A new walking path and a pair of new bridges now connects the Magic Kingdom to two more Magic Kingdom area resort hotels – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
For some guests, this will be a game changer as to how they visit the Magic Kingdom from their resort hotel.
We visited the Magic Kingdom last month and recorded our walk from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian to give you a tour of this fantastic new area available for guests to enjoy and explore. Watch here:
Before the new bridges and walkway opened, guests lodging at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian had the choice of either boat or the monorail (or a bus if the monorail is down) in terms of transportation to the Magic Kingdom.
The ability to walk to the Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian is made possible by the addition of two small pedestrian bridges over the Walt Disney World canal system.
The big new star is the swinging bridge that crosses the canal which not only houses the floats for the Electrical Water Pageant, but also connects the Rivers of America to the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, where the repair facilities are located.
Although it’s not widely utilized, one can walk from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Polynesian. This means, if you keep on going, you can effectively walk from your car to the Magic Kingdom. Something you’ve never been able to do at Walt Disney World before.
The new walkway does visit some areas around the Magic Kingdom that were previously off-limits to pedestrians before. This gives you the opportunity to get up close with nature and provides new views of the Walt Disney World Monorail as it zooms overhead.
Where to find the new walkway
- From the Magic Kingdom: follow the signs to “resort launches” located toward the middle of the Magic Kingdom entrance plaza. Then veer to the right toward the newly constructed boat dock. Stay to the right and look for that sign that reads “Walkway to the Grand Floridian Resort” and a little gate.
- From the Grand Floridian Resort: Head toward Gasparilla Island Grill and the Marina area, which is located around the back of the main building. Then follow the path on the left of the Sago Cay building and follow the pathway toward the white bridge that crosses the canal.
We loved being able to explore this newly available guest area at Walt Disney World. We walk briskly and it was just about a 12 minute walk for use from the Magic Kingdom to Gasparilla’s at the Grand Floridian Resort. A more leisurely pace might take 15-17 minutes.
If the boat isn’t waiting for you at the Magic Kingdom resort launch, that means it’s probably quicker to walk back to the Grand Floridian. If you just missed your boat, a walk will definitely be quicker.
If you’re someone one who likes to go out for an early or late run, keep in mind that the path may not be open 24/7. So keep an eye open for signage or ask the front desk about what the walkway hours are.
We also want to note that the former Walk Around The World bricks have all been removed from this path.
Note that it’s still not possible to walk completely around the Seven Seas Lagoon. There is no sidewalk through the tunnel that connects the lagoon to Bay Lake, one of the original swampland lakes that existed even before Walt Disney first flew over the property in the mid-60s.
All in all, this is a fantastic enhancement to the guest experience at the Magic Kingdom. The ability to stroll back to one’s hotel room at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian resorts has long been promised and now it’s here. Let us know in the comments if this impacts your decision on where to stay on your next Disney vacation!
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