One of the many amazing benefits of staying at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel is leaving your travel worries behind and hopping on a water taxi, shuttle bus, or taking a short walk over to one of our four spectacular theme parks. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get from your hotel to the Universal Orlando Resort theme parks:
- Universal Orlando Resort hotels offer free water taxi and shuttle bus transportation services, as well as walking paths to some of the theme parks.
- Water taxis take you to Universal CityWalk, where you can access Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. The shuttle bus can take you to all four theme parks, including Universal Epic Universe and Universal Volcano Bay.
- No matter which transportation mode you choose, your travel time will be about 10–20 minutes depending on your hotel and theme park destination.
Jump to:
WATER TAXI | SHUTTLE BUS | WALKING PATH
Water Taxi
My favorite ride to start the day at Universal Orlando Resort is the water taxi. Water taxis are available exclusively at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, with an average travel time of less than 10 minutes and beautiful views to enjoy along the way.
The water taxi takes you straight from the hotel to Universal CityWalk. From there, it’s just a short stroll to the gates of Universal Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios Florida. Either theme park you choose is equally awesome.
Shuttle Bus
Another option for transportation to our theme parks is the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus is offered at all of our hotels, runs consistently throughout the day, and will take you to either Universal Epic Universe, Universal Volcano Bay, or Universal CityWalk where you can easily walk to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
- Universal Stella Nova Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes
- Universal Terra Luna Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes
- Universal Helios Grand Hotel: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes (no service to Epic Universe)
- Universal’s Endless Summer Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 15 minutes
- Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 15 minutes
- Universal’s Aventura Hotel: Shuttle bus arrives every 15 minutes
- Universal Stella Nova Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes
- Universal Terra Luna Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes
- Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel: Shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes
- Portofino Bay Hotel: Shuttle bus arrives every 30 minutes
- Hard Rock Hotel: Shuttle bus arrives every 30 minutes
- Royal Pacific Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 30 minutes
- Sapphire Falls Resort: Shuttle bus arrives every 30 minutes
Depending on your destination and traffic, your shuttle bus ride will take about 10–20 minutes. The perfect amount of time to download the Universal Orlando Resort App and start planning your day!
Walking Path
The last method of transportation is also the oldest mode of transportation… by foot! Most of our hotels offer a connecting walking path that takes you from one hotel to another or to CityWalk, Universal Studios Florida, or Islands of Adventure. One of the really cool benefits about staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Aventura Hotel, and Sapphire Falls Resort is that these hotels offer a dedicated walking path straight to Volcano Bay. This beautiful path is just a short walk over to the thrills of the slides and the relaxation of Waturi Beach under the Krakatau volcano.
If you’re staying at Helios Grand Hotel or Stella Nova Resort, you can walk to Epic Universe. Helios Grand Hotel is located in Celestial Park with a dedicated entrance for Helios guests, while Stella Nova Resort is only a 5–10-minute walk away from the Chronos gate.
No matter which transportation option you choose, you’re only 10–20 minutes away from the time you take your first step, get on the bus, or board a water taxi to arriving at a theme park.
What’s your favorite way to get to the theme parks? Let us know in the comments!