Taking A Rideshare To Magic Kingdom: What You NEED To Know
For many people visiting Walt Disney World, rideshare services [like Lyft and Uber] are a go-to option for getting where they need to go when they are short on time. Rather than dealing with the Walt Disney World Transportation System, which can sometimes be a clunky and time consuming way to get around, some guests prefer taking a rideshare straight to their destination. While in most cases [under normal circumstances] this can be a way to save time, there is a notable exception to this rule. . . . . taking a rideshare to Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Unlike other theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, taking a Lyft or Uber to Disney’s Magic Kingdom will not mean being dropped off nearby the park entrance. Instead, you’ll find yourself arriving at a place known as the Ticket & Transportation Center. Once at the Ticket & Transportation Center [or TTC] you’ll then need to go through security and board a secondary form of transportation that will take you to the park entrance for Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
If you’re not already familiar with the fact that you’ll be arriving via rideshare at the TTC, rather than at the park entrance for Magic Kingdom, it can be quite the shock to step out of the car and find yourself in what effectively looks like a bus depot. . . . but don’t worry! You have arrived in the right place and you will get where you need to go. Moving away from the parking lot and towards the ticket booths, you’ll find yourself going through security and then entering an open area where you have 2 modes of transportation to choose from; monorail or ferryboat.
The first option that will present itself to you, as it will be immediately in front of you, is the WDW Monorail. If you choose to take the monorail there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, there are 2 separate options when making your way to Disney’s Magic Kingdom: The Resort Line & The Express. The Resort Line is the most time consuming route to take. This monorail will travel along a large loop and stop at each of the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels that have monorail access. The Express Line is going to be a direct route between the TTC and Disney’s Magic Kingdom. This is going to be your best monorail option if you’re wanting to go straight to Disney’s Magic Kingdom with minimal stops along the way.
The second option for getting to Disney’s Magic Kingdom from the TTC is taking the ferryboat. Located through security and off to the left, the ferryboat is a great option for getting directly from the TTC to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. It’s easy to board, offers lots of space to move around and is open air [which means that face coverings are not required. . . at this time]. The ferryboat is also fairly straightforward, as there is only one route option to take.
Of course, whenever multiple options present themselves, there’s always a question of speed and efficiency. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily as straightforward as saying one is better than the other. There are a number of factors that can contribute to which option is going to be faster on any given day for any given family. While there are going to be days when the lines are minimal and you arrive at just the right time that the monorail is faster than the ferryboat, the opposite can easily be true.
So what is it you should do if you’re trying to get to Disney’s Magic Kingdom and you’re short on time?
While we’re always going to recommend that you allow for plenty of time to get where you’re going [usually about 60 minutes], we know that sometimes things happen. If you find yourself in a pinch and a rideshare is your best [or only] option, we recommend taking the rideshare to Disney’s Contemporary rather than Disney’s Magic Kingdom. From Disney’s Contemporary, you can then walk to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in about 10 to 15 minutes. Again, this won’t be the right solution for everyone, but it is an option to consider if you’re really trying to beat the clock.