One of my favorite things at Walt Disney World is resort hopping, which is very easy to do from Disney Springs. There is a bus station next to the Orange Garage, and all the buses go to different resorts. My favorite game to play with friends or family that visit is to run up to whatever bus is parked waiting for travelers and go to the resort. I call this resort-hopping roulette.
My friends who can’t get tickets to the parks love doing this because it still gives them that magical feeling. Another way to resort hop is by getting on a boat at Disney Springs that takes guests to Saratoga Springs, Old Key West Resort, and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort.
The Best Way to Resort Hop
This is what I recommend to get the most out of resort hopping.
Pick a resort that is close to other resorts or has transportation to other resorts. For example, wait for a POP Century or Art of Animation bus because then you can hop on the Disney Skyliner and enjoy several resorts. If the Skyliner isn’t your favorite mode of transportation, take a bus to any of the Magic Kingdom resorts and use the monorail to explore the others. If you are an Annual Passholder, I suggest parking at Magic Kingdom and boarding the monorail. My other suggestion for Annual Passholders is to park at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the Disney Skyliner. If you aren’t a Passholder, then park at Disney Springs because it’s free.
In my opinion, the Skyliner offers more options. Here, you can see Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Rivera Resort, Disney’s Boardwalk, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club, POP Century and Art of Animation. Seeing these resorts can take up your entire day, and if you plan it right, you can catch the EPCOT fireworks from Cresent Lake.
If getting on a bus seems like too much, then that’s where the boats come into play. Recently, I took my dad’s family to see Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside and used the boats on the Sassagoula River. They had a blast. We enjoyed walking between the two resorts, playing at the arcade at Riverside, and, of course, the food.
Photo Blog of Resort Hopping
The other day, I did a resort hopping day between Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. I started my day at Disney Springs, and the Grand Floridian bus was waiting for me. After exploring that resort, I hopped on the monorail and went to the Contemporary. Once I was ready to leave, I went to the resort bus stop and waited for the Disney Springs bus. Anyway, here are some pictures of the day!