This December I will be staying on DWD property for the first time, with no car rental. One of my biggest concerns is how we will get around. I found the "Get around" section of the WDW page on Wikitravel to be helpful (wikitravel.org/en/Walt_Disney_World_Resort).
Here is some condensed info from there:
Disney buses
The bus routes facilitate travel from a resort to a park, but not from one resort to another or from one park to another. Most resorts have direct bus routes to all four theme parks and Downtown Disney.
As Disney's Boardwalk is part of a resort, travel from other resorts (except Swan/Dolphin or Yacht/Beach Clubs) is via one of the parks. The most convenient options are Disney's Hollywood Studios, which has two connections to the Boardwalkwalking or ferryand Epcot, which has access to the Boardwalk through the back entrance (caution, without Park Hopper tickets, using Epcot as an interchange is not recommended, as it would require entering through the main entrance and exiting out the back entrance, thereby costing the admission fee).
There is no bus service to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot from the MK-area resorts; they are served by monorail. Likewise, service to Epcot and DHS from the Epcot-area resorts is by ferry or walking. There is also no direct bus service between the theme parks and DtD. To travel to/from DtD from/to a theme park, you must travel to a resort and change buses. The most convenient resort for this purpose is Disney's Saratoga Springs, which is next door to DtD; from DSS you can get to DtD via a pedestrian bridge, bus, or ferry.
Expect to wait up to 15 minutes for a bus to your destination, and another 10 to 30 minutes to get there. Guests in wheelchairs have first priority when boarding.
Disney monorail
The monorail service has three lines:
* Express: Travels from the Transportation and Ticket Center (adjacent to the Magic Kingdom parking lot) to the MK gates and back, without stopping at the resorts.
* Resort: From TTC to, in order: Polynesian, Grand Floridian, MK, and Contemporary.
* Epcot: Travels between TTC and the Epcot gates.
From the Polynesian Resort, you may walk to TTC to get to the Epcot monorail; it's usually faster than taking the Resort monorail through the loop. It is also possible to walk to the TTC from Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The distance is about half a mile (10 minutes).
Disney boat
* From MK, large ferries transport guests to TTC. Smaller ferries travel to the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Fort Wilderness Campground, and Wilderness Lodge.
* From Epcot and DHS, service is to the Swan/Dolphin, Yacht/Beach Club, and Boardwalk.
* From DtD, service is to the Port Orleans, DSS, and Old Key West Resorts.