Did You Know? These Disney Resorts Share Bus Routes with Other Resorts

Shared Bus Routes Between the Disney Resorts

Now that we know which resorts share bus services, let’s look at the routes they share.

Disney’s Grand Floridian and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: These resorts share bus service to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The bus stops in this order: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian, and then the destination. It follows the same order on the return trip to the resorts. For more details, preview our average tracked bus routes for the Polynesian or the bus times for Disney’s Grand Floridian.

Disney’s Contemporary and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: These resorts share a bus service to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The bus stops at the Wilderness Lodge first and then the Contemporary before heading to the destination. It follows the same order on the return trip. Tip: If I’m at the Wilderness Lodge, I often hop on a bus to the Contemporary because it’s quick. Just make sure it’s a bus to one of the above-listed destinations. To learn more, you can preview our average tracked bus routes for the Wilderness Lodge or our tracked bus times for Disney’s Contemporary.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge also shares a bus service to Magic Kingdom and Epcot with Fort Wilderness. For Magic Kingdom, it’s just a quick loop to the Settlement to pick up guests on the way to the park. Wilderness Lodge is the first stop on the return trip. You can also take the direct boat if you don’t want to ride the bus. However, I will say the return trip from Epcot always feels long if you’re staying at Wilderness Lodge because you have to stop at the Outpost at Fort Wilderness. For more specifics, see our average bus times for Fort Wilderness.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village: Okay, I don’t think it’s a secret that these two resorts share bus service to all destinations. Again, extra buses will be available early in the morning when you’re headed to the parks. But you’ll always have two stops (Kidani Village first and then Jambo House) on the return trip, except for Disney Springs, which stops at Jambo House first and then Kidani Village. My best tip? Always listen for the correct stop on the return trip. Here are our average bus travel times for Animal Kingdom Lodge and our average bus times for Kidani Village.

Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club: These resorts are connected and share a bus route to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. Buses stop at the Yacht Club first thing in the morning and then at the Beach Club. The bus stops are within connecting parking lots, so they are exceptionally close. We enjoy these resorts so much that we usually exit at the Yacht Club and take the indoor/outdoor walkway that runs alongside Stormalong Bay back to the Beach Club. To learn more, we have a list of the average travel times for the buses at Disney’s Yacht Club and our tracked bus times for Disney’s Beach Club.

Keep reading below to learn about the additional stop for two routes.

Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Disney’s BoardWalk: Disney’s Beach Club and Yacht Club share a bus service to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs with neighboring Disney’s BoardWalk. The buses always stop at the Yacht Club, the Beach Club, and then the BoardWalk before heading to the destination. They return the same way. You might also like to preview our tracked bus times for Disney’s BoardWalk.

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside: These sister resorts share a bus service to Disney Springs. Two buses typically run this route continuously throughout the day. When the bus leaves Disney Springs, it stops in the following order: Port Orleans French Quarter (lobby), Riverside (South Depot Lobby), Riverside (West Depot), Riverside (North Depot), and Riverside (East Depot). After the bus stops at the East Depot, it returns to Port Orleans French Quarter for a final stop before returning to Disney Springs. It does this so guests can take the bus between the resorts if desired. On the first Port Orleans French Quarter stop, the bus’s destination displays “Internal Bus/Disney Springs.” On the second stop at the French Quarter lobby, the destination changes to Disney Springs.

These resorts rarely share bus service other than Disney Springs, but they could if there was a backup (e.g., a traffic incident that blocks the roads). So, if you’re waiting for a bus at Magic Kingdom and the French Quarter bus driver tells your queue to board their bus, listen for your stop. This happened to us years ago, and we exited the French Quarter. I was tired and didn’t even realize we had boarded a shared bus. We walked all the way to the lobby before I realized we were at the wrong resort. Thankfully, we were able to walk back to Riverside. But, at the time, I didn’t know our options, so the whole thing felt daunting.

Anyway, for more details on the routes, we have a list of our average bus travel times for Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside and a separate bus travel times guide for Port Orleans French Quarter.

Disney’s All-Star Resorts: It’s important to note that all three All-Star Resorts are next to each other. They each have one bus stop located near the front lobby. Disney’s All-Star Resorts don’t always share a bus service. Our experience (consistently) has been that buses run on this type of schedule:

• Mornings (Buses were not shared with other resorts.)
• Late Mornings through Early Evenings (Buses were shared between all three resorts.)
• After 5:00 p.m. (Buses were not shared with other resorts.)

The bus route will take longer with the extra stops. However, the stops are probably not going to take a considerable amount of time, as fewer people will be traveling to and from the resort. The buses stop in order of the resorts: Sports, Music, and Movies. You can preview our bus travel times for All-Star Sports, our average tracked bus times for All-Star Music, or our tracked bus times for All-Star Movies.

Disney Resorts That DO NOT SHARE a Bus Service with Other Resorts

For reference, it would be rare for the following resorts to share a bus service.

• Disney’s Art of Animation
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Old Key West
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

Final Thoughts

As you can see, quite a few resorts share a bus service to multiple destinations. However, regarding most deluxe resorts, you’ll find multiple other forms of transportation to and from select destinations. For instance, if you stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian, you can boat, monorail, or walk to the Magic Kingdom.

Overall, I don’t think these shared bus services are a dealbreaker, but it might be a surprise if you weren’t aware of them before your trip. The next thing you know, you’re tired and ready to return to your room, and it feels like it’s taking forever because of that extra stop! Unfortunately, surprises can often have a negative impact on your trip. Had you known about the extra stop beforehand, it might have annoyed you, but probably not in the same way as the surprise factor.

For more on the buses, you might enjoy our complete guide to Disney’s Complimentary Bus Service.