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How early do Disney buses start?

Transportation – Frequently Asked Questions Our complimentary Resort transportation—including buses, monorails and boats—generally operate from 45 minutes before a theme park's opening time until one hour after a theme park's closing time.



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With every park participating in Early Theme Park Entry, expect the first bus of the day to arrive to your resort between 45 minutes to 1 hour before Early Theme Park Entry starts.

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Expect the first bus of the day to arrive between 1 hour to 75 minutes before Early Theme Park Entry starts. The goal is to be on the first bus of the day, and the lines for the buses will get very long, very fast.

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Park Hopper hours will start at 2 PM each day and end at the park's scheduled close time. Guests are now able to check the Park Hours calendar and the My Disney Experience app for the most up-to-date Park Hopper hours, as they could start earlier at a later date, depending on the day and park.

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Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can take advantage of a 30-minute early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks every day. Valid theme park admission, park reservation and Resort ID are required.

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OPENING PROCEDURE The Magic Kingdom generally opens Main Street, U.S.A., to guests up to a full hour before the park's official opening time. Thus, if the park opens at 9 a.m., the Magic Kingdom will allow guests to enter the park and roam Main Street and the Central Plaza starting at 8 a.m.

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You now can only park hop AFTER 2PM. So you'll have to wait until well after lunchtime if you're planning on visiting another park. However, this rule is different for Annual Passholders.

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As long as you have a Park Hopper benefit on your ticket, you can make Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations at different parks. Just keep in mind that you can't park hop until after 2 p.m., so your return time would need to be after that.

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The feature can be accessed in My Disney Experience by tapping “See Bus Times” when viewing an active hotel reservation. (In other words, unlike attraction wait times, these bus waits are not available if you're not presently staying at Walt Disney World.)

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Guests who are checked in and staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels can enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park 30 minutes before regular park opening to enjoy select attractions, dining and shopping locations.

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We've found it to be a far more pleasant transportation experience than leaving an hour or two later. Our normal recommendation is to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of Early Theme Park Entry. That remains the case with Epcot, without regard for which ride you want to do first.

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However, there are three keys to avoiding long lines that do not involve spending extra money:
  1. Learn about and use Disney's Genie app – it's free.
  2. Get to the parks well before they open.
  3. Stay in the park as late as possible.
  4. Bonus tip – plan your meals ahead using Disney's mobile ordering.


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The standard line is that Disney buses run about every 20 minutes. In practice, this could be as often as every five minutes or as infrequently as every 30 minutes, depending on the time of day and crowd levels at Walt Disney World.

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Annual Passholders have been exempt to this restriction since April 18, 2023 and may enter any of the Theme Parks after 2:00 p.m. EST with the exception of weekends (Saturday and Sunday) at Magic Kingdom Park as well as select Blockout Dates.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can make a new reservation at most 2 hours from when you made the last one, and this countdown timer doesn't change if you modify the reservation. If you made it at, say, 11 a.m., then your two hours will be up at 1 p.m. even if you modify the reservation at noon.

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Walt Disney World Railroad – The Walt Disney World Railroad encircles the Magic Kingdom. The round trip is around 20 minutes, the perfect amount of time for a nap. So, choose a row, sit back, and relax. In addition, the Main Street train station has nice benches that may make for a nice napping place.

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What three words can't Disney employees say? The three words that Disney employees are trained not to say are “I don't know.” “If a guest asks you a question, you always have to have an answer, no exceptions,” an anonymous former Cast Member shared online. “If you don't know it, find out, but don't say you don't know.

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Off-peak times fall around January, February, September, and early November. Discounts on vacation packages booked directly through Disney (which combine park tickets and hotel stays) can be found year-round, though they're most common at these less-crowded times.

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All guests are allowed to tap into the Magic Kingdom when it opens. Guests planning to rope drop Early Entry will want to hustle down the right side of Main Street to be closer to EE tap in. Tap in begins 45 minutes before EE on 8:30am days and 30 before EE on 7:30am days. Main Street is open to all guests who enter.

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When is the show? Magic Kingdom Fireworks are at 9pm on most nights.

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