Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Magic Kingdom Transportation

As the number one theme park in the world, Magic Kingdom welcomes tens of thousands of guests every single day. And most Disney fanatics know that the key to a successful day in the park means getting there early. There are a number of ways to get to the park, many of which are provided by Disney itself. And once you’re inside the park, Disney has additional ways to help you get around. Here are some of the things you need to know about transportation to and inside of the Magic Kingdom:

10. It Helps You Keep Up

For guests with mobility issues, the Magic Kingdom (and every other park) offers assistance with your “transportation” around the park by offering ECV (electric convenience vehicles), wheelchair, and stroller rentals. For a daily rental fee plus a small refundable deposit, no one in your party need ever be left behind – whether they are injured, very old, or very young.

9. It Corners Like It’s On Rails

Most Disney fanatics know that trains were a passion of Walt Disney’s, and that he even built a 1/8 scale train, the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, in his backyard. When it came time to build his parks, Disney decided to incorporate trains into them as well. Inside the Magic Kingdom, the only true mode of mass transportation is the Walt Disney World Railroad. The railroad makes a 1.5 mile circuit around the park, with stops in Frontierland, New Fantasyland, and Main Street, U.S.A. Sharing time on the tracks are four steam-powered trains: the Walter E. Disney; the Lilly Belle, named for Walt’s wife; the Roy O. Disney, named for Walt’s brother; and the Roger E. Broggie, named for an Imagineer who led the Disney World railroad project. Making use of the railroad might not save you time getting to the other side of the park, but it will be an enjoyable ride and get you off of your feet for a while. And if you need to take a break with a napping toddler, taking a few trips around the park on the railroad sure beats just sitting in one place.

8. It Goes Right Down the Middle of Main Street, U.S.A.

The Main Street Vehicles are really more of an attraction than a mode of transportation. After all, the walk from the pickup point in Town Square to the drop-off point in front of Cinderella Castle is a pretty easy one and generally takes much less time than it does to load into one of the vehicles, make the trip, and unload at the other end. But as it does have a different drop-off point than where it picks up, it can be considered transportation as well. When it comes right down to it, traveling by way of the Main Street Vehicles is less about where you go and more about how you get there. Options include the horse-drawn street car, the double-decker omnibus, an old-timey fire engine, or a turn-of-the-century horseless carriage (jitney). The hours of operation tend to be very limited and often end by mid-morning. But while they may not travel very fast or go very far, you won’t attract more attention or find a more stylish ride down Main Street than when you travel by one of the Main Street Vehicles!

7. A Guest Can Take a Metered Approach…

Regardless of where you are staying, you can always get taxi service to the Magic Kingdom. Taxis have a special drop-off point at the Ticket and Transportation Center and are able to drop off guests without paying a parking fee at the toll plaza. This may be an option for guests staying off site who don’t want to drive themselves, but there’s really no reason for anyone staying on Disney property to pursue this option with Disney transportation at your service. At the end of the day, taxis are generally waiting to pick up guests who need them so there’s rarely a need to call ahead for one.

6. …Or Link Up With Bus Service

If you insist on taking Orlando public transportation to the Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to catch or transfer to Lynx Route #50, which includes stops at Disney Springs and the Ticket and Transportation Center. What you save in money however, you’ll undoubtedly lose in time. And make sure you know when that last bus leaves the Ticket and Transportation Center, because it may be before the park closes!

5. You Can Drive Your Own…

Whether you’re staying on Disney property or off site, driving your own vehicle to the theme parks offers a lot of advantages. While there is a daily parking fee for guests staying off property, you can head to the park of your choice as early as you like, you don’t have to compete with other guests for a seat on a bus, and you can load all of your children, strollers, and souvenirs at your own pace with no one glaring at you. At Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the parking lots are often easy walking distance to the turnstiles, or at least just a short tram ride away.

4. …Or You Can Leave It At Home

For guests staying on Disney property, the exception to driving your own car to the parks is Magic Kingdom. Parking in the Magic Kingdom parking lot is going to leave you a tram ride or a bit of a hike away from the Ticket and Transportation Center, plus another ride across or around the Seven Seas Lagoon on a monorail or a ferry boat to the park itself. Guests staying on Disney property have the option of taking the resort buses to the Magic Kingdom, and it is the best choice by far. The Disney buses will drop you off just a short walk from the park gates, eliminating the trek from the Magic Kingdom parking lot and saving you a lot of travel time.

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3. It Really Floats Your Boat

The Disney Watercraft department stands ready and able to take you from your resort on Bay Lake or the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. You will probably never find a more relaxing way to travel to the Magic Kingdom than when you travel over the water. Cruisers that can hold up to 120 people travel from Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground to the Magic Kingdom. Electric scooters and wheelchairs are typically permitted on board. Motor Launches serving the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts can hold up to 39 people but passengers must be able to transfer from wheelchairs and strollers and fold them up in order to ride. Motorized scooters are not permitted on the launches. And of course, the aforementioned ferry boats can carry up to 600 passengers at a time from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom.

2. It Can Beam You to the Park

For guests staying at the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian resorts, the resort monorail is an iconic way to travel to the Magic Kingdom that is part transportation and part attraction. The resort monorail begins operating well before park opening so that guests can make it to breakfast dining reservations and closes well after park closing to ensure that you make it back to your room to get some rest before doing it all again the next day! The express monorail runs from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the park, and the Epcot monorail brings guests from that park to the Ticket and Transportation Center for easy access to the Magic Kingdom without having to drive. But remember, please stand clear of the doors!

1. It Can Bus a Move

The real workhorse of the Disney World Resort, Disney buses service all of the theme parks, water parks, resort hotels, and Disney Springs. Every Disney resort except those on the resort monorail line offers bus service to the Magic Kingdom. Guests coming from Disney Springs are brought to the Ticket and Transportation Center to transfer to a monorail or ferry to the park, but guests coming from Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be dropped off a short walk from the Magic Kingdom turnstiles. That really helps when it comes to getting your money’s worth out of your park hopper tickets!

Disney World Resort makes it easy to get to the Magic Kingdom, the crown jewel of their theme parks. They can also help you out once you’re inside. Which mode of Disney transportation is your favorite?

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