The Ultimate Guide to Magic Kingdom Transportation

When Walt Disney World first opened in 1971, the Magic Kingdom theme park was the centerpiece of the resort, and all of the complex’s transportation apparatus was built around the park.

In the 5+ decades since, despite the gargantuan expansion of WDW, the Magic Kingdom has remained the crown jewel of the property, and has gained numerous transportation options over the decades.

In fact, there are so many options that it can be a bit overwhelming. Fear not however, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to Magic Kingdom transportation, breaking down everything you need to know about the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Walt Disney World Monorail, ride share options (including Uber, Lyft, and Disney’s own Minnie Van service), parking lots, and even walking paths. So buckle up and enjoy the ride…

The Transportation and Ticket Center at Magic Kingdom

The best place to start when discussing Magic Kingdom transportation isn’t the park at all. Rather, it’s the complex outside the park known as the Transportation and Ticket Center. Originally envisioned as a way for the Magic Kingdom to not be surrounded by an unsightly parking lot, the TTC currently (Ironically, given the name, the TTC’s ticket booths currently sit unused) serves as a hub for the Magic Kingdom parking lot, and numerous forms of Walt Disney World transportation. These include:

How to Take a Boat to Magic Kingdom

The TTC features a dock for ferries and other watercraft that can transport those guests who’ve chosen to drive to the Magic Kingdom on a scenic cruise across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the theme park’s entrance plaza.

How to Take the Walt Disney World Monorail to Magic Kingdom

The TTC serves as the main transit hub for the Walt Disney World Monorail.

Three lines service the complex:

• The Express Line, which travels directly to and from the Magic Kingdom without stopping anywhere else on the line.
• The Resort Line, which stops at the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian resorts, providing one of the major benefits os staying at one of these Deluxe resorts, as well as the Magic Kingdom park itself.
• The EPCOT Line, which — as the name implies — makes round trips from the TTC to EPCOT.

A bit of Monorail History: When the Walt Disney World Resort first opened in 1971, the Monorail was presented as the main method of transportation in Walt Disney World, in-line with Walt Disney’s initial vision for the “Florida Project” / Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, which evolved into the Walt Disney World we know today after Walt’s passing.

However, outside of the line extension built for EPCOT’s 1982 opening, the monorail system hasn’t seen any new construction since the complex opened, despite the large amount of expansion in the decades since. At various times, plans for extensions to areas including the area now known as Disney Springs have been considered, but remain unbuilt.

Parking Lots and Trams

The TTC is the site of the parking lot used for the Magic Kingdom, which is split into numerous sections named after Disney characters (currently Woody, Simba, Mulan, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Rapunzel, Jafar, Hook, Ursula, Zurg, Scar, and Cruella, as well as a Handicapped-Accessible lot). With so many lots and spaces, it’s a necessity for the TTC to provide parking trams to shuttle guests from their lots to the transportation hub complex.

How to Take a Shuttle from a Non-Disney Resort to Magic Kingdom

The Transportation and Ticket Center is the pickup and drop point for shuttle buses bringing in Magic Kingdom guests from off-property, non-Disney hotels in the Orlando area.

How to Take a Taxi, Uber, or Lyft to the Magic Kingdom

The TTC also serves as the pickup and drop point for those coming to the Magic Kingdom using taxis as well as ride share vehicles like Uber and Lyft. There is one type of ride share that bypasses the TTC, but we’ll get to that.

Currently, there are no Disney bus lines regularly servicing the Transportation and Ticket Center. In previous years, buses to certain Disney resorts, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs (FKA Downtown Disney) ran out of the TTC.

Magic Kingdom Front Gate

When guests are leaving the Magic Kingdom, there are numerous transportation options just outside the park’s front gate, providing direct and indirect access to the rest of Walt Disney World’s resort hotels and theme parks. These transportation methods include:

Can You Take a Boat From Your Hotel to Magic Kingdom?

In addition to the aforementioned ferry boat that runs guests between the park and the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Magic Kingdom also features docks for resort watercraft that transport guests to the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian Resort, Wilderness Lodge Resort, and Fort Wilderness Campground.

The Magic Kingdom Monorail Station

The Magic Kingdom Monorail Station features direct service to the Transportation and Ticket Center — with the ability to transfer to the EPCOT Line — as well as service to the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian.

How to Take a Bus to Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney World Resort Bus Loop sits just outside the theme park’s gates, and feature bus service to all of the Walt Disney World resorts not on the Seven Seas Lagoon, as well as the Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom theme parks. Prior to the completion of the Magic Kingdom’s third bus loop, some of these buses were only available at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

How to Take a Minnie Van to Magic Kingdom

We told you we’d get back to ride share service. As previously mentioned, Uber and Lyft have their pickup and drop-off zones at the Transportation and Ticket Center. However, Disney’s in-house ride share service Minnie Van has its pickup and drop-off point just outside the park’s aforementioned bus loop. This gives Minnie Van a distinct convenience advantage over Uber and Lyft for guests using ride share to go to and from the Magic Kingdom.

How to Walk to Magic Kingdom

For guests looking to stretch their legs a bit, there’s a walkway that encircles the Seven Seas Lagoon, which allows guests to walk from. The Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary, Transportation and Ticket Center, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian.

Has this Ultimate Guide to Magic Kingdom Transportation helped you in planning your next visit to the park? Are there any questions you have that we’ve left unanswered? Let us know in the comments below. And check out this guide for how to get to the Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

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