Can you help me understand parking?

[tinkpower]

We've been to WDW a couple of times and just used Disney Transportation. However this time we will be traveling with our 8 month old and my disabled Mom, this means we will have a stroller and Mom doesn't have a wheel chair but she has a difficult time walking distances. We are trying to decide if we rent a car or stick with Disney transportation. We have a handicap parking permit but I'm not sure this is going to help us out, it doesn't look like we can get anywhere near the Magic Kingdom entrance. Is it possible for my husband to drop us near and he do the walking?? It looks like it's more reasonable at the other parks though. We are staying at the CB resort and I'm thinking a car might be nice in the mornings instead of a bus but if we have to walk a long ways at night after leaving the parks to get to our car I'm not sure we are helping ourselves. Please share your thoughts and opinions.

 

[MsLisaG]

The other parks are a more reasonable distance to the parking lot, but at MK the only choice is to park at the transportation and ticket center and take a ferry or the monorail to the entrance. Depending on how far your mom can walk, it can be a bit of a trek back to the car at night after all the walking during the day. At the least, I would take the disney buses to MK.

 

[tinkpower]

Also...I thought I read somewhere that at MK the CBR bus stop is the farthest out. Is this correct?

 

[dansdad]

Also...I thought I read somewhere that at MK the CBR bus stop is the farthest out. Is this correct?

With the new configuration, yes it is.

 

[aubriee]

If your mom has difficulty walking long distance, please consider renting her a wheelchair or ECV from an offsite vendor. My 80 y/o mom uses just a cane (or sometimes her walker) at home, but there is no way she could possibly do WDW without an ECV. She resisted the first trip, but since then would never consider a trip without renting one. We always rent the three wheeled go go elite from Apple Scooters. It's very easy to take apart and fits easily into the trunk of the rental car. It would give her so much more freedom and she wouldn't be exhausted after a day of walking in the parks.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

at MK there is no tram from the handicapped parking and it is a walk from parking to the boat or monorail. plus we have never found a parking lot wheelchair to use there. I second the wheelchair rental from off site if renting. I would look at busing to MK even with a stroller and wheelchair.

 

[seashoreCM]

If your wheelchair (which you bring) is foldable then you may take it aboard the tram. The parking lot attendants often use the colored patch at the tram end of each row as a handicapped space, or they may allow you to commence a new row at the tram end before the official time comes, and then take the tram.

 

[richmo]

As far as I know, you can't drive to MK and do a drop off there.

However, you could do a drop off at the TTC, then go park, so she could at least avoid the tram. Its a little convoluted, but the way you do that is go thru the MK parking gate, stay to the right and go down the road leading to the resorts (WL, Poly, etc.). You'll make a left at a light and just before you get to the Poly, there will be a guest drop off area. You can pull in, get out whatever equipment she needs and have her wait. Then you head back out and go as if you're leaving MK. Near the Hess station, there's a loop back to MK on your left. Its just before you get back to the parking gate, so you will not need to go thru the gate again. Then you just follow signs to MK parking and do the tram/walk yourself.

It's a little trickier if you do this in reverse (to leave MK). Reason is from the loop back I mentioned, it would be very difficult or impossible to get over to the right to head to the guest drop off/resort area. What you'd have to do is take a second loop back that is beyond the parking gate. This time you'd have to go thru the parking gate (you won't have to pay since you'd have your parking ticket), stay to the right and do the pickup.

 

[zabache]

In August my husband rented an ECV that disassembled into 3 parts. Very convenient. We drove to all of the parks except for MK since the parking area is so far away. We took our resort bus. They are able to accommodate the ECV. At the other parks we got there early and parked in the handicapped ares which are fairly close to the entrances. HTH

 

[rwdavis2]

Mom doesn't have a wheel chair but she has a difficult time walking distances.

With a handicap tag you can park literally across the street from the entrance to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and very close at AK. Assuming you get there early. Everyone else has covered MK parking.

Mom will need a wheelchair. Not doubt about it. The average walking distance per day in some of the parks can 5-10 miles.

 

[leebee]

You can do drop off at the TTC for MK or at the very front of the parking lot for the other three parks. We've done it half-a-dozen times with my sister. Just tell them you are traveling with someone on crutches/wheelchair. We usually drop Dsis and one other person, then go park the car and the rest of us ride in on the parking lot tram. Maybe we've just been lucky every time, but that's worked for us.