Boats to MK

[Tromba]

I've looked all over the internet and all through "The Unofficial Guide to WDW", and nowhere can I find a discussion of boat schedules. I have found lots of info on typical bus schedules and route timings around the World but very little about boats.

Two years ago, we were trying to get to the MK well before the scheduled opening time (following the advice in "The Unofficial Guide", which BTW works like a charm), and found that the boats were not running early enough. We were lucky to be able to find another boat which happened to be going to the Contemporary, and then we monorailed to MK.

My question then is, does anyone have a clue as to what a typical boat schedule would be like during the week before Christmas (specifically Dec. 23 & 24)? How early would we be able to get to the MK by boat? Also, is there regularly scheduled boat service to the Contemporary or GF or Poly, from which we could then get to the MK early enough?

Thanks for any help on this matter, Art

 

[welovemickey]

While we were there in December, the boats started running about 40 minutes before opening.

We always tried to get on the first ferry across in order to be at the gates at opening.

 

[lindabatt]

I'd like to know too.....may call the wilderness. we're leaving 10-6 and have breakfast at Crystal Palace booked for 8:25 on aTuesday 10-7, it doesn't sound like an early enough time for the boat.

 

[lentesta]

Hi Tromba,

I called the Wilderness Lodge to check the boat schedule. I was told the schedule has been changed recently. The new boat schedule is:

First departure from the WL: 30 minutes before Magic Kingdom opens.

Last Departure from MK: 45 minutes after park closing.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Len Testa

 

[campingcorgi]

Originally posted by lindabatt
have breakfast at Crystal Palace booked for 8:25 on aTuesday 10-7

We are booked that day for breakfast too!(at 10:00) and I'm getting so excited!!!!

 

[Tromba]

Hi lentesta,

Thanks for your reply to my original post. You guys do a great job with "The Unofficial Guide". Used it for the first time on our last trip two years ago, and it worked so well that we will NEVER go back without it. I just hesitate to praise it too highly on these forums, because I don't want everybody to find out how great this works; it might muck up the system!

So do you see this as a problem in using the Unofficial Guide touring plans? How do you get to the MK from Fort Wilderness an hour before the gates open when the first boat doesn't run until 30 minutes before park opening? Maybe this is something you could address in future editions of the "Guide". I wonder if this problem surfaces in other resorts around the world, or if it is a problem just in this one situation? To go to other parks from FW, we will simply take our car, but to get to MK, the boat is certainly the most logical. I can't imagine driving to the T&T and then taking monorail or ferry to the MK, when the boat ride is only 15 minutes or so.

Anyway, thanks again for the help, Art

 

[lentesta]

Hi Art,

Thanks very much for reading the Guide.

For the week before Christmas, I think you'd be okay getting to the Magic Kingdom 20 minutes before the parks open. That assumes a 10-minute boat ride. You'll still be among the first guests into the park. I wouldn't sweat it that much.

Two other things (all times are approximate):

1) The Guide says there's bus service from FW to the TTC, where presumably you could show your resort ID and hop on the resort monorail. The question would be whether you're better off in doing so. On average, if your first bus comes at 8 a.m., and assuming a 10-minute ride to the TTC and 11-minute monorail ride (clockwise from the TTC through the Poly and the GF), you'd end up at the Magic Kingdom entrance sometime around 8:25 a.m. So on average, you're better taking the bus than the boat.

In the worst-case scenario, you'd just miss the first bus and have to wait 20 minutes for the next, plus the 10-minute ride to the TTC. Assume also that you just miss the monorail, and have to endure another 19-minute wait, plus an 11-minute ride. That'd put you at the Magic Kingdom right at 9 a.m.

If getting to the entrance early is important to me (and it is, Art. It is.), I'd be at the bus stop a little before 8 a.m. and try my luck with the monorail.

2) I stayed in one of the FW cabins a while back, and really liked it. It's got more of a sense of community than most resorts, and the pace is a little slower. The cabins are a decent value for sleeping a lot of people, too.

Thanks again for reading the Guide. Let me know if there's anything else we can help with.

Sincerely,

Len

 

[lindabatt]

Originally posted by campingcorgi
We are booked that day for breakfast too!(at 10:00) and I'm getting so excited!!!!

cool!! you replied to my other question about the golf carts.....thanks........have you stayed in the cabins before??do you know what loop you are in?what day are you getting there?from where? i'm getting soo excited!! from RI

 

[campingcorgi]

Originally posted by lindabatt
have you stayed in the cabins before??do you know what loop you are in?what day are you getting there?from where?

Yes, we have stayed in the old homes and the newer cabins and loved it! Just hated leaving the dog behind!! Now we have moved up to a Class C motorhome (I tell you, that FW disease is easy to catch!) and we will hopefully be in the 1700 loop. We are leaving Sunday 10/5 and checking in Monday 10/6 driving from just east of Nashville. Staying till Wednesday 10/15 (unless we add an extra day....)

Hopefully we'll see you there--our campsite will be decorated (oh, yeah, we do it up well!) and I have a Corgi On Guard sign with a lime green ribbon on it. Say hi (anybody!) if you see us!

 

[kilroys]

We were there 2 weeks ago and had and ps and crt at 8:55am. We were not sure that the boat would get us there in time ( it sometime dock at WL before going to MK). We caught the orange bus in FW which will go on to WL then TTC. We planed to catch the monorail to MK but the drive ask where we were going and took us to the MK before he went to the TCC. We got to CRT at 8:15 (started form FW at 8:00) and they took us on in. We ate and were out before our orginal seating time.

Good Luck
Charles

 

[jann1033]

sorry I am confused about this.....we hopefully will have a ps for CP on 1/14 at 8:00.... can't we just take a bus from Fw to MK since the boat wouldn't be running yet....also how long does the boat stay at WL ( in other words how long is the whole trip from FW to MK)

Thanks

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Originally posted by jann1033
sorry I am confused about this.....we hopefully will have a ps for CP on 1/14 at 8:00.... can't we just take a bus from Fw to MK since the boat wouldn't be running yet....also how long does the boat stay at WL ( in other words how long is the whole trip from FW to MK)

Thanks

The buses don't run directly to MK ... they run to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC), where you can hop the monorail or catch (I think) the ferry to MK.

When we were in FW in August the boats started running 1/2 hour before MK opened ... the stop at WL is just long enough to load the people waiting. We arrived just before the park opened each morning ... as the opening "show" was ending.