Traveling to Disney World: Best Tips
- Nov 9
- 6 min read
You've seen the athletes at the end of a championship game: "you've just won, what are you going to do? I'm going to Disney World!" Great idea! How are you going to get there?
Excellent question! Read on for The NYC Traveler's Best Tips For Your Disney Trip (and Universal, Sea World, Aquatica, or Discovery Cove).
Technically, Walt Disney World is in Lake Buena Vista (or Bay Lake), near Kissimmee. Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista are areas that make up a specially controlled district governed by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The district is in part of two counties: Orange and Osceola. Universal, Sea World and Aquatica are in Orlando. Orlando is a city and it is the county seat of Orange County. Kissimmee is in Osceola County.
Either way, here are the best ways to get to the area depending on which way you want to travel.
Get There:
Air: MCO, aka Orlando International Airport is still your best option for traveling to the Orlando/Kissimmee/Lake Buena Vista Disney World area if you're flying. But, if you fly in to Tampa or Daytona, you will be about an hour to 90 minutes away, good to know if you want to rent a car or if something happens and you have to rent a car or take a car service (in case your flight is diverted, for instance). From either city, you just take Interstate 4 (I-4) and travel straight to Disney World (or Universal). Be aware that your flight may not be a direct flight from your point of origin, so you may have to connect somewhere or you may actually have a layover.
MCO: all of the terminals are not in one building. Terminal C is off by itself. There is a shuttle, check MCO's website for all of the information. If you have to change flights and it's a different airline, be aware of which airlines are at which terminals. To travel between Terminals A and B, you take the train/monorail back to the main building and connect. If you have to connect over to Terminal C, there is a shuttle connection. Best tip to travel to Disney World by plane: try to use the same airline for both flights (round trip), so that you don't have to worry about changing terminals.
Car: Are you driving to Disney World? May people do, from all over the country (judging by the license plates we see in the parking lots). All roads should lead to Interstate-4. A couple of major interstates connect, such as I-95 (near Daytona) and I-75 (near Tampa). There are other ways for traveling Disney as well but some are toll roads (and some don't take cash, they will bill you by mail) and some have lower speed limits. Speaking of tolls, if you drive from MCO Airport, there will be a few tolls along the road while traveling to Disney or Universal. Make sure you know all of the details with your car rental company before you drive off and travel to Disney.
After the Flight: Traveling to Disney World from MCO via Disney's complimentary Magical Express is no longer possible (and Universal never had a free one). But never fear: the company that was operating those buses took over the service for a fee. The service is called Mears Connect and they have a variety of offerings for traveling to Disney World: the traditional bus, a private van and more. If you're staying at Universal, see if the SuperStar Shuttle will work for you. For both companies, read the fine print, particularly for very early or very late flights or for flight delays.
Some people opt to take a car service, a different private van or to rent a car. All of the major car rental properties are right there at the airport. It is alway best to make a reservation prior to arriving, especially if you arrive to the airport during very early or very late hours. The counters may be closed in the terminals, but check at the actual lot where you pick up the cars, someone may be there to rent a car at the last minute.
Did you rent a car? Do you need it for your entire trip? Or, you can travel to Disney World with a car or bus service and rent a car from the car care location near Magic Kingdom. There are a couple of companies there. They will pick you up at your resort and when you return the car, they will drop you off anywhere in Disney World.
If you don't have a car with you while you're at Disney World and you want to visit other theme parks in the area, you can take a car service to Universal, Discovery Cove or Sea World rather than renting a car for the day. Going a longer distance? Think about renting a car to Tampa to go to Busch Gardens or Legoland in Winter Haven. The NYC Traveler Tip For Your Trip: Picking a car at one location and dropping it off at another actually costs more, so plan carefully.
If you are traveling from other parts of Florida, then Brightline may work for you. Within Florida is the Brightline train service. They have 6 stations, one near MCO Airport. Once you're at the airport, take the Mears connect, rent a car or take a car service to Disney or Universal. Once upon a time, there were plans to build a Brightline route from the airport to Disney Springs, Rumors keep flying now and then, but as of the date of this blog (late 2025), it hasn't happened yet. There are already buses that go from the resorts to Disney Springs, but additional buses at earlier times might have to be created. We shall see.
Amtrak: this national train service will bring you into the city of Orlando, about 30 minutes from MCO. It's not really convenient for getting directly to Disney (or any of the rest of the attractions in Kissimmee or near Universal and Sea World) but a car service will get you to your resort or hotel. You can also take a car service to the airport for a cheaper price and then either take the bus service or rent a car. Compare prices because they fluctuate.
To summarize: The NYC Traveler Best Tip: fly or drive to Disney World.
Extra Bonus Tip For Your Trip: Are you traveling to Disney World after a cruise? Take the cruise transfer option to MCO Airport and catch a Mears Connect or car service to Disney. The cruise transfers tend to be lower in cost than a private car service directly from Port Canaveral to Disney, which is almost 60-90 minutes away. Are your cruising with Disney? They offer ground transportation from the cruise terminal to Disney World or the other way around for a fee.
So, these are The NYC Traveler Tips for traveling to Disney World. Next article: getting around Disney World itself.
The NYC Traveler Presents Tips for Your Trips
Subscribe to our blog!
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All photos and videos created and copyrighted by Marcia Crayton, unless otherwise noted.
Comments