Boat from MK to Wilderness Lodge

[SueM in MN]

Oh the boats are itty bitty and super cute! We last stayed (in ancient days) at Port Orleans French Quarter and I thought they had large flat boats. I could very well be misremembering though! Yes, that makes good sense choosing not to go travel on them. My old chair was folding, and in that way it was a lil' easier to deal with.

Port Orleans, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Disney Springs all use the same kind of boats. They are just themed differently at each location.
They are large pontoon type boats and are both wheelchair and ECV accessible. Each can hold several mobility devices.
This is the Old Key West boat.

 

[mamabunny]

Oh the boats are itty bitty and super cute! We last stayed (in ancient days) at Port Orleans French Quarter and I thought they had large flat boats. I could very well be misremembering though! Yes, that makes good sense choosing not to go travel on them. My old chair was folding, and in that way it was a lil' easier to deal with.

Actually, there are several different kinds of boats at WDW - so your recollection of the POR/OKW/Disney Springs boats is correct! The Sassagoula River fleet uses that type of open-air "party barge".

Epcot to HS (and all the Resorts in between) use the Friendship boats - those are bigger than the Sassagoula boats, and have enclosed cabins (with AC!) and a back deck with seating along the rail.

Then there's the style of boats that travel from MK to WL - they have the stairway up to the pilothouse just as you enter, and you can sit out front in the open, or inside the cabin of the boat.

All of those boats are accessible - the MK to WL boats don't carry a ramp like the Sassagoula and Friendship boats do, so you may be at the mercy of the water level for loading/unloading. (We have seen CMs ask folks to shift to one side of the boat or the other to help make a smoother entry for wheelchairs before)

The small launches (like @SueM in MN posted a picture of above) are the ones that are not accessible unless you can fold your device to carry it on, and make the steps. My device will fold, but my legs/hips won't do the steps anymore...

Edited to add: @SueM in MN beat me to it! LOL

 

[Glittercat]

Port Orleans, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Disney Springs all use the same kind of boats. They are just themed differently at each location.
They are large pontoon type boats and are both wheelchair and ECV accessible. Each can hold several mobility devices.
This is the Old Key West boat.View attachment 424589View attachment 424590

Oh excellent! Thank you for the photos! It's been 8 years since we've been there so my memories of things like transportation have gotten more than a touch fuzzy.

 

[Glittercat]

Actually, there are several different kinds of boats at WDW - so your recollection of the POR/OKW/Disney Springs boats is correct! The Sassagoula River fleet uses that type of open-air "party barge".

Epcot to HS (and all the Resorts in between) use the Friendship boats - those are bigger than the Sassagoula boats, and have enclosed cabins (with AC!) and a back deck with seating along the rail.

Then there's the style of boats that travel from MK to WL - they have the stairway up to the pilothouse just as you enter, and you can sit out front in the open, or inside the cabin of the boat.

All of those boats are accessible - the MK to WL boats don't carry a ramp like the Sassagoula and Friendship boats do, so you may be at the mercy of the water level for loading/unloading. (We have seen CMs ask folks to shift to one side of the boat or the other to help make a smoother entry for wheelchairs before)

The small launches (like @SueM in MN posted a picture of above) are the ones that are not accessible unless you can fold your device to carry it on, and make the steps. My device will fold, but my legs/hips won't do the steps anymore...

Edited to add: @SueM in MN beat me to it! LOL

This is wonderful information, thank you for it! I hear you well on the issues with steps. Some days I can do them, and other days it's very dangerous, and its always inadvisable!

 

[mattbaker]

This is wonderful information, thank you for it! I hear you well on the issues with steps. Some days I can do them, and other days it's very dangerous, and its always inadvisable!

I think you got the answer you needed! So I am late

 

[RaySharpton]

What is the situation with ECVs and taking the boat from MK to WL? Is every other boat ECV accessible? And is there a CM at the boat dock who'll give you an idea when the next boat might be, or someone that might actually call for an ECV accessible boat (I read that they do that somewhere)? Or if I want to go over to WL on my MK day, is there another form of transportation I should use? Also wondering the same thing-how to get from MK to Fort Wilderness-exploring my options for non-park lunches.

Hi, Simba's Mom.

I like using the boats from WL and FWCG to MK.

Here is a post #6 from a thread in my signature below with photos and measurement I took last year.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-monorail-boats-dme-etc.3749224/post-60601096

This is the other Disney water taxi boat I like to use in the Magic Kingdom lake area.

It does not use a ramp like the other Friendship boats.

This water taxi uses the front door to enter and the floor to the entrance is slightly curved upwards due to the shape of the boat. There are seats inside and outside. But wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and strollers are limited to certain areas immediately after entering the water taxi. The Disney cast member will direct you to which direction to go.

3'-9"-Side Door width to enter from pier dock. [45"]

This is where I will enter the water taxi. Luckily, the pier deck is the same height as the water taxi boat is the same height because of the day's water levels.

Sometimes there is a difference in height either lower or higher and I can still manage the slight bump rolling in. The Disney cast member will help you with his experience to decide how to enter the boat.

Sometimes when the lake water level is too high or the boat is too full, I have had the Disney cast member ask the guests to please stand up and move to one side of the water taxi boat or to the other side to help level out the entrance to the boat.

3'-9"-Side Door width to enter from pier dock. [45"]

3'-6"-Floor space between side door to a wall of Captain's tower. [42"]

This is at the Magic Kingdom pier. If you look closely, the entrance is a wee bit high with the right side curved up higher than the left side. I had no problem crossing the threshold of the entrance to the water taxi boat. If you look closer you will see a wall beyond the entrance.

3'-9"-Side Door width to enter from pier dock. [45"]

3'-6"-Floor space between side door to a wall of Captain's tower. [42"]

I am about to enter the water taxi boat and I start taking photos of my path. The wall is a tower with steps up to the water taxi boat Captain's seat way above the top of the boat.

Usually, the Disney cast member directs me to the front of the boat so I will make a left in this particular photo. I say that because depending on which side the boat docks at the pier, the other side has the same door.

I rarely see the boat and pier this level with each other. You can hardly tell a difference in height other than a slight height difference on the right side of the door entrance.

I sometimes would prefer to make a left turn and drive in that way to roll up next to a window. You might be able to see that blue handicap sign in the distance in the interior to the left.

There is a large amount of space if you go to the left with plenty of room for strollers

But I asked a Disney cast member before boarding and he said that I could roll in either way.

I think they were trained to tell wheelchairs and mobility scooters to roll to the right in this photo which is toward the front of the boat. When exiting, you do not have to back up. You can drive forward and make a 360-degree circle around that Captain's tower wall to exit or through the other side of the boat's door if that is the side they end up docking.

6'-0.9"-Wall space front Captain's tower wall facing the front of the boat. [73"]

3'-9"-Floor space from the front of Captain's tower to the front door to outdoor seats. [45"]

2'-4.7"-Front door width. [28-3/4"]

There were folks behind me so I couldn't stop and take a photo as I entered and made a left turn in front of the Captain's tower wall. But looking to my right is the doorway to the front of the boat. I am facing to my left, but I turned to my right to take this photo.

It might be too tight of a fit for a mobility scooter to drive out onto the front area. I usually stay here facing to my left ready to exit when docked. But I do like to look out of the door during my trip on the lake.

You may be asked to move forward a little to allow a Disney cast member to enter and exit this door several times during the trip so that they can signal the Captain for different things along the trip.

You don't have to move completely out of the doorway, just move enough for the Disney castmember to slip by.

Other times their may be another wheelchair or mobility scooter behind you and you will have to pull forward past the front doorway to make room. There are to windows on either side of the door that open so you can still feel a breeze.

The Disney cast member usually ropes of the area, too.

3'-9"-Side Door width to enter from pier dock. [45"]

I decided to take a peek around the corner in front of me. This is the opposite side door and the opposite wall. You can see the first bench and the area in front with the handicap sticker on the wall. This is one of my favorite places to sit next to an open window.

The Grand Floridian Resort and the Polynesian Resort use water transportation in addition to the Monorail when going to/from the Magic Kingdom. The Wilderness Lodge and Ft. Wilderness use water transportation to/from the Magic Kingdom and the Wilderness Lodge also offers bus service to MK.

Routes: There are 4 routes available in the Magic Kingdom area, each designated by a colored flag. Each route operates 30 min prior to park opening including Extra Magic hours until 1.5 hours after park close. The boats may cease operation due to inclement weather. If there is lightning in the area, launches are shut down and boats are shuffled. Expect longer than normal wait times on all 4 routes.

• Gold Flag Launch: The gold route carries guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, continues to Disney's Polynesian resort, and back to the Magic Kingdom. This route goes in reverse of the resort monorail. This route operates 30 minutes before park opening including Extra Magic Hours until 1.5-hours after park close and typically has two launches on the route. This route can not accommodate ECVs. Guests in Wheelchairs can board if they can transfer out of the wheelchair and step down 2 feet into the boat. Travel time on this route is about 20-minutes around the lake, so it's about 7-minutes between stops. Wait time between boats is typically 10-15 minutes.
• Green Flag Launch: The green route carries guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. This is a heavily traveled route due to the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey's Backyard BBQ being at this resort, along with the fact that guests staying at the resort can only get to the Magic Kingdom by boat. This route typically runs two cruisers which are both capable of accommodating ECVs and wheelchairs without a required transfer. Travel time from Magic Kingdom to Ft. Wilderness is approximately 13-minutes once underway. Wait time between boats is typically 10-20 minutes.
• Red Flag Launch: The red route transports guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Wilderness Lodge. This route typically runs one cruiser and one launch, which means if you have an ECV, you'll have to wait for the cruiser to be taken to the resort. Travel time from the Magic Kingdom to the resort is approximately 8-minutes with wait time between boats typically 8-12 minutes.
• Blue Flag Launch: The blue route consists of two launches transporting guests around Bay Lake between Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and Contemporary Resort. The two launches operate in opposite direction, meeting at the Contemporary.

TIP: The Green Route is one of the most scenic routes to take. If you're looking for something to kill time, take this route to the campground and back. Look for the bear face built into Disney's Wilderness Lodge, and remember times past (or learn about them) as you pass the closed Discovery Island attraction and River Country Water Park. Interested in Disney Cast Member traditions? Near River Country, you can spot a tree with white shoes in it. It's a tradition for watercraft pilots to throw their shoes in the tree when retiring.

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