Guide To Park Hopping To and From Magic Kingdom

There is so much to see and do in Disney World!

Magic Kingdom Train Station

Sometimes the best way to fit as much in as possible during a Disney vacation is to park hop!

In order to Park Hop, you MUST have a valid theme park ticket that includes Park Hopper benefits or a Disney World Annual Pass. A standard one-park-per-day ticket will not grant this option. And there are a couple of other steps you’ll need to follow for successful hopping.

Disney World Theme Park Ticket Cards

STEP ONE: Make a REQUIRED Disney Park Pass reservation (using the process described on this page) for the FIRST PARK you want to visit during the day.

STEP TWO: CONFIRM Park Hopper Hours via the Disney World’s Park Hours page or the My Disney Experience app to identify the start hours for Park Hopping. (Typically, Park Hopping starts at 2PM across all four theme parks.)

STEP THREE: VISIT your first theme park on your Disney Park Pass reservation day.

STEP FOUR: VISIT ANOTHER theme park after Park Hopping hours start, as noted above — no additional Park Pass is required! Remember that guests must book a Park Pass at their first park of the day AND enter that park to Park Hop. (A Park Pass is only required for the first park.)

Magic Kingdom

Now if Magic Kingdom is one of your desired hoppin’ spots, we’ve broken down how to hop TO Magic Kingdom as well as how to hop FROM Magic Kingdom to another park.

First things first, though. If you haven’t visited Disney World yet, you may not understand the scale of what we’re dealing with here. The resort is about 43 square miles, and it’s going to take some time to get around. If you are park hopping because you have dining reservations or a Lightning Lane reserved (click here for more on those), be sure you are allowing yourself enough time to get between parks, get in the gate, and walk to your destination. A general rule of thumb is to allow at least an hour to “hop”.

And here’s something you need to understand about the Magic Kingdom: There are basically two “gates” for this park. When the Magic Kingdom was in the planning stages, Disney realized it didn’t want its marquee park to be surrounded by parking lots. So, the parking lots were built further away from the park’s main gates, and they lead to the Ticket and Transportation Center.

This parking toll plaza SAYS it leads to the Magic Kingdom, but it really leads to the Ticket and Transportation Center — and then you’ll have to take a monorail or ferry boat to the park. Yeah, it can seem a little complicated.

Rideshares (like Uber and Lyft) and Disney buses from the other theme parks also drop you off at the Ticket and Transportation Center, rather than at the actual Magic Kingdom Entrance. From here, if you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, you take a Monorail or Ferry Boat to get to the Magic Kingdom entrance.  Yeah, it’s a little complicated. But that’s why we’ll talk about a number of different options here — in some cases, there’s just no “direct” route from one park to another, so you’ll need to do some workarounds.

Park Hopping FROM Magic Kingdom

Driving

If you drove to the Magic Kingdom and parked in a parking lot near the Ticket and Transportation Center, you can simply return to your car and drive to your next destination. You will find road signs throughout Walt Disney World to guide you, or you can use your typical GPS mapping in your car to direct you. If you paid a parking fee when you arrived at the Magic Kingdom, you are covered for parking for the rest of the day — you won’t be charged again if you drive to another park.

Walking

You can’t walk from the Magic Kingdom to Walt Disney World’s other theme parks. However, you can walk from Magic Kingdom to the closest hotel — the Contemporary Resort — and then take a Disney bus to your next park. If you wanted to grab lunch outside the Magic Kingdom, this could be a particularly good option — you could cool off and rest in a less crowded environment before moving on to your next park. Here’s a look at your dining options at the Contemporary Resort. 

Skyliner

Perhaps you’ve heard of Disney World’s Gondola transportation — the Disney Skyliner. Unfortunately, the Skyliner routes do not stop at — or even anywhere near — the Magic Kingdom, so they aren’t an option for Magic Kingdom park hopping.

Monorail

There are two monorail loops from the Magic Kingdom: a resort loop which also makes a stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and the Express Route, which only has one stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center.  Getting to the Transporation and Ticket Center will open several different transportation options.

The Magic Kingdom Monorail

If you’re heading to EPCOT, you can simply transfer to the Monorail on the EPCOT monorail line, and whoosh off to EPCOT!

EPCOT

The Monorail also stops at three resorts: the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, and Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. If you are headed to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, you could ride the monorail to one of these three resorts, and then take a Disney Bus from the resort to your next park.

Ferry Boat

The Magic Kingdom Ferry boats only have one stop: the Transportation and Ticket Center. But once you’re there, you can board a Monorail to EPCOT.

Ferry Boat

If you’re looking to hop to either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, you can venture over to the bus drop-off at the Ticket and Transportation Center to find the buses that go to those parks.

Disney Buses

Disney buses that go to and from Disney World hotels are the only buses that drop off at the very front of Magic Kingdom, meaning you don’t have to take a Monorail or Ferry Boat to the Ticket and Transportation Center to get to them. So, if you plan to use a Disney Bus to get to your next park, you’ll have to transfer somewhere. You could take a Disney Bus directly from outside Magic Kingdom to a resort, and then take a bus from that resort to your next theme park, but this is not going to be as direct a route as taking a theme park bus from the Ticket and Transportation Center.

Take a Disney bus to park hop!

This could be a good option in a couple of instances, though:

  1. If you plan to eat in a restaurant at a particular resort, you could take a bus to that resort, dine, and then move on to your next theme park.
  2. Likewise, if you are really wanting to tour a resort that is not the one you’re staying at, this would be a good way to get there and enjoy the atmosphere before your next park hopping destination.

Disney Bus Transportation from Magic Kingdom

You can also find Disney Buses at the Transportation and Ticket Center to get you to your next park, but as we discussed above, you’ll have to get to the Transportation and Ticket Center from Magic Kingdom either by Ferry Boat or Monorail.

Minnie Vans

Minnie Vans are Disney-themed rideshare options. Disney partnered with Lyft, and these fun polka dot vans or SUVs are driven by Cast Members and provide excellent service to help get guests around the Disney property with ultimate efficiency (for a price).

Minnie Vans

They are also the only rideshare service that can access the bus drop-off location at the front of Magic Kingdom. To use Minnie Vans, you will need to download the Lyft app on your phone and create an account. And we’ve got a whole guide on how to use Minnie Vans HERE.

Ride Share

Other rideshare services are available on Disney property. They are often significantly cheaper than the Minnie Van service, but at Magic Kingdom, you can only access them at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Rideshare Pick Up Zone

So, you’ll still need to take Monorail or Ferry Boat to the TTC. Once you get there, you can just proceed to the designated pick-up location to find your ride.

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Park Hopping TO Magic Kingdom

Well, this is a lot like hopping FROM Magic Kingdom, but in reverse!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Driving

If you drove to your first park of the day, you can simply return to your car and drive to the Magic Kingdom. Remember that you will actually be parking near the Ticket and Transportation Center, so you will then need to take the Monorail or Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom gate. If you paid a parking fee at your first theme park of the day, you are covered for parking for the rest of the day — you won’t be charged again at the Magic Kingdom parking toll booth.

Transportation and Ticket Center

Rideshares

You have the option of taking a Rideshare (or the Disney version — a Minnie Van) anywhere on Disney World property. These are almost always going to be quicker than any other Disney version of transportation. So, if you’re in a hurry, or maybe it’s a little too people-y out there and you need a few moments away from the crowds, this can be a good option. Just remember that unlike the other options we highlight here, you’ll pay the fees for this transportation.

Walking

As we discussed above, you can’t walk from any of the other Disney World theme parks to Magic Kingdom.

Park Hopping from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom

The simplest way to get from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom is on the monorail. Simply head out the front gate or EPCOT and take the Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Then you will transfer to the Express Monorail, which will take you from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom gate.

While the Monorail is the simplest way to get to Magic Kingdom from EPCOT, and arguably the most “Disney” way, it can be quicker to take a bus — provided there is not a long wait. Your best bet on a bus is to walk out the International Gateway (this is the “back gate” of EPCOT, in between the UK and France Pavilions in World Showcase) and stroll over to Disney’s Beach Club Resort to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom. This bus (and the buses from all Disney World hotels) will bypass the Ticket and Transportation Center and drop you off directly at the Magic Kingdom, eliminating one leg of the journey. (Like we said, that Ticket and Transportation Center complicates things!)

Park Hopping from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to the Magic Kingdom

The most direct route to the Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Hollywood Studios (using free Disney transportation, that is), is to take a Disney bus from Hollywood Studios to the Ticket and Transportation Center, and then take a Monorail or Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom gate.

Are there other ways? Sure. You could, for example, take the Disney World Skyliner to any of its resort stops, then walk to the front of that resort and catch a bus to Magic Kingdom. Or, you could walk from Hollywood Studios to the BoardWalk Inn, and take a bus from there to Magic Kingdom. Those routes would likely add up to an additional hour to your trip.

Park Hopping from Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom

One thing we continually remind you about Disney’s Animal Kingdom is that it’s pretty far away from everything else at Disney World! The only practical thing to do here is to take a Disney bus from Animal Kingdom to the Ticket and Transportation Center, and then take a Monorail or Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom gate.

If you realllyyy want to avoid the Ticket and Transportation Center, you could take a Disney bus from Animal Kingdom to Animal Kingdom Lodge, and then take a bus that will drop you off directly at Magic Kingdom, but that’s going to add time to your trip. (It is a good option if you want to see Animal Kingdom Lodge or have a meal there, though!)

Sound complicated? Maybe a little, but once you’re at Disney World, the transportation options will make more sense. Just remember, there is always more than one way to get from Point A to Point B, and there will always be Cast Members around to point you in the right direction or help you make a plan.

Stay tuned to DFB for more tips and tricks for making the most of your Disney vacation!

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What are your favorite park hopping tips? Let us know in the comments below!

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