Parking at Magic Kingdom

[Kman2012]

Hi all,

I usually never drive to the parks, but will be doing so this July.
We are staying at 'Encantada - a CLC World Resort' which isnt too far
from the Animal Kingdom Lodge area. Going to the Magic Kingdom
for one day only and trying to maximize the experience.

I was wondering if there is an easier way to park at Magic Kingdom other
than parking in the designated parking lot. My main concern is crowds,
price isn't an issue here. Is it possible to park at Downtown Disney
and then take the bus to Magic Kingdom? Parking at one of the resorts?

I've heard that if you do park in the parking lot, it's better to walk to the
Poly monorail station instead of the TTC because it will be less crowded.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[Robo]

1. I was wondering if there is an easier way to park at Magic Kingdom other
than parking in the designated parking lot.

My main concern is crowds,
price isn't an issue here.

2. Is it possible to park at Downtown Disney
and then take the bus to Magic Kingdom?

3. Parking at one of the resorts?

4. I've heard that if you do park in the parking lot, it's better to walk to the
Poly monorail station instead of the TTC because it will be less crowded.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

1. Not specifically.

2. No.

3. If there is room in valet parking (on and about July 4th there will likely NOT be room) at
the MK area resorts, you can try that.

4. Not a tip I'd call valuable.

Over all, the most consistent tip for MK is to just arrive at the MK parking lot very early and walk to TTC.

 

[2girlsmom]

I have never found the crowds to be excessive in TTC, even when the parking lot was nearly full. I don't really see an advantage to walking to the Poly Monorail station, but do suggest that people take the resort monorail vs the express. I can't tell you how many times we have parked at the TTC, taken the tram in, and found the express monorail line all the way down the ramp and in the ropes, yet the resort monorail line is virtually empty. I will say that I can literally count on 1 hand the number of times I have ridden the express monorail in the last 50 visits due totally to this. That said, if you really don't want to park at TTC lot, I would suggest valet at Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Poly or Wilderness Lakes and then taking the boat launch across (or walk from Contemporary). Downtown Disney busses do NOT run directly to parks, and do not run the same hours as the parks are open.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Not really an easier way IMO. I would just do it via the lot and the ferry. Getting there early is the best tip then just go with the flow

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

We just did the valet parking at the Contemporary and walked to MK twice this past week. But like Robo said, I would think this would be harder to do during July 4th week. One piece of advice if you want to give this a try, don't tell the person at the gate this is your plan. We were travelling with family that was using 2 scooters that wanted to do this to avoid the monorail and the end of the day. The woman at the guard gate was very rude with them and told them it wasn't allowed. We can in a few minutes after them and told the guard we were there for an ADR, which we were...at Crystal Palace, and we were allowed right in. Drove up the valet parking and had no problem. They even knew what we doing. It is $20 plus tip at drop off and pick up.

 

[figment_jii]

There have been increased reports that the CR has been relatively restrictive about parking. Even if you tell them you have an ADR, be prepared to have them check your name against the list that they usually have. If it's not at the CR, be prepared to be told that you cannot park at the CR.

To the OP, I agree that I would just plan to get to the MK parking lot early and then take the ferry or monorail to the MK. You could walk to the Poly, but that monorail will have already picked up guests at the CR and TTC before arriving at the Poly. It will then stop at the GF before going to the MK. If you take the Express monorail at the TTC, it goes directly to the MK (no resort stops).

 

[Robo]

There have been increased reports that the CR has been relatively restrictive about parking. Even if you tell them you have an ADR, be prepared to have them check your name against the list that they usually have. If it's not at the CR, be prepared to be told that you cannot park at the CR.

To the OP, I agree that I would just plan to get to the MK parking lot early and then take the ferry or monorail to the MK. You could walk to the Poly, but that monorail will have already picked up guests at the CR and TTC before arriving at the Poly. It will then stop at the GF before going to the MK. If you take the Express monorail at the TTC, it goes directly to the MK (no resort stops).

Are not the 3 monorails running on a restricted schedule and not running very early at all?

The TTC ferry boats will likely get guests from TTC to the MK gates much earlier than the monorails these days.
Likely there will also be special BUSES running between TTC and MK and between the resorts early in the morning
when the monorails are still not running.

 

[ParrotBill]

I've seen this recommendation to valet park at a the CR and walk several times recently... but agree with the prior poster who said they often enforce the policy at the security checkpoint and will check your ADR for a CR restaurant. I would not risk it.

Park early and walk to TTC, or else just take the tram which will get you there faster than walking if you are not in the closest section.

I always look to see if I will be able to walk on to a ferry - if yes then I go there - if no then I head up to the Monorail.

 

[figment_jii]

Are not the 3 monorails running on a restricted schedule and not running very early at all?

Good point. I've read that the Express starts at 9:30 am and the resort monorail starts at 8:30 am during this period when the hours are more restrictive.

 

[Grumpy92]

Have you thought about going for "Breakfast" at AKL and then boarding the MK bus. We have done this a few times, they dont share the bus with another resort, but they do have two stops. DVC and the AKL lobby.

 

[disnut8]

Is it possible to park at Downtown Disney
and then take the bus to Magic Kingdom?

No on this question. There are no direct routes from Downtown Disney to the four theme parks as guests would park there to avoid the daily fee. You can park there and take a bus to a resort and then transfer but your time doing that would be at least an hour and a half to well over that. Your situation seems to be more of a crowding issue but you'll experience that all over Disney World each day.

 

[figment_jii]

Have you thought about going for "Breakfast" at AKL and then boarding the MK bus. We have done this a few times, they dont share the bus with another resort, but they do have two stops. DVC and the AKL lobby.

This is highly frowned up here on the Disboards. Self parking at the resort is for guests while they are enjoying the amenities of that resort. So, you are more than welcome to park at AKL while having a meal, shopping, looking around the resorts, etc. However, once you finish at AKL, you are expected to take your vehicle with you when you leave. It is not fair to guest that are staying at AKL (or any resort) or guests that want to enjoy the amenities at AKL to have problems finding parking because other guests are leaving their cars there while they go off and do something else.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Have you thought about going for "Breakfast" at AKL and then boarding the MK bus. We have done this a few times, they dont share the bus with another resort, but they do have two stops. DVC and the AKL lobby.

But isn't there is a 3 hour parking limit unless you valet park?

 

[ampc3]

it seems,like everything else, you will get many opinions etc.. We recently returned and parked 2 out of our 3 MK days at the Contemporary. We paid to valet each of those days, and had zero issues doing so.
The guard checked my hubby's id and scanned his band (we were offsite) we told him, we were here to Valet, he said as long as we pay to Valet there was no problem with that.

I think the problem is when people try to park in their free lots and go over to MK.. The Valet guys were well aware of us planning to spend the day at MK, again zero issues.

I am not sure why so many people say this practice is not allowed?

 

[goofy4tink]

Hi all,

I usually never drive to the parks, but will be doing so this July.
We are staying at 'Encantada - a CLC World Resort' which isnt too far
from the Animal Kingdom Lodge area. Going to the Magic Kingdom
for one day only and trying to maximize the experience.

I was wondering if there is an easier way to park at Magic Kingdom other
than parking in the designated parking lot. My main concern is crowds,
price isn't an issue here. Is it possible to park at Downtown Disney
and then take the bus to Magic Kingdom? Parking at one of the resorts?

I've heard that if you do park in the parking lot, it's better to walk to the
Poly monorail station instead of the TTC because it will be less crowded.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

There really isn't anything that is going to be 'easier' than parking at the TTC. Parking at a resort that you are not using is frowned upon....if you have an ADR there, fine, eat but then move the car. Your meal does not get you the perk of parking there for park access.
DTD? Really bad idea. Parking is at a premium there, and there are no buses to the parks from DTD. You would have to find a parking spot, trek to the bus stop and take a bus to a MK resort and then get to MK from that resort. You would need to plan on missing rope drop by a lot.
It is a resort perk to take a bus to MK and not have to deal with the TTC. If you park at the TTC, and walk over to the Polynesian, it will take you 10 mins to walk there, then wait for the monorail, then about 10-15 mins to MK.

If you want to maximize your time at MK, get to the TTC at least an hour prior to park opening. Will it be crowded? Probably. It all depends on the time of year and day of the week.

 

[figment_jii]

I think the problem is when people try to park in their free lots and go over to MK.. The Valet guys were well aware of us planning to spend the day at MK, again zero issues.

I am not sure why so many people say this practice is not allowed?

I don't think anyone on the thread is saying that you cannot use valet to park at the resort for the entire day. There have been some reports of late indicating that the guards at the CR may not always allow guests to use valet, especially during busy times of the year. Whether it's due to a new policy at CR or due to a specific guard or due to something happening at the CR, we do not know. What is frowned upon is using the self parking lots (so parking for free) at the resorts and then heading to a theme park.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

it seems,like everything else, you will get many opinions etc.. We recently returned and parked 2 out of our 3 MK days at the Contemporary. We paid to valet each of those days, and had zero issues doing so.
The guard checked my hubby's id and scanned his band (we were offsite) we told him, we were here to Valet, he said as long as we pay to Valet there was no problem with that.

I think the problem is when people try to park in their free lots and go over to MK.. The Valet guys were well aware of us planning to spend the day at MK, again zero issues.

I am not sure why so many people say this practice is not allowed?

We also did this twice last week. The valet guys also knew what we had planned for the day. My family members that came in about 15 minutes before us had a lady at the gate, we had a guy, and she refused to let them in when they told them they were there to valet park. She even told them that that she had been working there for 30 years and that it was never allowed. They tried to explain that they were not going to use the free parking but wanted to pay for valet. No dice...she rudely told them they needed to turn around and head for the MK parking lot. This was around 7:00 a.m. That is why I just wanted to pass that warning along. We have entered many resort parking lots to explore the resorts and have never had any problems. The night we got in, we parked at the Contemporary around 8 or 9 p.m. Told the guard at the gate that we were parking there to ride the monorail to MK to trade our paper tickets for new tickets so we would be ready for our park day in the morning. No problem. He lets right in after checking DH's ID. I think the only times this would be a problem is during super busy times when parking at the resorts can become a problem. And if that is the case, all that happens is you have to turn around and leave.

 

[Networth]

What annoys me is when none MK resort guests "cheat the system" because they don't wanna pay to park like everybody else. If you valet your car your not taking a spot for a real MK resort room guest(me) and your not cheating Disney out of paying for parking. Don't see any harm in valeting, it's the free parkers who take resort guest spots that grind my gears.

2 Cents.

 

[Polydweller]

What annoys me is when none MK resort guests "cheat the system" because they don't wanna pay to park like everybody else. If you valet your car your not taking a spot for a real MK resort room guest(me) and your not cheating Disney out of paying for parking. Don't see any harm in valeting, it's the free parkers who take resort guest spots that grind my gears.

2 Cents.

Exactly, it's the non-valet free parker's who are the problem. And they can be a huge problem. Not finding parking at your home resort is horrible. So valet park all you want but be courteous to the resorts guest by not taking up self parking spots.

 

[dotcomgirl18]

What time does the ferry at the TTC start running?