If you drive yourself to the Magic kingdom

[parker kim]

We are going in Oct. And stay on property for 6 night but, driving for Pa. and are staying out side of wdw on sat. night. Cause we wont be in or near orlando til around 10ish so we did not want to waist a night stay. My promblems is we are going to MK on Sun. morning. So we will drive to MK. How will this work? And will the other guset for the resorts get a jump on us? never thought about this durning planning til now. Could we go to the restort we are staying in that night first first thing in to morning, but how early then would we have to get up? Please help explane When we park at Mk were and when will we go. thanks everyone is so great here!

 

[wdwmagic]

If you drive to the MK, you will park at the TTC, and then take either the boat or monorail to the park. Guests who are at a Disney resort will arrive directly at the park entry, and may also be using Extra Magic Hours. So technically there will be othre guests ahead of you, but not neccessarily by much (depening how early you get there).

You could also drive to your resort that morning, and leave your bags with them until your room is ready for checkin around 3pm. You could then take Disney transport to the park.

 

[MinnieMommy]

We did the exact same thing our last trip. We just went straight to the resort and did an early check in. I think they'll take your bags for you. We parked in the resort parking lot, hopped on a bus and headed for the park! And, our room was even ready by like 1:00, so we even got to go back for an afternoon rest with the kids! You'll be fine -Have a MAGICAL trip! :sohappy:

 

[SpongeScott]

We are going in Oct. And stay on property for 6 night but, driving for Pa. and are staying out side of wdw on sat. night. Cause we wont be in or near orlando til around 10ish so we did not want to waist a night stay. My promblems is we are going to MK on Sun. morning. So we will drive to MK. How will this work? And will the other guset for the resorts get a jump on us? never thought about this durning planning til now. Could we go to the restort we are staying in that night first first thing in to morning, but how early then would we have to get up? Please help explane When we park at Mk were and when will we go. thanks everyone is so great here!

On Sunday morning, go to the resort where you will be staying for the 6 days around 8:00 a.m. Check in, you'll get a parking pass, go to MK, and you'll be there at a decent time.

 

[parker kim]

sound great maybe thats what will do. So park opens at 9:00 and I wnat to be there by 8:30. and the bus ride over is est. 30 min. thats 8:00. If I check in by 7:30. Will 30 mins. be enought time to check in and get to the bus stop? What time dose check in open or is open 24 hours?

 

[MKCP 1985]

sound great maybe thats what will do. So park opens at 9:00 and I wnat to be there by 8:30. and the bus ride over is est. 30 min. thats 8:00. If I check in by 7:30. Will 30 mins. be enought time to check in and get to the bus stop? What time dose check in open or is open 24 hours?

You can check in at most any time, but you won't necessarily be given a room at the time of an early check in. No problem though - the resort will store your suitcases and you can take resort transportation on to whatever parks you wish to visit. They will also give you a card with a number to call later in the day to learn of your assigned room number. The resorts will also issue you a park ticket that doubles as your room key, so that when you call and find out your room number, when you return to the resort, you can go straight to your room without going back to the front desk. At least, that is how it worked for me.

As for how long, that is a hit or miss. It can take a long time, at times. You just never know if you are going to hit a bunch of people checking out in front of you. My personal experience, though limited, has been that the cheaper the resort, the longer the experience at check in, but that is very UN-scientific! :lol:

 

[orangewarrior]

I would think you'd be ok checking in early in the morning, as far as the line at the front desk goes, although you will have check-outs to contend with still it shouldn't be bad. I would think if you were at the resort hotel between 7:30-7:45 - you should be fine. Then I would drive myself from the resort to the TTC and take the monorail or the ferry to the MK. We have found that having our own vehicle allows us to avoid Disney Transportation. And even though Disney transportation is adequate. You still have to deal with loading and unloading buses and bus schedules and the like. We have found that it is much better to transport ourselves since we have the vehicle, and parking is free. The only time we considered anything differently was to the MK because of having to use the monorail and/or ferry but we still like having our vehicle.

 

[WDWcouple]

sound great maybe thats what will do. So park opens at 9:00 and I wnat to be there by 8:30. and the bus ride over is est. 30 min. thats 8:00. If I check in by 7:30. Will 30 mins. be enought time to check in and get to the bus stop? What time dose check in open or is open 24 hours?

AH How I miss the days of being a park commando Now Im a slacker and sleep in till 10 or so and end up at the park around 11

Have a great time... Drink plenty of water

 

[wired]

We always drive from Chicago, we leave Saturday Morning around 3:30 AM or so and get there around 10 PM, give or take traffic and or construction. Our onsite Disney stay starts Sunday. You can check in anytime on Sunday but your room is not always ready until 2:00 PM, but you can check in and get your tickets and use Disney Transit, or take your car.

Depending on the time of year, we have checked in as early as 10 AM and had our rooms ready then.

Which by the way, really like the new ticket packages, it is nice to get my room booked a day later but only buy tickets for the days I am going to use them. Yes, once we reach Saturday again, it is time to pack up the car and head home....

PS: Really miss the Disney Welcome Center, seems like Disney really cut back on the billboards also, even close to the parks...



wired

 

[jim1051]

We always do what you said, but we check in at resort early Sunday. They'll hold your bags or we just leave them in car til we can get in room.

 

[JPVonDrake]

You can register at your Disney Resort as early as 7:00 AM on your scheduled date of check-in. You also can drop off your luggage with Bell Services to hold until your room is ready. When you register, you will recieve your Resort ID card and can then use Disney's transportation to get you to the Park of your choice.

If a room is not ready at the time of your arrival, you will recieve a business card with the Resort phone number to call after 3 PM to get your room number. Once you are told your room number, your Resort ID Card has already been programmed to open your room door, no need to return to the Front Desk. When you get to your room, simply press the Bell Services button on your in-room phone to have your luggage delivered.

All Resort/Park Transportation starts running 1 hour prior to Official Park Opening or 1 hour prior to Extra Magic Hour Opening for the Park offering the benefit.

Enjoy your magical vacation! :sohappy:

 

[natalia1681]

JP, you always have such great information. You are truly an asset to this board!



Plus, your avatar is the best EVER.

 

[NCState]

Thank you JPVonDrake

I wanted to say "thank you, JPVonDrake" I don't believe anything unless you post it. You're a great help with all questions!:sohappy:

I'm your number one fan!

 

[parker kim]

Hi thanks, That was great information. So am I better to drive my self to the MK or take the bus?

 

[Nemo14]

Hi thanks, That was great information. So am I better to drive my self to the MK or take the bus?

If you take the bus, you will get directly to the MK. If you drive, you will have to go to the transportation center, then take either the ferry or the monorail to the MK. Personally I prefer to just take the Disney transportation, especially for MK, but others prefer to have the use of thier own car.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi thanks, That was great information. So am I better to drive my self to the MK or take the bus?

Well it all depends if you drive yourself, you will still need to take either the ferry or monorail over from the TTC. there is simply no other way to get to the Magic Kingdom. If you take the bus, you are dropped off at the bus stop location for the Magic Kingdom which is steps away. I would say take the bus, but I dont prefer to drive on property if I can avoid it!!! THAT is a big part of my vacation that I dont have to drive anywhere!!! Belle

 

[scorp111]

Well it all depends if you drive yourself, you will still need to take either the ferry or monorail over from the TTC. there is simply no other way to get to the Magic Kingdom. If you take the bus, you are dropped off at the bus stop location for the Magic Kingdom which is steps away. I would say take the bus, but I dont prefer to drive on property if I can avoid it!!! THAT is a big part of my vacation that I dont have to drive anywhere!!! Belle

Totally agree with the last sentiment!

It really helps me forget about the "real world".

Disney Transportation is the way to go for me

 

[Kadee]

Hi thanks, That was great information. So am I better to drive my self to the MK or take the bus?

Just keep in mind that if you do not check in FIRST, you will have to pay for parking. So, if you are going to be at the resort to check in early that morning, I would definitely take the bus over. It is so nice getting right off at the gate and not having to fight the crowd at the ferry or monorail.

We are doing just that when we go in July. We are arriving around 7am, checking in to POR, having breakfast at Boatwrights, and then heading over to the MK via the bus!:sohappy: I am SOOOO excited about our trip!

 

[wdwmagic]

I wanted to say "thank you, JPVonDrake" I don't believe anything unless you post it.

That's a bit harsh to the other posters here who provide very useful information, along with JP.

 

[MinnieMommy]

Hi thanks, That was great information. So am I better to drive my self to the MK or take the bus?

I agree withNemo that it is nice to skip the TTC and get right to the gate! I know people say it's faster to drive yourself to the park, but I am leary of this. Our 2003 trip, we decided to drive to MK our last evening so the kids could ride the monorail with the driver. While we were at MNSSHP, our van was broken into, along with about 10 other cars! Not a magical way to end a trip! Although, I know this is a RARE experience - I'm sticking with the busses! :lookaroun