Getting to the Magic
Kingdom can be a less than magical experience, especially if you
are staying off property and want to arrive early, as I recommend.
The following tips will help you arrive with minimal frustration.
Once you’re there, follow the appropriate touring plan for
a hassle-free visit.
Getting to the entrance turnstiles if you are staying on property
Guests staying on Disney property have a major advantage over
those staying elsewhere because they can take Disney transport
directly from their hotels to the MK turnstiles. Grand Floridian
and Polynesian Resort guests can hop a resort monorail or a boat
(the boats are usually slower), while guests of the Contemporary
Resort can take a resort monorail or a special walkway to the
Magic Kingdom; the walk takes about 10 minutes. The other Disney
properties (except Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge) provide
bus service directly to the entrance turnstiles (See “Caution,”
below). Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge provide boat
service to the entrance turnstiles but bus service only to the
Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) across the Seven Seas Lagoon
from the MK. Ask at your hotel Guest Services how long it will
take you to get to the Magic Kingdom entrance.
Caution: Buses that arrive prior to one hour before
the park’s official 9:00 a.m. opening time will drop you
at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), where you will
be stuck waiting with all the off-property guests for the monorail
and ferry to begin running. Ask the bus driver where you will
be dropped before you board to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Getting to the entrance turnstiles if you are staying off property
You cannot go directly to the turnstiles, but will enter the MK
by way of the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), where the
parking lot is located. Once you’ve parked, you will hop
a shuttle to the boarding area for transport to the MK. Your choices
are the express monorail or the ferryboat. (Note that the ferries
don’t always operate in the afternoons during slower times
of the year.) The monorail is a few minutes faster (the trip takes
four to five minutes), but it often has a longer wait than the
ferry (which takes six to seven minutes). If the monorail entry
ramp is packed with people, take the ferry if it is in or approaching
the dock. Also take the ferry if a magical approach is more important
to you than a speedy one. Budget a total of 15 to 25 minutes for
your entire trip from parking lot to entrance turnstiles.
In the early morning hours when you’re striving to arrive
early, the ferries and express monorail from the TTC often do
not even begin to operate until 30 minutes before the official
opening time. That happens to be about when the Magic Kingdom
begins to admit guests at the entry turnstiles! Message: WDW clearly
favors its resort guests at times like these.
Insider tip #1: During slow seasons, guests staying
off property can sometimes gain the Disney resort-guest advantage.
Drive early to the Contemporary or another monorail resort and
tell the parking lot guard that you’re having breakfast at
the hotel. Then eat an early breakfast (especially if you haven’t
eaten already), leave your car in the lot, and walk (about 10
minutes from the Contemporary) or ride the hotel monorail (budget
20 to 25 minutes) to the MK entrance. If you decide to try this
strategy, be sure to make dining reservations before your arrival.
WDW hotel parking areas are gated to keep out non-guests. The
guard may check your name against the restaurant’s reservations
list before letting you in. Don’t be too disappointed if
you can’t get in. WDW employees (cast members), who are off
duty and visiting the Magic Kingdom, often park their cars in
a lot at the Contemporary Resort to the left of the guard gate
and close to the walkway to the Magic Kingdom. During busy periods,
the guard turns them away from this lot, presumably to keep it
clear for Contemporary Resort guest use.
Another option for off-property guests is the bus. Some public
and hotel shuttle buses make regular runs to the TTC during MK
operating hours.
Insider tip #2: If your admission ticket allows
you to switch from one WDW theme park to another without penalty
and you’d like to combine a morning visit to the Magic Kingdom
with an afternoon visit to Epcot, you have another transportation
option. Park your car in the morning at Epcot. Then take the Epcot
monorail to and from the MK via the TTC. Allow about 25 to 35
minutes one way. You’ll save yourself the considerable hassle
of having to retrieve your car from the MK parking lot and re-park
it at Epcot. And when you leave for the evening, your car will
probably be more conveniently located than it would have been
had you parked it in mid afternoon.
How early should
you arrive?
Whatever your mode of transport, plan to arrive early in the day,
preferably before opening time, so that you can experience the
major rides and attractions with minimal waits. If you are a Disney
property guest, plan to arrive at the entrance turnstiles about
35-40 minutes before the official opening time. If you’re
not staying on Disney property, plan to arrive at the Transportation
and Ticket Center 50 to 60 minutes before the official opening
time if you already have your admission tickets, and an hour or
more before the official opening time if you have to purchase
your tickets. If you follow this advice, you will be able to ride
at least two and possibly four or more popular attractions before
the lines become long. But don’t despair if you aren’t
an early riser; the touring plans below can be picked up any time
of the day. Just be aware that you will have to make some hard
choices about what to skip.
Note: If you are visiting on or near a major holiday, add 30 minutes
to each of the above times.
Entering the Magic Kingdom
At the MK entrance, monorail passengers usually head for the closest
turnstiles on the left side of the entrance plaza, while ferryboat
and bus riders head for the closest turnstiles on the right side.
Tip: If you’re in the middle or back of a mass
of disembarking monorail riders, check out the entrance turnstiles
on the right side of the entrance plaza. These gates may be relatively
uncrowded if the ferry or a bus hasn’t unloaded for a while.
If you’re disembarking with a mass of ferryboat or bus passengers,
check out the turnstiles on the left side. If a monorail hasn’t
unloaded for a while, these gates on the left side may be uncrowded.
Furthermore, if the morning lines are long at all entrance turnstiles,
line up in an outside queue. Sometimes an attendant will open
up a nearby turnstile at the last minute, and you may be positioned
to move with other excited guests to the new and shorter queue.
Have your admission ticket ready (plus your hotel room key for
Early Entry privileges). If you don’t have a park Guidemap
and Times Guide yet (they are available at the WDW hotels), pick
them up as soon as you can. Sometimes they are piled on the entry
turnstiles for entering guests. Frequently, a small Guidemap stand
is located inside the entrance turnstiles before or beneath the
arched walkways under the Main Street train station. Otherwise,
you can pick them up at City Hall to the left of Town Square or
at the counters of the stores and outside merchandise stands along
Main Street.
What you ride first will depend on your interests. I recommend
Dumbo the Flying Elephant for parties with preschoolers (although
older children may also place this ride high on their lists).
For others, I recommend Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. If
it’s a tie between Mountains, go to Space Mountain first.
Getting to the ‘Mountains’
Two fascinating rituals occur each morning at the Magic Kingdom
as visitors to the MK attempt to be first in line at two of the
park’s most popular rides, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.
When the park opens on non Early Entry days (usually 30 minutes
before the official opening time), or if you arrive near the official
opening time on any day, you’re admitted through the entrance
turnstiles and onto Main Street. The rest of the park is roped
off and will not admit guests until the official opening time.
Some otherwise sane folks gather at the rope at the end of Main
Street with impatient anticipation of that exhilarating first-of-the-morning
ride on Space Mountain. Others line up at the ropes to Adventureland
giddy with anticipation of the Splash Mountain experience. By
the time the overhead welcoming announcements are over and the
hapless Disney cast members begin to pull the ropes back, the
nervous excitement of the early morning crowd has reached a fever
pitch.
Now there’s no holding back. The stampede that ensues can
be unstoppable, despite Disney’s best intentions. Make no
mistake about it, these are no walks in the park. In fact, if
you are walking to either Mountain, prepare to get bumped and
jostled. Parents with strollers, beware! Wild-eyed and breathless
Mountain junkies of most ages (anyone who can jog or run) will
be hurtling by you. For the safety of everyone, parents with strollers
or those in wheelchairs should stay at the fringes of the frantic
rush. On a crowded day, inadvertent jostles and sometimes collisions
between people are not unusual. Folks may drop sunglasses or caps,
stop to retrieve them, and risk a rugby-style encounter from behind.
These morning races are?unique and memorable, and you can enjoy
them firsthand even if you just walk fast. However, don’t
overexert yourself in the excitement. You have a long fun day
ahead; don’t spoil it with an untimely injury or exhaustion.
Even if you are not among the first in line, you won’t have
a very long wait if you head to the Mountain of your choice first
thing.
Note: On Early Entry days, Splash Mountain will
be closed till the park’s official opening time and Space
Mountain may or may not be open.
Tip:
WDW periodically attempts to control these morning dashes. You
may be instructed to walk briskly behind a Disney cast member
to the Mountain entrances. If you encounter this method of crowd
control, follow instructions but be prepared to dash with other
excited guests when the entrance is in sight. Eve |
