The Grand Floridian Walkway to Magic Kingdom

Did you know you can walk between Disney’s Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom? Thanks to a pathway that was added a few years ago, you can!

This new Magic Kingdom walkway allows guests to walk directly to and from either destination. Below, we’ll take a virtual walk along the path that wraps around Seven Seas Lagoon between Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian.

Formerly, the only option for walking to Magic Kingdom from a resort was to and from Disney’s Contemporary and neighboring Bay Lake Tower. However, those resorts sit on the opposite side of the theme park.

So on you’re upcoming Disney vacation, you can take a casual stroll along the path. Or you can use it to travel to the most magical place on earth.

However, we do have an update for the path for early 2023.

Per Disney:

“As we prepare to refurbish more guest rooms and buildings at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the walking path between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom Park will be temporarily closed beginning February 13, 2023 and is expected to reopen late this spring.

Boat and monorail transportation will remain available to Guests traveling to Magic Kingdom.“

This article was updated on February 7, 2023.

Guests staying or visiting the Grand Floridian can access the walkway on the far side of the resort’s property. The path begins between the side of Sago Cay and the Convention Center.

When you exit the back entrance of Grand Floridian’s lobby (near the Grand Floridan Cafe), you’ll take a hard left. Then you’ll continue on past Gasparilla Island Grill. After that, you’ll continue to veer slightly to the left.

If you get confused, keep heading toward the monorail track. You can see it overhead in the distance.

When you get to this point, there will likely be other guests heading to and from the walkway. I’m saying this because if you have stayed at Grand Floridian before, you probably haven’t had much reason to walk this far over.

That is unless your room was located in Sago Cay. Those rooms face out to the monorail like in the photo below.

On another note, since the walkway opened, Sago Cay and Sugarloaf are some of the most desirable buildings on the grounds. Both buildings are close to the walkway, the main lobby, dining, and shopping. Sago Cay is a tad bit further from the pool. However, one side of Sugarloaf faces the Courtyard Pool.

The walkway is a huge benefit for anyone staying at the Grand Floridian. You no longer have to worry about waiting on any form of transportation to get to and from Magic Kingdom.

For me, the most significant benefit is leaving Magic Kingdom at closing. Think of all those crowds trying to return to their resort or the Transportation and Ticket Center.

You’ve waited in line all day long, and now you are exhausted with worn-out children clinging to your side. Or maybe you are just exhausted.

Now, a broad, fresh-air walkway will get you back around the lake to Grand Floridian in about 15 minutes. I don’t know about you, but I’ll choose to up my step count a little more over standing in another long line.

Now, let’s get back to our walk. Once you reach the outer edge of the Grand Floridian, you’ll begin to see the walkway to Magic Kingdom in the distance.

Every few moments, a monorail glides by overhead.

Initially, there’s a small pedestrian bridge to cross.

You can tell from the number of lamp poles that the walkway is well-lit in the evening.

In the distance, you can see the Contemporary Resort.

Related: Disney’s Contemporary Resort Review

As you move along, there are stunning views looking back to the Grand Floridian.

Next, you’ll come to a second bridge, which is a swinging bridge. It pivots across the canal to allow the Electric Water Pageant floats to pass through at night.

If you are interested in seeing the water pageant, Disney lists the times it passes by the different resorts in the evening here on their site.

More than likely, you’ll be able to see the water pageant on the opposite side of the bridge, where it is stored during the day. You might not even realize what it is, but here’s a picture to give you an idea.

Once you reach Magic Kingdom, the walkway comes up alongside the resort boat launch. Then, you’ll pass through the security area shared with guests visiting the Magic Kingdom via the resort boat launch.

After heading through the security checkpoint, you’ll make your way up to the ticket turnstiles before entering the park.

When leaving the Magic Kingdom, the walkway will be to your right between the monorail lines and the boat launch. There is a sign to help point you in the right direction.

Since we initially provided this article, we regularly take this walkway and have adequately tracked the distance:

From the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom, it’s approximately 0.70 miles. It takes us about 15 minutes at an average pace and 1700 steps.

Those staying next door at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort can also take advantage of this path. To walk from the Magic Kingdom to Polynesian, you’ll need to take the path between the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian.

The Transportation and Ticket Center also offers a path to Disney’s Polynesian Resort. So you can technically walk between the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the Magic Kingdom.

However, it is a long walk. It takes us approximately 35 minutes to walk the entire distance (without stopping) from the front of the Transportation and Ticket Center.

We would only recommend doing this long walk for leisure. Or you could go this way if you want to stop at the resorts along the way.

However, we find the pathway pleasant if you enjoy being outside and taking long walks. It’s nice that it works out how all the various properties connect.

Often, we’ll park at Magic Kingdom (TTC) and then walk over to explore the Polynesian’s Great Ceremonial House. There’s always something new in the gift shop.

Then we’ll stop at the Grand Floridian and listen to the live piano player in the lobby. After that, it’s usually time for a bit of fun at Magic Kingdom. So we’ll continue our slow crawl to the theme park.

Recap:

• A new walkway connects Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort with the Magic Kingdom.
• Guests staying at the Polynesian can also walk to the Grand Floridian and access the new walkway.
• A walkway from the Polynesian connects the resort with the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Anyone looking for a scenic, peaceful walk (or possibly jog) will enjoy this area immensely. I highly recommend a sunset walk. Sunrise would also be nice for those of you who are early birds.

Related: Best Jogging Trails at Disney World

But the massive benefit is not relying on Disney transportation when using the new walkway from the Magic Kingdom to Grand Floridian!

For more information about the resort, we have a complete guide that lists our articles:

• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Some of our articles for the resort include:

• Restaurants at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Review
• Pools at Disney’s Grand Floridian
• Curioser Clothiers Gift Shop

Resorts Gal specializes in providing information about Walt Disney World Resorts. You can browse our entire list of Disney World Hotel Reviews. It includes a variety of reviews for the following resort categories.

• Disney Value Resorts
• Disney Moderate Resorts
• Disney Deluxe Resorts

If you are planning a trip to Disney World, make sure to familiarize yourself with our Disney Restaurants Reviews. Some of our most popular dining guides include Character Dining at Disney World, our Disney Signature Dining Guide, and the Best Restaurants at Disney Springs List.

In the Comments

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