This week’s episode is a comprehensive overview of transportation for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World covers 43 square miles, and transportation for you and your guests can be an expensive proposition if you don’t know all your options. I’m joined by Disney bride Vanessa Ferguson, who shares her experience arranging transportation for both her Disney wedding and her Disney vow renewal.
Together, we’ll cover each of the various forms of transportation—from specialty transport like Cinderella’s Glass Coach to vans and limos—all of the different types of trips they make, how much they cost, and how you can save big on one of the least glamorous but most important aspects of your day.
Links
Cole’s Classic Cars – Inventory
VIP Transportation Group – Inventory
Vanessa’s photos © Randy Chapman / All other photos © Root Photography
hi Carrie
I am in the very early stages of planning and this might be a question for Disney . Currently I am thinking epcot ceremony and reception for 30 -35 people early morning/brunch . Three resort room block assuming 6-8hr total time. My current thinking is luxury van bridal party round trip (two on way), standard van/mini coach round trip for two hotels with town car on standby charter form ceremony start to reception finish and to take us back at end. I am trying to understand if this would be acceptable by Disney’s idea of charter transport? its the one real confusing point. Disney really seem to be pushing that motor coach charter. I am still number crunching it all out
Unfortunately, Disney requires you to charter transportation for your *guests* when your events are in-park—just chartering transport for the two of you doesn’t count. I’ll make this clearer in the next version of the Fairytale Weddings Guide. If enough of your guests are also bridal party members going in separately beforehand, you *might* be able to get away with just chartering the mini motorcoach for the remaining guests and doing one-ways for you and the bridal party. But Disney has been very opposed to one-way transport lately due to problems they’ve been having with their vendor (why they continue to use that vendor is a mystery…).
Hi Carrie! Yet again another question from me. In the podcast there’s mention of $150 fee for a transportation coordinator. In your book it’s quoted as $40/per hour for a transportation coordinator. Should i presume that a transportation coordinator would need to be paid for the entire hours needed for the charter? Long story short : Cuz is planning on staying at GF and is planning on Magic Kingdom in-park portrait shoot prior to her East Plaza Garden ceremony and then immediately going to CA Grille for breakfast; that’s around 5 hours (probably 6:30-ish to 10:30am, her words). If the coordinator will need to be there about 30 minutes from the first pickup (which would be at GF), that would 4.5 hours which would translate to 5 hours.. Will she (cuz) need to pay $200 to the transportation coordinator ($40 x 5 hours)? (And that’s just for her own ‘transportation’; don’t get me started on what she said about chartering for the other 3 hotels’ guests … )
I told her I’m ‘this close’ to going on strike as her researcher …
Hi! The book always has the latest pricing—podcasts can get out of date quickly, unfortunately, due to how often Disney changes things. If she’s doing a bridal portrait session before the ceremony, she won’t need to pay for transportation to the MK because that is included in the price of the session. So take the couple out of the transportation equation and just focus on guest transportation (because the couple can ride with the guests to the reception or get a one-way town car/van out of MK). The transportation coordinator is only required for chartered transportation, so the number of hours depends on how many are needed to pick up all the guests. And that depends on how many different resorts they’re staying at (or she wants to send transport to; she could save money by requiring them to meet the bus at one resort, but then they have to make their own way there early in the morning). There is also a five-hour minimum for the bus—check out page 147 for all this info!
Hi Carrie! In this episode of the disney wedding podcast you mentioned that the price of cinderellas glass coach was $3,500 however I noticed you mentioned the old memories, escape and wishes collections so I was wondering is this still the price of the cinderella glass coach and if not what is the current price now?
Hi! Right now it is $4,000. If you have my Fairytale Weddings Guide eBook, I am working on an update with all the latest pricing, and you can download it for free once it’s available!
Ok, thanks!
Hi Carrie!
Is it possible to set up chartered transportation for an In-park wedding through Disney but to pick up at TWO off site hotels that are 2 minutes apart??
Hi Diana! Yes! It doesn’t matter where you want the bus to go, as long as you’re willing to pay for it! If the hotels are very far from WDW, you may need to pay for extra time/distance, but they’ll happily book this for you.