One of the BEST things about staying at Fort Wilderness is you are incredibly close to Magic Kingdom! Because of the short distance, getting from the campsites and cabins to the park doesn’t take long.
But how exactly do you get from Disney’s Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom?
Below, I will detail SIX specific ways you can make this journey.
Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom:
Option #1. Take a boat to Magic Kingdom! (FREE)
A unique and fun way to get to Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Fort Wilderness is to take a boat across the lake, Seven Seas Lagoon.
The boat dock is located at the northern end of Fort Wilderness. To find it, go to the back of Fort Wilderness and head towards the lake.
But doing this is a bit harder than you might think due to the INCREDIBLE SIZE of Fort Wilderness.
The campsites, cabins, and activity areas encompass over 700 acres. To put that into perspective, Fort Wilderness is way bigger than Magic Kingdom, which takes up only 107 acres! 🙂
Due to the vast size of Fort Wilderness, Disney has an internal bus shuttle that travels around Fort Wilderness.
Below is a picture of one of the internal bus stops at Fort Wilderness. In addition to the boat dock, you can take them anywhere you need, such as the Meadow Trading Post, the Outpost Depot, the pool, the campfire area, etc. I counted 12 bus stops for the internal shuttle, so you will have no problems finding one near your campsite or cabin.
To get to the boat dock that takes you to Magic Kingdom, take the internal shuttle buses to the Settlement Depot.
From there, you will walk north towards the lake. It’s hard to miss the boat dock once you get close, and you will see plenty of signs that point you in the correct direction.
When you arrive at the boat dock, get comfortable and wait until the next boat arrives. In my opinion, the worst part about taking the boats to Magic Kingdom is that you have to WAIT for a boat to get there. This can be especially frustrating if you walk out to the pier and see a boat just pulling away.
I know our family has made multiple mad dashes to the dock, attempting to board a boat that is preparing to leave. 🙂 You can typically expect a new boat to arrive every 15-20 minutes.
And don’t worry if you have a stroller, as they are allowed on the boats, but you must fold them. However, these boats are NOT accessible for wheelchairs and motorized scooters.
Once the boat leaves Fort Wilderness, it’s roughly a thirteen-minute ride to the entrance of Magic Kingdom.
It’s a relaxing ride, and you get some unique views as you travel through narrow channels, past the Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge, and under the monorail track on your way across the lake to the theme park.
Option #2: Take the FREE Disney bus to Magic Kingdom!
Did you know Disney World provides FREE bus transportation from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom? Being able to jump on and off these buses is one of the best benefits of staying at a Disney World Resort.
To use the buses to get to Magic Kingdom, you must first find the correct bus stop.
The bus stop you need to find is located at the BACK of Fort Wilderness and is called the Settlement Bus Depot.
The bus stop that takes you to Magic Kingdom is DIFFERENT than the bus stop that takes you to the other three theme parks and Disney Springs. To go to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, or Disney Springs, you need to go to the Outpost Bus Depot, located at the front of Fort Wilderness, near where you check in.
Unfortunately, because of the vast size of Fort Wilderness, you will likely have a long walk to get to the Settlement Bus Depot from your campsite or cabin. But remember that Fort Wilderness has an internal bus shuttle that can take you there.
Below is a picture of what the internal bus stops at Fort Wilderness look like. In addition to the Settlement Depot, you can take them anywhere you need to go, such as the Meadow Trading Post, the Outpost Depot, the pool, the campfire area, etc.
Below, you can look at a PDF map of Fort Wilderness Campground.
At the top left is where the Settlement Bus Depot is located. Look at the bottom right to see where the Outpost Bus Depot is located. I counted 12 bus stops for the internal shuttle, so you will have no problems finding them.
Taking the internal shuttle to the Settlement Depot will add time to your journey to Magic Kingdom. Many guests rent golf carts during their stay to help travel around Fort Wilderness faster. In addition to saving time, having a golf cart at your disposal is way more FUN than using the internal bus shuttles. 🙂
Bus service to Magic Kingdom typically begins 45 minutes before the park opens and ends 1 hour after it closes. Once they start, the buses run continuously throughout the day. I have found that you can typically expect a bus to arrive around every 20 minutes.
Since the Disney buses are free to ride, it’s the most popular way to travel to Magic Kingdom from Fort Wilderness.
You can expect a bit of a line to board the bus at certain times, such as in the morning around the park opening. So, give yourself ample time to get to Magic Kingdom for a reservation. Our family usually leaves about an hour before we want to arrive, just to be safe.
Magic Kingdom is close to Fort Wilderness, and the bus ride should take under 10 minutes.
Lastly, the Disney buses will drop you off DIRECTLY in front of Magic Kingdom instead of Disney’s Transportation and Ticket Center. As you will see next, this is a HUGE advantage of taking the bus. 🙂
Option #3: Take an Uber from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom
If you don’t want to wait for the bus, using a rideshare service (Uber or Lyft) from Fort Wilderness Resort is easy. Just open the app and select Magic Kingdom as your destination, and you will be matched with a driver within seconds.
Make sure you mark your location CORRECTLY in the app to avoid any delays. Uber and Lyft drivers are not allowed to pick you up directly at your campsite or cabin. You must meet them at the front of Fort Wilderness.
Make sure you mark your location CORRECTLY in the app to avoid any delays. Uber and Lyft drivers are not allowed to pick you up directly at your campsite or cabin. You must meet them at the front of Fort Wilderness.
The best place to get picked up is near the Fort Wilderness Reception Outpost, which is very near the Outpost Depot bus stop. There is plenty of space for your driver to stop and pick you up.
Between Uber and Lyft, there are a lot of drivers cruising around. Almost every time I’ve used a rideshare to the parks, I’ve had to wait less than 10 minutes to get picked up. 🙂
The distance from the Fort Wilderness Campsites and Cabins to Magic Kingdom is very short, and the drive should only take a few minutes.
But there is one big disadvantage of using a rideshare service when going to Magic Kingdom…
Your driver is NOT allowed to drop you off directly in front of the Magic Kingdom. Instead, they must take you to Disney’s Transportation and Ticket Center.
Once you are here, there are TWO ways to complete the journey to the Magic Kingdom.
#1: Take the monorail
The first way to get to Magic Kingdom from the Transportation and Ticket Center is by taking the famous Disney monorail.
The monorail runs continuously throughout the day. Service begins 30 minutes before the park opens and ends an hour after the park closes.
#2: Take the ferry
Another way to finish traveling to the Magic Kingdom is to board the ferry. These boats have two seating levels and can fit many people.
The ferryboats leave approximately every 10-20 minutes. Once you depart, the boat ride is only 10 minutes long!
If you want to avoid the Transporation and Ticket Center and get dropped off directly in front of Magic Kingdom, take a boat or bus from Fort Wilderness or ride in a Minnie Van (Option #5)!
Option #4: Take a TAXI to Magic Kingdom
I know some people don’t like using Uber or Lyft because they don’t know about the person driving or don’t feel comfortable using the app. If this describes you, calling a traditional taxi company for a ride is easy.
Taking a taxi has many of the same benefits as rideshares, such as not waiting for a bus or boat. But of course, you must pay for the taxi ride, where the Disney buses are free.
If you want to take a taxi from Fort Wilderness Resort, I recommend calling Mears Taxi, a well-known and trusted company in the Orlando area. You can even schedule and book your ride online.
And just a reminder that you must meet your taxi at the front of Fort Wilderness, near the Outpost.
One big negative to taking a taxi is that you get dropped off at Disney’s Transportation and Ticket Center, similar to using a rideshare service.
Option #5: Take a MINNIE Van from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom
If you want to use a rideshare service to Magic Kingdom but avoid the Transportation and Ticket Center, you should consider taking a Minnie Van.
Disney World has partnered with Lyft to provide MINNIE VANS, which are Minnie Mouse-themed mini-vans!
This option will be more expensive than a regular Lyft vehicle, but the biggest benefit is getting dropped off directly in front of the Magic Kingdom! Minnie Vans are the ONLY rideshare/taxi authorized to bypass the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Another huge advantage of taking a Minnie Van is they are authorized to enter Fort Wilderness and pick you up DIRECTLY at your campsite or cabin.
This will save you a lot of time since you don’t have to take the internal shuttle to the front of Fort Wilderness, which you must do if you use a traditional rideshare or taxi.
Taking a Minnie Van home is also nice because they can drop you off right at your place. If you have tired kids, waking them up after a long day to get them on the internal shuttle at Fort Wilderness can be a pain.
To schedule a Minnie Van, choose Magic Kingdom as your destination using the Lyft app. Then, order the Minnie Van to come and pick you up.
While this option is fun, as you can see above, it is more expensive than a regular Lyft vehicle. Here are a few additional benefits of a Minnie Van.
- They are driven by DISNEY CAST MEMBERS. I know many people like this fact because the drivers are employees of Disney, which provides additional peace of mind.
- They can fit up to SIX people.
- Includes two car seats, which your driver will install for you.
- These vans can fit scooters and wheelchairs, but please pre-arrange your ride if you need this service.
Option #6: Drive yourself to Magic Kingdom!
Getting in your car and driving yourself is an often overlooked way from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom. The distance between these two locations is very short. The drive typically takes under 5 minutes, depending on traffic.
But just like taking an Uber/Lyft, you MUST park at the Transportation and Ticket Center to get to Magic Kingdom.
Once parked here, you can take the monorail or the ferry to complete your journey to the Magic Kingdom. However, if you want to get dropped off directly in front of the Magic Kingdom entrance, take the Disney bus, boat, or a Minnie Van.
But one benefit of driving yourself is that the parking at Magic Kingdom is FREE! Unfortunately, many guests don’t realize (or forget) that if you stay at a Disney World Resort, parking at any of the parks does not cost anything.
Getting FREE parking at the theme parks is an incredible benefit of staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, as parking costs a minimum of $25 per day at each park.
Related Posts:
Can I walk from Disney’s Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom?
No, there are no walking paths that connect them. You must take one of the options described above.
Can the Disney Skyliner take me from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom?
The short answer to this question is NO. There is no boarding station for the Skyliner at Fort Wilderness, nor does the Skyliner travel to Magic Kingdom. The Skyliner only travels to two theme parks – Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
If you want a Skyliner boarding station at your hotel, stay at the Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Art of Animation, or Pop Century.
What is your favorite way to travel from Disney’s Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom?
Leave a COMMENT below!
