Lacey,
Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!
Typically the
parking lot for the
Magic Kingdom, which is located in front of the Transportation and Ticket Center, will open 2 hours prior to park opening. So if the park is scheduled to open at 9 am, the parking lot turnstiles will start receiving guests at 7 am.
Officially the
Disney Resort Transportation options, which would naturally include the monorail or ferryboat that you ride from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom, will start running 1 hour prior to park opening. However, I think you will find the monorail running even before then.
BOTTOM LINEIf the park officially opens at 9 am, but the
Early Theme Park Entry for Disney Resort Hotel Guests means you can get in at 8:30 am, that means that the monorail should be running by at least 7:30 am, if not sooner. I would recommend you be at the parking entry area a bit before 7 am, if you can, so that you can get to the front of the lines to enjoy all that wonderful extra park time!
BONUS TIPYou now can walk all the way around from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom turnstiles, though it is a fairly long stroll. Basically you would walk through both
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, followed by the fairly new walkway that extends the rest of the way around the Seven Seas Lagoon. The entire walk is about 1 1/2 miles (2 1/2 km), which likely means a good 45-minute walk for most people.
Please feel free to
write me back directly if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!Doug