Disney World guests staying at two popular hotels are going to have to change their transportation plans for the next several days.
One of the biggest advantages of staying around the EPCOT Resort area is the number of ways guests can get around without a car. Walking paths connect several hotels and parks, while FriendShip boats provide another convenient option.
For the moment, one of those choices is gone.
The FriendShip boat dock serving Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s Beach Club Resort closed for maintenance on Monday, August 17. Disney expects the closure to continue through Friday, August 21, meaning FriendShip boat transportation will not operate from the two resorts during that period.
Fortunately, Disney has other ways to get guests where they need to go.
FriendShip Boats Temporarily Disappear
FriendShip boats normally make traveling around this section of Disney World fairly simple.
The boats connect guests with EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s BoardWalk, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
That convenience is temporarily disappearing from Yacht Club and Beach Club while Disney performs maintenance on the dock.
This isn’t expected to become a permanent change. Disney has given the project a short timeline, with the closure currently scheduled to end after August 21.
Still, that doesn’t help guests whose vacations fall directly inside the maintenance window.
Anyone staying at either resort should plan on using walking paths or Disney buses instead.
EPCOT Guests Have an Easy Alternative
If EPCOT is the destination, this closure shouldn’t create a major problem for most guests.
Yacht Club and Beach Club are within walking distance of EPCOT’s International Gateway. The walk generally takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
That gives guests direct access to World Showcase without needing to board Disney transportation at all.
The same general solution works for Disney’s BoardWalk.
Guests can use the walking paths connecting the resorts with the BoardWalk area, where they’ll find restaurants, shopping, and nighttime entertainment.
The Swan and Dolphin hotels can also be reached on foot.
Of course, walking isn’t always the preferred option. After spending hours inside the parks, plenty of guests would rather sit down and let Disney transportation handle the return trip.
For a few days, that choice will be more limited.
Hollywood Studios Transportation Is Changing
The biggest adjustment may come for guests traveling to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disney will operate direct bus transportation from both Yacht Club and Beach Club during the boat closure.
Guests who still want to travel by boat have another possibility. They can walk over to Disney’s BoardWalk and board a FriendShip boat there.
There’s even a Skyliner option, although it involves considerably more traveling.
Guests could walk toward EPCOT’s International Gateway, board the Disney Skyliner, travel through the Riviera and Caribbean Beach area, and eventually transfer onto the Hollywood Studios line.
Unless guests specifically want to ride the Skyliner, the direct bus will likely be the simpler choice.
What Guests Need to Know
Disney currently expects this transportation disruption to last through August 21.
That means the impact should be brief, but guests staying at Yacht Club and Beach Club this week should still build a little extra travel time into their plans.
The EPCOT Resort area remains one of the easiest sections of Disney World to navigate without a car. Guests can still walk to several nearby destinations, and Disney is providing buses to Hollywood Studios.
Even so, the FriendShip boats are part of what makes these resorts so convenient.
Until maintenance wraps up, guests will simply have one fewer free transportation option available when they step outside their hotel.
