Walt Disney World Hotels withing Walking Distance of the Parks
Can You Walk to a Disney Theme Park? Yes, If You Stay at One of these Deluxe Resorts.
As a luxury Disney travel blogger, I spend a lot of time talking about the merits of staying at Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts.
And while there are a lot of great benefits to staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, there are a few Resorts in particular that offer an added bonus: the ability to walk to the gates of a Disney theme park.
Even though the Walt Disney World Monorail runs right through Disney’s Contemporary Resort, it can still sometimes be quicker and more convenient to walk to and from Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park from this Deluxe Disney Resort.
Walking to a Disney Theme Park is Something You’ll Come to Appreciate
If you have never visited Walk Disney World before, you may be thinking: “Why would I want to walk to a theme park?! Isn’t there transportation?”
That’s a fair question to ask and — rest assured — you don’t have to walk to a Disney Park if you don’t want to. After all, with its mix of boats, buses and monorails, the Walt Disney World transportation network rivals that of many medium-size cities. But, even with its size and scale, Disney transportation can get crowded and frustrating at times when you just want to get to or from a park without waiting. This is especially true early in the morning and even more true at the end of the night after a fireworks show. When the fireworks are done there are literally tens of thousands of guests all exiting the park at the same time and heading for the same boats, buses and monorails. These lines can try the patience of even the more experienced of Disney travelers.
That’s where the benefits of being within walking distance of a Disney theme park really shine.
The Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts within Walking Distance of a Theme Park
While almost all Disney Deluxe Resorts and Villas are within close proximity of a theme park, there are a few that are within walking distance of a park. These are the Resorts that offer the added benefit of being able to beat the crowds, or get an overtired child (or spouse) back to the room more quickly during crowded times and without waiting in line for a bus, boat or monorail. It’s often more convenient to push a stroller home in 15 minutes than waiting for transportation and then having to fold the stroller and squeeze everyone on to a boat or bus (you don’t have to fold strollers on monorails, but space fills quickly at busy times).
The Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts within walking distance to a theme park are as follows:
Walking distance to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park
Disney’s Contemporary Resort (10-15 minutes)
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (10-15 minutes)
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (15 minutes)
Disney’s Polynesian Village (20 minutes)
Walking distance to Epcot
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (10 minutes)
Villas at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (10 minutes)
Disney’s Beach Club Resort (10 minutes)
Disney’s Beach Club Villas (10 minutes)
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (12 minutes)
Walking distance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (15-20 minutes)
Villas at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (15-20 minutes)
Disney’s Beach Club Resort (25 minutes)*
Disney’s Beach Club Villas (25 minutes)*
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (25 minutes)*
Note*: I included the last three (with the asterisks) because technically it is possible to walk from these resorts to the Boardwalk path that goes from the Boardwalk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is quite a long walk as you can see, so not something I would necessarily advocate as walkable in the same way that the others are walkable. However, it can be done and if you like long walks or if the Disney transportation were down for some reason (or severely backed up), it is a viable option.
Don’t Underestimate the Convenience of Having the Option to Walk
The convenience of having the option to walk to or from a nearby Walt Disney World theme park should not be underestimated. In fact, it is one of the main reasons that I frequent the resorts on this list from time to time versus my favorite resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
Walkways to the parks are just one of many conveniences that you get when you stay at a select Walt Disney World Deluxe Resort property. This feature should be considered in your resort selection decision-making process if you think that the option to walk may work well for your family.