TRANSPORTATION QUESTION: staying off site, drive to Epcot to make RD at MK?

[Cackyschmackers]

We are staying at Buena Vista Suites, which is super close to Epcot. If we want to make RD at MK, is it smarter to drive straight to MK? Or would it be worth it to drive to Epcot and take two monorails? I ask bc we will be hopping to Epcot around 2pm, then heading back to our hotel. Our priority is making RD at MK (opens at 9am our first day). Thank you in advance!

 

[kmb584]

We are staying at Buena Vista Suites, which is super close to Epcot. If we want to make RD at MK, is it smarter to drive straight to MK? Or would it be worth it to drive to Epcot and take two monorails? I ask bc we will be hopping to Epcot around 2pm, then heading back to our hotel. Our priority is making RD at MK (opens at 9am our first day). Thank you in advance!

Don't park at Epcot. Park at the TTC (MK doesn't have a parking lot) and take the MK monorail.

 

[houseful of boys]

We are staying at Buena Vista Suites, which is super close to Epcot. If we want to make RD at MK, is it smarter to drive straight to MK? Or would it be worth it to drive to Epcot and take two monorails? I ask bc we will be hopping to Epcot around 2pm, then heading back to our hotel. Our priority is making RD at MK (opens at 9am our first day). Thank you in advance!

Drive directly to the Magic Kingdom parking lot at the ttc. I wouldn't want to wait on two monorails before RD. When you hop to Epcot, you can either just leave your car at the ttc and monorail back after Epcot or move your car to Epcot at 2pm. Whichever you feel like at the time.

 

[finedice]

Does the Hotel have a shuttle? Epcot Monorail does not typically start early enough to be in a good position for RD at MK. EPCOT monorails typically start later than the resort ones and the express ones.

If no direct shuttle that works for you, I suggest driving to MK and getting on one of the first resort monorails of the day (about an hour prior to opening).

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Thanks. Both park openings will be 9am. We don't want to rely on the hotel shuttles bc of their return times and our hopping plans. How cumbersome/lengthy/difficult do you think it will be to drive from MK TTC to Epcot around 2pm early Oct?

 

[finedice]

Thanks. Both park openings will be 9am. We don't want to rely on the hotel shuttles bc of their return times and our hopping plans. How cumbersome/lengthy/difficult do you think it will be to drive from MK TTC to Epcot around 2pm early Oct?

Not bad at all. ~6 minutes once you reach your car. Driving around WDW doesn't take that long. What can take long chunks of time is transportation between the MK gate and TTC. Don't forget to keep the parking receipt from MK when you drive over to Epcot though! Don't want to have to pay twice!

 

[Robo]

How cumbersome/lengthy/difficult do you think it will be to drive from MK TTC to Epcot around 2pm early Oct?

About a 10-15% hassle level.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Lol. Thank you!!!

 

[Alfalfa]

We are staying at Buena Vista Suites, which is super close to Epcot. If we want to make RD at MK, is it smarter to drive straight to MK? Or would it be worth it to drive to Epcot and take two monorails? I ask bc we will be hopping to Epcot around 2pm, then heading back to our hotel. Our priority is making RD at MK (opens at 9am our first day). Thank you in advance!

We've stayed many times at Caribe Royale which is right next door. Driving straight to MK didn't take very long at all (getting thru the 535/536 intersection right there at the hotel seemed to lake the longest!) and I'd definitely do that instead of driving to and parking at Epcot to get to MK. Once you've gotten off the tram you'll have five options in order of crowd severity:

1. The express monorail
2. The resort monorail if the line is too long for the express
3. The ferry if both monorail lines are very long
4. If the monorail lines and the ferry line are very long, walk over to the Poly for a possibly shorter monorail line to MK
5. If the Poly monorail line is long, take the Poly resort ferry to MK

 

[Robo]

We've stayed many times at Caribe Royale which is right next door. Driving straight to MK didn't take very long at all (getting thru the 535/536 intersection right there at the hotel seemed to lake the longest!) and I'd definitely do that instead of driving to and parking at Epcot to get to MK. Once you've gotten off the tram you'll have five options in order of crowd severity:

1. The express monorail
2. The resort monorail if the line is too long for the express
3. The ferry if both monorail lines are very long
4. If the monorail lines and the ferry line are very long, walk over to the Poly for a possibly shorter monorail line to MK
5. If the Poly monorail line is long, take the Poly resort ferry to MK

Those are all very good suggestions and I agree with them.

However, by the time a guest would have made those choices, one-after-the-other,
each one eliminated as the conditions were assessed,
it would have taken up any extra lead-time that was built in, and very likely would end up taking more time than
just waiting on a slow-loading monorail (or ferry) to begin-with.

Those other Poly-related options would certainly be good if the guest was already at the Poly for breakfast, etc.

 

[Alfalfa]

Very true - options 4 and 5 are really worse case like if the monorail is broken down and the other TTC methods have very, very long lines.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Wow!! Thank you! So, is it naive to think that if we arrive 45 min in advance of 9am RD, early Oct, it's really going to be this crowded to have to decide upon all these options (can you tell I haven't been to MK since 2000?!?!)

 

[Robo]

Wow!! Thank you! So, is it naive to think that if we arrive 45 min in advance of 9am RD, early Oct, it's really going to be this crowded to have to decide upon all these options (can you tell I haven't been to MK since 2000?!?!)

Expect the best.
Plan for the worst.

I would certainly want to be IN the MK parking lot no later than one hour before the posted MK opening time.
You want to be through the MK security check and gates, and into the Rope Drop holding area at least 20 minutes before the posted opening time.

Again, WDW rule-of-thumb:
It is better to be far too early, than to be just a minute too late.

 

[Alfalfa]

Wow!! Thank you! So, is it naive to think that if we arrive 45 min in advance of 9am RD, early Oct, it's really going to be this crowded to have to decide upon all these options (can you tell I haven't been to MK since 2000?!?!)

You should be fine with the three options available at TTC - we always look at the Express monorail line first, and if it's very long we then look at the Resort monorail line, and if it's also very long we'll take the ferry.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Expect the best.
Plan for the worst.

I would certainly want to be IN the MK parking lot no later than one hour before the posted MK opening time.
You want to be through the MK security check and gates, and into the Rope Drop holding area at least 20 minutes before the posted opening time.

Again, WDW rule-of-thumb:
It is better to be far too early, than to be just a minute too late.

Wow, guys, huge thanks!! Robo, where would you recommend physically standing/waiting for the welcome show? And I'm assuming this will push us back from physically entering as timely as possible?

 

[Robo]

Wow, guys, huge thanks!!

1. Robo, where would you recommend physically standing/waiting for the welcome show?

2. And I'm assuming this will push us back from physically entering as timely as possible?

1. In front of the Mickey Flower Head by about 30 feet.

2. Yup.

That's the choice you must make.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

1. In front of the Mickey Flower Head by about 30 feet.

2. Yup.

That's the choice you must make.

**sigh**. Things sure have changed. Maybe first day only we'll watch show. Second day mad dash. . I won't even get into my FP+ or not options questions if we arrive at park opening.

 

[WEDWDW]

Just for your info.

Epcot Monorail starts at 8:00 AM(7:30 AM for Epcot AM EMH)

Express Monorail(Magic Kingdom) starts at 8:30 AM

Resort Monorail(TTC-Poly-GF-MK-CR-TTC) starts at 7:00 AM

It is possible to make MK RD by parking at Epcot but you have to stay "focused".

 

[momof2n2]

As long-time off-siters I've enjoyed many first-row parking experiences. Then again - we are early risers. We skip the tram and just walk under the bridge to the TTC. We prefer the ferry and as long as it is running we are still often in the first two dozen people to approach bag-check. Love it. We usually skip the show and queue to "dash" (No! No dashing. I do NOT dash. Bad dashers.) on to our attractions.
Seriously - I love driving to the parks. But we are morning people and have no qualms about standing outside MK for 60 minutes. Because, it's, like MK, not the DMV, or DDS, or WalMart....

 

[Cackyschmackers]

As long-time off-siters I've enjoyed many first-row parking experiences. Then again - we are early risers. We skip the tram and just walk under the bridge to the TTC. We prefer the ferry and as long as it is running we are still often in the first two dozen people to approach bag-check. Love it. We usually skip the show and queue to "dash" (No! No dashing. I do NOT dash. Bad dashers.) on to our attractions.
Seriously - I love driving to the parks. But we are morning people and have no qualms about standing outside MK for 60 minutes. Because, it's, like MK, not the DMV, or DDS, or WalMart....

THANK YOU!! Yes, we are early risers, as well!

Just for your info.

Epcot Monorail starts at 8:00 AM(7:30 AM for Epcot AM EMH)

Express Monorail(Magic Kingdom) starts at 8:30 AM

Resort Monorail(TTC-Poly-GF-MK-CR-TTC) starts at 7:00 AM

It is possible to make MK RD by parking at Epcot but you have to stay "focused".

And THANK YOU for the schedule! This clinches it for us, and we'll try to stay focused! lol