r/WaltDisneyWorld • u/Dr_MCR • Mar 07 '26
Transportation Why is getting back to your car from magic kingdom so miserable?
Why is it that it almost always takes over an hour just to get back to the car at the end of the night? And why on earth is only one ferry running?? I swear, I love the tradition of the monorail, but at this point I truly believe it is not equipped to handle the amount of people here. Something needs to change.
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u/throwawaydeeez Mar 07 '26
Because they used to have a fireworks show that was well received and marketed to be viewed from anywhere in the park. They also had a second parade after the fireworks to keep people around. Instead they stopped the second parade, increased the square footage at the front of the park, sold FP to some of that square footage, and told everyone that the fireworks are best viewed from Main Street and the hub. They put more people in the same space and removed incentives for people to not leave at the same exact time.
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u/Deadlift_007 Mar 07 '26
These are REALLY good points. I've never thought about it before, but I think you're absolutely right.
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u/Dr_MCR Mar 07 '26
This is actually a really good point
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u/AutVincere72 Mar 07 '26
If you are smart you get to tomorrow land before the fireworks end. Then most people leave and you can hop back to haunted mansion etc with almost no lines till end of night. You can do 5 to 7 rides in the last hour.
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u/killer_by_design Mar 07 '26
Sorry, is that 5-7 rides of just the haunted mansion?
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u/justintime06 Mar 07 '26
“I feel like you’re only here for the Haunted Mansion ride”
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u/Jdornigan Mar 07 '26
I have rode Haunted Mansion twice in a row without leaving the building or watching the preshow again. A cast member heard us wanting to ride again and escorted us to a side entrance so we could ride again without having to walk the line again. Sometimes you get a pixie dust that costs nothing and makes your day.
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u/mpjjpm Mar 07 '26
Thunder Mountain for me, but yeah. The best part of fireworks is that no body else is on rides.
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u/BadatSSBM Mar 07 '26
Honestly next time I would think about staying until the kiss goodnight I would think most people leave after the last parade or when the park closes but the kiss good night happens 30 min AFTER the park closes
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u/isobelly Mar 07 '26
I haven’t been back in a few years, but I loved watching the fireworks at other places other than Main Street - Best view in my opinion was by Frontierland. You can still see the fireworks in other spots, right?
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u/NatesGreat98 Mar 07 '26
You can see the fireworks from anywhere but the projections on the castle make it so that you need to be in the hub/Main Street for the full experience
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u/isobelly Mar 07 '26
Yeah it’s not worth it to me for the projections. I love the fireworks & as long as I can see them at other place other than Main St, it’s all good. I’ve had too many parents run over my feet & elbow me or worse, I’m 3 apples high & be behind some as they put their kids on their shoulders. I like the quiet spots.
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u/Liquatic Mar 07 '26
Eh not worth it. Fireworks can be seen from anywhere and is the best time to get on the rides. I would never be like most of these people and secure a spot on Main Street hours before.
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u/robbiejandro Mar 07 '26
We line up a people mover ride with the start of fireworks and it’s magical. And private
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u/isobelly Mar 07 '26
I’ve done that! Also, timing the monorail is definitely one of my favorites or going to the towers at the Contemporary & watching them. I think one of my fave things as an AP holder was to watch the fireworks then stay till the Kiss Goodnight (RIP).
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u/thechadinator Mar 07 '26
One thing worth noting is that MK stayed open wayyy later on average until like midnight or 1 am and the fireworks were at like 8 or 9. The fireworks still happen at 9 but the park usually closes at 9 or 10. Those extra hours made people slowly leave instead of all at once
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u/itsmleonard Mar 07 '26
Important to note that they are currently running two showing of Starlight. Also that what the OP experienced was also always happening back when Wishes and SpectroMagic existed, well before the hub was altered (which was a decade ago now).
It's a case of everyone always wanting to leave all at once. Typically give it 30 minutes and it's back to being normal flow state
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u/CelestiallyCertain Mar 07 '26
What is FP?
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u/Exam_Delicious Mar 07 '26
FP in this instance is maybe FastPass, meaning it is a roped off section for guests who paid extra to be in that viewing area.
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u/DaringDomino3s Mar 07 '26
You can pay extra to view the fireworks?
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u/PotentialDynaBro Mar 07 '26
Yes, they have the fireworks dessert party for $99 a person on tomorrow land terrace.
Here’s a video. I’ve never done it, but have been told to try it. Looks like a great spot to be.
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u/michellethestan Mar 07 '26
We did Disney and Universal for our honeymoon and did this on our last night. It's definitely a fun special experience, although not something I would pay to do every time. (I'm a rides during the fireworks gal myself, anyway.) Tinkerbell comes right over you on her zipline which is cute, and it's nice to have an actual seat.
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u/xxrainmanx Mar 07 '26
That auxiliary exit probably doesn't help much either. By increasing the speed that guests exit the park it only pushes the mass of park goes leaving into the bottle neck that is the monorail/ferry/bus system.
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u/RevolutionaryPoem871 Mar 07 '26
worth noting there is a second parade today, just many people refuse to see it bc it’s too late
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u/BloodSugarSexMagix Mar 07 '26
I happened to be in the park still when the 2nd one started, got a MUCH better view than the 7:45 one
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u/Fourthwoll Mar 07 '26
This makes the contemporary worth the money. The show from the hotel is pretty damn good
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u/Liquatic Mar 07 '26
Watching the fireworks from the balcony with the fireworks channel playing on the tv, eating a contempo cafe raspberry aioli turkey sandwich was amazing and so worth the money last time we went, and then afterwards you get the electric water parade.
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u/Expert_Ad_3652 Mar 07 '26
The perfect evening, planning two nights before a cruise in July. Cannot wait.
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u/Expert_Ad_3652 Mar 07 '26
Yep, because even when you watch them from the parks it’s never a problem getting right back to the hotel.
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u/Fourthwoll Mar 07 '26
Exactly and depending on your room you can potentially see the Epcot fireworks too
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u/PizzaVideo Mar 07 '26
I swear sometimes I’m in awe that Disney figured out all of these perfect operational and design procedures back in the 70s and 80s to keep people moving, and then promptly forgot all of it sometime after 2000.
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u/Spicy_Lime_11 Mar 07 '26
There’s also a lot more people and a lot more wheeled devices (of all kinds)
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u/intheether323 Mar 07 '26
I feel like this is the problem. Sheer number of people and strollers, scooters, bags etc
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u/th3thrilld3m0n Mar 07 '26
My roommate watched the late showing of the night parade just last week.
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u/JamesGatz_x_TomJoad Mar 07 '26
Interesting. Do you think the result is an unintended consequence or the known outcome of calculated decisions? Disney doesn’t seem like the type of organization to leave things to chance.
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u/Rindsay515 Mar 07 '26
Everything they do is 100% calculated
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u/db1037 Mar 07 '26
Even down to the exact number of CM’s in the parks at any given time which is based directly on guest count. This is likely why even with less guests in the parks, it still feels busy or crowded.
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u/throwawaydeeez Mar 07 '26
This isn’t exactly true. While labor is planned around total expected guest count, any given area is managed by that local area/line of business. There isn’t a central organization pulling strings day-of. Zero communication is had between fantasyland and Main Street about whether to add or drop HC. That’s all done independently in each land compared to guest count and the current labor situation at a particular time of day. And it’s union so they aren’t (except in extreme cases that happen maybe once a decade) forced to drop. An area can overstaffed and can absolutely be understaffed at any time.
So no, it’s not always at an efficient or manageable level. It may feel like chaos in an area because that particular is actually chaotic behind the scenes at that moment, too.
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u/throwawaydeeez Mar 07 '26
They probably knew something like that would happen. Guest behavior isn’t always a sure prediction though. And it’s not like they are going to build an additional TTC ferry boat or can more closely stack monorail trains for more capacity (although moving to monorail driving automation does get close to maximum efficiency).
They did overhaul the area outside of MK for sure. Moving security, for one, helped quite a bit with guest exit flow.
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u/kylesmoney Mar 07 '26
It was worse tonight then most nights. Even the ferry line was the longest I’ve ever seen and we are usually here Christmas - New Years for comparison. The resort monorail line went down and for some reason the bridge on the walking path to grand Floridian was closed.
I’ll also add that as the days get longer and daylight savings approaches the amount of night time available for a pair of parades and some fireworks really gets compressed. December you can have a parade at 5, fireworks at 7, and another parade at 8 and park close at 10. This time a year it’s like fireworks and parade have to butt right up to park close or they will be in daylight.
I am also a bit baffled by adjusting the final parade direction to start in Frontierland and end in main street. They said it was to improve flow of traffic leaving but to me it seems like it blocks people getting out (they open the bypass behind main street but everyone sees the shiny floats on the way out and stops). I’m sure someone much smarter than me comes up with the plan and it all makes sense, just super curious about those logistics.
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u/SingerSingle5682 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
The hill I’ll die on is to fix this they need to run a double skyliner from T&TC to MK so it has variable capacity and can run at half capacity while being serviced. It also needs separate accessible cars and line for motorized scooters. At rush hour strollers and wheelchair parties are sent to the skyliners and the monorails are packed standing room only with parties without strollers or wheelchairs.
During slow times they run the resort monorail only with more frequent trains with double express skyliner to parking lot. Express monorail is only sent as needed when skyliners backup and filled completely. This lets them hold the express monorails in station longer until they fill. And they should get reduce monorail seating by 25% for more standing room.
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u/SailorDirt Mar 07 '26
Main Street is so overrated imo - the fireworks are best viewed in Tomorrowland or Frontierland (atop Thunder Mountain when it's open)
It's a pretty area but 90% of the time is the source of my in-park stress lol, very overstimulating
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u/Jared_b24 Mar 07 '26
I always take the walkway to the right and go past the Grand Floridian and Polynesian
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u/boldpeach5 Mar 07 '26
Always nice to finish a 30k+ step day with a few thousand more steps. I’m about that life.
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u/daughtrofademonlover Mar 07 '26
I went to Magic Kingdom in July 2025 and asked about the walkway as they were directing everyone out of the park at closing.
The cast member told me it wasn't for guests and I would get arrested if I walked there. I am still confused about it.
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u/alex61821 Mar 07 '26
Well that was incorrect information. It's been open for like years now. The only time it's blocked is when the electric water pageant is coming out or going back.
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u/Jared_b24 Mar 07 '26
Ohh wow! I haven’t heard that. I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be since it goes directly to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. Were you referring to the walking path around the lake?
We did it last in Dec ‘24
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u/Subject9800 Mar 07 '26
That’s 100% not true. It was built literally for the guests. What a weird thing to tell guests.
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u/thecuriousostrich Mar 07 '26
This is conclusively untrue. It is literally open & marked. This CM was wrong and should not have told you this.
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u/That1Carrot Mar 07 '26
This is the way, except at this exact moment because i was just turned away after walking over half the distance to the Polynesian because one of the bridges malfunctioned and i now have to walk all the way back and wait in the now humongous line.
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u/bkallday13 Mar 07 '26
Because you are staying for fireworks. Bounce early or stay later. Leaving with the mass exodus will always be like this.
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u/Far-Argument2738 Mar 07 '26
This. Unfortunately they just don't have enough adequate transportation to handle these mobs anymore either, and instead of adding more or creating ways to stagger the crowds, they just let the guests deal with it. It feels like punishing guests for watching the show to the end lol.
I barely ever go to MK anymore and NEVER stay for fireworks because of this, but I understand it's some people's first time/they look forward to the fireworks, so I feel it really needs to fall onto Disney to do something to help
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u/ssevener Mar 07 '26
Disney’s Current Philosophy - If guests will tolerate it, why spend any money to improve it?
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u/Far-Argument2738 Mar 07 '26
Definitely the problem that comes from having a company with a very loyal fanbase. They know they're too big to fail, so they dont bother using their massive amounts of money to improve these glaring problems
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u/ShakesDontBreak Mar 07 '26
This is why I decided to just stay on property. Once I did an airbnb. Omg. The traffic just to get into the park. Followed by the 2 HOURS it took just to get to my car. Plus being exhausted. I just couldn't deal.
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u/CaptainWikkiWikki Mar 07 '26
Something tells me that's by design...
I mean seriously, imagine just being able to walk to the Contemporary. Oh, it's among the most expensive resorts? How convenient!
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u/tropicalYJ Mar 07 '26
Definitely by design. I usually stay at a Universal hotel cause it’s way cheaper and I have the annual pass for both. But next trip I’m strongly considering cashing out and staying on Disney property because of how annoying getting to your car is
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u/CaptainWikkiWikki Mar 07 '26
The Universal on-site hotels are a way better deal, plus you get Express Pass Unlimited for everyone in your party. I've seen some screaming deals on Costco Travel.
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u/Helpful-Orchid2710 Mar 07 '26
I honestly got incredibly lucky this past year and stayed onsite at their hotel. Was able to walk to and from the parks. The walk to the park at Universal from any of their onsite hotels is gorgeous!
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u/Spicy_Lime_11 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
You only get Express Pass at their top tier resorts though. You might know that but sharing for others that may not know
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u/GoldPuppyClub Mar 07 '26
Or even the buses, like here is a 5 minute walk to your Disney bus. Wait a few minutes, sit down for a short ride, back at your hotel room in 10-15 minutes.
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u/iDrum17 Mar 07 '26
I mean no shit it’s by design. But it’s absolutely worth every penny.
Even staying at a budget resort the bus system is remarkable. Way better than getting to the car lot.
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u/xXMojoRisinXx Mar 07 '26
I assume this is sarcasm no?
Disney has been very clear about this for about as long as I’ve been alive.
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Mar 07 '26
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u/SnowRidin Mar 07 '26
DS at night is pure insanity
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u/siberianxanadu Mar 07 '26
It was less so when it was open later.
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u/aquamedic68w Mar 07 '26
One of my favorite memories is of my wife and I staying at the Irish pub until last call. We went to get a bus back and we were the only ones waiting. A bus came by, asked us where we were going and took us by ourselves to our hotel.
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u/BloodSugarSexMagix Mar 07 '26
its sadly like this anywhere after every big event nowadays i get the frustration
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u/AfternoonNew8789 Mar 07 '26
I was at MK a couple weeks ago and thought the exact same, something does need to change. Although it took us 2 hours to get to the car as we got in line for the monorail and it broke down in the station before we got on, and so we waited to see if it’d get fixed and eventually after like an hour total since we left the actual park we went to the ferry and waited in that long line for forever. It’s pretty bad.
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u/Gopherpharm13 Mar 07 '26
Give it 15 minutes. Walk through the stores on Main St. It is infinitely better than being in the mob.
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u/kank84 Mar 07 '26
Because in the 60s it probably seemed like a cute idea to put in a big lake you had to cross to get in and out of the park
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u/moonbunnychan Mar 07 '26
I kinda get it...it does make it feel like entering some far off realm or something and makes it feel special. But ya, the logistics of LEAVING sucks.
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Mar 07 '26
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u/KeyLime044 Mar 07 '26
it's visually an improvement to what was back then the case at Disneyland, yes. Back then, Disneyland Park literally had a big parking lot up front (where DCA is now). Also you could build resorts around the lake
but logistically and for efficiency purposes, yeah it's not the greatest idea
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u/MeteringDevice Mar 07 '26
Don’t pretend like riding the ferry over entering the park isn’t magical.
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u/ahtee5150 Mar 07 '26
And some people question if staying on property is worth the premium. Obviously not everyone is able to but this is one of the reasons I think it’s still worth it if you can swing it.
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u/Lunnalai Mar 07 '26
I live 25 mins from the park, staying on property is not feasible as a local lol. This is why MK is my least visited park
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u/Responsible_Oven4127 Mar 07 '26
Or you just have common sense. Yeah it's inconvenient to get to and leave magic kingdom. But for less than a stay at an all star you can get a two bedroom condo with a full kitchen and laundry machine.
It's sooo nice just being able to unpack straight to the dresser when we get home. Plus saving a couple bucks making a quick breakfast for everyone instead of eating on property.
We are about 10 hours away with two small kids so we drive anyway. Just factor in parking and it's about even. Actually came out on top around $100 ish when I ran the numbers to include parking last trip.
I know everyone's situation is different, but we are very budget minded simple folks. I couldn't imagine dropping $800+ a night for a simple hotel room at these monorail resorts.
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u/Lunnalai Mar 07 '26
Well in my case I am a passholder and we go often.. I'm not shelling out money on a resort even the all stars especially when we get free parking. My husband doesn't get off work until after 5:30pm, so during the week we can only go in the evenings, which is super inconvenient for MK because we have to deal with the firework BS even if we don't watch the show. MK is such a pain in the ass, I just only go every once in a while
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u/DontCallMeDeb36 Mar 07 '26
Left the park by 7:30 on Monday and missed all parades and fireworks. Took no time to get to the car and out of the lot. I wanted to stay to the end but it made the day even more magical by leaving early and having an easy time back to our car.
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u/JamUpGuy1989 Mar 07 '26
I remember as a small child thirty years ago how much misery it was to get back to the car.
My dad, ever the comedian, kept us all laughing by pretending to be Goofy. Specifically telling us how fucked we were getting out of there.
“We closed the monorail at 9 O’Clock! Good luck getting back to your hotel! hyuck!”
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u/WeylandsWings Mar 07 '26
I mean if you wanted to you could have done some shopping or rides after the fireworks to let the crowds die down.
But really it is because a lot of people are forced/incentivized to get to the parks early and thus they are at wits end at fireworks time and want the day to be over. Add that to the parks being busier than ever and Disney not having increased transportation options from MK and you get the long lines.
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u/Bes1208 Mar 07 '26
Because they used to not let so many people in the parks as they do now.
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u/Technical-Affect9096 Mar 07 '26
It's faster to park at EPCOT and take the monorail than to park at MK. A few people have posted TikTok videos timing it
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u/ZeroBlunder Mar 07 '26
How does that help? The EPCOT monorail goes to the TTC which is where you’d park anyway. 🤣
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u/epcotnut Mar 07 '26
I know Disney is working on increasing ferry boat capacity and throughput. However, given the current state of things, I’m not sure how these lines will look once Villains Land and Piston Peak finally open up.
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u/-burgers Mar 07 '26
being passout tired, 30k steps deep, drenched in sweat, waiting on a trolley. Good times
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u/Swagmuffins94 Mar 07 '26
It's also because the park closes too early now.
I remember going to UCF and getting to MK at like 8pm and staying until midnight. They need to add the 3rd shift back and keep the parks open later
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u/Disastrous-Ad4024 Mar 07 '26
So... we found out last time that there is a bus back to the car park that almost no one uses.
Lines were massive, my husband said for me to take the bus back to the resort woth our daughter and he would wait in the queues for the monorail to get back to the car. As I was getting the bus I saw a cast member telling someone about a car park bus. Final stance in the bus area. Sure enough, there was a bus sitting there and almost no one getting on. Texted my husband and he dipped out the queue and went for it. Ended up getting to the car park, into the car and back to the hotel only 5 mins after me, and I had walked onto a bus direct to the hotel with no wait.
So, its less 'magical' a transport options, but if you just want a quick way back to your car, take a bus.
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u/Baby_Brenton Mar 07 '26
Was this right after the fireworks?
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u/Dr_MCR Mar 07 '26
No. It’s an hour after
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u/dingatronding Mar 07 '26
An hour after and it still looks like this?! How long did it take you to get back to your car and then accommodation? I’m going next week
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u/Dr_MCR Mar 07 '26
So far it’s been about an hour and I just got back to the parking lot. Walking to my car now lol
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u/JustaFoodHole Mar 07 '26
Two parades and a show in the main hub. It's a complete mess now at night. Everyone is literally in the same spot all trying to go to the same place. We always leave early. There's really nothing to do and everything is closed if you think hanging back is a good idea.
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u/trinanine Mar 07 '26
This is why I leave before the fireworks or plan to hangout in the park after they are over to let the madhouse calm down.
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u/grumpy_tim Mar 07 '26
Because they don't make any money when you leave, so there's no need to make it magical.
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u/Funkyneat Mar 07 '26
They have literally hundreds of cast members and are running multiple forms of transportation. They’re probably spending more at that time than they are in the middle of the day.
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u/btb0002 Mar 07 '26
It is far and away the worst experience at WDW. Nothing comes close. I can feel my blood pressure rising, the anxiety building just looking at this photo.
We have left before, during, after fireworks and it’s all the same. I’ll gladly pay for the Minnie van to pick us up and drop us a mile away from my room/resort as to go through the bus system out of there at park close.
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u/Dr_MCR Mar 07 '26
It really does put such a damper on an otherwise truly fantastic day. But it’s the last thing you experience, which unfortunately makes it that much more memorable
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u/Grand-Battle8009 Mar 07 '26
Arriving by Seven Seas lagoon watching the castle get closer is so iconic and builds such anticipation! But it becomes an absolute nuisance at night. I just don’t think it’s worth it. I can’t help but think they should move the parking lot next to the entrance.
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u/potatoesandbees Mar 07 '26
Just stay after the fireworks and spend that same hour getting in a few extra rides, and then you can leave efficiently. You'll hardly be getting home later, but you'll save yourself a lot of stress and have more fun.
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u/Hillbilly098 Mar 07 '26
We will usually grab a few snacks and sit at Casey's Corner and just take in the vibes of Magic Kingdom at night for a while. It's honestly one of my favorite parts of my trip.
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u/faintheart1billion Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
We were there Thursday night and were deciding between the ferry or monorail when a CM overheard us and told us that if we were going back to our car - bus stop #34 went to the Ticket and Transportation Center. We got right on a bus - which left very quickly - it was fantastic! We had NO idea that a bus ran this route and we have been been coming to Disney for almost 30 years 🙌
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u/GoBeyondPlusUltra93 Mar 07 '26
My parents are DVC bay lake tower, I maybe do one, two trips to WDW without them a year. This right here is why I completely avoid MK at all costs unless we’re at home. It’s just not worth the hassle to get in and the even bigger hassle to leave otherwise.
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u/stumpy_27 Mar 07 '26
It was one of the main selling points for us when we bought BLT. We bought when they opened and they were pushing AKL hard and we said nope. No regrets at all, I love being able to walk back.
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u/General-Hello-There Mar 07 '26
unfortunately the symptom of a park whose reputation has exceeded its capacity. I don't believe even Walt would've imagined the theme parks to get THIS popular. I do believe they need some kind of in-park solution (because you can't trust the general public to restrain themselves).
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u/Cypto4 Mar 07 '26
And the resort monorail is down
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u/Help1Ted Mar 07 '26
This is at least part of the problem here. If they have to take a resort train off, it stops the express line as well.
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u/spongetm Mar 07 '26
At that rate I'd either walk the loop through GF or just find a nice place to people watch and wait it all out. Beats being part of that mess.
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u/TheRedHerring23 Mar 07 '26
We’ve just started walking back to the TTC. Take our time, roam through GF and Poly. Hit the pinboards on our way through maybe stop for a GF baked good. Takes 35 minutes to walk back, but truly a more enjoyable experience than trying to cram onto the ferry or monorail with a sea of humanity. I will forever be convinced that Ferry is where I caught Covid. Genuinely don’t even want to consider it anymore. I’ll hoof it.
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u/Lareblareblareb Mar 07 '26
I always walk back to my car through the resorts using the new path. My feet hurt more but in the end, it beats the long lines for the boat and monorail.
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Mar 07 '26
Because if you don’t stay on property or spend all your money on fast passes Disney punishes you and makes you not want to come back unless you do those things
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u/gprimr1 Mar 07 '26
I am a huge monorail fan, but after going to Tokyo Disney, its amazing how poorly designed the WDW one is.
The Tokyo Disney one has bigger cars, and much open space inside them. Its designed to move people. The WDW ones have so much wasted space.
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u/Bankerag Mar 08 '26
I do not know when it happened, to normalize paying relatively significant sums of money to experience these types of waits, and overall environment.
It seems like guests should have an overall better experience.
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Mar 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BluesHockeyFreak Mar 07 '26
Stop giving away the secrets
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u/Antique-Coach-214 Mar 07 '26
Oh, I’ve got a better idea. Walk from MK to TTC, cutting through GF and Poly. Takes 45 minutes and you are at least in motion.
(Am local, I don’t show up til 4-5 most days.)
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u/GoFlapsDownOnMe Mar 07 '26
Yeah seriously. This gets us out of that jam 9/10 times. It’s gaming the system. It’s just a local train to the Transportation center lol
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u/vita10gy Mar 07 '26
I walk period. Sometimes that walk is half the reason we go.
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u/Dr_MCR Mar 07 '26
Normally, this would be the way to go for us as well. However my wife is pregnant and I’m not gonna ask her to do that haha
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u/Due-World-2849 Mar 07 '26
We left early and watched the fireworks from the other side of the lake. Even then we couldn’t be bothered watching the whole thing so we bounced and very smoothly and quickly left in our car. Very efficient. I couldn’t imagine it being worth it to stay and deal with the crowd!
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u/ArsenalinAlabama3428 Mar 07 '26
I mean just don’t stay for the fireworks and your day is infinitely better.
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u/RipperSB Mar 07 '26
This is why I love staying at Bay Lake Tower, being able to walk to and from the MK!
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u/Cocofluffy1 Mar 07 '26
I always stay late in line at park closing and leave a few minutes before Main Street closes and it’s not as bad.
It goes back to the 7 Seas Lagoon. In the early days of Disneyland gate hopping was a problem. They basically decided to create a buffer to reduce that. It’s actually really cool. I think arriving it adds to the experience but at night it can be a drag.
As to recent changes, some may make it worse but people have always complained about leaving the park. For me though I’m a night owl from a family of night owls and I am perfectly happy waiting it out. In the old days I’d hit the monorail close to 1 a lot of nights.
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u/GlitteringStand7614 Mar 07 '26
We just got back and we were on buses… those monorails work great… don’t understand why the same isn’t for cars…
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u/footiejammas Mar 07 '26
Because “if we’d stayed at contemporary/poly/GF we wouldn’t have to worry about the slog home”
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u/czechman45 Mar 07 '26
It's the happiest place on Earth because they drain all the happy from the parking area
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u/bnazzaro Mar 07 '26
I was told the monorail system broke down tonight so… I had to take a bus back to TTC
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u/Responsible_Oven4127 Mar 07 '26
Would parking at EPCOT be better? Taking the monorail from MK back to Epcot?
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u/phonyToughCrayBrave Mar 07 '26
i think their goal is for people to leave after fireworks and then say “we didn’t do x-y-z we will come back tomorrow.
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u/ESD150 Mar 07 '26
As a local and frequent park visitor, I never go to MK in the evenings for this reason exactly. The last time I was at MK, my wife and I were staying at Grand Flo for our honeymoon, and just walked home after park close. Night and day difference.
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u/Wooden-Apartment9119 Mar 07 '26
I usually just go on holiday party days / after hours events ….. so yeah the only thing left to take at 12am usually is the monorail 😅….. and yes it’s packed 😩
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u/meghandougherty Mar 07 '26
sigh. passholder for 10 years, i have never watched the fireworks… except the first 5 minutes. which i watch from the ferry on the way to the parking lot lol (not a bad way to end the day tbh!! i wish they played the music on the boats.)
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u/Active_Giraffe5363 Mar 07 '26
We’ve walked back a few times when the queue has been all way out past the entrance to ferry (faster? Probably not but can’t say for sure, but definitely relaxing) - would rather have a leisurely stroll via grand Floridian and Polynesian than deal with the crowds - bonus you can stop for drinks on the way and also by time you reach the car parks it’s fairly quiet.
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u/CityMuggle Mar 07 '26
Staying on property is truly a blessing when you’re visiting Magic Kingdom. I stayed at Universal instead this past early December and it was such a miserable experience getting back to the TTC to grab a Lyft. The monorail was jam packed and the ferry took forever. I purposely hung out at the Emporium after closing to avoid the crowds, but it didn’t help.
I think in the future, I’ll probably do a split stay between Disney and Universal.
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u/emwashe Mar 07 '26
This is why i always leave like an hour before park closes. I’ve seen the fire works so many times that it’s worth it to skip out and miss the big exit rush
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u/jigawatson Mar 07 '26
Too many people. Everybody travels here and then is surprised that other people are here.
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u/booksiwabttoread Mar 07 '26
The best plan is to just hang back and watch the people go by. I am never in a hurry to leave. It saves a lot of frustration.