Disney, Universal and Epic Universe From Palm Beach County: Brightline, the Turnpike and Home for Dinner (2026)

Oct 16

Quick answer: Walt Disney World is about 153 miles from Jupiter, 168 from West Palm Beach and 191 from Boca Raton, roughly two and a half to three and a quarter hours by car on the Turnpike; Universal Orlando and Epic Universe are a few miles closer. Or skip the drive: Brightline leaves West Palm Beach and Boca Raton for Orlando International Airport, about two hours from West Palm Beach by Brightline's own estimate, and a Mears Connect shuttle from the airport to a Disney resort is $16 a person each way. Florida residents get real discounts. Disney's year-round resident offer is 40 percent off 4-day and 30 percent off 3-day tickets, and its annual passes start at $499 for the Pixie Dust Pass as of October 6, 2026. Universal's fall offers are a $199 unlimited two-park ticket through December 16 and a $255 three-day, three-park ticket with a day at Epic Universe through December 23, with resident annual passes from $324.99. Closer to home, Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee is $54.99 for adults and $43.99 for kids plus tax, Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach starts at $39.99 a day, and the Palm Beach Zoo is $29.95 for adults online.

Here's the honest version of the Orlando question for Palm Beach County: the parks are not an hour away like they are from Brevard, and they're not the two hours I quote for the Treasure Coast either. They're a two and a half to three hour drive, which is a long day trip with your own bed at the end, or they're a train ride, which is the thing this county has that Brevard and the Treasure Coast don't. Brightline leaves from West Palm Beach and Boca Raton and lands you in the Orlando airport terminal with a shuttle counter downstairs. The way I'd do it: drive when there are four people and a stroller, ride when there are two and a glass of wine on the way home sounds right. Here's what it costs and takes as of mid October 2026. Prices and resident offers change every season, so treat these as a starting point and check the official pages before you buy.

The drive

The road is Florida's Turnpike. From Jupiter you get on at the Jupiter exit, from Palm Beach Gardens at PGA Boulevard, from West Palm Beach at Okeechobee Boulevard, from Boca Raton at the milepost 75 exit, and then it's one road to Orlando: you leave at Osceola Parkway for Disney or ride on to I-4 for Universal. The other way is I-95 north to Cocoa and the Beachline, SR 528, west into Orlando; it's more miles and fewer tolls, and it's the route I'd take if the Turnpike had a wreck at Fort Pierce. The times below are Rome2Rio's estimates for a normal day, give or take I-4 at the end.

From	Walt Disney World	Universal Orlando	Brightline to Orlando
Jupiter	153 miles, about 2 hours 37 minutes	150 miles, about 2 hours 27 minutes	Drive to the West Palm Beach station first, then about 2 hours on the train
West Palm Beach	168 miles, about 2 hours 53 minutes	165 miles, about 2 hours 44 minutes	About 2 hours by Brightline's estimate, 2 hours 16 minutes by Rome2Rio's
Boca Raton	191 miles, about 3 hours 17 minutes	188 miles, about 3 hours 8 minutes	About 2 hours 41 minutes by Rome2Rio's estimate

Tolls. Get a SunPass. The Turnpike's own page says the Mini sticker is $4.99 and the PRO is $14.95 plus tax, sold at Publix, CVS and Walgreens, and that SunPass customers save an average of 25 percent compared with Toll-By-Plate. The Turnpike publishes its rates by region, and the two schedules that cover this trip carry different dates (the South Central Florida one is dated July 1, 2023 and the Central Florida one August 14, 2026), so run your exact exits through the toll calculator at floridasturnpike.com before you trust my arithmetic. On those posted schedules the mainline plazas between Jupiter and Orlando are Stuart at $1.47, Fort Pierce at $3.53 and Three Lakes at $4.13 with SunPass, plus $1.16 at the Osceola Parkway exit or 58 cents at I-4, which is about $10 each way as an estimate. Getting on at Okeechobee Boulevard adds the 60-cent Jupiter plaza, and Boca Raton adds the 60-cent Lantana plaza. Paying by plate runs roughly $2.50 more on the same trip. The Beachline route is cheaper on tolls: the Central Florida Expressway's July 2026 schedule has the Dallas plaza at 64 cents (plus the Turnpike's 28-cent share), the Beachline main plaza at $1.08 and the Boggy Creek main plaza at $1.72 with a transponder, about double by plate.

The train

This is the part of the post the Space Coast version doesn't have. Brightline stops at 260 Quadrille Plaza Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, where the station opens at 5:20 in the morning, and in downtown Boca Raton, and runs to its Orlando station inside Orlando International Airport at 10705 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, next to Parking Garage C. Brightline's Orlando page puts Orlando to West Palm Beach at approximately two hours; Rome2Rio lists 2 hours 16 minutes from West Palm Beach and 2 hours 41 from Boca Raton. Brightline doesn't post a flat fare. When I checked in mid October 2026 its site had two Orlando offers, a group rate for three or more tickets with the lowest fares at $39 SMART Saver and $59 SMART, and a 20 percent off sale for bookings by October 15 with travel through January 3, 2027 that wouldn't go below those same floors, with blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Rome2Rio's range for West Palm Beach to Orlando was $35 to $130 depending on the day and class, and $35 to $140 from Boca Raton. Wi-Fi is free onboard, and the West Palm Beach garage is gateless; you add parking when you book or scan the QR code on the garage signs.

From the airport to the gates. The train leaves you at the airport, not at Disney. From the Brightline station it's about a five-minute walk across the skyway from Level 5 of Garage C into the terminal. Mears Connect, the airport's shared shuttle to the Disney resorts, is $16 one way for ages 10 and up and $13 for ages 3 to 9, under 3 free, with a 3 percent fuel surcharge, loading at the Main and C terminals around the clock; its site says it now serves Brightline guests, and Brightline's Orlando page says the shared shuttle drops at Terminal C, a 13-minute walk from the station. Sunshine Flyer is the other Disney resort shuttle out of the airport; its fares didn't load from its site when I checked, so get them there. For Universal, Epic Universe or a day guest at Disney without a resort room, it's Brightline+ Private Ride powered by Uber booked in the Brightline app, a Mears private car from the station entrance, or a rideshare to or from 10705 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, and the fare is whatever the app says that morning. Budget the shuttle both ways and the train is still the relaxed version of the day; the trade is that you're on Brightline's clock coming home.

Disney World for Florida residents

Disney runs a year-round resident offer of 40 percent off the 4-day ticket and 30 percent off the 3-day compared with the non-resident price, one park per day, with the 4-day used within seven days of the start date and the 3-day within five, no park reservation required; the dollar amount moves with the dates you pick. The seasonal tickets are where the value usually is, and they come and go, so watch the resident page in early January for the winter one. Right now the page also lists up to 25 percent off resort rooms for the holidays, and the things included with any ticket this fall: EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival through November 21 and the Festival of the Holidays November 27 through December 30. Proof of residency gets checked online or at the window for every adult.

Annual passes went up on October 6, 2026. The Pixie Dust Pass, the Florida resident pass with blockouts on certain weekends, is $499, up from $489. The Pirate Pass is $909, the Sorcerer Pass is $1,139 and the Incredi-Pass is $1,749, up $120. If weekends are the only days you can make a three-hour drive or a train ride work, read the blockout calendar before you pick a tier; the cheapest one is blocked on certain weekends.

Universal Orlando and Epic Universe for Florida residents

Universal is more aggressive with residents, and as of mid October 2026 it has two offers worth knowing. The 2-Park Unlimited Days ticket is $199 plus tax for unlimited park-to-park visits to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure through December 16, 2026, Hogwarts Express included; it excludes Epic Universe and Volcano Bay and isn't sold at the gate. The 3-Day, 3-Park ticket is $255 plus tax, one day each at the two original parks and one at Epic Universe, non-consecutive days allowed through December 23 with blockout dates; the park-to-park version is $285. Residents also get up to 25 percent off at participating Universal hotels, which matters more from here than from Brevard, because rope drop at Epic Universe after a three-hour drive is a young person's game.

Epic Universe opened May 22, 2025, with five worlds: Celestial Park in the middle, Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon's Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World and the Ministry of Magic wing of the Wizarding World. The headliners are Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Stardust Racers and Monsters Unchained. The resident annual passes cover the two original parks and, on the 3-Park tiers, Volcano Bay; Epic Universe isn't on the pass, but passholders get special pricing on a one-day Epic Universe ticket. If you want the park without the crowd, Universal Nights at Epic Universe is a separately ticketed evening at $179 per person plus tax, ages 3 and up, on October 17 and 24 and November 6 and 20, 2026.

Universal's Florida resident annual passes start at $324.99 plus tax for the 2-Park Seasonal, $375 for the 2-Park Power or 3-Park Seasonal and $435 for the 3-Park Power, with Preferred and Premier above that. FlexPay splits them into a down payment and 11 monthly payments at zero percent; the 2-Park Seasonal is $173.06 down, tax included, then $15.74 a month, and the pass renews month to month after the first year at a twelfth of the then-current price until you cancel. Blockout dates apply to the Seasonal and Power tiers, and the parking perks after the first visit come with the higher ones.

The parks in your own county

Three of them, and none requires the Turnpike. Lion Country Safari at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road in Loxahatchee opened in the summer of 1967 and says it is believed to be the first cageless zoo in the country: a 320-acre drive-through preserve with lions, wildebeest and giraffe, plus a 55-acre walk-through park called the Gardens. It's open daily 10 to 5 including holidays except Thanksgiving, last car into the preserve at 4, and it's cashless. Admission is $54.99 plus tax for ages 10 and up and $43.99 for ages 3 to 9, with a Monday through Thursday value rate of $50 and $39 outside holiday periods; 2 and under are free. There's a passholder program, but the ticket page I read didn't list the price. From Wellington and The Acreage it's the park next door.

Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach is 35-plus acres and 40-plus slides and attractions. Daily tickets start at $39.99 when you pick your day, an after-2 p.m. ticket is $24.99 through November 1, 2026, the fall family four-pack is $49.99 a person with a meal through November 29, and parking is $20. The 2027 season passes are on sale now and cover the rest of 2026: Gold is $89.99 or $9 a month and Platinum is $109.99 or $11 a month, both with parking included, plus an $8.99 fee per transaction. The 2027 ticket windows on the same page run March 13 to May 31, June 1 to September 6 and September 7 to October 31, so this is a spring-to-fall habit, not a year-round one.

Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach is 23 acres, open 9 to 5 daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas with last entry at 4:15, and parking is free. Online tickets start at $29.95 for adults 13 to 59, $23.95 for ages 3 to 12 and $27.95 for 60 and up, with 2 and under free. It's the one you can do in two hours on a Sunday, and the one with the splash pad.

How this changes where you buy

If the parks are a monthly thing, two addresses win. The first is anywhere in the north county within ten minutes of a Turnpike ramp: Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens near the Jupiter and PGA Boulevard exits, and the Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee side of the county, which puts Lion Country Safari on the way. On Rome2Rio's numbers, Jupiter's drive is about 40 minutes shorter than Boca Raton's and West Palm Beach's about 25. The second is a walk or a short drive from a Brightline station: the downtown West Palm Beach blocks around Quadrille Plaza Drive, or downtown Boca Raton near its station. Those two neighborhoods make the no-car version of the day real, and the train runs the other direction to Fort Lauderdale and Miami too. If the parks are twice a year, buy wherever the beach and the job put you; the extra 40 minutes from Boca is a podcast and a coffee. Either way, a resident pass and a SunPass turn the trip into a habit, and a garage keeps the stroller out of the rain. The Jupiter, West Palm Beach and Wellington comparison has the prices and commutes, the relocation page covers the move, and the Space Coast version of this post and the Treasure Coast one are the comparisons if you're deciding between coasts.

Questions people ask about the parks from here

How far is Disney World from West Palm Beach?

About 168 miles and roughly 2 hours 53 minutes by car on the Turnpike, according to Rome2Rio's estimate. From Jupiter it is about 153 miles and 2 hours 37 minutes, and from Boca Raton about 191 miles and 3 hours 17 minutes.

Can you take Brightline from Palm Beach County to Disney World or Universal?

Brightline runs from West Palm Beach and Boca Raton to its station inside Orlando International Airport, about two hours from West Palm Beach by Brightline's estimate. From the airport you connect by Mears Connect shuttle to the Disney resorts, $16 one way for ages 10 and up and $13 for ages 3 to 9, or by Brightline+ private ride, Mears private car or rideshare for Universal and Epic Universe.

How much are Turnpike tolls from Palm Beach County to Orlando?

On the Turnpike's posted schedules, the mainline plazas between Jupiter and Orlando are Stuart at $1.47, Fort Pierce at $3.53 and Three Lakes at $4.13 with SunPass, plus the exit ramp, roughly $10 each way as an estimate; West Palm Beach adds the 60-cent Jupiter plaza and Boca Raton adds the 60-cent Lantana plaza. The schedules carry different dates, so confirm your exits with the Turnpike's toll calculator.

What Florida resident ticket deals does Disney have in 2026?

A year-round offer of 40 percent off 4-day and 30 percent off 3-day tickets for Florida residents, plus seasonal resident tickets that come and go through the year. Annual passes start at $499 for the Pixie Dust Pass as of October 6, 2026, and the top-tier Incredi-Pass is $1,749.

What Florida resident deals does Universal have in 2026?

A $199 plus tax 2-Park Unlimited Days ticket good through December 16, 2026, excluding Epic Universe, and a $255 plus tax 3-Day, 3-Park ticket that includes one day at Epic Universe, usable through December 23 with blockout dates. Resident annual passes start at $324.99 plus tax for the 2-Park Seasonal.

What does Lion Country Safari cost?

$54.99 plus tax for ages 10 and up and $43.99 for ages 3 to 9, with a Monday through Thursday value rate of $50 and $39 outside holiday periods; children 2 and under are free. It is open daily 10 to 5 except Thanksgiving, with the last car admitted at 4, and the park is cashless.

Talk with William. If an annual pass or a Brightline habit is part of the plan, I'll show you the streets that put a Turnpike ramp or a train station ten minutes from your garage. Call or text (772) 800-2274 or send a message.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, fees and club rules change; confirm current details with the club and association. William Merchant, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Gold. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated.

Sources

Disney WorldUniversal OrlandoEpic UniverseBrightline

William Merchant