Starting this tour will mean getting to the Seven Seas Lagoon Location. To get there you will either need to drive and park, take a resort bus, or take the monorail in from Epcot Center. A bus can be found at any hotel or Disney Springs going to the Magic Kingdom. The bus will let you off in the area between the Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary Hotel. This is a great option if you are at a location that provides bus service to the Bay Lake area.
If you are driving there is free parking for anyone with parking included in their Disney Annual Pass, at any of the hotel valet parking areas with a handicap pass, or in the self parking areas of the hotels. The problem with hotel parking is that it is limited so you will need to dine in the hotel and tell the gatekeeper you are here to dine and state which restaurant, if there is parking available you will be allowed in. If parking is limited the gatekeeper will be able to check the reservation list, to see if you are listed.
Once you park, proceed to the monorail station to begin your tour. Once you are at the station you have four choices. One is to take the Monorail directly to the Magic Kingdom. Two is to take the Monorail to all of the resorts and Magic Kingdom. Three is to take the the Ferry directly across the Seven Seas Lagoon. Then four is to begin the tour by walking directly over to the Polynessian Resort, which is a walkway to the left of the Monorail station entrance.
The Ferry system consist of three Ferrys that run about every 15 minutes. They are named for past Disney executives: the General Joe Potter (blue), the Richard F. Irvine (red) and the Admiral Joe Fowler (green). This will take you directly to the Magic Kingdom, where you have a plethora of choices of pubic transportaton available.
For this tour, we are going to take the Monorail to the resorts. If there is a long line for this monorail you might just want to take a short walk through the Polynessian Village to begin the tour, it’s grounds border the Monorail Station. But take the Monorail if you can.
The Monorails first stop will be the Polynessain Village. Let’s begin by going directly downstairs to the front desk and lobby to get a lei to place around our necks. They will either be at the front desk or the concierge desk. Now look around the lobby. It has change many times over the years, but has some real history to it. On December 29, 1974, John Lennon signed the paperwork that officially broke up The Beatles in the lobby of the Polynesian Village. Julian Lennon and a friend May Pang were with him at the time.
There are a number of things to do and see at the resort. Get a backscratcher drink at the ‘Ohana Bar. Go to Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace for Live Music, Go to the beach area to watch fireworks or the movie presentation in the evenings. This could be a detailed list but you might find the following video, though long, very informative about the Village. This is one of several videos done by RTV1 (found on YouTube) that show a good view and information about the resorts at Disney World.
Upon Leaving the Polynessian Village, you have three choices. You can take the Monorail System to the next resort, which is the Grand Floridian, take a boat over to the Magic kingdom, or walk back to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Take the Monorail! It will get you to the next stop on the tour.
The Grand Floridian is the next stop on the tour. As you approach it look off to the right and you will see the wedding chapel that was built there. This is where Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication. Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Unwind outdoors, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch evening fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle. This timeless Victorian-style marvel evokes Palm Beach’s golden era
During Christmas this is one of the more spectacular places to visit. Beautiful and classic decorations everywhere and at the east end of the lobby will be a lifesize Gingerbread house. Yes made of gingerbread, and they sell gingerbread right there to enjoy.
So as you enter, directly to the left (on the second floor) will be the Basin store. This is a place that you can wash your hands in various sea salt or sugar scrubs. What a way to freshen up. Then just walk around the lobby and the grounds, enjoy the music, be part of an old fashion tea party, and walk on the grounds outside.
Add some twinkling charm to each evening with a delightful nighttime water parade! Glimmering along the shoreline of the Grand Floridian, the Electrical Water Pageant gives Guests of all ages the chance to marvel at spectacular sights and sounds as sparkling sea creatures—both grand in size and epic in scope—cruise the lagoon to electronic Disney tunes you know and love. Best of all, as the show reaches its patriotic conclusion, this is a wonderful free show for all to enjoy!
it’s difficult to go through all of the amenities that can be enjoyed at the Grand Floridian, so once again, let’s view the RTV1 presentation of the Grand Floridian.
You can now leave the Grand Flordian on this tour by either taking a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom, or the monorail, which next stop is the Magic Kingdom. Once again, I recommend the Monorail. When boarding the monorail, the right side (facing forward will have a great view of the Lagoon and the Grand Floridian), once you pass the Magic Kingdom stop the left side with have the best view of the Magic Kingdom.
The Magic Kingdom stop, I would only recommend if you wanted to take some other transportation to another resort or Disney Springs. If not stay on the Monorail. The right side of the monorail car will have a great view of the Magic Kingdom and some of the features and decorations. During the fireworks show, it is nice, but you only get a glimpse of it. There are much better ways of seeing the show.
The Next Stop is the Contemporary Resort. The Monorail goes right through the lobby area and inside of the hotel. This becomes another focal point on the tour. There are a couple of great bars and one excellent restaurants. We always enjoy going down two floors from the monorail drop off and then going to the front desk of the California Grill. There is a elevator operator that makes sure you have reservations before he takes you to the top. The key here is to go to the top and go to the bar, there are no reservations required.
The California Grill has the best view of the Magic Kingdom as well as the best view of the Fireworks show. There are various levels at the Contemporary Resort to watch the fireworks, but we have found that the walkway outside of the California Grill is the best. It is also easy to get access to the fireworks show. If at any time of the day you bought a drink or food at the Grill, just show your receipt and you will be taken back to the top without question.
Out the back of the Contemporary Resort are boat docks and they can take you to the Wilderness Lodge and the Campsites at Fort Wilderness Resort. All of this is free and will be covered in the Wilderness Lodge and Campground blog.
Below is a video done by RTV1 that shows more of what you can do at the Contemporary Resort.
So at this point you will load back onto the Monorail for the trip back to the Ticket and Transportation Center. This is the last leg of the Seven Seas Lagoon, as you travel you will be able to see the Wilderness lodge off to your left. So you are now back to where you started, but the trip is not over yet!! Once you exit the monorail, instead of going left to exit the area go right and this path will take you directly to another monorail that loops through to the Epcot Center!
When boarding I’m not sure if the left side or the right side is better for viewing. It all depends on what you want to see. The ride here takes about seven minutes going through the open spaces of Disney World and ending up at The Epcot Center. The best part of this trip is the drive through the MIDDLE OF EPCOT. On the left side you will have a great view of the World Showcase and fireworks if they are on at the time you pass through. On the right side you will have a great view of Future World, the Spaceship Earth, the fountains and all that make up that part of The Epcot Center. This is exciting for anyone wanting to see inside of the park and it is a free ride.
The monorail will stop at Epcot, but don’t get off! Stay on, there is nothing to do except take transportation or pay to enter the park. Once everyone boards you will be send back on a parallel track back to the Ticket and Transportation Center.
Well that’s the tour and it can all be done for Free or just for the price of drinks and food if you partake. The atmosphere, the feel and the excitement is all Disney. In addition you get to take a premium ride or rides (if you take watercraft as well) around the lagoon. This trip could take an hour or four hours, but for people seeing Disney without paying for admission to the park, it is a lot of fun. So enjoy your time at Disney and remember you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.