Boat schedule and other ??'s

[Shannone1]

I'm sorry for all the questions....I'm a first timer and scrolled through the other posts but couldn't find one addressing boat questions. TIA

1-Does anyone have a link, or know how often the boats between FW/WL and The MK run ?? Are their usually long lines for the boat (I've been reading stories about the buses and the waits for them and wondering if the boats are just as bad).

2- Is the boat a one way route only (ex-if you want to leave the WL and come back to FW do you have to go all the way to the MK first). Is it a one way route or are their different boats for different destinations ??

3- How long does it take to get to the MK from FW ??

4- Will they give us a schedule when we check in so we know what time the last boat leaves the MK ?? The day we are going over there we plan on staying until closing and I want to make sure we aren't trying to run for the last boat !!

 

[clkelley]

I don't know if there is a schedule, but there are two sets of boats that run at Ft. Wilderness.

There are the larger boats that run between Ft. Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge and the Magic Kingdom. During peak times when folks are going both directions, there are two boats that run in opposite circles, so it is a direct run either direction. The last boat usually leaves MK about an hour after park closing. At park closing both boats may be going in the same direction. The first boat in the morning runs about 30 minutes before MK opens.

There are also smaller boats that run between Ft. Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, and the Contemporary, these too have two boats that run in opposite directions. The first boat in the morning to the Contemporary is about 6:45 am. Not sure when the last boat in the evening is.

I hope this helps.

 

[Kanda]

Thanks for asking this, as I too have concerns about making the boat. We have ADR's for 8:05 at Crystal Palace, I was told to allow 45 minutes for travel time, but if the boat only runs 30 minutes before the park opens, how does that work? Will I have to take the earlier boat to the Contemporary, then take something else from there to MK?

 

[Livin'4Disney]

If you are going for Breakfast at the MK, you will want to get on the smaller boat to the Contemporary (they run about every 20mins.) Sometimes they start at 6:30 and sometimes 6:45am. I would get to the docks by 7am.
Then at the Contemporary you can either walk the short trail to the MK (about a 5 minute walk- walk through the Contemporary and go to the right when you leave the building on the other side) or you can go up to the 4th floor and hop on the Monorail to the MK (IMO the walk is quicker).
Then when you get to MK they will let the "breakfast reservation" people in early.

We always rode the Contemporary Boat in the mornings and the larger ferry boat in the evenings.

Have a great Time!

 

[bradisgoofy]

If you are going for Breakfast at the MK, you will want to get on the smaller boat to the Contemporary (they run about every 20mins.) Sometimes they start at 6:30 and sometimes 6:45am. I would get to the docks by 7am.
Then at the Contemporary you can either walk the short trail to the MK (about a 5 minute walk- walk through the Contemporary and go to the right when you leave the building on the other side) or you can go up to the 4th floor and hop on the Monorail to the MK (IMO the walk is quicker).
Then when you get to MK they will let the "breakfast reservation" people in early.

We always rode the Contemporary Boat in the mornings and the larger ferry boat in the evenings.

Have a great Time!

I'd be careful about using the Monorail. It goes the other way from the Contemporary to TS to Ploy to GF THEN to the Magic Kingdom. I have ridden it and been held up because of a problem with another train or with the tracks, etc. So either leave with plenty of extra time or walk from Contemporary.

 

[pooh4me]

WDW resorts have special "character breakfast" buses to pick up guests, ask at the desk when you check in.

 

[Kanda]

Thanks for the help. I'll put this on my list of things to check on when we check in.

 

[Brocktoon]

Thanks for asking this, as I too have concerns about making the boat. We have ADR's for 8:05 at Crystal Palace, I was told to allow 45 minutes for travel time, but if the boat only runs 30 minutes before the park opens, how does that work? Will I have to take the earlier boat to the Contemporary, then take something else from there to MK?

As previously mentioned, you should have no problem catching the 6:45 AM boat over to the Comtemporary and getting to MK from there.

We had a to be at EPCOT for a Segway tour by 8:00 AM last Oct, and things got a little tricky. There is supposed to be a character breakfast bus that you can take and CMs at FW and EPCOT said it should not be a problem. Well, the breakfast bus was a no show that morning. As time went on, we dropped by the FW front desk and mentioned our situation of the missing bus. The CMs were great and brought over a van. In a few minutes we had our own private shuttle straight to EPCOT ... how sweet was that!

Kinda shows that if you stay calm and polite at all times, the favor is usually returned.

 

[jmkms]

WDW resorts have special "character breakfast" buses to pick up guests, ask at the desk when you check in.

I wouldn't trust what they tell you though. We verified twice that a bus would be at the Outpost @ 7 AM for Animal Kingdom. We walked the whole way to the front from Loop 700 (orange bus passed us and never stopped). We were at the Outpost by 6:50 and waited until 7:10 before my hubby went over to the front office. Luckily, there was a driver for one of the vans there who said he would take us over. Otherwise, we would have missed our breakfast.

Make sure you have a back-up plan. Next time we'll take our tow vehicle just in case.