Walking to the Theme Parks

Some (all of which are deluxe resorts) resorts at Walt Disney World are so close to some of the theme parks that you can walk to the theme parks from your room.  This sounds great but is it really that good?

Below I am going to list the hotel and what it is like to walk to the theme parks from the front door of the resort.

The Contemporary:

Resorts within walking distance: The Magic Kingdom

Details: This is the best walking experience of any resort.  First of all it's the shortest distance you will find in any of the resorts on this list.  The "official" time is about ten minutes.  The actual time is really under ten.  Not only that along the way you will see the Monorail run overhead and some nice topiaries that other people don't get to see.

The Boardwalk:

Resorts within walking distance: Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios

Details:  The walk to Epcot is almost always the shortest way to get to the park.  The walk to DHS is hit or miss.

Epcot is about a ten minute walk but along the way you get some really great views.  You can take the boat but it's almost never a good idea unless it is raining. The great thing about staying a the Boardwalk, Beach Club or Yacht Club is the fact that you can walk off some of the food you ate at the Food and Wine Festival.

DHS is walkable if the boat just left or you'll have to wait a while to catch it.  The walk is about 20 minutes and it's nothing special.


The Beach Club:

Resorts within walking distance: Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios

Details:  You might as well list this resort with the Boardwalk  All of the times listed are within two or three minutes of that resort.  It really depends on what kind of theming you want.

The Yacht Club:

Resorts withing walking distance: Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios

Details:  Once again it's just about the same as the Boardwalk and Beach Club.  The only difference is it's on the same side of the lagoon as the Beach Club.  The Yacht Club and Beach Club are more of a direct walk from Epcot than the Boardwalk.

The Swan and Dolphin:

Resorts within walking distance: Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios

Details:  When it comes to the Swan and Dolphin things become more hit or miss.  The Swan and Dolphin are really in the middle zone.  Whether or not you should walk depends on where the boats are.  If you just missed them then in both cases you should walk.

The Swan and Dolphin are the closest resorts to DHS but it's still a little bit of a walk to them.  If you are healthy its about a 15 minute walk.