First new Magic Kingdom Ferry Boat in 50 years: the Meg Crofton Gilbert

Walt Disney World has confirmed it is adding a fourth ferryboat to the Seven Seas Lagoon fleet, with the new 120ft vessel due to launch in 2027. Named Meg Gilbert Crofton, after Walt Disney World's fourth president, the boat will join the Admiral Joe Fowler, General Joe Potter and Richard F. Irvine on the route between the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and Magic Kingdom.

For UK visitors, this is not just about a niche Disney transport update, it’s about the difference a fourth ferry boat will make to wait times when transferring from the Transport and Ticket Centre to Magic Kingdom. Orlando welcomed 907,900 visitors from the UK in 2024, making Britain its second-largest international market after Canada, according to Visit Orlando. Many of those trips are carefully planned, long-haul family holidays where every early morning queue times, pushchair access, and late-night exits matter.

New Ferry Boat details

A new boat to experience that first -time magic view of Cinderella Castle and MAgic Kingdom aboard:

The new ferry will expand the current fleet from three to four boats. It will have a similar look, feel, and capacity to the existing vessels. While a new timetable of Lagoon crossing or shorter waits have not been promised, the extra capacity will make a huge difference, especially on busy days and nights. A fourth boat offering transport on busy party nights, after fireworks, and on rope drop mornings during peak season should help make getting back to the car that bit easier.

The ferry service is part of Disney’s free transport system, connecting Magic Kingdom with the Transportation and Ticket Center, the hub used by guests arriving by car, some private transfers, rideshare routes, and other onward connections.

A female boat joins the fleet

The fourth boat joining the Magic Kingdom ferry boat fleet is also the first boat to named after a woman. Meg Crofton began her Disney career in 1977 and served as Walt Disney World president from 2006 to 2013. During her tenure, Disney points to projects including New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom and the opening of Disney's Art of Animation Resort in 2012. Her portrait will be displayed on the first deck of the new ferry with a plaque telling her story.

For UK guests this is some to nice to know history, and if like me you love boats, it’s something to geek out over. The boat will be assembled, painted, and finished over the next year before entering service, with launch expected in 2027.

Impact entering Magic Kingdom

The Seven Seas Lagoon crossing is one of Walt Disney World's great slow reveals: castle ahead, breeze off the water, and the day still full of promise. In a resort where the biggest stories are usually rides and lands, this one is about something more ordinary, getting to Magic Kingdom a bit faster and waiting in a queue less. The expansion of the fleet, may reduce the amount of time you spend waiting for a ferry boat and could make all the difference to the monorail or ferry boat debate. However, until she sets sail, it’s speculation.

A new boat in the fleet can however only be good news for connection times to Magic Kingdom, and for anyone visiting Disney World in 2027 a new form of transport is really equivalent to a new ride. A new ferry boat is welcome in this Disney fans eyes, especially since the loss of the Liberty Belle inside Magic Kingdom.

Connection to the Magic Kingdom expansion

The new ferry boat is also likely connected to the expansion of Magic Kingdom which is currently underway. As the park reimagines areas of Frontierland into Piston Peak and work on expending Magic Kingdom with Villains Land continues, the extra capacity of the ferry boat may be more about servicing an increasing number of visitors. It is likely Magic Kingdom’s park capacity will increase when Villains Land opens.

By getting the boat in operation in advance, Disney may even have time to refurbish some of the ferry boat fleet without losing current capacity.

Magic in a minute

A new ferry boat will be joining the fleet of free ferry boat transportation options to Magic Kingdom from the TTC in 2027. The launch of the Meg Gilbert Clifton suggests an increase in capacity which may reduce wait times or signal Magic Kingdom’s move towards increased park capacity when Villain’s Land opens in a few years.