Hey Howdy Hey Mariah and welcome to planDisney!
Thank you so much for stopping by with your question about the
Resort Transportation strategy when it comes to making your dining reservation. I will be happy to give you more information on your options and how to get to your reservation in plenty of time! Giddy up!
Mariah, you made a great choice staying at Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista. This hotel is technically off Disney property but is super close to all the Magical happenings during your upcoming vacation. That being said, there are a few perks to being as close as you are when it comes to options. You have it right thus far, when you call a rideshare to get from your hotel to Magic Kingdom, you will be dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Depending on the operation hours of the parks, this will impact your option for taking the Walt Disney World Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Keep an eye on
Theme Park Hours as the time nears. Disney transportation usually begins operations around 45 minutes before the parks open. For example, on the day of your visit, the park might open at 9:00 AM.
Early Theme Park Entry will push this to 8:30 so transportation should start running no later than 7:45 AM that morning. You should be able to take the monorail straight to Magic Kingdom to get to your reservation without issues.
Another option you have on the morning of your vacation is requesting a
Minnie Van through the Lyft app. Minnie Vans service much of the Disney Springs area and since you will be within walking distance to Disney Springs, a quick walk across the street should allow you to request a Minnie Van for transportation. They have special access to drop-off locations at the parks and can drop you off close to the front entrance. This may help save a little time for the morning. This option does come with an extra cost determined by distance traveled just so you are aware.
The other super helpful tool you can use at many dining locations in the Walt Disney World Resort is
Mobile Dining Check-in. On the morning of your reservations, as long as you are in the park and somewhat close to your dining location, you can log into your My Disney Experience mobile app and select Mobile Dining Check-in. This will allow you to check into your reservation from your smartphone without having to be physically there. This has come in handy on more than one occasion for us if we were running a couple of minutes behind our dining location.
I hope this information helped you formulate a plan to get to Magic Kingdom and some tips for navigating your morning. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out and let us know, we are always happy to help!
Have a Magical day,
Nick