Nine Common Long Walks at Disney World and How to Avoid Them

The average Walt Disney World guest walks 7-10 miles PER DAY during their vacation. For some guests, this is great – you want to get those steps in as your form of vacation exercise (gotta work off all those cupcake and turkey leg calories). But other guests, due to mobility issues or just plain exhaustion, want to find opportunities to cut down on their walking. In many cases, using alternate transportation is slower than walking, but it will save some shoe leather. (Note: some forms of transportation may not be available during the COVID-19 era.)

Here are nine of common long walks at Disney World and how to avoid them, if you want to:

1. A lap around Epcot’s World Showcase

• What’s the distance: About a mile
• What can I do to avoid this?: There are Friendship Boats that cross the World Showcase lagoon between Canada and Morocco and between Mexico and Germany. Each route cuts out about a third of the walk.

2. From Disney’s Hollywood Studios to EPCOT’s International Gateway

• Where is it: The DHS gate to the back entrance of EPCOT – a common route for guests using Disney’s Park Hopper ticket feature.
• What’s the distance: About 1.25 miles, depending on which route you take.
• What can I do to avoid this?: There are two options: Friendship boats or the Skyliner. The boats are the way to go if you have a fear of heights. The Skyliner is faster if there is no wait to board.

3. From the Carousel Section of Saratoga Springs to Disney Springs West Side

• What’s the distance: About a mile
• What can I do to avoid this?: Take the internal Saratoga Springs bus to the Congress Park bus stop and then walk (cuts out about 3/4 of the walk) or take the dedicated bus from the Congress Park bus stop to the main Disney Springs stop and walk from there. You could also take an Uber/Lyft/taxi to the drop off spot at Disney Springs.

4. From the far reaches of the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the Transportation and Ticket Center

• What’s the distance: About .7 miles
• What can I do to avoid this?: Qualified guests with handicap parking placards can park close to the TTC, avoiding the walk. Other guests can take a tram (when they are operating).

5. From the front desk of the Grand Floridian to the front gate of the Magic Kingdom.

• What’s the distance: About .7 miles.
• What can I do to avoid this?: Take the monorail.

6. From the front desk of the Contemporary to the front gate of the Magic Kingdom

• What’s the distance: About .5 miles.
• What can I do to avoid this?: Take the monorail.

7. From the far buildings the Trinidad South section of the Caribbean Beach resort to main resort pool and food court

• What’s the distance: About .5 miles.
• What can I do to avoid this?: Take the internal resort bus.

8. From the main building at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House to the main building at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village.

• What’s the distance: About .4 miles
• What can I do to avoid this?: Take the internal bus.

9. From the Old Key West resort main building to Disney Springs West Side.

• What’s the distance: About a mile.
• What can I do to avoid this?: When operational, take a boat, otherwise take the bus or a taxi/Lyft/Uber.

Do you try to avoid long walks at Disney or are they just part of a normal day for you? Let us know in the comments.