Getting to Wilderness Lodge from Epcot...

[PixieMama]

Not sure this is even feasible, but I had this idea and wondered if anyone has done so...

We will be at WDW in October and have plans to eat dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe one night during our stay. We will be at Epcot that day, and have plans to go back to the park after dinner.

Would it be worth taking the monorail and then the ferry to get to Wilderness Lodge? I know we would have to take the monorail to the TTC to switch lines to the one that goes to Magic Kingdom. So I'm not sure if this would be worth the hassle, and I am sure just taking the resort bus from Epcot to the WL would be faster. But I thought the monorail and ferry would be something fun the kids would enjoy. We would just take the resort bus back to Epcot once dinner is over.

Has anyone done this? What are your thoughts? How much time would it take to get on the monorail from Epcot, arrive at TTC and switch to the MK monorail, then take the ferry to Wilderness Lodge? Would it be better just to take the bus over to the resort?

Any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Jestocost]

It's definitely feasible and if time is not a significant concern I would prefer that route to the bus.

FWIW, don't follow the signs for the "Ferry" at the MK if you want to get to WL. The Ferry is the large boat that shuttles back and forth between the MK and the TTC. The WL boats are, I believe, known as Resort Launches.

 

[skelooch]

Why not just take the bus from EPCOT to WL, might be a little quicker.
You could also take the resort monorail from TTC and get off at CR and take the boat from there.
Still think the bus would be faster.

 

[PixieMama]

"resort launches"... got it! Thanks!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Why not just take the bus from EPCOT to WL, might be a little quicker.

I agree with that suggestion.

 

[PixieMama]

Why not just take the bus from EPCOT to WL, might be a little quicker.
You could also take the resort monorail from TTC and get off at CR and take the boat from there.
Still think the bus would be faster.

Yes, I do think the bus would be faster, too.

It's just that we are staying on-site and will be riding the buses so much...

The idea of taking the monorail and then boat to the WL was just something I thought the kids in our party would enjoy. There aren't any other times where we would need to (or get the opportunity to) ride the monorail.

Since the day we would do this would be our 2nd day of Epcot, and since we are planning on going back to the park after dinner... time isn't any concern. Well, not really anyway! I don't want it to take an hour just to get to dinner, LOL! That's why I was hoping someone has done this and could tell me how long it took, or if it would be too much of a hassle to do...

 

[piperdown]

FYI...When we were there in July, the resort launch for WL is directly across from the railroad station. Straight ahead as you're exiting MK. The right side is for Fort Wilderness, and the left side is for Wilderness Lodge.

 

[PixieMama]

FYI...When we were there in July, the resort launch for WL is directly across from the railroad station. Straight ahead as you're exiting MK. The right side is for Fort Wilderness, and the left side is for Wilderness Lodge.

Great info! Thanks!


And... I don't know why I didn't think of this before...

but maybe we'll take the resort bus to WL... and then take the boat/monorail back to Epcot. This way we won't have to worry about being late for our dinner ADR! LOL, it didn't even occur to me to do it that way!

 

[keishashadow]

Great info! Thanks!


And... I don't know why I didn't think of this before...

but maybe we'll take the resort bus to WL... and then take the boat/monorail back to Epcot. This way we won't have to worry about being late for our dinner ADR! LOL, it didn't even occur to me to do it that way!

good idea, but don't forget it gets dark earlier in the fall, not sure if you prefer daylight sightseeing or the lights @ night.

remote, but sometimes when weather is bad -lightening the boats don't run, just be prepared

also, to avoid cutting it too close, make sure to be @ the Epcot bus stop for WL at least 1 to 1-1/2 hours prior (many are probably rolling their eyes lol, im just the type that doesn't like to stress about being late, especially for an ADR)you can wait a good 20 minutes for a bus There's plenty to see @ WL if you get there early, enjoy the lobby & the grounds, don't miss old faithful.

 

[PixieMama]

good idea, but don't forget it gets dark earlier in the fall, not sure if you prefer daylight sightseeing or the lights @ night.

remote, but sometimes when weather is bad -lightening the boats don't run, just be prepared

also, to avoid cutting it too close, make sure to be @ the Epcot bus stop for WL at least 1 to 1-1/2 hours prior (many are probably rolling their eyes lol, im just the type that doesn't like to stress about being late, especially for an ADR)you can wait a good 20 minutes for a bus There's plenty to see @ WL if you get there early, enjoy the lobby & the grounds, don't miss old faithful.

Oh, yeah... getting dark earlier is something to think about. Hmmmm....

And you're right... if we happen to get to the WL really early for our ADR, I'm sure we'd have a great time exploring the resort to pass the time!

 

[kaytieeldr]

PixieMama, your idea actually sounds very reasaonable, especially since the boats and monorail are more predictable than the buses. Absolute worst case? The boats won't be running due to lightning and you'll have to walk past the docks to... the MK bus area, where you'll board the WL-bound bus.

But, yes: Epcot > monorail > TTC > monorail > MK > launch > WL; return: WL > bus > Epcot

 

[PixieMama]

PixieMama, your idea actually sounds very reasaonable, especially since the boats and monorail are more predictable than the buses. Absolute worst case? The boats won't be running due to lightning and you'll have to walk past the docks to... the MK bus area, where you'll board the WL-bound bus.

But, yes: Epcot > monorail > TTC > monorail > MK > launch > WL; return: WL > bus > Epcot

Thanks, kaytieeldr! Do you have any idea as to how long it might take to do Epcot > monorail > TTC > monorail > MK > launch > WL ??? Our ADR for Whispering Canyon is 6:30. If we decide to take this route to get to the WL, I'm thinking we should leave the park no later than 5. Surely it won't take longer than an hour to get there via monorail/boat... right???

 

[fla4fun]

Buses and boats typically run about every 20 minutes. The monorail runs about every 10-15 minutes, depending on the route.

If you want to take the monorail from Epcot, you may wait 15 minutes for a monorail if you just missed one. It's about 7 minutes to ride to TTC. When you get to TTC, take the express monorail to MK, not the resort monorail. You may have to wait 10 minutes for the monorail here, but you won't have to wait through stops at Poly and GF. The ride is very quick - maybe 5 minutes. Exit the monorail and go to the launch dock. You may have to wait 20 minutes for the launch. Then it's about 10-15 minutes from MK to WL - this time can vary a lot depending on whether the boat has to stop anywhere along the way for traffic to clear (mainly for the ferry boat or clearance on the water bridge near CR). These times are estimated based on my personal experiences.

Let's add that up: 15 + 7 + 10 + 5 +20 + 15 = 72 minutes, not counting walking time from one transportation mode to another, since I don't know how fast you walk.

So you can see why they say to allow an hour and a half minimum to get from one area to another. Best case scenario will probably be about 45 minutes, but if you find yourself just missing every connection, it can take a lot longer. And my luck has always been that if I have to be somewhere at a certain time, I'll miss every connection by just a few seconds.

 

[PixieMama]

Buses and boats typically run about every 20 minutes. The monorail runs about every 10-15 minutes, depending on the route.

If you want to take the monorail from Epcot, you may wait 15 minutes for a monorail if you just missed one. It's about 7 minutes to ride to TTC. When you get to TTC, take the express monorail to MK, not the resort monorail. You may have to wait 10 minutes for the monorail here, but you won't have to wait through stops at Poly and GF. The ride is very quick - maybe 5 minutes. Exit the monorail and go to the launch dock. You may have to wait 20 minutes for the launch. Then it's about 10-15 minutes from MK to WL - this time can vary a lot depending on whether the boat has to stop anywhere along the way for traffic to clear (mainly for the ferry boat or clearance on the water bridge near CR). These times are estimated based on my personal experiences.

Let's add that up: 15 + 7 + 10 + 5 +20 + 15 = 72 minutes, not counting walking time from one transportation mode to another, since I don't know how fast you walk.

So you can see why they say to allow an hour and a half minimum to get from one area to another. Best case scenario will probably be about 45 minutes, but if you find yourself just missing every connection, it can take a lot longer. And my luck has always been that if I have to be somewhere at a certain time, I'll miss every connection by just a few seconds.

Thank you thank you thank you, fla4fun! You are awesome!

This info is so appreciated and helpful. Now I guess we'll have to decide if we want to try taking the monorail/boat TO the WL or if we should wait and take it BACK to Epcot.

Decisions, decisions...