The most magical place on earth! There’s no doubt that the Magic Kingdom is steeped in nostalgia. From the moment you enter this magical place, you’re surrounded by Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie as well as famous landmarks like Cinderella’s famous castle. The Magic Kingdom at Disneyword in Orlando is truly a magical place for all things Disney.
With a spare day on our recent Florida holiday, we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Magic Kingdom. To be fair to do justice to Disneyworld encompassing four parks Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios and 2 Waterparks, you need to allocate four or five days for the full experience. Still with our one day, we decided to see the best of the Magic Kingdom.
Even before stepping foot in Magic Kingdom, we had a to get a few things prepared:
– Choose a day to visit (check calendar to see what days are busy for theme parks).
– Choose which rides we wanted to go on.
– Set up our Fast Pass option and select rides.
Fast Pass is a free inclusion in your ticket which allows you to skip the lines. When you order your tickets via online, you are able to set up an account and choose three rides that you wish to have priority. You select the rides and then choose the timeslot it’s available for. E.g. 10am – 11am. This means that you can show up at any time during that hour and go in the Fast Pass line.
With all of our preparation done, we’ve arrive at Disneyworld 30 minutes before gates open. Come early especially on busy days as you need to park your vehicle, walk or catch a shuttle to the security area and then the monorail or boat to the front gates. It sounds like an ordeal but it’s worth it.
The gates open and people start running to queue for their favourite rides and to see their favourite characters.
Another tip is to install the Disneyworld App on your phone. With a map, list of attractions and events and most importantly, wait times for rides, it’s invaluable. (There’s free Wi-Fi at Disneyworld so you don’t have to worry about using your data).
We’re keen to ride the classics so start our day off at It’s a Small World ride. It’s cute seeing these figurines sing and dance but the song is stuck in my head for the next hour.
Next we use the first of our FastPasses and skip the line to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Lots of fun especially with no waiting.
We then consult the app and realise there’s minimal waiting times on The Barnstormer, another small rollercoaster.
It’s then onto spinning tea cups on the Mad Tea Party ride.
It’s up and down on the Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride.
We ride on the epic Space Mountain roller coaster ride as well but find it disorienting due to the darkness.
It’s starts to get warm in the Florida heat, so we use our Splash Mountain Fast Pass to ride on this classic ride. It’s a log flume with a 5-storey splashdown at the end. Lots of fun and cools us off.
Another way for kids to cool off is in the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station water play area.
If it all gets too much, jump on the train around the park. It’s a great way to relax and yet see more of the park.
Make sure you keep checking the Disney app as there’s parades and other events as well as Meet and Greets with Disney characters.
For food and drinks, there are loads of options throughout the park so you don’t need to be worried if you have fussy eaters. You can choose from sit-down meals with Disney charactersthat require advance reservations or quick service places like Gaston’s Tavern.
We cap off a magical day at the Magic Kingdom with a viewing of the nightly fireworks over Cinderella Castle.
As an alternative to the monorail, we board the boat back to the parking area and enjoy the views of Disneyworld resorts lining the water.
It’s been a truly magical day at Disneyworld Magic Kingdom and we can’t wait to return and spend a longer time at Disneyword.
Disclosure: Family Forays received two complimentary admission for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
For more information, visit the Disneyworld website. Tickets are available in duration from 1 day to 10 days. It’s better value to puchase multi-day tickets with the price per day dropping. There’s different prices throughout the year.
For an invaluable guide for planning your visit to Disneyworld, consult the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disneyworld. It’s a lifesaver and will save you time and money during your visit.