Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is the most visited theme park on planet Earth, and it’s no small feat to transport tens of thousands of people to and from this extremely popular destination every day. To accommodate its masses of guests, and in anticipation of a potential uptick in attendance due to new rides, transportation at Magic Kingdom is changing.
Disney is actively preparing for a transportation expansion at Magic Kingdom. This follows earlier permits filed and announcements. We have photos of work that’s already begun and how the changes will differ from what’s already in place. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including new perks for Disney+ subscribers and a change to one of Disney World’s oldest rides.
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Change to Magic Kingdom Transportation
Disney provides complimentary transportation to access Magic Kingdom. Unlike the other three Walt Disney World theme parks, Magic Kingdom’s parking lot is not located adjacent to the park. Instead, it’s all the way on the other side of a lake. This means all guests, whether they’re just visiting for the day or staying overnight at a Disney hotel, require some mode of transportation to reach the Magic Kingdom’s front gates.
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From the parking lot, located at the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC), seen at the bottom of the photo above, guests can ride a monorail or a large ferry boat across Seven Seas Lagoon. The monorail line also has stops at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Guests staying at the Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground can ride a small watercraft over to Magic Kingdom. Boat transportation is also expected to be provided for guests at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, currently under construction and set to open in summer 2027.
Guests staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort can also walk to and from Magic Kingdom via a dedicated sidewalk.
Guests staying at all other Disney World resort hotels can take a bus to the park.
As Disney looks ahead, in-progress projects are primed to attract even more guests to Magic Kingdom: two new rides themed to Pixar’s Cars and a huge Villains Land area focusing on Disney’s popular animated antagonists. With an influx of guests on the way, and the sheer volume of guests who already visit the park, existing transportation options would become strained if they remained without changes.
The monorails, ferry boats, small watercraft, and buses will all continue to be part of Magic Kingdom’s network as Disney prepares for an expansion of the park’s transportation options. How guests will access one of those transportation modes will change.
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New Ferry Boat Under Construction
Three large, double-decker ferry boats transport guests to and from Magic Kingdom and the TTC. In 2027, a fourth ferry boat will debut, the first addition since 1976. The new boat is under construction backstage, as seen in the aerial photos below. Later, we’ll check in on prep happening at the park itself.
Each Disney World ferry boat is named after an important leader in the parks’ history. The new boat will be named the Meg Gilbert Crofton, after the Walt Disney World President from 2006 to 2013.
By increasing from three to four ferries, Disney can theoretically improve the capacity of this transportation mode by 33%. If all four boats are operating, that means less time waiting for another dispatch. Even if one boat is down for maintenance, the addition of a fourth boat means operations won’t be as strained when one is out of commission.
Now let’s see what work is being done at Magic Kingdom to prepare for this change.
Ferry Dock Expansion Under Construction
To support the new ferry boat, construction is underway to expand the boat docks outside of Magic Kingdom. Construction is happening between the existing ferry dock and the dock servicing the small watercraft for rides to the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness.
Walls block the view from some vantage points, but others are wide open, providing a glimpse at a large machine on a platform.
The machine was idle during my visit.
Walt Disney quotes are displayed upon the construction walls. “I can never stand still,” one says. “I must explore and experiment.” Another reads, “Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done, and done right.”
Disney has not announced a launch date for the new ferry boat other than 2027.
The boat dock construction does not impact the availability of existing water-based transportation methods. The current ferry boat dock remains in place for rides to and from the TTC, as do the docks servicing the smaller watercraft for rides to and from nearby hotels, pictured above.
We look forward to hearing more about the future of Magic Kingdom at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney’s official convention, which we’ll be covering extensively. Make sure you’re subscribed to the free Mickey Visit newsletter to not miss any of the big news.
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