Has anyone ever done EMM at MK while staying at Ft Wilderness? Typically there is no bus service to MK from this resort, only the boat, but the boat isn’t running that early.
My GUESS is that I would need to take the boat that goes to the CR instead (which I think is running that early for breakfast reservations) and then walk from the CR, but wondering if this is correct or there is another option.
So I have used that to get to a BOG pre park opening, but we did not make it by 7:45. That was summer 2017 so not sure on a day that EMM was not happening - so not sure if they run earlier on EMM days.
If you don’t get a definitive answer here, there is a great forum called Fort Fiends that was super helpful (doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming number of campers in this group) when I planned our stay at FW. The people at reception were also super helpful when I checked in with them to make sure my plan to get to BOG early was in fact the best plan.
Thanks! I wasn’t aware of that site but I found it. Couldn’t find anything specifically about EMM but there was a thread about getting to MK early for breakfast reservations and indeed the suggestion is Blue Flag boat to the Contemporary and then walk from there. That boat starts at 6:45am.
They have the same boats as WL right? The boat to CR begins at 6:30. It is an easy walk after. I was shocked by the 7am WL breakfast boat.
I thought there had always been bus service from Ft. Wilderness?
Shocked in a good or bad way?
In a good way! I was expecting to have to go to CR and walk but I had a private boat ride. Even if FW does not have a breakfast boat, you should be able to get on that 6:30 CR boat and walk.
Just to follow up on this, this is exactly what I ended up doing.
6:00 am - wake up
6:52 am - First boat arrived. You want the RIGHT side of the dock which is the boat to Contemporary.
7:00am - Arrived at Contemporary Dock
7:10 - Security along walkway between Contemporary and MK. Took about 2 minutes.
7:20am - Cleared through gate and in line waiting for EMM start
One thing I will note is the internal Ft Wilderness busses are very bad early in the morning. I was sat at a stop waiting for over 20 minutes without sight of a single bus. I don’t know when one would have come but another guest with a golf cart was going the same way for breakfast at Contemporary and gave me a ride.
This is great info, thanks!
Thanks for following back up and reporting on how things went. Someone will search the forum for this exact question in the future, and be curious how it worked out for you.
If there is a boat on the left that would be a breakfast boat. I would ask them. That would be a direct boat.
Curious about this, because we are not planning on having a golf cart during our trip. Could you have walked the distance to the boat dock in 20 minutes? I know Ft. Wilderness is huge, but I also am planning us getting around a good bit by foot. Thoughts?
From the closest cabins (not counting the like 2 cabins that you almost never can get) it is almost precisely a one mile walk to the spot where the bus would drop you off. Could you make this in 20 minutes? Yes, if you are walker ad you don’t dally. But you are on vacation!
I normally walk every day back and forth to work, about 3/4 of a mile, 15 minutes each way. I would not even consider walking as a general method of transportation inside Fort Wilderness. I’ve said the same thing as you before but when actually presented with having to walk around that place every day, maybe multiple times a day, I always back down.
The busses normally run often enough that they would be passing you if you were making the walk. Its just in the very early mornings before park open that they seem to be less frequent.
Thanks for this, @jwvanderbeck. I know its a crap shoot, but I’m requesting one of those cabins near the marina. Fingers crossed!
Yes! That person was ME! I’m so glad to find an answer to my question. We are headed to the Fort in June and have EMM reservations one morning. Only difference from you is that we will be somewhere in loops 100-300 so I’m hoping I can walk to the boat launch and not have to rely on internal transportation. Thanks for following up!
Question - is it hard to find the path from the Contemporary boat launch to MK? It will just be me & my girls that early and I don’t want to run all over trying to find the path.
When you get to the dock at the CR you will walk towards the building in front of you. You should go through and out the other side of the lobby. Once outside, you will walk on the sidewalk towards the MK. You will see the crosswalk as you exit the parking lot. The monorail should be above you.
I’m sure this is correct but I will say I never went through the lobby. I just headed towards the building then took a right towards the monorail. Once past the building veer left a bit into the parking lot and there is a sign that marks the way.
Basically though you just walk under the monorail 
There is a sidewalk.
You can do that too, but you wouldn’t walk into the CR?
Looked quicker (and easier) to go around rather than climb those stairs Plus the first sign I saw on the outside of the building was something like “Convention Entrance” so I just detoured around since I knew to follow the monorail and I knew that MK lie to the right anyway.
I think we may go in different directions!