take Disney’s Friendship Boat service from the Yacht Club’s dock to Epcot. However, this route is longer and requires an additional stop. Exiting the Beach Club, you’ll take a right on the walkway and head to the lighthouse. I haven’t timed it exactly, but there isn’t much difference between walking to the boat dock versus walking to Epcot.
Once you reach the lighthouse, you’ll board the boat on the left-hand side of the dock. This boat then travels across the lake to Disney’s Boardwalk, where it will load and unload before moving on to Epcot.
Disney’s Beach Club to Hollywood Studios
You’ll have two options for getting to Disney’s Hollywood Studios from the Beach Club. You can walk or take the Friendship boats. However, the walk to Hollywood Studios might be considerably long for some. It takes approximately 17 minutes to walk from Disney’s Beach Club to Hollywood Studios at an average pace.
When you leave Beach Club, you’ll take a right on the pathway along Crescent Lake. Then, you’ll head toward Disney’s Swan and Dolphin. At the center of the bridge, you’ll take a slight left toward Hollywood Studios. (If you take a hard left, you’ll end up at Disney’s Boardwalk. However, this will be pretty obvious.) We have a separate article detailing walking between the two parks if you want to learn more: Walking Between Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Walking is one of the nicest ways to decompress after leaving the parks. It’s also nice to stretch your legs in preparation for the day if you feel up to it. However, given the long walk, most guests prefer to take the Friendship Boats to Hollywood Studios. Even I take them from time to time when it’s miserably hot.
So when you leave Beach Club, you’ll walk to the boat dock at the lighthouse. Those going to Hollywood Studios will board on the right-hand side of the dock. After boarding, you’ll stop at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin before heading to Hollywood Studios. While the boat ride to Hollywood Studios is usually quicker than walking, waiting for the next boat’s arrival can take time. Additionally, you’ll have to make that extra hotel stop on the way.
Disney’s Beach Club to Magic Kingdom
You’ll leave the resort’s front entrance when heading to Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Beach Club. From there, you’ll stay to the left and enter this covered walkway leading to the bus stop at Disney’s Beach Club.
Signage is available that indicates where the buses travel. You might also note that the sign mentions you’ll need to take boats or use the walkways to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Bus transportation is shared with Disney’s Yacht Club. It stops at the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Magic Kingdom. So, on the way back, the bus will stop at Yacht Club before the Beach Club. Since the resorts are connected, you can exit at Yacht Club and take the back walkway by Stormalong Bay. It’s a pleasant walk and often nice to get off a crowded bus. But if you’re exhausted, you’ll likely want to wait for the Beach Club. It will only take a few more minutes to get there.
Disney’s Beach Club to Disney’s Animal Kingdom
You’ll also catch a bus from Disney’s Beach Club to the theme park when visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It takes approximately 10 minutes to travel between the resort and the theme park.
Disney’s Beach Club to Disney Springs
You will also take a bus from Disney’s Beach Club to Disney Springs. Often, this route is shared between all three of the Epcot Resorts. It is not uncommon for the bus to stop at Disney’s Yacht Club, Beach Club, and then Disney’s Boardwalk Inn before heading to Disney Springs.
Thankfully, the route is short, and the stops are typically quick. I always feel like it’s usually not a big deal if you expect the stop and a few extra minutes. But if you don’t know the bus makes extra stops, it can feel like it’s taking forever.
If you’re visiting over Christmas, Easter, or some other frightfully busy time of year, you probably won’t make extra stops at the Boardwalk. However, throughout the slower times of the day, the buses are almost always shared between the three resorts.
Wait Times and Bus Hours for Disney’s Beach Club
Per Disney, “Bus service between Disney Resort Hotels and Disney Theme Parks begins 45 minutes prior to opening and ends one hour after closing.” That time includes extended theme park hours in the morning for resort guests and extended evening hours for deluxe resort guests.
Wait times are posted at the bus stop. These times are transmitted from the bus, so they are accurate. From time to time, you will see the time fluctuate. That happens when a bus is delayed. For example, they might stop at a traffic light. See our Bus Routes with Average Times for Disney’s Beach Club for an idea of how long each bus route takes.
Accessibility at Disney’s Beach Club
Most transportation options at Disney’s Beach Club accommodate guests with accessibility needs. Disney provides an overview of each form of transportation on their website. All bus stops have a separate spot for guests in wheelchairs and ECVs to wait. Additionally, the Friendship Boats accommodate most wheelchairs and ECVs. Disney has an excellent resource on their site if you want to learn more: Transportation and Mobility Disabilities at Disney World
Disney’s Beach Club to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach
One of the things we’ve yet to discuss is how to get to Disney’s Water Parks from the Beach Club Resort. Most of the time, you’ll have to take a bus from the resort to another location. Then, you’ll transfer to another bus to the water park.
In the past, Disney offered direct bus service from the resorts to the water parks. That could be the case on your visit. The sign at the bus stop will indicate whether or not you’ll take a transfer bus. The following steps detail the transfer process.
For Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, you’ll take a bus to Disney Springs. From there, you’ll board a bus that travels across the street to the water park. You’ll take a bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for Blizzard Beach. There, you’ll board another bus that travels directly to Blizzard Beach.
While it’s fairly easy to get to the water parks, by the end of the day, the extra transfer often feels like a hassle. We almost always drive our car to the water park so we can come and go at our leisure. You might consider taking the bus on your way and ordering a Minnie Van or a car service on the way back.
It’s important to note that on the return trip from Typhoon Lagoon, you’ll get dropped off at the main bus stop at Disney Springs. From there, you’ll have to walk to the pick-up area and find the return bus stop to Disney’s Beach Club. I don’t know about you, but I carry more to the water parks than to the regular parks. So I hate to tote all my belongings, including wet swimsuits, back to the bus stop.
Tip: Bring a pair of dry clothes to change into before you leave the water park. When you return to the resort, you do not want to be in damp clothes on a bus with the air-conditioning turned up full-blast.
Beach Club to Disney’s Boardwalk
Those staying at Disney’s Beach Club will likely visit Disney’s Boardwalk at least once during their vacation. You’ll have two options for getting to the Boardwalk. It takes about 10 minutes at a leisurely pace to walk from the Beach Club to the Boardwalk Resort. You can also take a FriendShip boat from the lighthouse to the Boardwalk. This will only take a few minutes, plus however long you have to wait for the boat.
Disney’s Beach Club to the Monorail Resorts
Most guests will want to visit the monorail resorts for dining or touring. There are several ways you can do this from the Beach Club. The most efficient way is to take a bus from Disney’s Beach Club to Magic Kingdom. From there, you will have to walk through security at Magic Kingdom. Then you can walk, boat, or monorail to the following resorts:
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (walk, boat, monorail)
- Disney’s Polynesian Resort (boat, monorail, technically can walk via the Grand Floridian walkway to Magic Kingdom)
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort (walk or monorail)
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (boat)
Alternatively, you can walk or boat to Hollywood Studios from the Beach Club. After you get to Hollywood Studios, you can catch a bus to any of the Magic Kingdom Resorts. We have a few Resorts Gal Routes that detail more specifics for these options:
- Disney’s Beach Club to Grand Floridian (Best Ways with Alternatives)
- Disney’s Beach Club to the Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club to the Contemporary Resort
Using the Skyliner When Staying at Disney’s Beach Club
Lastly, I wanted to share a few tips for using the Skyliner during your stay at Disney’s Beach Club. Skyliner stations are available at Epcot’s International Gateway and Hollywood Studios. For example, if you want to take the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios, you can do so. However, it won’t be any quicker than the Friendship Boats. This is something you would do more for leisure than convenience.
The Skyliner travels in this direction:
- Epcot’s International Gateway (Sits outside the park entrance.)
- Disney’s Riviera Resort (You are not required to exit here.)
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (Everyone must exit here.)
- Then get in line for Hollywood Studios. (Or get in line for Art of Animation and Pop Century)
All guests must exit at Hollywood Studios. From there, you can turn around and travel back in the opposite direction if desired.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this Beach Club transportation guide provided a few tips for your Walt Disney World vacation. Disney is a large place, and while getting around the property isn’t necessarily challenging, it is frustrating not knowing the best way to do it. When you stay somewhere as convenient as Disney’s Beach Club, you certainly want to know how to take advantage of the prime location.
For more information about Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you might enjoy the following articles:
Make sure to get a copy of our Beach Club Transportation PDF to use while you’re on vacation.
In the Comments
What are your thoughts on the transportation options available at Disney’s Beach Club? Do you have a favorite way you like to get around this area? Do you have any questions this article didn’t answer about getting to and from the Beach Club? Let us know in the comments section below.
