Tag: transportation

Bus Times at Disney World Now Available In Redesigned My Disney Experience App

If you’ve ever wondered when the next bus is going to arrive at your Disney Resort hotel, the answer will now be right at your fingertips. Thanks to another addition to the My Disney Experience App, guests can now use the app to see when the next Walt Disney World Resort bus will be arriving in real-time.

Monday, Disney rolled out a brand new bus time feature in the My Disney Experience mobile app that enables guests to spend less time waiting at the bus stop and more time getting ready for a fun-filled day in the parks. With this feature, guests can quickly discover up-to-the-minute estimates for when the next buses will depart from their Disney Resort hotel and when they will complete their journey to their destination.

The app regularly updates in real-time to provide the most current estimates for buses heading to all four theme parks, two water parks and the Disney Springs area. Guests can access the feature throughout their stay by tapping “See Bus Times” when viewing an active Disney Resort hotel reservation associated with their account.

The new My Disney Experience update also brings a new and improved design to the app, making it easier than ever to navigate and find what you’re looking for – from the new bus time feature and mobile food ordering service to adding tickets, booking FastPass+ selections and discovering key park offerings.

This is just the most recent example of how Disney is using digital technology to make the guest experience even more convenient. During the past year alone, Disney has added app features that allow guests to view room charges, keep track of Disney dining plan usage, check in online to start their vacation even faster, use their mobile devices as a digital key (now available at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and coming soon to additional Disney Resort hotels) and more.

Guests can explore all that’s new in My Disney Experience by updating to the current version of the app, now available in the Apple Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices.

Disney is constantly exploring and innovating new enhancements to My Disney Experience as it continues to grow and evolve, so be sure to stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates.

June 20, 2018
Minnie Van Service Now Open to all Visiting Walt Disney World Resort
Last summer Walt Disney World Resort started it’s new Minnie Van transportation service, but it was only available to select resorts. Throughout the year it has opened up to more resorts and today Disney has officially announced that the service is now available for everyone at Walt Disney World Resort, through the Lyft app.

The service offers a comfy and convenient way for guests to travel to and from our theme parks, to dining reservations at our resort hotels, family gatherings, shopping sprees at Disney Springs and much more in a jiffy.

The private vans are roomy, comfortable and usually only minutes away. Each driver is a friendly Disney Cast Member trained to take you where you need to be—safely and with a smile.

How does it work? Just download the Lyft app on your mobile device, open it from anywhere at Walt Disney World Resort and select the Minnie Van service option. Then, follow the steps below:
- Confirm your current pickup location.
- Enter your Walt Disney World Resort destination and tap “Request.”
- The app will display a map tracking the vehicle en route and give you an identifying vehicle number to help you spot your car.
With Lyft, you can request your ride from your smartphone and pay right through the app. The new Minnie Van service is an easy and friendly way to whisk your family off to the magic!

The service is available between 6:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. (Hours subject to change.)
June 1, 2018
New Monorail Fleet Could Be Headed To Walt Disney World Resort

Speculation about Disney upgrading the monorail fleet at Walt Disney World has been going on for sometime. There has been a series of recent mishaps with the current fleet and after a video of a monorail transporting guests with the door open made headlines, it seems that Disney may finally be making a move to purchase a new monorail fleet.

Internal sources are reporting that Disney has ordered a new fleet of monorails to replace the fleet currently in operation, according to a report from WDWNT .

The fleet currently in operation — known as Mark VI monorails — has been in use since 1989, when Disney started replacing the Mark IV. The final Mark IV monorails were finally replaced in 1991 after having been in operation for twenty years starting with the opening of the resort in 1971.

Bombardier of Canada — the same company that built the Mark VI trains for Walt Disney World —will be building the new fleet, according to the report. The mark VI cost the company about $3.5 million per train when they last replaced the fleet in 1989.

Bombardier’s current line of monorails is called the INNOVIA 300 series, but if Disney continues with the current numbering system the new monorail fleet would be the Mark VIII. Mark VII is currently the model used at Disneyland Resort in California which were put into operation in 2008.

The infamous open door incident on Monorail Red back in January may have been what sparked the decision, but the fleet has been under scrutiny since the automation system failed back in 2009 causing a crash that killed Monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg. That started a long list of problems that this fleet has weathered in recent years. Last summer a piece of Monorail Blue just fell of while it was in transit above the parking lot at Epcot. Also multiple breakdowns last summer plagued the fleet, at times leaving guests to have to find alternated transportation to their destinations.

With the current fleet approaching 30 years of usage it’s no wonder they’re in major need of replacement. They held up for quite some time, longer than any other Disney Parks monorail fleet, but it is definitely time for them to make their way into the history books.

April 16, 2018
Disney Minnie Van Service Expanding to Orlando International Airport

Walt Disney World’s popular Minnie Van Service will now be offering transportation to Orlando International Airport. The polka-dotted transportation option currently transports guests to locations on property.

Through a collaboration with the rideshare service, Lyft, guests at select resorts can arrange their own private Disney vehicle right from the Lyft app on their smartphone. With Minnie Van service, Disney cast members will then pick you up and take you to wherever you want to be at Walt Disney World Resort.

Well now you can end your vacation in Disney Style to grab that one last bit off magic before you hit the sad flight home. But it will run you $150 bucks. Currently point-to-point trips on Walt Disney World property cost $20.

New service coming! Thanks for sharing Jill! pic.twitter.com/ChlMJ0Yhyr

— Coronado Springs (@Buzz2001) January 25, 2018

According to fliers passed out at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, the polka-dotted service is now offering transportation services from select Disney Resorts for airline departures from 9:00am through 12:00am.

The price is steep when you think about the fact that they already have a complimentary airport bus transportation, Disney’s Magical Express, for hotel guests. Though that’s better know as the Tragical Express and perhaps riding in your own personal Minnie Van will put one last smile on your face as you bid farewell to Walt Disney World.

It does allow you to ride in privacy however and not be bound to the Magical Express schedule. This service accommodates up to six guests and provides two versatile car seats so even the tiniest of passengers can travel in style!

January 26, 2018
Details on Disney’s New Skyliner Gondolas

The new gondola system known as The Disney Skyliner isn’t running yet, but is still flying high today with some really exciting new details and visuals. Today Disney unveiled concept art and elaborated on new the gondolas that will connect A few of the theme parks and resorts at Walt Disney World.

Guests will experience an unforgettable journey and a picturesque view of Walt Disney World Resort as they take to the sky to travel from select Disney resorts to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Select Disney Skyliner cabins will have iconic Disney characters incorporated into their exterior design to give the appearance that a Disney pal is riding along with guests, such as characters from the ‘Fab Five,’figures from Disney attractions, fan favorites from movies, and more.

The design of the Disney Skyliner station at International Gateway at Epcot will be inspired by the park’s nearby European Pavilions, and will be covered with metal and glass canopies, hand-painted murals and ornamental steel structures that harken back to the early 18th century Art Nouveau style. Guests traveling to Epcot via the Disney Skyliner will be welcomed to the park with a rare birds-eye view of World Showcase.

The Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort station will be the hub of activity for Disney Skyliner. This station is inspired by the open air village marketplaces of the Caribbean and will showcase the nearby resort’s architectural detailing and color schemes. At this station, passengers will be able to transfer gondola routes to reach their destination, or are invited to sit and admire the waterfront resort setting.

The design style of the station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will fit with that of the park’s main entrance and bus stations. Passengers traveling here from the Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort station can expect a new aerial perspective of the park’s iconic attractions, like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will share a Disney Skyliner station that feels whimsical and contextual with both resorts. Upon departing the gondola station, Skyliner passengers will ascend over Hourglass Lake and enjoy a panoramic view of these two colorful resorts.

Finally, cabins will slow down at the Disney Skyliner turn-station along Buena Vista Drive, where guests can see the mechanical and aerial components that make up the Disney Skyliner.

December 8, 2017