Disney World’s Third Watercraft Project Gets Approval

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has approved the NSA Dock Expansion, a permit filed by Disney in May 2026 for the North Service Area Marina on Bay Lake.

The approval clears the way for Disney to add docks at the working marina where it keeps its fleet of watercraft. The NSA Dock Expansion covers 0.89 acres. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S., Inc. filed the application, and the plans came from LandDesign.

The site plan includes:

• A 20-foot floating dock extension with a relocated pile
• A new floating dock addition with 40-foot fingers
• Total dock area growing from about 3,400 square feet to about 4,800 square feet
• Nine replaced pilings, four relocated pilings, and eight new pilings
• Dredging to 86.5 feet (Disney datum), removing about 718 cubic yards of material

The plans list a vessel count of six 66-foot cruisers and six 38-foot launches.

During construction, a floating turbidity barrier will run along the limits of work and anchor to land to contain sediment.

The filing says the project won’t affect water quality or attenuation. The volume displaced by the new piles will be offset by an existing surplus in Bay Lake.

The project falls under Conceptual Permit No. 48-00714-P, which covers the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) and Walt Disney World master plan. Because the work affects surface waters, it also falls under Disney’s long-term Army Corps of Engineers permit.

The NSA Dock Expansion is one of three watercraft projects Disney has in motion:

• A fourth Magic Kingdom ferry boat, the Meg Gilbert Crofton, expected to launch in 2027
• A queue expansion for the existing ferry docks at Seven Seas Lagoon, which SFWMD has also approved

Together, the three projects cover the marina that services the fleet, the boats and the docks you use at Magic Kingdom.