Disney’s boardwalk is an intimate hub of live entertainment, nightlife, and dining. Along with housing one of Disney’s most popular resorts: The Boardwalk Inn, it is no wonder many begin their Disney vacations with the Disney Boardwalk.
Disney Springs, previously called Downtown Disney, is hailed as the shopping and entertainment destination for your Disney vacation. Home to over 100 shops, 66 dining areas, and 27 attractions & events. Making a day out of exploring Disney Springs on your Disney vacation is a must. Especially if you are looking to fit in a dedicated, leisurely shopping day in your high-energy Disney Vacation.
Disney Springs even has a variety of attractions and games for family fun. Making for a successful shopping day, fun for both kids and adults! Disney Springs truly is the go-to destination when you want a break from the hectic and high-energy theme parks, but still want to enjoy your vacation.
This guide will list all of your options for traveling from Disney’s Boardwalk Inn to Disney Springs. We’ve put together a list of all the options available to you, as well as each one’s pros and cons.
Getting From Disney Boardwalk to Disney Springs: Your Options
To begin your journey from the Disney Boardwalk to Disney Springs, let’s review your options. Two of them are official transportation services offered by Disney.
Bus
Walt Disney World hosts an incredible bus transportation system. Using the bus transportation system requires no additional charges. It’s free of charge to all guests and available at every Disney World resort. The buses at Disney World are in regular rotation, so you are guaranteed to find a bus ride that will fit nicely into your theme park itinerary. The bus rides are quick and efficient, especially for those looking for a cost-effective way to travel around Disney World.
Be sure to allow for plenty of time for slight variations in the posted bus schedules! Buses can be either a few minutes late or early, depending on how busy the parks and attractions are.
To board the bus from the Disney Boardwalk to Disney springs: exit the Disney Boardwalk Inn lobby, turn left towards the conference center, then right to the bus stop area! At the bus stop area, you can find and board departing buses. Be sure to board the one heading to Disney Springs!
From there, your journey from the Disney Boardwalk to Disney Springs begins!
The buses begin running two hours before the theme parks open, and stop one hour after closing.
Minnie Van Service
Travel in style and with speed with Disney World’s Minnie Van Service. The Minnie Van service is offered exclusively by Disney World through the ride-sharing app Lyft. It is, in essence, a taxi service with Minnie-Themed Vehicles restricted to the Disney World area. This makes it easier to secure a ride with a concrete arrival time, and the novelty of traveling in a Minnie-themed vehicle while at Disney World is too charming to pass up.
You simply ask a concierge at the resort for help accessing this service or download the Lyft app. In the Lyft app, select your starting point (Disney Boardwalk) and destination (Disney Springs). While in Disney World, you can choose the vehicle option “Minnie Van.”
Vehicles are typically only minutes away, which makes for easier and faster departure. Do keep in mind that this service incurs a taxi fee.
By Car
Disney Springs is about two and a half miles from the boardwalk, making the drive about 9 minutes long, which is considerably less time than it would be to take the bus. If you can’t bring your car while visiting Walt Disney World Resort, renting a car is always an option. Though you will need to consider the cost of renting a vehicle in Orlando whenever budgeting for your trip.
Park hopping with a car has plenty of benefits. However, it does cost you a daily parking fee. Purchasing a daily parking permit allows you to park at any of the four theme parks for the entire day,
Both the Disney Boardwalk and Disney Springs have parking available for those choosing to park hop or explore Walt Disney World via car.
Additionally, if you are staying at any of the many Walt Disney World resorts, parking will not incur any parking fees.
Biking
Google maps show that biking is also an option, and a bike ride to Disney Springs from Disney Boardwalk should only take 11 minutes. Disney World Staff advise cyclists to take safety precautions and prefer that you do not enter with your bike, but nothing explicitly states you are unable to. And in fact, many cyclists have been allowed into Walt Disney World using a bicycle rather than a car. Cycling around Walt Disney World certainly seems appealing, especially for those who cycle regularly and would like to incorporate it into their Disney World vacation.
Transportation and Ticket Center to Disney Springs
Thankfully, Disney Springs does not require tickets to enter. Both the Disney Boardwalk and Disney Springs are open to the public.
Conclusion
There are several ways to travel around Walt Disney World, all of which can effectively be incorporated into your planning for your Disney World Vacation, no matter the destination!
Whether you are visiting the Disney World Theme Parks or dedicating one day to shopping around Disney springs. There are reliable modes of transportation available for everyone! From charming Minnie-themed vehicles only found in Disney World, to reliable and timed buses, and free parking for guests staying in Disney World Resorts.
More about our TFVG Author
A seasoned traveller, Dad, and avid sports tourist, James foundered The Family Vacation Guide to share his expert vacation experiences- especially when it comes to being a travelling family man.
Featured in Travel articles such as Travel + Leisure, TripSavvy and SFGate, you know you're reading some of the best vacation tips online.
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
