Ground Transportation to WDW Walt Disney World

If you haven’t been to WDW, one of the most shocking things is the size (especially if you are used to Disneyland). WDW property is the same size as the city of San Fransisco! The closest airport (MCO), is roughly 25-30 minutes away from Disney property. The big question is, How do I get to my hotel?

WDW used to offer a free service called the magical express (it has been discontinued). Here are a couple of different options we have found.

Car seat Uber- This is by far our favorite way to get to and from the airport. We also use it to get to WDW parks when we stay off property, or if a bus breakdowns to get back to our hotel. This service is only offered in two cities, one of which is orlando! Here is how it works:
- You pay a surcharge of 10 dollars to have the uber equipped with a car seat. When you go onto the app, scroll down until you see Uber Car Seat. You can select one for either 4 or 6 people. If you have a lot of luggage or a very large stroller, keep in mind you might want to select the larger vehicle.
- This saves you money in the long run because…
  - A. You don’t have to pay for parking at your hotel. Off property hotels (not owned Disney hotels) range from free up to 40 dollars a day. Disney owned hotels cost 25 dollars a day to park.
  - B. You don’t have to pay parking at the WDW parks (25 a day) and
  - C. You don’t have to rent a car. When I added it up, my family actually saved money using Uber vs renting a car and parking. Keep in mind it only has 1 car seat and it is forward facing. I typically will travel with this travel booster for my oldest and have my 3 year old sit in the car seat.
Mears ears or a sunshine flyer– Both of these companies are the same concept as the magical express but you are now charged per person to ride (Mears ears was actually the magical express). This is a great option if you have multiple little ones that won’t work for a car seat uber, a lot of luggage, or don’t want to feel stressed about finding an uber once you arrive. They have a specific area of the airport where you go to get picked up at MCO. This works for on property guests including the swan/dolphin. The con of this is you typically are sharing a bus with other WDW guests so it can take some time to get to your hotel.
Renting a car- This is always an option. Especially if you are going to be driving to multiple parts of Orlando/Florida and want the flexibility. Keep in mind both Disney Parks and Hotels will charge you for parking. For example, the Hyatt cypress was $27 dollars a day to self park. You then would have to pay to park at Disney for an additional $25 dollars a day. Once I did the math of the rental car, Hyatt parking and Disney parks parking it was a lot of money a day that wasn’t worth it to me!
- If you have a capital one venture x (referral), keep in mind you get presidential status at hertz. This means you can skip the line and pick from your choice of cars on the lot. Also through Capital one’s portal you get 10X the points if you decide to rent from Turo (think airbnb but for cars) with your venture x card.
- If you decide to rent DVC or own DVC, you do not pay to park at both the Disney resort as well as at the parks. This can be a huge savings over a course of a week. If you don’t know what DVC is, we have a step by step guide on our blog here.