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6. When possible, avoid parking at Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom parking gate

Parking at most Disney parks is actually a pretty straightforward affair: Disney really has it down to a fine science. Unless you happen to run into long lines at the gates (which tends to only happen at Magic Kingdom or on major opening days for lands and attractions), you’ll be quickly guided through to a line of parking attendants who will speedily line cars up one after another. From there, you can either walk to the tram or to the park’s front gate.

Magic Kingdom is the exception to this rule for a very significant reason: its parking lot is more than a mile from the actual park.

We make this joke often, but the Transportation and Ticket Center might feel like the most un-magical place at the Most Magical Place on Earth (even if it is a wonder of innovation). Located near the Polynesian Resort, the TTC is the hub where Magic Kingdom parking connects to Disney’s complex monorail, ferry, and bus systems. Guests parking here can reach the Magic Kingdom via an Express Monorail, the Resort Monorail (which stops at all of the Magic Kingdom resorts), or a ferry. Because of this extra transportation hop, guests parking at the TTC should expect to add a minimum of 30 minutes onto any visit to Magic Kingdom before you even hit the front gate—more than that if things are busy.

If you’ll be staying at a Walt Disney World resort, in most cases you will want to use Disney transportation to get to Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom resort guests can take the monorail, while other resort guests can take busses directly to the park’s front gate. If you aren’t staying at a Disney resort and find yourself in the position of having to park at the TTC, there are a few tricks to reduce your wait times.

Cast members and insiders recommend that if you want to save time, don’t take the ferry— while the trip is scenic, it is inevitably the slowest route between the TTC and the parks. If you happen to hit a sweet spot where lines are minimal, the Express Monorail will get you to the park without any extra stops, making it a good option. However, if lines for the Express Monorail are long (which they often are), just take the Resort Monorail. You’ll make a few stops on the way to Magic Kingdom, but overall, the trip will be faster than waiting for multiple Express Monorails to load up.

7. Where should I park if I’m park hopping?

Magic Kingdom transportation sign

Park hopping can introduce some interesting math into your Disney visit if you’ll be bringing your own vehicle. Should you use your vehicle for all park hopping, or should you use Disney transportation? If you use Disney transportation, is it best to park where you’ll be starting your day or where you’ll end it at? The answer to these questions will vary depending on which parks you’re visiting, but here are a few tips.

The two easiest parks to park-hop between are Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Friendship boats, the Skyliner, and a pleasant walking path all provide options to travel without having to retrieve your car. While there will be exceptions to this rule, in our experience, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the better park to park at if you’ll be park hopping. The reason is that transportation heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studio lands you at the same place at the front gate. Even if you end your day at Epcot, the trip back usually only takes about 15-30 minutes.

However, if you parked at Epcot and happen to end your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’re going to be in for a long walk racing against Epcot’s closing time. The reason is that all transportation between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood lands you at the back of Epcot via the International Gateway. That’s the opposite end of the park from the front gate which leads to the parking lot. Traveling from Epcot to DHS, especially via the Skyliner, is a pretty relaxed affair, but taking the trip the other way around can be a little more hectic if you parked out front. Overall, DHS is the better choice, and the time you will save will be comparable to if you just drove between the parks.

If you’ll be park hopping to or from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, self-driving will be your best option if you’re hopping to Epcot of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Once again, if you can avoid parking at Magic Kingdom, do so—just take the busses to and from the park.

Finally, if you’ll be park hopping to Magic Kingdom via any of the other parks, busses will almost always prove faster than the monorail since you’ll be able to avoid the TTC. If you’ll be traveling from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, you can skip the monorail by taking a bus from the Yacht and Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn via the International Gateway.

Parking really should be the least-memorable part of a Walt Disney World vacation. By following these tips, you should be able to keep it that way. Have you experienced any crazy stories while parking at Walt Disney World?

 
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