Parking Lot Hours

[StitchInCT]

Hello,

I'm curious if anyone knows the hours for the parks parking lots. Like when the open and close in correlation to the days park hours. For instance, I'm planning on parking at Animal Kingdom and busing to Magic Kingdom. Since Animal Kingdom closes at 5 pm (before MK closes), I want to make sure I make it back in time before the lot closes.

Thank you for your time!!

 

[CAS239]

AK hours will be extended past 5pm..likely around 7-8pm. You'll be fine getting back to your car

 

[wilkeliza]

Hello,

I'm curious if anyone knows the hours for the parks parking lots. Like when the open and close in correlation to the days park hours. For instance, I'm planning on parking at Animal Kingdom and busing to Magic Kingdom. Since Animal Kingdom closes at 5 pm (before MK closes), I want to make sure I make it back in time before the lot closes.

Thank you for your time!!

The lots close something like 2 hours after the last park closes. You should be able to use Disney transportation to get back to DAK at least an hour after MK closing. Disney tries to encourage using their transportation to park hop so there should always be a way to get back to your car as long as it is less than a certain time after the last park closes.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

For instance, I'm planning on parking at Animal Kingdom and busing to Magic Kingdom.

Why?

In short, I can't see why you'd want to do that. that's going to = a BIG loss of park time. If we have a car, we drive. Driving is much faster!

The AK parking lot doesn't generally get very full, unless maybe you are talking about Christmas week, and THAT week - you'll find driving is rather faster than the buses.

I DO recall we once started/parked at HS then hopped to Epcot, but left our car at HS, we regretted it. Of all four parks, HS and Epcot are the shortest hop. Of all the combos- AK is FURTHEST from MK.

 

[yulilin3]

Just to add that when we park hop we usually park the park early at the park we will be finishing up in. So for your case, I wouldpark at MK, bus to AK taking the bus from any of the MK resorts and then your car will be at the park you are in at the end of the night

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Just to add that when we park hop we usually park the park early at the park we will be finishing up in. So for your case, I wouldpark at MK, bus to AK taking the bus from any of the MK resorts and then your car will be at the park you are in at the end of the night

Again, why?

It is considerably faster to park at AK, then drive to MK and park there.

The only way I can see this making sense is if you have a specific aversion to driving in the middle of the day.

 

[yulilin3]

Again, why?

It is considerably faster to park at AK, then drive to MK and park there.

The only way I can see this making sense is if you have a specific aversion to driving in the middle of the day.

The op is asking about bussing so I gave him/her my opinion on that. It's their choice if they want to bus or drive.
If I'm park hopping I park the car very early at my last park which usually means it'll be closer to the entrance/exit. Bussing might take longer but it's worry free and you don't have the added walking to and from the car multiple times, plus the bus drops you off closer to park entrance

 

[PanamaMike]

The parking lots never close.
They stop staffing the toll booths at some point each day but you can always retrieve your car.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just to add that when we park hop we usually park the park early at the park we will be finishing up in. So for your case, I wouldpark at MK, bus to AK taking the bus from any of the MK resorts and then your car will be at the park you are in at the end of the night

Isn't there now park to park buses so no need to go to an MK resort? Saw them on the bus depot signs at DHS, Epcot, and DAK last week. Didn't check at MK though.

 

[Klayfish]

The parking lots never close.
They stop staffing the toll booths at some point each day but you can always retrieve your car.

That was going to be my follow up question, just out of curiosity. We have never left our car anywhere beyond park closing, we're not really night owls. But I always wondered what would happen if a group of people met up and went out...say they all went to Disney Springs, but one person left their car in AK. They finish up in Disney Springs at 1am. Would they then have any trouble retrieving their car from AK parking lot? At some point, would WDW tow the car if it sat overnight in the parking lot?

 

[yulilin3]

Isn't there now park to park buses so no need to go to an MK resort? Saw them on the bus depot signs at DHS, Epcot, and DAK last week. Didn't check at MK though.

Yeah but if they are parking at mk(ttc) no need to go all the way to mk to get a bus to ak. They can walk to the poly and grab a bus to ak from there

 

[wilkeliza]

Yeah but if they are parking at mk(ttc) no need to go all the way to mk to get a bus to ak. They can walk to the poly and grab a bus to ak from there

Oh duh. Didn't think of the fact either way you have to get to those buses with the MK. I guess that would only be the plus to parking at DAK first is that you could get the bus to the MK just from the park with out having to then use the TTC in your MK process.

 

[Robo]

In general:

There is "direct" transportation between all the WDW theme parks.
The frequency of departure for each is approximately every 20 minutes, give or take, all day long.

Most routes are via Disney Buses.

Here are the "park-to-park" Disney Transportation direct connections:

MK> Epcot = Monorail to TTC, Switch to 2nd Monorail to Epcot
MK> DHS = Direct Bus
MK> AK= Direct Bus

AK> DHS= Direct Bus
AK> Epcot= Direct Bus
AK> MK= Direct Bus

DHS> MK= Direct Bus
DHS> AK= Direct Bus
DHS> Epcot= Direct Bus (Epcot Front Gate) or Boat (Epcot Intl. Gateway)
......Boats ("Friendships") make 3 interim stops at the Epcot area resorts.

Epcot > MK= Monorail to TTC, Switch to 2nd Monorail to MK
Epcot > AK= Direct Bus
Epcot> DHS= Direct Bus (Epcot Front Gate) or Boat (Epcot Intl. Gateway)
......Boats ("Friendships") make 3 interim stops at the Epcot area resorts.

The buses have their destinations shown on them on illuminated signs.
The bus stops at the parks are also marked with signage.

As a rule-of-thumb, allow 40-60 minutes to get from the gates of one park to the gates of another park. The actual on-the-road time is far less than that, but you need to factor in the amount of time that it might take to wait for the next bus to arrive and load.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The op is asking about bussing so I gave him/her my opinion on that. It's their choice if they want to bus or drive.

Of course it is their choice, I just don't see how it adds up to a better choice from a convenience standpoint. In our experience, the difference isn't even close.

The DRIVE alone- from MK to AK takes 18minutes, which doesn't include any wait time for an AK bus.

If I'm park hopping I park the car very early at my last park which usually means it'll be closer to the entrance/exit. Bussing might take longer but it's worry free and you don't have the added walking to and from the car multiple times, plus the bus drops you off closer to park entrance

I'm not trying to pick on you, really, I'm just trying to understand. I suspect OP is doing this for the same reason you are. I
I think the advantages of which you speak don't really exist.

It seems like maybe you should get a better parking spot if you arrive early, but in practice that hasn't been our experience. We're able to park rather close to all the parks when we arrive later in the day.

If you look at the satellite image of AK, the bus stops are further than the tram stop. But we don't usually take the tram, because the walk to our car is very short. Again, look at the satellite image, and you'll see the bus stops and most of the parking spaces (at least the ones that get used), are almost equal distance to the front gate.

At MK, the monorail platform is closer than the bus stops. The walk from MK gate to the monorail+TTC platform to the tram stop roughly equal the walk from MK gate to the bus stop. From there you an take the tram, but we usually walk. From the tram area to where we park is usually less than 1,000 feet, or roughly equal to Main Street (MK gate to the center of the hub). This is about half the distance of the MK gate to CR.

I have used the WDW buses many times. I wouldn't call the experience stress-free, but that's my take.

By all means, take the bus if you enjoy it. I just don't see where it adds any value.

 

[Quellman]

Why?

In short, I can't see why you'd want to do that. that's going to = a BIG loss of park time. If we have a car, we drive. Driving is much faster!

The AK parking lot doesn't generally get very full, unless maybe you are talking about Christmas week, and THAT week - you'll find driving is rather faster than the buses.

I DO recall we once started/parked at HS then hopped to Epcot, but left our car at HS, we regretted it. Of all four parks, HS and Epcot are the shortest hop. Of all the combos- AK is FURTHEST from MK.

Again, why?

It is considerably faster to park at AK, then drive to MK and park there.

The only way I can see this making sense is if you have a specific aversion to driving in the middle of the day.

Maybe OP doesn't want to have to deal with the TTC and the Monorail or Ferry. Maybe they aren't staying on site and would prefer not to deal with world drive immediately after MK closing. Maybe they are meeting friends who are staying on site and would like to travel with them from park to park. It could also be that they don't know that if you pay for parking at one park, your parking ticket is good for all other Disney parking lots through the end of the day so they don't have to pay twice. @yulilin3 has a great insight into the solution as well.

 

[yulilin3]

Of course it is their choice, I just don't see how it adds up to a better choice from a convenience standpoint. In our experience, the difference isn't even close.

The DRIVE alone- from MK to AK takes 18minutes, which doesn't include any wait time for an AK bus.


I'm not trying to pick on you, really, I'm just trying to understand. I suspect OP is doing this for the same reason you are. I
I think the advantages of which you speak don't really exist.

It seems like maybe you should get a better parking spot if you arrive early, but in practice that hasn't been our experience. We're able to park rather close to all the parks when we arrive later in the day.

If you look at the satellite image of AK, the bus stops are further than the tram stop. But we don't usually take the tram, because the walk to our car is very short. Again, look at the satellite image, and you'll see the bus stops and most of the parking spaces (at least the ones that get used), are almost equal distance to the front gate.

At MK, the monorail platform is closer than the bus stops. The walk from MK gate to the monorail+TTC platform to the tram stop roughly equal the walk from MK gate to the bus stop. From there you an take the tram, but we usually walk. From the tram area to where we park is usually less than 1,000 feet, or roughly equal to Main Street (MK gate to the center of the hub). This is about half the distance of the MK gate to CR.

I have used the WDW buses many times. I wouldn't call the experience stress-free, but that's my take.

By all means, take the bus if you enjoy it. I just don't see where it adds any value.

I'm not saying I do this all the time as I go to the parks three times a week, but I do use the buses for hoping, sometimes. And I have Always parked very close to park entrance when I arrive early.

 

[StitchInCT]

I have another question, so here's the situation. We stay off property and my mother requires a wheelchair (but can only walk very short distances) and to park at Magic Kingdom it requires parking at the Ticket and Transportation Center and then either boating or taking the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. My mother is not fond of the boat and would rather not be pushed up and down that long VERY steep passageway to and from the monorail, so those are out of the question. That's why we discovered the Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom route and thought it a good fit. But does anyone know of any other possible way to get to the Magic Kingdom that bypasses the Ticket and Transportation Center? Any help from your experiences would be so greatly appreciated!

 

[StitchInCT]

In general:

There is "direct" transportation between all the WDW theme parks.
The frequency of departure for each is approximately every 20 minutes, give or take, all day long.

Most routes are via Disney Buses.

Here are the "park-to-park" Disney Transportation direct connections:

MK> Epcot = Monorail to TTC, Switch to 2nd Monorail to Epcot
MK> DHS = Direct Bus
MK> AK= Direct Bus

AK> DHS= Direct Bus
AK> Epcot= Direct Bus
AK> MK= Direct Bus

DHS> MK= Direct Bus
DHS> AK= Direct Bus
DHS> Epcot= Direct Bus (Epcot Front Gate) or Boat (Epcot Intl. Gateway)
......Boats ("Friendships") make 3 interim stops at the Epcot area resorts.

Epcot > MK= Monorail to TTC, Switch to 2nd Monorail to MK
Epcot > AK= Direct Bus
Epcot> DHS= Direct Bus (Epcot Front Gate) or Boat (Epcot Intl. Gateway)
......Boats ("Friendships") make 3 interim stops at the Epcot area resorts.

The buses have their destinations shown on them on illuminated signs.
The bus stops at the parks are also marked with signage.

As a rule-of-thumb, allow 40-60 minutes to get from the gates of one park to the gates of another park. The actual on-the-road time is far less than that, but you need to factor in the amount of time that it might take to wait for the next bus to arrive and load.

This is GREAT info! Where/what is the source of this info? Is it from a Disney world official webpage?

 

[Quellman]

I have another question, so here's the situation. We stay off property and my mother requires a wheelchair (but can only walk very short distances) and to park at Magic Kingdom it requires parking at the Ticket and Transportation Center and then either boating or taking the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. My mother is not fond of the boat and would rather not be pushed up and down that long VERY steep passageway to and from the monorail, so those are out of the question. That's why we discovered the Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom route and thought it a good fit. But does anyone know of any other possible way to get to the Magic Kingdom that bypasses the Ticket and Transportation Center? Any help from your experiences would be so greatly appreciated!

Bus to Bay Lake Tower and walk back to the MK. Taxi or Uber (with drop off at Contemporary) to walk to the MK.

 

[keishashadow]

The parking lots never close.
They stop staffing the toll booths at some point each day but you can always retrieve your car.

That was going to be my follow up question, just out of curiosity. We have never left our car anywhere beyond park closing, we're not really night owls. But I always wondered what would happen if a group of people met up and went out...say they all went to Disney Springs, but one person left their car in AK. They finish up in Disney Springs at 1am. Would they then have any trouble retrieving their car from AK parking lot? At some point, would WDW tow the car if it sat overnight in the parking lot?

I've had the same thought. I mean if one over-indulges, you think they'd be agreeable to letting the car sit overnight.