Grand Floridian Resort introduces private water taxi service

Nov 07, 2016 in "Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa"

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Posted: Monday November 7, 2016 7:13am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Tired of battling the crowds on the monorail, or want a more direct route to destinations around the Seven Seas Lagoon?

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is introducing a new private water taxi service from today. Costing $20 each way per boat, the service can transport up to 10 guests, and is available between 8am and 6pm. To make a reservation, call the the Grand Floridan recreation line at 321-318-8212.

Return service has to be booked separately, based on a availability, and may not be available from the Magic Kingdom.

The boat departs from the recreation marina, near to the Sugar Loaf building. Monorail, watercraft, and bus transportations remains complimentary for all guests, and is not affected by the new water taxi service.

Disney had been surveying guests about private transportation options back in August.

Discuss on the Forums

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Beacon JoeNov 11, 2016

If they'll take me directly to and from Fort Wilderness...

righttrackNov 10, 2016

I think if you can call it quickly, like an Uber, it would be nice. There are times when your plans foul up and you need transportation. Sometimes water is nicer than a taxi. Sometimes you want to go on a bar crawl. Other times you want to have a family conversation over travelling. It's a nice option. I may or may not take advantage of it, but it's nice to know it's there. I wonder what Mears thinks about this.

OliveMcFlyNov 10, 2016

Can I not take this to MK anymore?

21stampsNov 09, 2016

I guess my line of thinking is just- Water Taxi. Not a private tour. I'd like it to remain $20 so would rather not have it made into an attraction/experience.lol

rael ramoneNov 09, 2016

A boat ride that just has a party of guests and the captain should serve the needs/desires of that party. Someone who wants the driver to 'just drive' should do just that. Others may want something more, perhaps even a 'detour' to point out some interesting sights, providing it doesn't make the party late or the driver late to his next appointment. It should feel like a 'premium' service. Perhaps, to some, even an 'attraction' (when it comes down to it, an attraction is in the eye of the beholder). And I'm sure $DIS won't mind if some would like to pay the $20 for a ride just to enjoy the ride.

rael ramoneNov 09, 2016

Thoughts: A boatride from the GF to the WL or FW could be a pleasant ride. It can even be an 'attraction' for some people. Some things can feel like a money grabbing upcharge ('premium parking' I'm looking at you). The Behind the Seeds Tour at the land doesn't (the modest fee keeps it to people who are truly interested) and a modest fee for this service could be the same thing. But for this to work as anything other then a money grabbing enterprise it needs to be an 'enjoyable' trip. You are making a reservation for something that you can get for half price via Uber that doesn't need a reservation and will get you in half the time. It needs to be worth it. The service should be top notch, done by a truly informative CM, in a pristine watercraft. (Even a ride within the Monorail loop could be worth it if the craft & CM makes it a special trip). That said: The primary transportation option between (and starting at the) GF & the MK or Contemporary should be the monorail. One stop to the MK, 2 to Contemporary. If the monorail does it's job, then it should be quicker to jump on the Monorail then even Uber... And a properly maintained Monorail would be far more pleasant then an Uber ride. If you want quick & pleasant transportation, for the price premium that the Monorail resorts charge, the Monorail should be the preferred mode of transportation for any (other then those who really want to do the boatride - if you NEED to do the taxi to go to a Seven Seas Lagoon location then the Monorail has failed to do it's job). I share concerns with others that this 'additional service' could result in a downgrade of the standard transportation to 'enhance value' for the new taxi. The 6pm 'curfew' is also a negative. One who wants to eat at Artist Point or go to Hoop De Doo would have to depend on at least a return trip either via Uber, or if relying on WDW transportation would have to do a changeover.

Missymoe4Nov 09, 2016

This looked like the line Monday afternoon. After sitting on a broken monorail for 45 minutes they had us walk to the boats, to wait an hour to get to the MK. $20 is looking pretty darn fine.

Missymoe4Nov 09, 2016

Even better!

Missymoe4Nov 09, 2016

That's a good point. But their transportation systems are NOT up to par.

Missymoe4Nov 09, 2016

I will do this in a heartbeat!! I know, who wants to pay more money than they have to? But, shoot, after waiting an hour in line on Monday (the monorails broke down) and watching 1 boat move along the lake...$20 is worth my time.

Biff215Nov 08, 2016

No way to know for sure, but I'd guess that the monorail was either closed or down when that picture was taken. That's the only time I've ever seen the resort launch lines anything close to that. I have no problem with this new offering, although I probably wouldn't use it as the time saved would be minimal most of the time. As others have pointed out, this is simply attempting to offer a "premium" option at their flagship resort. It certainly feels exclusive, I'll just bet I beat that boat 9 times out of 10.

Biff215Nov 08, 2016

The pontoons do have lights, as they are used nightly for fireworks cruises. Those are worth way more than the $20 they're making during the day, so no way they're giving that up. Id imagine they wouldn't do it anyway due to safety with so many larger watercraft already crossing the lagoon in the dusk/dark.