I go to Magic Kingdom a lot. In fact, I’ve been more than 50 times in 2024 and it’s only July.
That also means that I’ve LEFT Magic Kingdom more than 50 times this year and leaving Disney World’s park can be TRICKY — especially if you do it at the WORST time for crowds. But, you can survive if you follow this guide (and maybe bring along a bit of your patience supply).
So, when is the worst time to leave Magic Kingdom? Is it midday when people start to want to park hop or take a break? Nope. Is it when the park closes? Sometimes. But the absolute worst time to leave Magic Kingdom is immediately after the fireworks end.
Magic Kingdom has an amazing nightly fireworks show called Happily Ever After and its one that a lot of folks use as the finale to a fun day in the park. The show typically takes place a few hours before the park closes but it can on occasion take place right at park close.
Thousands if not TENS of thousands of people all like the sidewalks and pavement of Main Street, U.S.A. to gaze at the projections on Cinderella Castle and the pyrotechnics in the sky. It’s magical, it’s wonderful, you don’t want to miss…and then it ends.
That’s when those thousands and thousands of people start to make their way out of the park. Sure, if the park is open later they could stay, but many of them have been in the park since 7 or 8AM and it’s now past 9PM. The biggest massx exodus you’ll find in Disney World happens right when Happily Ever After ends and it creates some serious crowds and some serious traffic.
When you’re struggling with the last shreds of your energy after riding coasters, taking your kids to meet Mickey, and walking soooo many steps all day; the last thing you’ll want to do is wait an hour just to get back to your hotel or car. Now, if you want to leave after fireworks, I can’t make it a wait-free experience but I CAN help make it a whole lot easier with these tips.
Plan to miss the crowds by just a bit.
When I say everyone exits as soon as the fireworks end, I mean it. You can have a much smoother exiting experience by getting out either a little bit before or a little bit after that time.
If you’ve seen the show before, you might start to make your way out of the park as the finale nears. When you see Tinker Bell fly, start to make your way to the walkways and out of the park. This should get you on transportation and back to your hotel or car before the big crowds hit.
Alternatively, hang out for 30 minutes or so after the show ends. This can be a great time for an ice cream cone from Plaza Ice Cream Parlor to cap off a fun park day! Then, when you stroll out, the initial rush should have passed. Fun fact! You can even do this if the park has closed as Plaza Ice Cream typically stays open a little bit longer than the park does (Main Street Confectionery too!).
Choose your viewing spot wisely.
The most difficult spot to exit the park from after fireworks is the hub — that’s the area right in front of the Castle. I timed it once and it took me a full half hour to get from my fireworks spot to the ferry boat. Any other time, that journey would be 5-10 minutes.
Instead, opt for a spot at the front of Main Street right by the park entrance. Not only will you have a nice view of the fireworks but you’ll be able to see the projections that go all the way up and down Main Street. Then, when the show ends, you can just turn around and exit and be one of the first families in line for the monorail, boats, or buses.
Make the right transportation choice.
When leaving Magic Kingdom, you may have a choice of what transportation to take. Most hotels are reachable by bus with the closer ones being reachable by boat or monorail too. To get to the Magic Kingdom parking lot you can opt for monorail, ferry, and sometimes bus.
If you can only take a bus, this tip won’t apply to you. But if you have options, I’ll let you know which ones are the right choice! If you’re headed to the parking lot, I HIGHLY recommend the ferry over the monorail for the super busy time. It’s got much higher capacity and they run multiple ferries so you’ll be back on the other side of the lagoon in no time. Bonus tip! If you don’t have wheels, head upstairs on the ferry! More people will be able to fit onboard that way and you’ll have a little more breathing room upstairs.
Do NOT take the bus heading to the Transportation and Ticket Center if it has a long line. I’ve been trapped in an HOUR long line hoping to get back to my car.
As for the hotels, if you’re able to walk and in Disney’s Contemporary Resort or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the walk back is going to be much quicker than waiting in the line for transportation. The monorail will often have longer lines than the boats but it also comes more consistently so I would opt for the resort monorail. If you’re headed to a hotel that has a boat and bus option, the bus is likely going to get you back sooner.
Finally, be patient!
Disney World is a magical place but like all travel it comes with some not-so-magical moments. This could be one of them! When you’re exhausted and see hundreds of people ahead of you in line for the monorail, things can feel pretty bleak.
The most important part of having a pleasant exit at this busy time is to have realistic expectations. If you’re not able to avoid the mass exodus, just know there will probably be a bit more wait than ideal to get to your bed that night. Going in with the right expectation will mean that you don’t end up tired AND in a bad mood.
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Do you have tips for leaving Magic Kingdom at night? Share them with me in the comments below!
The first time I died, I was standing behind a row of strollers during the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom. The drivers of the strollers were mad moms. They were furious at the people in front of them, that were holding their phones up to record the show, and blocking the view of the newborns in the strollers. I was a newbie at the “end of the night – Magic Kingdom thing”. I had no idea that when the show ended, the crowd turned on their heels and shot out like Goofy from a cannon. The mad moms were no different. They led the pack! They maneuvered the crowd with timing and precision as they adjusted their tennis skirts, took a fast sip of their day-old Joffrey’s brew, and barreled straight for me. I survived when my wife pulled me out of the way, but not before two of the mad moms tried to surgically remove my toes with the mega wheels of a twin-seated stroller. I survived that night (pause for dramatic beat), but toes remember.. the toes know.
That is a good number, I grew up at Disneyland and have been over 22,300 times. My Room mate worked at DLH (Sgt. Preston’s at the time) and we would go to the park every single day. They used to have a guest book at great moments with Mr. Lincoln and we used to sign it and put the number of times we had been. This did not include all the times I had been as a child. we lived down Harbor and Lampson behind McDonald’s and would sit on our roof everynight and watch the fire works. My sisters and I used to trade tickets with each other back when they had them in the books, and ride our bikes to DLR on the weekends (Most kids watched TV). We would go with our parents every weekend. I have been several times since my kids were born and that was not included in my total count either.
Totally agree. My favorite place to watch is at the MK entrance. Climb the stairs where you go to board the railroad and find a place to watch the fireworks. Then when its over you just go down the stairs and out to the various transportation options.
When leaving the Magic Kingdom in WDW, we tend to take the Resort Monorail, even though we don’t stay on property. The resort monorail line usually has much lighter traffic than the regular monorail line. Leaving the Magic Kingdom,the resort monorail stops first at the Contemporary Hotel. The second stop is the Transportation and Ticket Center (the parking lot). We save a ton of time choosing to ride the Resort Monorail line.
Is it an option to walk to the GF or Contemporary and then get the resort monorail to the TTC?