ferry boat from Wilderness Lodge to MK

[kellygreenjenny]

DH, DD and I will be staying at WL for our first family trip in April. DD will be about 10 months old. Previously, DH and I have stayed at CB and POR, so I don't have much experience with the ferry boats. We did take a boat from WL over to FW for HDDR on one trip, but children weren't on our minds at the time and I didn't notice the safety requirements - I do remember that it was a small boat with open bench seats and it seemed to sit kind of low to the water. Is there a minimum age for using the ferry boats? can you take a stroller onboard and store it somewhere? Also, I assume they have life jackets on board just in case, do children wear them when on the boat? Also, how is the experience overall with small children? I've seen some posts that the boat from WL to MK can be really crowded and take a while. Wondering if we should plan on taking the bus instead?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

My kids were older when we stayed there, like 10 & 13, so I didn't pay much attention to life jackets. I can't speak for FL but in NJ, boaters must have a life jacket for every person onboard a boat and we're subject to Coast Guard inspection to verify if they chose to. I'd like to think Disney would have similar standards in place (they certainly do on DCL).
The boat was as you describe, not a huge ferry but big enough to get all the hotel guests to MK. IIRC, the boat stops at FW before it gets to WL so there may be guests already onboard. I don't recall any strollers but I can't imagine they wouldn't allow guests to fold up a stroller and carry it on.

It's really one of our favorite WDW resorts: the theming, the lobby, the compactness of it, and its proximity to MK are all a thumbs up for us. After our WL stay we tried Poly and all of our family still prefers WL.

Have a great trip!

 

[msb578]

Strollers will need to be folded up.

Life jackets are not worn, but they are certainly there for an emergency! Rescue services are located at Fort Wilderness and can be anywhere on the two lakes very quickly.

I have 3 children (5,2,2). Holding hands is definitely a good idea for little ones. But the boats don't make me nervous at all. I also find them to be very efficient.

 

[purple figment]

We've taken 2 different sized boats between WL and the MK. It seems like they sometimes alternate between the smaller and larger boats. You could probably ask if the next boat will be the larger one.

The a smaller one sounds like the one you're describing. I remeber the Captain asked that small children be seated on the inside of the bench rather than next to the edge of the boat and that everyone remain seated. There were life jackets under the bench seats, but we've never seen them being used or anyone asking to wear one. I imagine you can ask for one if it makes you more comfortable. Strollers have to be folded. If it is windy and the water is choppy the boats will not run.

We like the boat ride between WL and MK and all the children we've seen also seem to enjoy it. However, if taking the boat with a small child worries you, there is also the bus and the bus stop at the MK is almost as convenient as the boat dock.