Out of the loop

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hello all! For various reasons I have not been to WDW for a few years and I know many things have changed. We will arrive on a Sunday and take the monorail tour around to see the holiday decorations and plan to be at the Poly last so that we could go down to the beach and watch the EWP and see the fireworks from over the castle.

With the changes in parking fees (we are staying at Music and I am not terribly fond of driving after dark) would we be better off taking a bus to MK and then getting on the monorail there? How late do the buses run to get back to our resort? I use a walker so I am not able to move too quickly.

My friend is able to drive at night but she does not know much about DW. Is it possible to drive from Music to the Poly and park for several hours now?

My husband recently passed away and he dearly loved DW, especially at Christmas so it seems fitting to spend this first holiday there to remember those magic moments.

Thank you for any advice.

 

[jdisnut]

The parking fees are only for overnight guests. Parking is still free at the hotels for visitors.

 

[msb578]

Parking at the Poly without an ADR is a gamble. If it’s slow, they will probably let you do it for a few hours. If it’s busy, you might be turned away.

I say this from personal experience. The guard let me park this past April- he said “sure, it’s a Monday night, so alright”.

 

[writerguyfl]

"The Walt Disney World Monorail System operates from 30 minutes prior to earliest park opening until one hour after latest park closing."
Source: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/monorail-transportation/

"Return service to Disney Resort hotels ends 2 hours after park closing."
Source: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/bus-transportation/

If the fireworks are scheduled the same time as the park closes (for example, 9pm), that means you have about 45 minutes to get from the beach to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort to the monorail station. According to Bing Maps, that distance is about 866 feet (264 meters). That's 0.16 miles (0.26 km).

Source: https://binged.it/2Cvt3Xh

Once you get to Magic Kingdom, you'll still have at least 1 hour to catch a bus back to your resort. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably leave your car at the resort and just use buses and monorails.

You may be able to take a boat from Magic Kingdom to/from Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. I've never paid attention to the times that service usually operates. The dock (seen in the aerial photo above) is closer to the beach than the monorail.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Thank you all for the helpful information. As you can now tell from my icons I am a 'veteran' but because of my husband's health we had not been able to go for the past few years and so much has changed. We went for 28 days the first year they had Free Dining and one other year we made the trek from IN 4 times in one year. Hope I can remember at least some of my old tricks. There will be tears among the smiles but hopefully a lot more good memories. Linda/SG

 

[monorailsilver]

Or you can park at the TTC vs the Poly and not worry if it is crowded or over stepping your "free parking" there. It's not that long of a walk and actually quite peaceful.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Poly has been very strict with people parking without an ADR so I would not even try it. Buses run up to an hour after the park closes. I know that for holiday's the Poly has been blocking off the beach area and only letting resort guest staying at the Poly onto the beach. We watch the fireworks from the boat launch at the TTC. Great view from there

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am in shock. Not having been there for the past few years I did not realize that the Christmas parade at MK is no longer available without paying a huge fee. I love the parade, but not that much. It may not be worth it for us to stay late at the Poly to see the EWP and fireworks since we can see both from MK on one of our evenings. sigh I am profoundly grateful that Disney was affordable and so wonderful all the years that I NEEDED it though. I appreciate all your kind hints and will keep the info in case it is needed. The final straw will be if I cannot stake out a place on the back edge of the Christmas Processional as that is my second most favorite seasonal thing to do. Doubt the kind CM's could let me sit on the back bench as they used to because I never rushed to get a better seat when the ropes dropped. I know the wonderful people I will meet will be just as great as always though. Disney people will never change even if Disney does. See you there!

 

[Carriemel]

I am in shock. Not having been there for the past few years I did not realize that the Christmas parade at MK is no longer available without paying a huge fee. I love the parade, but not that much. It may not be worth it for us to stay late at the Poly to see the EWP and fireworks since we can see both from MK on one of our evenings. sigh I am profoundly grateful that Disney was affordable and so wonderful all the years that I NEEDED it though. I appreciate all your kind hints and will keep the info in case it is needed. The final straw will be if I cannot stake out a place on the back edge of the Christmas Processional as that is my second most favorite seasonal thing to do. Doubt the kind CM's could let me sit on the back bench as they used to because I never rushed to get a better seat when the ropes dropped. I know the wonderful people I will meet will be just as great as always though. Disney people will never change even if Disney does. See you there!

You can still see the Christmas parade during the week leading up to Christmas itself, and a few days following. The parties aren't held after December 21st, but the parade itself will be

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

We will be there December 2nd thru the 6th and it does not show a Christmas parade then. Oh well. I will find fun in other things and while I will miss the parade I may not miss holding seats for 3 hours or so. I will miss the folks I hold seats for though. It was something I enjoyed doing for folks who had never been before and gave them more time to ride rides.