confused about entrance to WDW

[2morrow]

O-kay this may seem to be a really silly question but here goes: I haven't been to WDW since 1982, so I know things have really chaged ALOT!! but I am looking at the Birnbaum's offical guide to WDW(2004) and in the parking section it tells you where to go to park and then it says you need to choose between a ferry or the monorail to travel to the magic kingdom has it always been that way? Because I don't remember doing that. So basically when you park your car(in handicap parking area) then you walk to an area to choose between a monorail or ferry!?! For some reason that really confuses my mind, Sorry this is silly!

 

[Michigan]

Unless you have your own wheelchair I wouldn't park in the handicap parking area because it is a long walk to the monorail or ferry. I would tell the parking CM that I needed to park at the end of an isle next to a tram pickup.

The best option is stay at a WDW resort and take their transportation and then it really doesn't matter because they drop you off at entrance.

 

[ColoradoBelle1]

In answer to the question of: has it always been that way:
Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World doesn't have parking right outside the park...the big parking lot is across the lake from the 'kingdom' itself and is called the 'ticket and transportation center'.

If you drive from offsite and want to go to the Magic Kingdom , you will be directed to this ticket and transportation center. Then you have the choice of taking the ferry or the monorail. I am not sure if there is also a bus from the ticket and transportation center.

If you are staying ON-SITE....you can take either the bus which drops you right near the gate entry to MK or the monorail (if you are at or park at a monorail resort.)

If you are staying at the Contemporary Resort, you can monorail or use the walkway to the MK entry...which would probably be long if your wheelchair isn't electric.

Hope this helps!
Colorado Belle

 

[Forevryoung]

My little one (ok shes not that little) will have her stroller or scooter depending on the day as well. We have handicapped tags because some of us are driving down. Is the handicapped parking any closer? Are we still going to have to take the ferry or monorail? Will the tram be able to accomodate her scooter or stroller? Carrying her will get very tiring very quickly and I am hoping to save my strength for the rides . Any tips because we are not staying onsite. Well, maybe one night we are because I am begging .
Thanks,
-K

 

[Michigan]

Foreveryoung it is a long walk from the handicap parking lot to the monorail or ferry at the Magic Kingdom. If you can lift your child or if they can walk and the stroller is foldable I would park in the regular lot and tell the parking lot CM that you need to park by a tram stop. That way you will be dropped of at the entrance to the monorail or ferry.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just agreeing with the others.
The parking at MK has always been across "Bay Lake" from the park, so you have always had to take either the monorail or boat from the parking lot to the park entrance. The handicapped parking is on the same side of the lake as the regular parking.
If you don't mind walking, you can park in the handicapped lot (that will be the only option for MK if you have a scooter. I'm assuming you mean one of the 3 or 4 wheeled scooters). The handicapped parking is closer than the regular parking, but you still will have a pretty long walk to get to the monorail or boat.

 

[Forevryoung]

Thanks, hopefully in the parks she will be using her 4 wheeled scooter so that she can go where she wants without the whiny "but i dont want to go in that direction" comment. She cant walk unless she is fully supported so it makes more sense to carry all 70lbs of her if she isn't in her stroller or scooter. I was wishing that the car would be a little close so that we could leave her stroller in the car and get it if we need it. She hasnt gotten this scooter yet so I dont know how wonderful it will really be. So much for trying the tram, I will be prepared for an extra long walk. Maybe Daddy can drop us off at the monorail or ferry and then go park the car sounds like a great idea to me!
-K

ps- what about at other parks?

 

[SueM in MN]

MK is the biggest problem.
At the other parks the handicapped parking is closer than the regular parking. The parking at Epcot and the Studio are fairly close. AK has a long walk where ever you park. For some reason, they set the parking and the bus areas off a long ways from the actual entrance.
But, as you mentioned, you could have her dad drop you and her off at the end of the parking lot closest to the actual park entrance and then park while you wait there for him.
My DD is about 84 pounds of either wigglyness or stiff-as-a-boardness, so she is very hard to get onto a tram. I would not try that with a child over 50 pounds.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

I hate the trams. We aim for the busses. Our DS is ambulatory but I am always worried he will want to jump off or I will drp something off the tram. Plus the MK is so much harder to get to than the other parks. I would even suggest trying to stay at the monorail or boat resorts just for the convienence.

 

[2morrow]

We will be driving to WDW from the GKTW village, so if we use the handicaped parking lot, is there a tram that comes along to pick up people? My ds uses a manual wheelcair that folds up really good, if their is no tram then my main problem is my dd who is 7, she tires so easily! Maybe will just have dh drop us off at the entrance also! Thanks for all the info and replies!!

 

[vhoffman]

We learned the hard way about handicapped parking at MK. The tram does NOT come into the handicapped area. They just assume you have your own wheels and you will somehow get in to the park. We parked in the handicapped lot and waited for almost 1/2 hour for the tram to come by and pick us up. Finally I asked a cm, who told me that the trams don't come in to the handicapped lot. He told me there were wheelchairs we could use "free of charge", but no one to assist us. I was alone with my two children that day. They certainly couldn't push me. It didn't look all that far, so we opted to walk. Big mistake! Its much farther away than it looks, and there's fairly steep up and down slope to navigate. By the time we got to MK I was shaking with exhaustion. Coming back my dh (who we met up with in the park) got a wheelchair to take me back to our car. The best way to access MK if you're driving is to park in the regular lot and wait for the tram. They provide transportation for non-handicapped people, but if you're disabled you're expected to bring your own or you're SOL! The best way to navigate the parks of you're disabled is to stay at one of the monorail resorts. Yes, its more expensive, but you don't have the transportation issues.

 

[roseprincess]

Hi Bobbi,
You probably should get a hold of your child's Wish granter or the Wish coordinator that's coordinating your WDW/MAW trip for your child. They probably would know the answer to your question. If not, they can call another local MAW office for you ( maybe the Chicago office) to get their answers.
Also, GKTW has an orientation to all the families the night of check-in at GKTW or the next morning. GKTW should be able to answer your questions plus I hear they give out maps to each park? My dd had her MAW/WDW trip last June, but we opted to stay at a deluxe resort so we can have access to the monorails to the parks. My dh and I have only been to WDW once before about 11 yrs. ago. We stayed off-site. I can't remember where we parked at MK back then. I think we took a bus from the parking lot to the front of MK.

Best wishes in getting the info you need and have a great trip!


Roseprincess

 

[SueM in MN]

We will be driving to WDW from the GKTW village, so if we use the handicaped parking lot, is there a tram that comes along to pick up people? My ds uses a manual wheelcair that folds up really good, if their is no tram then my main problem is my dd who is 7, she tires so easily! Maybe will just have dh drop us off at the entrance also! Thanks for all the info and replies!!

There is no tram service for any of the handicapped parking areas.
If your DD can step up to the tram and you have a folding wheelchair, at MK your shortest walk would be to park in the regular lot and use the tram.

To drop off, you can just drive to the front of the handicapped area nearest to the park turnstiles. Some of the parking areas actually have loading spots designated in that area.

 

[Forevryoung]

Sue,
Thanks for the tips. I will make sure we are dropped off at the entrance like proper princesses .
-K