If you are not staying on resort how do you get around? Like if I am at Magic Kingdom but want to eat a meal at Wilderness Lodge? Also, I don't plan on doing the park-hopper option, but if we were park hopping to do you have to drive from park to park if you aren't staying on resort?

Either drive from park to park or....
Take the shuttle from your hotel to one of the parks or DTD (if they have one) and pick up the shuttle to the Wilderness Lodge.

Some drivers check to see if you are staying on property to use the Disney Transport - some don't (at least when we went there).

In essence, once you are on-property, you can pretty much use any of the Disney transportation options to get from place to place on Disney property. While I have never heard of anyone checking to see if you are a guest, if asked, show them your park ticket and you should be good to go.

That's what I was wondering, if you could use the transportation if you weren't staying at a resort. So it may be hit or miss then if we aren't onsite eh? I guess if we decide to stay offsite we maybe should just plan dining around what park we will be in to be on the safe side? Anybody else stay offsite and not have trouble using the park transportation? It's given as a "perk" of staying onsite so I wasn't sure how picky they are about non-resort people using the transportation services.

I've never seen anyone asked if they're staying onsite before boarding a bus, monorail, etc.

For what it's worth..

We've been to Disney World about 8+ times, going on our 4th trip since 2003 ("taking the kids" - its a great excuse:p) and we've never, ever been asked to show ID while traveling on the buses. That being said, we've always stayed onsite, and about 99% of our travels are to and from our resort & any given park...

We leave on the 18th of this month for our next, much looked forward to, trip - watch - this'll be the trip we are "carded"!!

So it may be hit or miss then if we aren't onsite eh?
To be honest, this is not something you have to worry about. Feel free to dine and shop at the hotels and use Disney transportation to get there.

In other words... they are NOT going to deny you any sort of transportation that will result in you spending money somewhere on property.

PS... I moved your thread to the proper forum as it mainly deals with transportation.

GusMan put it perfectly ... total agreement.

Thanks everyone :)

While I have never heard of anyone checking to see if you are a guest, if asked, show them your park ticket and you should be good to go.

From what I understand, TECHNICALLY, you are supposed to be an on-property guest to use any of the transport - boats, busses, even monorails. But in reality I've never been checked at any transportation point over multiple trips going back 15 years or so, so you won't have any problem at all.

would make it hard for those staying offsite visiting the MK then?

Yeah, it's kind of an odd situation, kinda like the ending time of Fastpasses. It's a rule, but Disney completely ignores it. So why have the rule in the first place???

From what I understand, TECHNICALLY, you are supposed to be an on-property guest to use any of the transport - boats, busses, even monorails. But in reality I've never been checked at any transportation point over multiple trips going back 15 years or so, so you won't have any problem at all.

I thought it was officially ok to use the transportation if you had a hopper ticket - at least between parks.

To be honest, I'm not sure what the policy is these days. But I know they used to promote the fact that if you stayed on property, you'd get to use Disney transportation. Now I've always used Disney transportation, even back when I'd stay over on International Drive, so it's always seemed like a hollow perk.

But I know they used to promote the fact that if you stayed on property, you'd get to use Disney transportation.
They still market it this way. And I think it is just that - a marketing technique for their hotels.

i agree. i've always thought it was just a marketing ploy. like how they marketed the lights on cinderella castle as an integral part of MVMCP even though the lights were lit well before the parties begin (that is 5:45 pm as opposed to 7 pm) as well as on nights the party wasn't held.

i have heard they will restrict the monorail to 7 seas resort guests during high peak times, but that's the extent of that.

they also post that you must show your disney resort ID at the bus stops at DTD but I asked a driver about that and he said it's never asked for, he doesn't know anyone who asks for ID (except to give people a hard time) and suspects those signs are only posted for legal reasons, the bus being a private transit system and all.

I have seen times when it was very crowded that they would check Resort IDs. A few years ago I was going from Epcot to the Contemporary mid-day on NYE and I recall being checked before I could get on the Resort Loop at TTC.

So I guess my point would be that even though the rules state that you should be an on property guest to use Disney transportation, the ALMOST NEVER check ID's. That ALMOST is a big factor, though - be prepared to have to grab a cab if they're checking ID's.