12 Best Resorts near Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando

Magic Kingdom Park

The Walt Disney World Resort is full of all different types of hotels. And some of the most sought-after Disney hotels are those located in the Magic Kingdom resort area. These Magic Kingdom resorts offer a convenient location to the Disney park along with incredible amenities for resort guests.

Additionally, the Magic Kingdom area resorts feature magical theming and top-notch dining options. Whether you’re looking for easy access to the theme park or deluxe amenities to enjoy on site, the Disney World resorts near the Magic Kingdom are some of the best hotels in Orlando.

In this post, we’ll list the resorts that are closest to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park at Disney World. Plus, we will also provide choices for resorts near Magic Kingdom that are more budget-friendly options.

(This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of this page for more details.)

Closest Resorts to Magic Kingdom

If you are planning a Disney vacation, you are probably interested in staying as close as possible to the Disney theme parks. After spending long days in the parks, guests often prefer to easily walk or quickly ride back to their hotel.

One great thing about Walt Disney World is that they work hard to provide convenient options for visitors to stay at Disney resort hotels. If you’re planning to book one of the Disney World resorts near Magic Kingdom, you luckily have several options available. These are the hotels that are located the closest to Magic Kingdom Theme Park:

1. Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the closest hotel to Magic Kingdom Theme Park. This hotel sits right on the monorail line; however, the monorail makes a few stops before Magic Kingdom. Therefore, the monorail ride typically takes at least 15 minutes.

space mountain at Disney's Magic Kingdom

If you’re hoping to get to Magic Kingdom in less time, the Contemporary Resort’s pathway provides easy access to the park and is a short walk of roughly 10 minutes. Visitors love staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for the convenience, amenities, and restaurants. Chef Mickey’s is a fan-favorite dining experience featuring beloved Disney characters like Chef Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck.

In addition to this fun character meal, Disney’s Contemporary Resort also offers an upscale restaurant, California Grill, that provides amazing views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. The Contemporary Resort even features guest rooms with views of Magic Kingdom Theme Park’s Space Mountain attraction.

2. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Disney’s Bay Lake Towers are located on the same property as Disney’s Contemporary Resort. However, this hotel is classified as one of Disney’s Deluxe Villas. Both the Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower share amenities and dining options. The difference is the villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club timeshare program. Still, they are also available to reserve on the official Disney World website. 

monorail, hotels, and castle with text overlay Best Magic Kingdom Resorts

If you’re looking for ways to stay at a deluxe resort like Bay Lake Tower for cheaper, you can often rent timeshare points for a really low rate. My family and I personally use David’s Vacation Club Rentals to book deluxe rooms at Disney World for the price of a moderate resort. We typically save hundreds of dollars per night by renting through David’s reputable company.

If you would like to learn more about how this process works, we highly recommend you check out our full review in our article: Best DVC Rental Site. In that post, we explain renting points, and we review our experiences at several of the deluxe villas. Additionally, you can check out the cost calculator on David’s Vacation Club Rentals website where you can easily price out how much your room will cost.

3. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Visitors who are unfamiliar with the layout of Disney World may not realize that Magic Kingdom Theme Park sits just north of a body of water known as Seven Seas Lagoon. If you are looking at a map of Disney World, you’ll notice several hotels sit in various spots around this lake.

One of these hotels is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. The Grand Floridian is arguably one of the fanciest resorts available at Disney World. From a relaxing spa to upscale dining options, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is full of deluxe amenities.

Grand Floridian Resort at Disney World

This beautiful hotel even offers views of Magic Kingdom Theme Park from several on-site locations, including the restaurant Gasparilla Island Grill. You can even reserve guest rooms with views of the theme park. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort features easy access to Magic Kingdom in the following ways:

  • walking path – roughly 15 minutes
  • water taxi – 10 minutes
  • Monorail – 10 minutes

Note that these times are not exact since they depend on how fast you walk and on how long you have to wait to board the transportation.

4. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is located on the same property as the deluxe villas – The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian. These villas share the same amenities and dining options as the regular resort hotel.

Grand Floridian Resort

Since you can often find timeshare points available for rent, families interested in staying at the Grand Floridian Resort may be able to book a room at the Villas for a deep discount. You can check out the cost calculator at David’s Vacation Club Rentals to compare prices between the resort and villas.

5. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a deluxe Disney hotel with theming centered around the South Pacific. This resort features an elaborate pool with water slides and many dining options. Guests at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort love that they can see the castle from the hotel. Visitors can also enjoy the nightly fireworks at Magic Kingdom and the Electrical Water Pageant right from the hotel’s grounds.

Pool at Disney Polynesian Village Resort

This Disney resort hotel features multiple options for getting to Magic Kingdom Theme Park, including the following:

  • walking path – 25 minutes
  • monorail – 10 minutes
  • ferry boat or small boat – 10 minutes

Again, these times are subject to change. If you’re considering a stay at the Polynesian, we highly recommend checking out our review of Disney’s Polynesian Resort (Honest Review). This hotel didn’t really live up to our expectations, and we go into full detail in that article.

6. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows

Similar to the Grand Floridian, Disney’s Polynesian Resort also features deluxe villas. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows share the same amenities and dining options as the regular resort. However, the room options are slightly different between the villas and the resort. You can read about my family’s room at the Polynesian Villas in this post – Staying in a Polynesian Deluxe Studio.

Bungalow at Disney's Polynesian Resort

In that post, we explain how we booked a room by renting Disney vacation club points. We actually experienced a huge shock when the standard view room we booked included an excellent view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks!

If you’re interested in pricing out a room at the Polynesian Villas for a fraction of the regular price, you can use the cost calculator at David’s Vacation Club Rentals. Additionally, the over-the-water bungalows are often available, but you may fall out of your chair when you see the price of them!

7. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is one of the best themed resorts near Magic Kingdom Park. Set to look like a mountain lodge, this beautiful resort features several popular dining options, including Geyser Point Bar. If your family is a fan of character dining experiences, Wilderness Lodge hosts Snow White and friends at Artist Point.

Disney's Wilderness Lodge boulder with waterfall
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort

Another entertainment option available at this Disney resort is the nightly viewing of the Electrical Water Pageant right at the hotel. While not on the monorail line, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge offers a 10-minute boat ride to Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Additionally, guests can board a Disney bus and arrive at the park within 5-10 minutes.

8. The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

The property at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is also home to two deluxe villas: Copper Creek Villas & Cabins and Boulder Ridge Villas. Like the deluxe villas mentioned above, the villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge share dining options and amenities with the regular hotel. You can check out David’s cost calculator to get rental point prices for your dates. Although, we have noticed that the villas at Wilderness Lodge are often booked and hard to snag.

9. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, which is classified as one of the moderate resorts, sits within walking distance of Wilderness Lodge. Fort Wilderness consists of small cabins that include a kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom with a queen bed and bunk beds.

Castle and Polynesian Hotel with text overlay Disney Resorts near Magic Kingdom

Guests staying at Fort Wilderness Resort can view the Electrical Water Pageant from the grounds. They also have access to on-site recreation and the dining experience Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort offers a boat ride to Magic Kingdom that takes just over 10 minutes. 

You can also stay in the newest DVC property, the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. These cabins feature sleeping for 6 with a queen bed, bunk beds, and a Murphy bed. You’ll also enjoy the separate living and sleeping spaces plus the full kitchen.

10. Four Seasons Resort Orlando

While my family and I have not stayed at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, we have visited this hotel. I would venture to say this is one of the most beautiful properties we have ever seen; although, it’s extremely pricey. Everything about this hotel screams luxury, including the elaborate pools and splash areas. The Four Seasons Resort Orlando features complimentary transportation via bus to all of the Walt Disney World theme parks. The ride to Magic Kingdom takes roughly 12 minutes.

If you’re interested in reading about other hotels that are off Disney property but near places like Disney Springs, our post on the Best Places to Stay near Disney World is super helpful! If you’re looking for more information on Disney World’s best resorts, come join our Facebook group – Mom’s Guide to Disney Resorts! We discuss the top hotels both at Disney World AND off property. Plus, I will provide tips on finding the best deals on your Disney hotel options!

11. Disney’s Beach Club Resort

While technically considered to be an Epcot area hotel, Disney’s Beach Club Resort is located 15 minutes away from Magic Kingdom via bus transportation. Additionally, the Beach Club Resort features easy access to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s BoardWalk. 

This deluxe hotel offers multiple dining options along with the best pool on Disney property. As an added bonus, some of the rooms at Disney’s Beach Club Resort overlook the nightly fireworks show at Epcot. You can read our full Beach Club room review in our post: Watch Epcot Fireworks from Beach Club. In that article, we provide room pictures and tips for staying at this deluxe Disney resort.

Disney Beach Club Pool

Additionally, Disney’s Beach Club Resort features deluxe villas on property. The Beach Club Villas have access to the same amenities as the hotel. These are available to book using Disney Vacation Club rental points. You can check out the cost calculator to determine the nightly price of rooms during your selected dates. Note that we often have difficulty finding availability at Disney’s Beach Club Villas. Maybe you’ll have better luck though!

12. Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

As the sister resort to Disney’s Beach Club, the two hotels share amenities and dining options. Therefore, guests staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort also receive access to the popular Stormalong Bay pool.

Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Although these two resorts share practically everything, the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts are quite different in many ways. You can read our comparison on how they measure up in our post Disney Beach Club vs Yacht Club (Which to Choose).

Final Thoughts on Resorts near Magic Kingdom

Overall, the Magic Kingdom resort area is a favorite among visitors, especially families with small kids. You really can’t beat the simplicity of bypassing the crowds to walk or boat to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Theme Park.

Since this Disney park offers so many fun rides and attractions, it’s often best to arrive as early as possible. Staying at one of the resorts near Magic Kingdom allows you to start your morning in a less hectic manner since you’re so close.

One final note, we do not recommend driving to Magic Kingdom Theme Park. If your resort does not offer special access via a walkway, monorail, or boat, we would suggest using bus transportation. The entrance to this theme park is typically backed up with vehicles, yet Disney buses are able to use a separate line. Furthermore, after parking your vehicle and boarding a trolley to the gates, the process of driving can take close to an hour.

The resorts listed above offer easy access to Magic Kingdom whether by using transportation or by walking. If you’ve stayed at one of them, feel free to share your experience with getting to Magic Kingdom! Additionally, if you’re interested in seeing the theme parks ranked by age group, we highly recommend you check out our post on Best Parks in Disney World! What is your favorite Magic Kingdom resort? Comment below to share with us!

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