The entrance procedure to Magic Kingdom is about to change starting the week of July 29 to accommodate enhancements to the park entrance.
Starting the week of July 29, security for guests arriving via Walt Disney World bus will be moved to a temporary tent. Disney has also announced that the Gold Launch boats (Grand Floridian and Polynesian) will be moved to the center launch, home to the Green Launch (Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground) and Red Launch (Wilderness Lodge).
Thanks to a permit filed with the South Florida Water Management District, we can visualize what the enhanced Magic Kingdom entrance will look like. Every Walt Disney World park has seen their entrance undergo construction as part of a larger-scale improvement project for the upcoming 50th anniversary.
As any guest who has been to the Magic Kingdom knows, entering or leaving the park from either the monorail, bus, or ferry can be confusing. Temporary railings are everywhere, and Cast Members try and control crowds the best they can. According to the plans, the pathways will be streamlined to avoid guest confusion and increase overall satisfaction.
Here are some of the notable structures being demolished as part of the park entrance enhancement.
As you can see, the current security checkpoint will be demolished. In addition, canopies for the Gold, Green, and Red Launch boats will be removed as well as the two canopies north of the central boat launch.
Here is a look at the current layout of the Magic Kingdom entrance.
And here is the Magic Kingdom entrance after the enhancements with notable changes being highlighted.
Major highlights from the enhancements are the current security checkpoint, which is being expanded and being made permanent. To accommodate the expanded security checkpoint, the northernmost bus turnaround will be shrunk. The Gold Launch boats will be moving to a new dock south of the current dock with a large and more permanent queue space. Each dock will have its own security check canopy. Green space will also streamline guests pathways so there is less crossover between guests entering and leaving via different modes of transportation.
Currently, pathways by the security checkpoint are having their bricks removed and being repaved square by square simply to minimize guest impact.
Also, the northernmost bus turnaround is being shrunk already.
You can check out all the construction at the front of the Magic Kingdom on our latest article.
Stay tuned to WDWNT for updates on this and every other park entrance enhancement project.
The entrance/exit to the monorails looks like its going to be a condensed cluster ****. Yikes!
Don’t all monorail riders go through security prior to boarding? According to the schematic, they walk right into the park after exiting the station.
Maybe the future plan is pre-clear monorail riders before they board. So, if they pre-clear at TTA (or hotel) they could just go straight in. That could help keep the space from being as congested as it has been.
Question: Where is the security checkpoint for the small boats (gold, green, red) that come over from the resorts? I don’t remember going through security at the resorts before boarding those the last time I was there.
Those are located as soon as you get off the launch. For the red and green docks, there is a tent just north of the dock. For the gold dock, its part of the green canopy you can see in the picture.
Yes, There is security at the monorail resorts. It’s not a big set up, just a simple table and metal detector. I did it at the Polynesian last year and the year before and at the Grand Floridian.
All this work is absolutely needed to accommodate the number of guests visiting Magic Kingdom these days, but this is going to be painful in the interim.
Does anyone know when these refurbishments will be done?