Back in April 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The special district had been around since 1967 and allowed Disney to function as its own form of government. DeSantis and the Republican-led Florida legislature voted to dissolve Reedy Creek after DeSantis and Disney began locking horns in March 2022.
As part of Reedy Creek’s dissolution, the embattled governor announced that the state would also be taking over the inspections of Disney’s most iconic transportation option — the monorail. Prior to the dissolution, Disney was able to have its own inspectors come in and make sure the monorail was operating safely. However, DeSantis said that that would no longer be acceptable, so he would send in state inspectors to do the work.
It’s been eight months, but that promise has finally come to fruition. According to Click Orlando — a local news site — the Florida Department of Transportation has begun the process of regulating the Walt Disney World monorail.
“Being that this is the first time that the State has had oversight, FDOT is doing its due diligence to thoroughly complete the review while ensuring the safety of travelers,” said FDOT District Five Public Information Director Cindi Lane.
FDOT’s Structures Maintenance Office, which inspects hundreds of bridges and other structures across the state, has begun conducting field inspections of Disney’s monorail structure.
As part of that process, Disney has provided FDOT with safety manuals and other existing monorail documentation, Lane said.
While it may not seem like a big deal to have state inspectors looking at the monorail system, they actually hold immense power. FDOT inspectors can choose to suspend Disney World monorail service while they are doing their inspections. We do not know how long they could keep the monorails down. Thankfully, that has not yet happened.
Since the state’s takeover of Walt Disney World Resort and the Reedy Creek District, things have gone from bad to worse between Disney, Governor DeSantis, and his new board running Reedy Creek.
The board has tried to force Disney to dissolve its Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion program. The head of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — Glen Gilzean — called the program “unAmerican.” However, just two years ago, he was praising Disney and its DEI program for all the positive work it was doing in the area.
The district has also lost dozens of employees, some of whom worked for Reedy Creek for decades. No member of the CFTOD board has any experience working in the theme park industry. Those who have left said that morale is at an all-time low and called the board “unqualified and incompetent.”
Disney is currently suing the CFTOD for violating its First Amendment Rights, as well as breach of contract.
The sheer size of Walt Disney World makes getting around property, or knowing how to get around property, an essential part of your Disney vacation. However, Disney has afforded guests means of travel throughout its 27,520-acre resort by way of Disney World bus service, monorails, the Disney Skyliner, and the Magic Kingdom ferry boat.
As the Orlando-based resort, known as the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” is home to four theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, as well as numerous resort rooms, golf courses, water parks, and much more; navigating the vast property can be overwhelming. For many guests, it’s best to simply park your car at your Disney resort and utilize Walt Disney World Transportation services instead.
Disney World’s flagship park, Magic Kingdom, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Tens of thousands of guests visit the park each day, meaning its accessibility is of utmost importance to manage the flow of crowds. For this reason, Magic Kingdom, unlike Disney World’s other three parks, doesn’t have direct parking to gate service. Instead, visitors to Magic Kingdom must use a Disney bus, monorail, or ferry boat to access the park.
Although the monorail is as iconic as Cinderella Castle, many forgo the long waits and opt to use Disney World’s water transportation system instead to get to various locations, including Magic Kingdom. Disney’s water transportation system offers theme park and resort guests access to areas such as Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney Springs, the World Showcase at EPCOT, and travel across Seven Seas Lagoon.
The transportation system consists of many different styles of ferry boats; some, such as the friendship boats, which are smaller crafts, offering access to other areas within theme parks. However, some are designed to move large numbers of guests, such as the Magic Kingdom ferry boat that brings visitors across Seven Seas Lagoon from the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Guests to popular Disney World Resorts such as Port Orleans can also use Disney’s water transportation center to access fabulous dining and shopping like that found in Disney Springs. Although you’ll find several ferry boats around Disney World property, the main ferry that carries guests from the ticket center to the front door of Magic Kingdom definitely sees the heaviest traffic.
Pilots and captains of Disney’s transportation systems are highly trained. As safety remains the top priority at Walt Disney World, ensuring guests can get from point A to point B efficiently and without incident means that Disney spares little expense in preparing their Cast Members to escort thousands of guests a day.
However, this doesn’t mean accidents don’t happen. A notable history of transportation problems has occurred on almost all of Disney World’s different systems. Guests a few years back found themselves shocked when their Disney Skyliner gondola collided with another ride vehicle just outside of EPCOT. There have also been several instances of bus accidents across Walt Disney World property, and sadly, even deaths associated with monorail accidents outside of Magic Kingdom.
Although Disney does everything they can to ensure that guests are safe, accidents do happen. However, whether you’re using their transportation to get from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom or to make your way across the World Showcase to the Morocco Pavilion, you should feel relatively confident that your complimentary ride will be event-free.
With so many buses running from Disney resorts, Disney Springs, and theme parks, ferry boats in waterways that alligators call home, and guests soaring high above Walt Disney World on the Skyliner or monorail, the unavoidable fact is that things will still happen. Recently, a guest at Walt Disney World learned this the hard way.
Despite the safety associated with industry-leading Disney transportation, a recent Reddit post by user u/careerpathlost suggests that a recent accident involving the Magic Kingdom ferry boat while docking at the TTC sent a guest tipping over from their motorized scooter.
“We were on the ferry Saturday night around 10:30, and I said to my daughter as we were approaching the dock at the TTC, ‘We aren’t lined up, s**t brace yourself,’ and then we hit the dock sideways,” writes the user. “One lady toppled out of her scooter, almost everyone on the boat flew sideways. No cast members said a thing; they just waited for the admiral to correct (which took a couple of minutes) and then debarked everyone. That’s all, just wondered if any of you guys happened to be on the ship as well.“
Surprisingly, many who chose to respond to the Reddit post also shared stories and experiences in which Disney World’s ferry boat system had also “crashed” into the docks. One specific corroboration stated that a water taxi collided with the ports at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Although not mentioned in the Reddit post, it’s safe to assume everyone in the ferry boat was fine after the reported incident. As we’ve previously stated, Disney goes to great lengths to ensure that their transportation offerings are a safe service for guests at Walt Disney World, or at any of their parks, for that matter.
As the need for buses, monorails, boats, and the Disney Skyliner remains high, transporting huge numbers of guests all over Disney World, the company often revisits its training and safety standards. However, if true, the latest report of a ferry boat colliding at the TTC dock raises concerns for future riders.
The Magic Kingdom ferry remains an excellent option for returning to the TTC or the parking lots at Disney World’s flagship park. It’s also a great place to enjoy Happily Ever After while beating some of the crowds that exit the park after the end of the nighttime spectacular. However, it can be a bit intimidating as the boats, during busy times, can become quite crowded. Despite complaints of mishaps such as this, guests can rest assured that Disney does everything to ensure their safety.
All aboard! Guests can once again sail across Bay Lake between Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on the watercraft “blue route” beginning Oct. 1. This route will be available to Guests daily beginning at 3 p.m., making it even easier to grab a bite to eat at a neighboring resort.
After being announced last month, the “Coco” bus wrap has made its debut at Walt Disney World Resort.
The bus is mostly purple, and features Dante in his alebrije form alongside Pepita, Hector Rivera, and Miguel. Imagery of the marigold bridge from the film is also present throughout the art.
Pepita is Mamma Imelda’s spirit guide in the afterlife.
Hector and Miguel ride on her back, and are featured in a 2D animation style rather than their 3D Pixar counterparts.
“Coco” doesn’t have much presence at Walt Disney World, but a “Coco” scene was added to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in 2021, and you can see Miguel in the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade at Magic Kingdom. A “Coco” land could also open at Magic Kingdom in the future. The film was originally mentioned as one of the considered inspirations for “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain,” the biggest expansion in Magic Kingdom history, when it was first announced at D23 Expo 2022.
Beep beep! This September, parking trams will return to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With this update, trams will once again be available at all Walt Disney World theme parks.
