Wondering how to get to the Magic Kingdom by Rope Drop? Here’s how, depending on where you are staying.
If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you will either take a bus or the monorail or even a boat to the Magic Kingdom depending on your resorts transportation options.
If you are taking a bus, it will start running to the Magic Kingdom at least 2 hours before opening. When we aim to make Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom at 9 am, we try to arrive to our bus loading area by 7:15 – 7:30 am. This usually guarantees us arrival at the Magic Kingdom by about 8:15 am depending on our luck with the buses.
Sometimes a bus arrives just as we do, sometimes it can take up to 20 minutes to arrive. Some resorts share a bus, so you might have a couple stops before you get to the Magic Kingdom. So make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make it to the Magic Kingdom.
If you only have a boat to the Magic Kingdom, make sure you ask the Cast Member when you check in at what time the first boat runs. The only resort that I know of that has exclusive boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom is Ft. Wilderness and I believe their boat starts 30 minutes before the park opens. When we stayed here, we never made Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom. However, you can take the bus from Ft. Wilderness to Wilderness Lodge and take their bus to the Magic Kingdom to make Rope Drop.
If your resort has Monorail transportation, just ask the Cast Member what time the Monorail starts running in the mornings. I believe it is 2 hours before the Magic Kingdom opens.
If you are staying off-site, you can still make Rope Drop! You will need to arrive at the Magic Kingdom welcome gates by 7:15 am. You will then be directed to your parking spot and board the tram to the Ticket and Transportation Center.
Once you get to the Ticket and Transportation Center, you can choose between the Ferry Boat or the Monorail. If the boat is docked, I would take the boat. However if it is not docked, I would take the Monorail.
You have 2 choices for the Monorail. Most guests do not realize that everyone is eligible to take the resort monorail. So if the Express Monorail has a long line or is not running, head over to the Resort Monorail for a short ride to the Magic Kingdom!
Don’t miss the Magic Kingdom Welcome Show that starts 12 minutes before the park opens.
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