Resort Hopping At Disney World On The Monorail Route

Resort hopping at Disney World is the perfect way to spend a non-park day. Each resort along the monorail loop offers its own unique theming, food, cozy lounges, and shopping while spending a day outside the parks.

Many people associate Disney World with crowds and chaos, but if you prioritize slowing down, it doesn’t have to be that way. As Disney adults, we’re here to share our tips and tricks so you can have a magical (and relaxing) Disney vacation! Resort hopping at Disney World is one of our favorite things to do and should be added to your list of Disney must dos!

I admit that when our kids were younger, things felt a bit more chaotic. That’s normal when you’re trying to navigate the parks and crowds with little ones. For more on that, my daughter is writing a whole series on doing Disney with kids, and she has some pretty amazing tips! As our kids grew older and were able to do things on their own, my husband and I realized that doing Disney as adults was a completely different experience.

Now, 20+ years later, we still get just as excited to be back in our favorite place, although it looks much different now. Relaxation is the priority, and while some may say that’s not possible at Disney World, I’m here to tell you they are wrong. Our trips are thoroughly relaxing, with slow, easy days and no stress.

Resort Hopping At Disney World

Let’s start with some of our non-negotiables and answer a few commonly asked questions. When it comes to relaxing at Disney World, there are a few things you will never find us doing as Disney adults. Gone are the days when we are going to swelter in the sun, wait in long lines, or be crammed into Disney buses.

We will not use the buses. I can’t think of anything less relaxing than being crammed onto a hot bus to start and end the day, not to mention the time it wastes. When we’re in our Disney bubble, we use rideshare and our vehicle. They both get you from point A to point B quickly and with no stress. Even the boats can take a long time and be crowded. The last time we rode the ferry, it was so crowded that I was physically crammed into a corner, and it was SO HOT. By the time we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, I was sweaty and irritated, and that was the last time we rode the ferry.
We will not wait in long lines. Time is money at Disney, and waiting for hours is wasted time that you could be doing other things. We budget for Lightning Lane and rarely have to wait for more than five minutes. Not to mention, some of these lines are incredibly long and have you baking in the sun the entire time. No, thank you.
We do not over-plan. We love the freedom of not having a rigid plan. It allows for spontaneity and eliminates the stress of feeling rushed to get to the next destination. If we wake up and feel like having a slow day, this allows us to do just that.
Disney Springs at night. This is where most people go after a day at the parks, and it is packed! It’s also where many Florida locals come to eat and drink. The last time we were there in the evening, every table around us was Florida locals, and I don’t blame them. If I lived that close to Disney Springs, I’d be there all the time, too. Pro tip. Go in the morning when no one is there. It’s glorious!
We do not rope drop. Lord, have mercy. There is no way you’re going to catch us in a cattle herd of people first thing in the morning. We sleep in, have our coffee and breakfast (usually my favorite breakfast pizza), and arrive when we feel like it. However, since we visit during the slowest times of the year, we have no problem getting the rest of the lightning lanes we want once we’ve checked in to our first one.

These non-negotiables help us avoid stress when we’re at Disney. In addition to avoiding stress, we plan our days to be relaxing, and visiting resorts is one of our favorite things to do when we want to escape crowds, go at a leisurely pace, and still have a fun day!

For this post, we’ll be focusing on the resorts along the monorail route, often referred to as the “monorail loop.”

Disney World Monorail Stops

The monorail loop connects the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) to the Contemporary, Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian, and the Polynesian Resort. You can stay on the monorail or walk from the Contemporary to the Polynesian Resort via a scenic, peaceful walking path that runs along the water, offering a beautiful view.

Does The Monorail Go To Epcot?

Yes. From the Magic Kingdom, you would board the express monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). From there, you do a quick transfer to the Epcot monorail and enjoy the ride!

Does The Monorail Go To Hollywood Studios?

No. The only parks that the Monorail connects to are the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. To get to Hollywood Studios, you can use Disney transportation via the buses or the Disney Skyliner. You can also drive your own car or take a rideshare, which is what we prefer to do.

Disney Resort Hopping With Kids?

Visiting each resort offers its own unique experience. If you’re traveling with kids, this is such a fun and nearly free way to enjoy the day. All three levels of resorts (value to deluxe) offer games and activities for the kids to enjoy. Please be aware that parking at the deluxe resorts has become an issue, and non-resort guests are being turned away unless they have a valid restaurant reservation, which will be verified. This is why we use rideshare. Since we’re not parking a car, we have no issues getting in. The other option would be to take Disney transportation to the resort.

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Disney’s Contemporary Resort

We start our day by taking a Lyft to the Contemporary. All of the resorts mentioned in this post are deluxe resorts, and you will not be able to park there unless you’ve made a restaurant reservation. We discuss this in detail in this post.

At the Contemporary, we head straight for Contempo Café and split the breakfast pizza. This is Shannon’s favorite breakfast pizza. Mine is at the Polynesian, and you can read more about that here. Sometimes, we start our day there and come back to the Contemporary. The nice thing is that backtracking is easy because the monorail runs constantly throughout the day, and the ride is very short.
After breakfast, we enjoy exploring the resort a bit, especially the back of the resort, which sits along the water. There are oversized games to play, ping pong tables, a pool table, cornhole, and a marina where you can rent a boat. We LOVE renting a pontoon boat and riding around Seven Seas Lagoon, and it’s surprisingly affordable! I have a full review of that coming soon.
Once our food settles, we make our way up to the Steakhouse 71 Lounge, with one goal in mind: ordering the Twisted Fig, pictured above. It’s our all-time favorite Disney cocktail, and I don’t even like Scotch. The Twisted Fig features Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch, Cointreau Noir liqueur, fig simple syrup, and orange bitters. It’s perfectly balanced without being too sweet and goes down way too easily!
I love something salty and snacky while enjoying a drink, and you can’t go wrong with the Steakhouse 71 onion rings. They’re consistently fresh, hot, and crispy without being greasy and served with a spicy ranch dipping sauce. Highly recommend!

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Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

From the Contemporary, we hop on the monorail over to the Polynesian. Depending on which direction the monorail is heading, you may have stops at Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian, but you can stay on the monorail. For those who don’t know, you don’t have to get off. In fact, if you love riding the monorail, you can stay on it as long as you want! Once we arrive at Poly, there is a lot to see and do, including several of our favorite meals and cocktails.

After exploring a bit and taking in the beauty of this resort, we head to Tambu Lounge, located on the second floor of the lobby. If you love the Ohana but not the insane prices, you’ll be happy to know that Tambu Lounge offers a small food menu, including some popular favorites like the Ohana noodles and bread pudding.
We typically don’t eat here because we prefer to grab a drink, find a seat by the window overlooking the water, and stay a while. I’m a rum girl, so the drinks at the Polynesian are my favorite because the drink menus are rum-heavy. The Polynesian Mai Tai is my go-to!
When we’re ready for lunch, we make our way down to the Oasis Bar & Grill, an outdoor pool bar that we absolutely love. The menu here is unique, featuring fresh and vibrant dishes that we crave after a few days of indulging in vacation food. We’ve tried just about everything on the menu, and there are no bad choices.
The black pepper Parmesan wings and the Oasis salad are our favorites. The wings are crispy without being overcooked, and the black pepper Parmesan sauce is incredibly flavorful but not too peppery. The Oasis salad is fresh, flavorful, and filling. We added shrimp and couldn’t believe how many there were. They were large, plump, and perfectly cooked. This salad is a total texture and flavor bomb!

Pro tip. If you can’t get into the Oasis Bar & Grill, the Barefoot Pool Bar offers the same menu, as well as a walk-up window located outside the pool gate. Resort hopping at Disney World usually goes smoothly, but be aware that some areas may be restricted to resort guests only. There seems to be no set rules on this. My best advice is to be super nice and ask. All they can say is no!

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Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

After lunch, we slowly make our way over to the Grand Floridian via the monorail or the walking path. They added a new section to the path, so now it connects the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom, and the Contemporary. It’s a beautiful and relaxing walk.

Once we arrive at the Grand Floridian, the Enchanted Rose Lounge is usually open. This lounge is gorgeous but not in a fancy, pretentious way. It feels cozy and inviting. We’re usually lucky enough to get a table by the window and will stay here for a while. Dinner here usually consists of snacks, and we love the Artisanal Cheese Plate, truffle fries, and hummus with grilled pita.
After Enchanted Rose, we explore the resort and the walkway over to the Magic Kingdom, where we call a Lyft and head back to the resort.

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Final Thoughts

Each resort has a variety of drinks and food options geared toward the theme of the resort, so you’ll find something different at each stop. Don’t sleep on checking out the pool bar menus. In our experience, this is where you’ll find some of the best food!
As I’ve mentioned many times, we do Disney World in a slow and relaxing way. We don’t rush, and we’re not putting in 20,000 steps a day. Trust me, we get a lot of steps, but it’s not because we’re rushing to go anywhere. We enjoy walking and typically start and end our days with a long, relaxing walk.

And that’s our take on resort hopping at Disney World. It’s the perfect way to spend a non-park day!

Stay tuned for round two of Disney resort hopping, where we will focus on the non-monorail resorts! Hint. Our favorite stop is Geyser Point at Wilderness Lodge.

I hope this is helpful, and we'd love to hear your favorite Disney tips! Please share in the comments below or tag me on Instagram, follow on Pinterest and Facebook, and join my email list so you don’t miss anything new. Thanks for being here, friends! 🙂