Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom Walkway Now Open

Over the last year, Disney has been building a new pedestrian walkway from the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa over to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park which will allow guests to easily walk back and forth between the two locations.

(UPDATED 11/20/20): In this post, we are going to explain everything about the new walkway that goes from the Grand Floridian Resort to the Magic Kingdom and share construction updates as the project progresses.

Even though construction was halted in 2020, the project progressed nicely and has now reached its completion.

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Walkway Details

If you’ve ever stayed at the Contemporary Resort you know how convenient the walkway is over to Magic Kingdom Park, only taking about 10 minutes to get there.

Well, now the walkway from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom allows you the same convenience and is a great addition for guests who don’t want to wait around for Disney transportation like the monorail.

This has been a request from guests for many years and something that Disney has been in discussion for a long time. There have been some logistical problems regarding the waterways, and guest safety since proposed, but it’s finally built.

It’s funny that Disney has never officially commented on the project, but if you take a walk over there you will certainly find it.

There is even a moving bridge being built which allows guests to cross the waterway and allow boats to go in and out of the Seven Seas Lagoon. I can’t wait until you get to try it out for yourself!

In my opinion, adding a pedestrian pathway over to the Magic Kingdom was a great move and something many guests will benefit from.

While I do love riding the monorail, the lines at times can be really long or sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk instead. And because of the close proximity, it makes total sense.

Now Open

After more than a year of waiting, the walking path between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom is finally open!

You can take the walkway in either direction, and the whole walk will take you 10-15 minutes depending on your pace.

From the Grand Floridian side, the path starts out near the convention buildings and the marina.

As you walk along the path you will have great views of Disney’s Polynesian Resort across the Seven Seas Lagoon, as well as the Contemporary Resort. On the way back you will also see the Grand Floridian Resort.

There are two bridges to cross, one being the famous “swing bridge” which opens and closes to allow boats to pass out of the canal. This area is where the Electric Water Pagent barges go in and out from.

Once you arrive at the Magic Kingdom, you will go through the temperature screening area, as well as the new security screening area.

We’ll have more photos for you soon. In the meantime, you can read through the construction updates to see how this fascinating new walkway came into place.

Construction Updates

Since the permits came out about a walking path connecting the Grand Floridian Resort to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, the construction has gotten underway and they are making some nice progress on the site.

In the last update, we saw construction on the site of the pathway and the bridge being put in place which will connect the two sides. The mechanism for the pivot bridge is interesting and it will allow the bridge to pivot back and forth, permitting guests across and boats in and out.

This week, we see the construction is almost complete and we can get a good feel for the distance between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom turnstiles.

Big shoutout to @Bioreconstruct who always takes the best construction photos around Walt Disney World especially his aerial photos which are amazing. This helps us to see some of the unseen areas of Disney World and the work being done behind the scenes. Let’s look at the latest updates…

We’re continuing to update this post so scroll down for the latest photos…

(New Photos 8/19/20)

It’s been about one month since our last look at the construction progress on the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom Walkway and we are happy to say that it’s almost complete.

Let’s take a look at what’s new:

Here we get a good look at the Grand Floridian Resort from high above. Notice the monorail line that goes from left to right at the front entrance of the resort.

The walkway over to the Magic Kingdom starts on the left side of the image where guests will cross the first of 2 bridges.

Here is a close-up showing both bridges, on the right of the photo as soon as you leave the resort’s property, and the second on the left side of the photo heading toward the park:

When we back it up you can get a better sense of the overall length of the walk:

At first glance, it looks comparable to the walk from the Contemporary Resort and it should take most guests no longer than 10 minutes to get to the turnstiles of the Magic Kingdom.

It looks like it’s about the length of going from Space Mountain to Big Thunder Mountain one and a half times.

Here is another angle showing the two bridges that guests will have to cross to reach the park. The second and closer bridge is a pivot bridge and will allow boats to pass in and out of the canal for the Electrical Water Pageant or for maintenance work.

Here is a better look at that second bridge. The Liberty Belle steam boat also passes through here at times when it needs maintenance.

We shouldn’t have to wait much longer to use the new walkway as the major part of the work is now complete.

Not only is work being done on the walkway to the Magic Kingdom, but also on the entrance to the park itself. Here is a look at the latest construction to the area, including a new boat dock:

Construction is almost done here too, and the changes to the security procedure and the turnstiles have provided a much smoother entrance to the park.

That wraps up our latest update for now, stay tuned as we continue to bring you the latest on the Magic Kingdom to Grand Floridian walkway project here at Ziggy Know Disney.

Continue reading to see other updates on the project.

(New Photos 7/23/20)

It’s been quite a while since the last time we took a look at the walkway being built between the Grand Floridian Resort and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, so we are definitely due.

Of course, a big part of the reason is that Disney World was closed and construction halted for 4 months. Now that it’s started up again we are definitely starting to see some progress taking place.

Here is an aerial photo of the Magic Kingdom entrance. The work going on at the top of the image is where the walkway will lead to the Grand Floridian. Guests will go under the monorail tracks and have a nice, peaceful walk along the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Now let’s look at the walkway, but a little closer to the Grand Floridian. The long skinny path is the walkway and the pivot bridge is now fully installed which will allow guests to walk across the canal:

In the above photo the bridge is open and allows boats to pass through. In the photo below however, the bridge is pivoted in place for pedestrians to cross.

Having a bridge that can open and close is crucial since this waterway is used by the Electrical Water Pageant and at times when the Liberty Belle steamboat travels through the lakes.

This bridge is looking really good and it is almost completely finished.

That however, is only one of the bridges on the walkway. A bit closer to the Grand Floridian and there is another canal that needs a bridge for guests to cross. Work has now started there too.

Here you can see workers transporting the bridge to the location a few weeks ago:

Since this is a much simpler bridge and it won’t open and close like the other one, workers have already been able to install it.

You can get a nice view of the fixed position bridge from the monorail.

Now that we’ve seen the bridges, what about the pathway itself? Here we can get a look at a newly paved section of a new route between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom.

Overall, we find it really funny that after all the work being done on the project, Disney hasn’t even officially announced the Magic Kingdom to Grand Floridian walkway. At this point we may never get an announcement, but it will be a great addition and give guests a faster alternative for whoever is staying on that side of the resort.

(New Photos 1/2/20)

A lot has happened on the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom walkway since last month and this time we are going to look at the bridge itself, which has come along nicely and also the actual pathway that is starting to be more visible near the Magic Kingdom side.

Let’s dive in…

From this aerial photo we get a good idea of the location for the Grand Floridian walkway bride. You can see the monorail line that goes by overhead and where the bridge will connect the two sides:

You can also see that the pathway itself is starting to form on both sides of the canal. The right side will take you to the Grand Floridian, whereas the left side is how you get to the Magic Kingdom.

Passing by on the monorail, you can see the construction site where the bridge is waiting to be installed:

One thing we notice right away is the big red construction crane is gone which means a lot of the heavy lifting must be over.

Getting closer you can see the actual bridge which seems to be attached to the pivot point. When operational, it will swing open to the other side to let pedestrians walk over, and then close to let boats through the canal:

It finally looks like the opposite side is almost ready to connect, and a big mound of sand has formed as the ground is getting smoothed.

Now let’s head over towards our destination, Disney’s Magic Kingdom:

Looking down here you can see the pathway which will take you there:

A closer look at the mound on the left shows what’s remaining of the “Walk Around the World Bricks” after being torn up.

In this aerial image, concentrate up on the top right side:

There you can see the pathway that’s arriving from our bridge.

Here it’s on the right middle of the photo:

Once guests arrive here in front of the Magic Kingdom, they will go through a security screening, just like when you walk from the Contemporary Resort on the opposite side.

This will go right around the area where the Monorail station is, though guests from the monorail won’t have to go through it, much like they don’t have to go through the one over at the Epcot Entrance now either.

(New Photos 12/9/19)

On our last trip around the Seven Seas Lagoon, we took some pictures of the latest work being done to the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom Walkway. Let’s take a look…

From a distance things look very similar to last time. The construction crane is still in place and the work site is still full of materials:

With a closer look, it seems like a lot of the steel has been cleaned up off the ground, probably used to assemble the bride under construction.

Now we can really start to see a difference as the bridge that will be used to connect the pathway between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom now has railings on it:

Obviously railings were necessary for safety, and now with them up the bridge is starting to look much more complete:

There are still a few missing boards on the floor that need to be installed, but overall it’s really coming together!

Now let’s take a look at it from the side:

Here you can see where the bridge connects to the pivot piece under the water. That controls the movement of the bridge and will swing the entire thing open or closed. This will allow pedestrians to walk across when it is up, and boats to pass through the canal when it’s open:

Now on the Magic Kingdom side of the land we see construction workers doing some preparation work on the land where the bridge will ultimately connect to:

Down the way machines are starting to create the pathway which guests will use to walk to the Magic Kingdom:

This whole area will be smoothed out and some kind of pavement laid:

In order to prepare for the walkway, the existing commemorative bricks have been torn up:

(New Photos 11/25/19)

Progress is a great thing, and today we can see the span has been placed on the pivot point for the pedestrian bridge connecting the Grand Floridan Resort and Spa to Disney’s Magic Kingdom:

A closer look shows it direction on the pivot point we’ve been watching for some time:

Most swing bridges have the pivot point in the middle of the bridge, however in this case the bridge will open like a gate at one end. To do this take substantial effort in the underwater support for the pivot point.

Keep scrolling to see previous updates.

(New Photos 11/5/19)

It’s been a while since we’ve updated the construction on the walkway from the Grand Floridian Resort to Disney’s Magic Kingdom and a key piece of the puzzle has been installed which will make the bride function. Let’s take a look:

Going back to October, this little beauty was installed….this will be the mechanism for turning the pedestrian bridge between Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian:

We’ve seen photos in the last months of workers filling in the foundation for the pivot mechanism, and now it’s covered up.

A current sky-high view of the Magic Kingdom to Grand Floridian Resort walkway project shows the tan bridge deck which will eventually be attached to that pivot point in the water:

Here’s a little better look with the pivot mechanism on the left side. Basically the tan bridge will be attached to that and it will open and close to let guests on foot from one side to the other, and at the same time let boats in and out that need to get through:

A current look at the pivot point shows that it’s been completely filled in and some metal parts for the mechanism have been installed on the top:

It’s being covered with plastic however during bad weather:

Seeing this bridge getting closer and closer to being built is encouraging and I for one can’t wait until it’s done. Once this walkway is completed, it will also allow guests staying not only at the Grand Floridian to pass, but also those at the Polynesian to go through too.

That’s it for this week but stay tuned as we’ll be updating this post regularly with the latest. Keep scrolling down to see the previous installations of the construction on this walkway.

New Photos 9/18/19:

We took a ride on the monorail to get a look at the latest work on the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom walkway. Riding by we can see the construction site in the distance. The crane is active and moving around lifting materials:

A lot of work going on as the site was very active and full of people:

The steel is in place the same as it was a couple of weeks ago, but there are a lot more vehicles around:

Here you can get a good view of the bridge which will be used by guests to cross the canal currently separating the Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian:

The unique thing about this bridge is that it will be a swinging bridge, not a traditional drawbridge you might be used to. The bridge will be installed on a pivot point which will swing the bridge left to right to open and close the opening to the canal to let boats pass by:

Here is where the bridge will be connected and pivot from. That hole at the edge of the canal is where the support for the bridge will be.

Since our last update you can see the hole has mostly been filled in as the construction workers are now able to stand inside and work:

Once installed the bridge will reach the other side here where guests will cross over to the Magic Kingdom:

This path brings you to the Magic Kingdom and some construction vehicles are moving along the path:

The rumor its that a new 5-Star hotel is going in the space between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom and that’s why Disney is eager to build this bridge now after not having one for 30 years.

This would make sense as there is a lot of real estate still unused along the Seven Seas Lagoon and a new hotel here would be perfect.

This is just a rumor right now but it would be a perfect fit.

Stay tuned as we continue to bring you the latest on this bridge and pathway construction.

New Photos 8/28/19:

This week we got a chance to ride by the construction zone for the bridge which will connect the Grand Floridian Resort and the Magic Kingdom. Work is fast moving right now and there were a lot of workers on the scene.

Here we can see the construction crane in place to move the heave materials for the project:

A closer look will show you the steel beams on the right down by the water and you can see the retaining wall across the way on the other side:

Lots of steel ready to go up:

In front of the crane looks like a

Here is the bridge that will be used to cross the canal:

The bridge has to be able to let boats pass through the canal so it looks like it will swing to some degree to make that possible.

The platform on the right will presumably attach to the bridge, while the hole on the left is going to have concrete poured inside to build the support column.

It’s amazing how they can wall that off from water like that! So cool to see!!

Across the canal is where the bridge will connect and let guests walk across. Right now there is a retaining wall in place:

Guests will then be able to walk this path on the other side of the canal which brings you straight to the Magic Kingdom:

We hope you enjoyed our latest look at the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom walkway construction update. Stay tuned as we will keep bringing you more soon…

New Photos 8/4/19

Things went from rumors to full-blown construction on the walking path from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom. Right now you can see a big red crane being used for the construction work.

All the materials are in place to build the retaining wall along the water’s edge. Here you can see the crane gathering those materials to put them in place:

This is where the bridge is going to be built which will connect the two sides of land together. The lowest part of the wall is already up and it’s getting gradually bigger:

Here you have an even better view of where the bridge will be crossing over the canal. Markers are in place for the structure:

That’s all for now but keep checking back for more updates on the walkway construction from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian. Keep scrolling down for previous updates to see how the work has progressed:

New Photos 7/14/19:

After the permits were filed for a new walkway to the Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian Resort, we now have our first look at just where the construction is going to take place.

Here we can see where the walkway is going, including a bridge which will cross over this water canal:

Notice the steel piled up on the right for the retaining wall:

It’s not a huge gap from one side to the other and a bridge will link the two sides nicely.

Next we can see some flag markers in the ground which mark the path of the walkway:

It’s a decently sized pathway, probably about 8-10 feet wide just by eyeballing it:

We’ll continue to keep you updated on the guest pathway from the Grand Floridian as soon as we have any other information…

That’s the latest updates for the Grand Floridian/Magic Kingdom walkway construction. Stay tuned for more updates as they come.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our Walt Disney World Construction Updates page for more updates on all the building projects going on around Disney World as we continue to bring you the latest!

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about a guest walkway being built between the Grand Floridian and Disney’s Magic Kingdom…

• Do you think it’s a good idea?
• What type of design would you like to see?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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