Disney World Building Magic Kingdom to Grand Floridian Walkway
Walt Disney World will soon build a path between Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian. While this has been rumored for decades, Disney has finally filed a new permit with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with a title that’s a dead giveaway: “GRAND FLORIDIAN TO MK WALKWAY.” Subsequent to this, Disney has confirmed that the project is, indeed, a walking path between the park and monorail loop resorts.
“Building” a path is probably a misnomer, as most of this path has existed for years. It’s the infamous “pathway to nowhere” and there’s a decent chance some of you have fallen prey to it. Upon finding a long monorail line after the Magic Kingdom fireworks, perhaps you’ve spotted a tranquil, illuminated pathway leading towards Grand Floridian.
What a great, stress-relieving convenience! Or so you might’ve thought at first, enjoying a nice stroll over ‘Walk Around the World’ pavers, delightful views of Seven Seas Lagoon, and the warm glow of lamps overhead. That is, until arriving at the end-end of the path and having to turn around, walk back to Magic Kingdom, and wait in that long monorail line. Not that we know from experience or anything. At first blush, the completion of this pathway seems like pretty great news. There is a potential downside, though…
Before we get to that, let’s take a look where things presently stand on this confirmed project. We took a look on the resort monorail today, as it looks like prep work is already beginning for the bridge across the canal:
These photos are admittedly not the greatest, so it’s probably tough to see the white flags marking what, presumably, will be the new walkway connection.
Prior to that, the existing path is still in place, although it’s no longer accessible from Magic Kingdom due to the Walk Around the World removal work.
The downside is that the reason this path has never connected to Grand Floridian is because there’s a canal in between the resort and Magic Kingdom that leads to storage and maintenance facilities for Magic Kingdom’s fleet and floats used in the Electrical Water Pageant.
In order to complete this pathway between Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Magic Kingdom, a bridge over this canal will be necessary. To allow for future (infrequent) maintenance, it’ll need to be a removable bridge of some sort. In order to allow for the daily use of the Electrical Water Pageant, it’ll pretty much need to be drawbridge.
That should raise some red flags. For years, we’ve joked that the only reason Electrical Water Pageant still exists is because the “team” behind it is a dude named Earl who Walt Disney World management forgot was on the payroll 3 decades ago. He hauls it around behind his 1970 Sears fishing boat every night, hoping none of the hotshots wise up.
Or should I say, half-joked. Electrical Water Pageant’s continued existence defies logic in the era of modern Walt Disney World. It wouldn’t surprise me if it flies under management’s radar, and I fear that it only continues to run nightly because it’s cheap. My concern is that any impediment to that “cheapness” could be the demise of Electrical Water Pageant.
I want to be abundantly clear here: Electrical Water Pageant does not necessarily have to be retired and there is not even a rumor that it will be retired. The bridge here could be a drawbridge or Electrical Water Pageant’s docking location could be moved. This is simply a worry of mine–there are simple solutions to this problem.
With Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary on the horizon, I’d hope that Electrical Water Pageant would be safe for at least the near future. However, so much has been changing these last few years that it being retired doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibilities. I’ll be seeing Electrical Water Pageant a few times this week just in case!
This would seem to be part of Walt Disney World’s plans to overhaul the park arrival experience, which is presently being carried out at both Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Most notably, this has entailed the controversial removal of the Walk Around the World bricks in front of Magic Kingdom and the TTC. It’s a bit ironic that these bricks are being removed just as this pathway full of them will finally start to see regular use.
This is just one of many infrastructure projects currently underway at Walt Disney World that range from new roadways and overpasses to the Skyliner gondola transportation system. Regardless of how you feel about individual projects, this massive undertaking is nice to see. It will alleviate stress on Walt Disney World’s strained infrastructure…although it could also be a harbinger of future crowds Walt Disney World is forecasting for the 50th Anniversary and beyond.
While we’re apprehensive about what will happen with the Electrical Water Pageant, the truth is that Walt Disney World could axe that any day for no reason at all, irrespective of this project. This would present a convenient excuse, but it’s not as if an excuse is needed.
With that in mind, we’re pretty excited about this pathway between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom. One of the reasons we favor the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower is because of the walking path, which is always more reliable and efficient than taking the monorail (it also has what’s consistently the shortest bag check line at Walt Disney World).
This new path will directly connect the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to Magic Kingdom, which should be only a slightly longer walk than Magic Kingdom to Contemporary. It should also be noted that there’s an existing path between the Grand Floridian and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Additionally, there’s a path between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Polynesian. Finally, there’s a path between the Poly and Shades of Green.
We walk all of these paths with regularity, and in the future would absolutely walk from any of these three resorts to Magic Kingdom rather than taking the boat or monorail (well, for half the year; April through October are probably too hot and humid for the longer walks).
Ultimately, these longer walks certainly won’t be for everyone, but we far prefer being in control of our own destiny (so to speak) on foot than being beholden to Disney’s transportation. In fact, guests like us who will walk are probably in the minority, but even 10% fewer guests on the monorail will help ease the burden on that system. Color us cautiously optimistic about Walt Disney World’s new walkway project between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about the walkway project between the Magic Kingdom and these monorail loop resorts? Will you use it, or are you more worried about the potential loss of Electrical Water Pageant? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts on this? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
How ironic is it that our family’s walkway around the world brick is about 10 feet from the end of this “path to nowhere” on the MK side and now that it’s becoming a usable path they’re removing the bricks.
This is good news, indeed, to lighten some monorail load and offer alternatives when the weather is decent. I hope they don’t take away the electrical water parade–if any Disney reps are reading this, I hope they know that it is one of the main draws for many Narcoossee’s/Citricos restaurants goers at night. Fireworks are good, but by themselves, I can watch them on a pier or beach cheap and free (if we don’t want to be in the park for cost saving or just crowds). But to enjoy the electrical parade and then fireworks, we have found it a great reason to book dinner at a Grand Floridian restaurant that we wouldn’t pay for otherwise. Considering it’s not expensive, I think they gain more benefit than they might think for running it. Just my 2 cents to consider.
Oh my gosh…..thanks for introducing me to Earl. I chuckled all morning. Pure gold for sure.
Yes that was hilarious! I loved it! Of course now I’ll always envision Earl out there every time I see the ELP & giggle to myself. Thanks for the laugh this morning Tom
I saw a post about this path a few days ago and am very happy to see it being built. We love being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary and BLT and also don’t mind walking to the TTC from the Floridian and Polynesian. I could see a decent amount of people actually opting to walk, not only from the Grand Floridian, but also from the TTC. While I love the idea of this path, I do hope they put in a drawbridge that allows the floats to enter the 7 Seas Lagoon. I hate the idea of the Water Pageant disappearing like SpectroMagic and The Main Street Electrical Parade did.
Walking path MK to GF is fantastic news!! We just returned from spending 4th of July week there, and looking down from the monorail I noticed some early hits of construction on the MK side of the lagoon… and had that nagging curiosity if it might be the beginnings of a long-awaited foot path. Thanks for the scoop.
Could the completion of this walking path be the prelude to massive monorail work with extended downtime and Disney sees the need to have the walkway to get people into the park?
Hi! Due to some unexpected pixie dust we received in the mail we will be staying at The Grand Floridian in a garden view room towards the end of August right before Star Wars opens. Are there any buildings to avoid due to construction or any proposed timetable of the work??
Totally unrelated, I just found the cover of my Magic Kingdom ticket book from a visit from my grandparents for my cousin and me in the summer of 1978. A two day ticket cost $15!!
In addition to the water pageant floats I believe the riverboat from Liberty Square goes out that way when it needs refurbishment. So, a bridge would be necessary.
There is a lot of Disney Magic to be happened upon while using these various paths, and am glad to here this one will be finally finished. We have been trying to view the Electrical Water Pagent for some four years now, maybe this December, we will accomplish that goal, I hope it is still there!
I’ve been waiting for this walkway for years. Like yourself, I too, am a fan of staying in the Park late at night after closing to take photos. The walkway will be a welcome addition at 2 or 3 AM. Unless of course the next morning all that’s left of me is a camera bag after being dragged into the canal by an alligator.
The very first thing I thought of was that poor kid that got pulled into the lagoon by the alligator. How safe and patrolled will this path be? Will the elevate it to keep tick tock off it?
Don’t forget that people went *into* Seven Seas Lagoon for decades without incident. I think of what happened as an anomaly, and certainly wouldn’t change my behavior because of it. Then again, I’m not the least bit risk averse so YMMV.
Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to die in a rental car, Minnie Van, Uber–or perhaps any other form of Disney transportation.
While tragic, I think that the alligator attack was more of an anomaly just like the bird flying into the women’s head at the Poly or even the monorail crash years ago. I would be more concerned of harm caused by other people on a path late at night more so than alligators.
I am happy to hear about the walkway and have always been concerned that the electrical water pageant would disappear. It’s nostalgic. Alligators can certainly be a concern. This is Florida and the man made waterways connect to natural waterways. Wildlife is abundant. All that being said, my thoughts and heart turn to the toddler who was attacked and killed near the Grand Floridian while parents watched helplessly nearby.
A tasteless comment considering what you know what happened to that boy!
The plus side of the destruction of all those trees at the Wilderness Lodge has been the view of the ELP. Maybe they can spend money on it every twenty years, like when they added The Little Mermaid music?
“… the “team” behind it is a dude named Earl who Walt Disney World management forgot was on the payroll 3 decades ago. He hauls it around behind his 1970 Sears fishing boat every night, hoping none of the hotshots wise up.”
Are you sure you’re not an Imagineer? This is pure gold.
If I were an Imagineer, Earl’s backstory would be several pages long and Earl would be a member of S.E.A.
Then again…maybe it is and maybe he is! 😉
Took them long enough.
We stayed at the Grand Floridian two years ago, and we made sure to get a room with a view of the Electrical Water Pageant. It’s a nice way to end a long day of travel to WDW when you aren’t going to use a park ticket until the next morning. The thing about the resort monorail is that it only operates clockwise, so when going to Magic Kingdom from the GF, the monorail ride is quick, but when leaving Magic Kingdom on the monorail, you first have to make all the other stops before returning to the GF. So what we did — and what I don’t see mentioned in the article — was to take the water launch back instead. The water launch (or “water taxi”) goes from the dock at the Magic Kingdom straight to the GF dock, which is located right by the Narcoosee’s Restaurant, and the whole ride takes about 10 minutes. From the GF, it continues on to the Polynesian. It’s a nice way to get back and forth, and while there were lines to get on the boat, they were not as long as the monorail lines, so at most we only had to wait one extra loop at park closing time. While a walking path to the GF is not a bad idea, until that gets completed, anybody staying at the GF should consider the water launch as an alternative.
I used that too. It doesn’t work if you are with someone with a scooter, though.
Sadly, it’s that clockwise travel that makes taking the monorail from GF to MK a challenge at peak times of the morning. GF is the last stop before the MK station, and by the time the monorail gets to GF, it’s loaded with people from the Contemporary, Polynesian, and day-trippers from the TTC who take the Resort line instead of the Express. During really busy mornings, even boarding at the Poly is a gamble. A few times we’ve had to wait (at the Poly) for the next monorail because the people in line ahead of us filled it up. We prefer the boats nowadays.
We also have taken the express monorail from the the Magic Kingdom to the TTC and just walked back. It’s actually a pleasant walk strolling through the Polynesian at night.
I think this is really great and am looking forward to a morning run from the Poly to MK and back. Now maybe they’ll also complete a new pathway around the entire Lagoon with a few nice sitting nooks with benches along the way. People can watch the fireworks from the path. This has a lot of potential, especially for future runDisney races. I’m hesitant to wish for a pathway wide enough for a bike lane though.
Epcot has a concrete drawbridge in China for the Illumination floats so it seems like a simple metal bridge would do nicely here
Wonder how “safe” this walkway will be from the local reptilian population?
Surely Earl’s brother Ralph could man the drawbridge ….
Or if they do away (God forbid) with the parade – Earl could be reassigned to the walkway bag check and gator patrol
Pulling a giant serpent behind a Sears fishing boat is Earl’s passion and, dare I say, calling. Let’s not take that from him, okay?
Totally agree, Tom. I’d be heartbroken if they took the water pageant away. Yes it’s hokey. Yes it’s dated. And yes, I still love it in my mid-50s as much as when I was a kid… perhaps even more, because it reminds me of those special summers growing up.
My wife and I are owners at the GF DVC. We are very pleased the path is going in.
This is great news – if true! As determined “walkers” any time it’s practical at WDW (agree with your point about controlling your own destiny) we’ve waited for those miserable little boats too many times to count. They hold about 10 people and i’m always #11 and the skipper -without fail – says “another one will be along in just a few minutes”, which is really frustrating since it always takes 20+ minutes and you look along the edge of the lake and see an obvious pathway requiring zero fossil fuels to get me back to the GF – which we now avoid in favor of the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach with their excellent walking paths to two parks. Thanks, as always for these updates – we really look forward to them!
Agreed! If there would of been a walkway we wouldn’t of almost missed our reservations for dinner at the GF!! We definitely would of walked. I was also the the first cut off after 2 WAITS!!!
I beg to differ. As a FL Resident and FL AP, we love to watch the Electrical Water Pageant. It is unique and special every time and to take it away would be a mistake. FYI, if you check the MyDisney Experience via the App or online, it leasts the Water Pageant times at each of the 3 Monorail resorts locations and at MK. So take a look at all those who have not seen it and you will love it too.
Perhaps the post was unclear, but we love Electrical Water Pageant–there’s no disagreement here.
What we’re suggesting is that it’s a very old school, ‘Vacation Kingdom of the World’ type of thing and its continued existence surprises us in this era. It seems like the type of thing management would view as expendable. Personally, we do not view it that way.
My dad once tried to walk from the MK to the GF years ago, not knowing that the path was unfinished. Security very politely walked him back to the MK , LOL. If only he knew that the path was finally going to be finished.
I’ve somehow never seen more than a glimpse of the Electric Water Pageant and I’ve never stay at the Grand Floridian (and probably never will), so I’m no the best to comment on the path. That said, I love that they are completing it. Much like the walking path between Epcot and DHS, few will use it but it’s great to have the option.
The existing path is lovely. We had a dinner reservation at 1900 Park Fair and like you, we were once lured by the tranquil, illuminated pathway leading towards Grand Floridian. Luckily for us, a CM at the monorail saw us and called down to stop us before we had gone too far! Particularly after the hubub of the Magic Kingdom, a nice quiet walking path seemed especially appealing.
Seems like it is a long walk, similar to the distance from Boardwalk to MGM (Studios).
I think it’s probably a tad shorter than that, but then again, I don’t find the BoardWalk to DHS walk to be too long, so your mileage may vary (figuratively, not literally).
My favorite travel itinerary for a day at WDW still involves taking the monorail to EPCOT, then walking through EPCOT (generally taking the clockwise path around the World Showcase) to the International Gateway, stopping on the Boardwalk for ice cream and/or a drink, and continuing on foot to DHS. It takes a long time. But the best thing that Disney does is create places and this excursion enables you to soak up so many of them in such a unique manner. I’m all for making the parks and surrounding resorts more accessible by walking. I’m sure that I’ll make the walk from the MK to the Poly now, though my wife and kids may or may not join me!