How to ride a bike to Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld
Did you know there are other ways to get to Orlando’s theme parks besides a bus or car? If you’re a local, or visiting and you have access to a bicycle, you can get some exercise and visit SeaWorld, Universal, and Walt Disney World by bike. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
As an Orlando local, I’ve always wondered if it’s possible to ride a bicycle to the theme parks. When Rad Power Bikes offered to send me one of their latest electronic bicycles (e-bike), I decided it was time to find out. You can get to some of the theme parks directly on a bike, and others with some transfers.
Safety first
Before I get into the details of getting to each individual park, it’s important to know the Florida rules when it comes to bicycle riding and the rules of the road (and sidewalk).
Florida considers an e-bike the same as a regular bicycle, with the same rules and regulations.
If you’re like me, for safety reasons, you prefer to ride your bike on the sidewalks rather than the roads. In Florida, bikes are allowed on the sidewalk or on the road. When a bike is on the sidewalk, they follow the same rules as pedestrians, but giving way to pedestrians when needed. On the roads, bikes follow the same rules as automobiles. All bike riders under 16 years old must wear helmets (and it’s a good idea for everyone).
For this guide, I’ll be telling you how to get to these parks by riding on the sidewalks, not the roads. Whether you’re a road rider or sidewalk rider, these guides will show you where the bike racks are, and how to get to them. For the most part, these guides will also work for walking.
And yes, you can ride a bike between Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando, all on sidewalks. (You’ll need to go a bit out of your way to get from SeaWorld to Disney Springs since part of Palm Parkway doesn’t have any sidewalks. Take Palm Parkway, Daryl Carter Parkway, and Westwood Boulevard instead.)
Riding a bike to SeaWorld Orlando
If you’re riding a bike to SeaWorld, you won’t enter the same entrance as parking cars do. Instead, you’ll enter the same lane the rideshare cars do, or those dropping guests off. This entrance isn’t off of Central Florida Parkway like the main entrance is. You’ll go down Sea Harbor Drive and enter the far left side (facing the front of the park) of the parking lot.
The bike rack location at SeaWorld Orlando is at the Field Trip/Group Check-In booth to the left to the main park entrance. Lock your bike up here and walk to the main security entrance. You’ll leave the parking lot the same way the arrows point in the car drop-off lane.
Riding a bike to Universal Orlando
You can ride your bike to Universal CityWalk, lock it up on the bike rack, then walk through the regular security line to get to the Universal Islands of Adventure theme park or the Universal Studios Florida theme park. Since Epic Universe wasn’t open at the time of this article, we aren’t sure if that new park will have a bike rack, but you can park at CityWalk and take a bus there.
There’s a bike rack in the Jurassic Park section of the CityWalk parking garage. Don’t go to the same entrance cars are going to, no matter if you’re riding on the roads or sidewalks. Instead, go down Universal Boulevard and turn in across the street from the valet area, where the buses go, but swing to your left into the Jurassic Park/Jaws/King Kong parking garage.
The bike rack location is on the bottom floor of the garage on the first/ground floor level of the garage in the Jurassic Park section: Jurassic 100-106. Lock up your bike and go up the escalator to the second level and walk towards the security hub.
Riding a bike to Walt Disney World
While riding a bike directly to Disney World theme parks isn’t allowed, you can ride one to Disney Springs, then take a bus to a resort, then take another bus to the parks. But even with this, there are caveats.
Even if you like to ride your bike on the roads, since most Disney World roads are on their property, they are considered private limited-access roads — and they prohibit bicycle use. To get to Disney Springs by bicycle, you’ll need to take the sidewalk down Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
At the corner of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and Buena Vista Drive, walk your bike up the elevator and across the pedestrian walkway bridge over Buena Vista Drive to Disney Springs, then walk it down the path to your right until you come to the bike rack next to the rideshare/car drop-off area is.
Once you’ve locked your bike up here, walk back down the path to the security entrance into Disney Springs Marketplace. Note that this bike rack is sometimes full, as guests staying at Saratoga Springs next door can rent bicycles and ride them to Disney Springs.
There’s also another bike rack location at Disney Springs on the other side of the property, near the Watermelon parking lot outside of Cirque Du Soleil. This rack is for guests who ride over from Saratoga Springs on the other side of Village Lake.
Yes, many Disney resorts offer bicycle rentals, but besides Saratoga Springs, the bikes are only meant to ride around that hotel property.
Both adult bikes and children’s bikes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis from the following Disney resort hotels:
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
This also means you’re welcome to bring your own bikes and ride around these resorts. If you do, you’re required to secure your bike in your hotel room. Bonus for those riding through Fort Wilderness: there’s a bike rack near the boat launch to Magic Kingdom. Alternatively, rentals of 2-, 4-, or 6-person surrey bikes are available at Disney’s BoardWalk to ride around Crescent Lake, as well as at Port Orleans, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs.
Benefits of an e-bike
If you like the idea of getting some exercise while also getting an extra boost an e-bike can give you, I highly recommend the RadKick Belt Drive by Rad Power Bikes. I had one other brand of e-bike before and found the controls a bit confusing.
The RadKick Belt Drive is the perfect bike for someone coming from a regular bike, as it can be used just like that. If you don’t turn on the controls, it works just like a regular bike. When you turn it on, you can still just peel it like a regular bike, but you can also set different levels for a boost to your peddling. For example, if you set it to one of the five levels, the same amount of pedaling will make you go a bit faster. Think if the other levels the same as you would gears on a 10-speed. You can also just turn the throttle to go without any peddling. That’s handy for the return trips from the theme parks.
They also have a lot of add-ons, like the pet carrier I added to the back for our little Yorkie Chewie. Plus, since it’s a belt drive, there’s very little maintenance needed. Thanks to Rad Power Bikes for helping us to be able to research this story in person.
Video of riding a bike to Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld
For a firsthand look at what a bike journey looks like between Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando, watch our video:
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