Walt Disney World Railroad - Fantasyland

Walt Disney World Railroad - Fantasyland: attraction at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World — live wait times, operating status, and planning data on MouseHub.

Wait time history

Historical wait patterns for Walt Disney World Railroad - Fantasyland accrete daily as MouseHub records waits every 15 minutes. Charts appear here once enough history exists.

Visitor sentiment

4.5· 242 Google ratings

The MouseHub take

The Walt Disney World Railroad's Fantasyland station sits in Storybook Circus, and right now it is one of only two stops the train serves. To clear the way for the Magic Kingdom expansion, the railroad is running a modified route that skips Frontierland and shuttles between Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland only. Disney expects the full loop back once the expansion is complete. What you board is the real draw: a restored narrow-gauge steam train originally built between 1916 and 1928, with the clamor of the engine, the chug of the wheels, and the call of the whistle that go with it. The cars are open-air and roofed, so the ride doubles as a bench in the breeze.

That makes it worth a stop for tired families, rail fans, and anyone who would rather ride than walk between the park entrance and Storybook Circus. Anyone hoping for the full circle tour should wait for the expansion to finish. Miss a departure and you wait on an open platform in the Florida heat, which comes up in review after review, and the benches are hard wood the whole way. Families using a Disney rental stroller cannot bring it aboard at all.

At a glance

Best for
Families with worn-out kids, rail fans, and anyone crossing between the park entrance and Storybook Circus who would rather sit than walk.
Skip if
You came for the grand circle tour around the park, or you have one Magic Kingdom day and headliners still on the list.
Ride type
Open-air steam train, currently a shuttle between two stations
Intensity
Gentle throughout. No drops, no darkness, no surprises, but the whistle is loud and sudden.

The good

  • The train itself is the attraction
    Disney runs restored narrow-gauge steam trains originally built between 1916 and 1928. Four engines carry the load, the Walter E. Disney, the Roy O. Disney, the Lilly Belle, and the Roger Broggie, all of them found in the Yucatan hauling freight and passengers before Disney bought them.
  • No height requirement, so nobody sits out
    Disney lists this one as Any Height. Infants ride, grandparents ride, and the whole party stays together on the same bench.
  • It has run here since opening day
    The railroad has been part of Magic Kingdom since the park opened on October 1, 1971, and its tracks have circled the park ever since.
  • Walt's own backyard railroad started this
    Disney built the 1/8-scale Carolwood Pacific Railroad around his own property in 1950, steam locomotive and all, and the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad followed when Disneyland opened in 1955. The train in Storybook Circus is the end of that line.
  • The shuttle still saves you a walk
    Even on the shortened route it connects the front of the park with Storybook Circus, and riders regularly use it to skip the crowded walkways in between.
  • Waiting for the train is half the fun with little kids
    The platform is roofed and shaded, and reviewers with young children describe the arriving steam engine as the part their kids talk about afterward.

The bad

  • The route is cut short right now
    The modified route drops Frontierland entirely, so the train runs Main Street to Fantasyland and back rather than around the park. Disney says normal operations return when the expansion is finished, without naming a date.
  • Missing a departure costs you real time
    Trains leave on their own schedule, not continuously, and reviewers who arrive just after one pulls out report a long wait. The platform is shaded but has no air conditioning.
  • Disney rental strollers are not allowed aboard
    Disney's guest policies for the railroad state that rental strollers may not be taken on the train. Families who rented one at the front of the park have to leave it behind or walk.
  • The benches are hard wood
    Seating is unpadded and offers little back support, and reviewers notice it over the bumpier stretches of track.
  • The station is a walk from the middle of Fantasyland
    Storybook Circus sits at the back edge of Fantasyland, so getting to the platform from the castle end of the land is its own hike.
  • The whistle startles small kids
    The engine blows before it leaves, and reviewers mention it waking sleeping babies and rattling noise-sensitive toddlers on the platform.

Veteran tips

  • Save it for the worst heat of the day
    Reviewers use this as an afternoon cooling break, since the moving train pulls a breeze through the open cars and the roof keeps the sun off. Riding at park opening spends the hour when headliner lines are shortest.
  • Treat it as a one-way shuttle for now
    With Frontierland off the route, plan it as a ride between Main Street, U.S.A. and Storybook Circus rather than a loop back to where you started.
  • Guests on scooters transfer to a wheelchair
    Disney lists this attraction as Must Transfer to Wheelchair, with a wheelchair access vehicle and handheld captioning available. Build the transfer into your timing if that affects your party.
  • Sort out the stroller before you walk over
    Rental strollers cannot board, so park it at the station or hand it off to someone walking. Do this before the whole group is standing on the platform.
  • Under-7s cannot ride on their own
    Disney requires children under age 7 to be accompanied by someone age 14 or older, so the train is not a way to send younger kids ahead to the front of the park.
  • There is no Lightning Lane to buy here
    The railroad is not on the Magic Kingdom Multi Pass or Single Pass lineup, so waiting for the next train is the only option and there is nothing to plan around.
  • Ride it in the direction you were already headed
    Reviewers get the most out of it when the train replaces a walk they had to make anyway, either out to the front of the park or back to Storybook Circus. Riding a leg you did not need adds time rather than saving it.

MouseHub editorial, written from visitor reports and official Disney sources. Last reviewed .

Sources