Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is a wonderful place. There is no feeling like seeing Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street at rope drop (when the park opens). Watching the show that opens the park gets my kids all excited for all the characters they will see and the adventures we will have. You already know: its going to be a great day.
So, how to do you get through a day at Magic Kingdom without falling apart?! Here are my favorite things to do at Magic Kingdom & the general plan I like to have when I'm in the most magical place on earth.
The Magic Kingdom is made up of 6 areas: Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Storybook Circus & Tomorrowland. Let's Start with my favorite place to start.
Main Street
I love that Magic Kingdom now opens Main Street typically an hour before the actual park opens so you can enjoy moments like seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time without being trampled by jogging strollers. It is so nice to stop at Starbucks while the kids are admiring their "First Visit" or "I'm Celebrating" pins we picked up at the Guest Relations in City Hall as we walked past.
While Tony's Town Square (a Table Service Restaurant) may have the best Pistachio Creme Brule I've ever had, Main Street's main attraction is a Character Spot with the big cheese himself: Mickey Mouse. If we have a couple days at Magic Kingdom, we try to meet the Mouse that started it all right away one day. We have found early or during the fireworks to have the shortest wait times. Its a great way to start the day off well. Other times, leaving it for the end of an MK day, leaves me with a happy memory at the end of the long park day.
We tend to do our shopping on non-park days at Disney Springs, but there is something special about taking a minute before the park opens to search Main Street's huge stores for fun things to take home. We typically get ears, picture frames or pressed pennies, but the options are endless.
Fantasyland
Almost all of my priorities are in Fantasyland for our family with little kids. We spend all morning and into the afternoon making sure we hit all of our favorites. We love all the rides, but especially Peter Pan's Flight, Under the Sea: Journey with the Little Mermaid and the kids' unanimous favorite: The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We try to get Fast Passes at 11, 12 & 1pm for those major ones (SDMT & ETWB especially) if we can.
The others we must hit with the kids include Enchanted Tales with Belle , The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh & It's A Small World. One of my personal favorites is Mickey's Philharmagic. Gets me all Disney emotional every time. I'm such a nerd.
My favorite place over there for food is Gaston's Tavern - the cinnamon rolls and Lafu's Brew are pretty awesome. It feels like you have been thrown into a Disney movie in the best way. For another magical experience check out Be Our Guest Restaurant. The food is fine, but the environment is incredible. Such an amazing experience.
Storybook Circus
After we hit up the classics & newest Fantasyland rides, we like to head over to the Storybook Circus. For some reason I always have to get a giant pretzel & popcorn to share with the kids. It must be the smells or the carnival theme, but it is so perfect to eat those yummy snacks over there.
We try to prioritize Dumbo the Flying Elephant in SBC. I love taking the snacks into the line where the kids can play in the circus themed play area. It is nice and enclosed and the kids (ages 4-8 last trip) LOVED it. I have never been so thankful for a 40 minute wait! My mom & I made plans for the afternoon on the benches munching on our carnival snacks and my husband had a little too much fun chasing the kids around. It is such a fun, playful environment - such a nice break in the day.
If the line is short enough (15-20 min) we will hit up the Barnstormer before taking the train over to Frontierland. It is a fun ride, but I think the loading takes longer than the entire ride & since the ride only has one set of cars, the line doesn't fly by like some of the others...
Frontierland
One of the most under used, fun things for kids is the WDW Railroad! We love that it goes from Storybook Circus over to Frontierland and gives us a minute to snuggle, check in with the kids and hear about their favorite things so far. I love sitting in the part of the train that has seats that face each other so I can see their faces and maybe even put my feet up for a moment.
We all absolutely adore the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but nothing else over there really is a big seller. We do LOVE to eat at Peco's Bills - tacos/nachos with the toppings bar is SO GOOD. I think its the best food at Magic Kingdom - I haven't eaten everywhere, but it is so delicious and always hits the spot. Salsa & guac?! Don't mind if I do.
So depending on how quickly things are moving, we either head to Adventurland or find a spot for the Parade. We LOVE the Festival of Fantasy Parade each afternoon. It is so well done and every detail is so beautiful. My kids love the dancing & characters, but I am always amazed at the details and creativity of the floats. It is just beautiful and such a magical experience every time.
We love to watch the parade in Frontierland or Liberty Square because it starts there and so the waiting time is significantly less and you can get there 20-30 minutes before the parade and feel like you have a great spot. If you didn't over do it at Peco's Bills Quick Service for lunch - head over the Sleepy Hollow Refreshments for a nutella & fruit filled waffle or a funnel cake. Yum. Trust me. You won't regret it.
Liberty Square
My husbands favorite MK food is in Liberty Square - the lobster rolls & clam chowder in Columbia Harbor House. We typically don't prioritize it because he'll eat anything, but he is always happy when I work it in. While we rarely spend much time over there, many people love the Haunted Mansion & Hall of Presidents, but we usually just skip 'em.
Adventureland
Every time we are at the Magic Kingdom, I am always surprised at how much I forgot I love Adventureland. While the Jungle Cruise basically reminds you of how horrible your dad's jokes are, I always have a good time. My kids were a little uneasy and didn't get most of the jokes, so we probably should've skipped it this time. But, Aladdin & Jasmine's Meet & Greet followed by the spitting camels at the Magic Carpet ride were crowd pleasers. They loved the feel and my husband always loves an excuse for a dole whip. He's mildly obsessed.
Since Grandma was with us last trip, we did the Swiss Family Treehouse & the Enchanted Tiki Room (which hasn't been the same since they took Iago & Zazu out of it - I'm not bitter, but mourning). She loved those classic ones and my active kids loved them, too.
With the little kids we usually skip Pirates even though my husband & I love that one. It's always in the back of my mind we may see Johnny Depp in there - sometimes he sneaks onto the ride (mostly in CA I think), but still - there is always a chance.
Tomorrowland
We try to cross Cinderella Castle's plaza sometime in the late afternoon to catch the Move It & Shake It dance party. The kids love to dance with the characters and the videos I take are always special memories. After we hit that, we sometimes grab some mini corndogs at Casey's Corner and head over to Tomorrowland.
We are always sure to prioritize Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (although my husband & I were spoiled by Disneyland's superior equivalent). One of my top 5 MK attractions is the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. I always am trying to get my hilarious joke in. THEY NEVER PICK IT. So now that I have an audience, here it goes: What do you get when you have two thousand, three hundred and eighteen monsters and one human child? A 2319! I'm hilarious. You're welcome. If you didn't get it, just move on. It's probably not worth it.
Another one of Grandma's favorites that I forget I love is the People Mover. It is so relaxing and nice to do when the crowds are getting old. Also a great place to enjoy a snack - I think they still let you eat on those.
My favorite thing to do on the way to the fireworks (despite my husbands consistent eye rolling & judgment) is the Carousel of Progress. No matter how many times I go to WDW, I always love that and imagine Walt sitting next to me, enjoying it every time. I told you I was a nerd - at least I'm consistent.
The newest fireworks display - Happily Ever After - is just incredible. We will often get a snack or meal and take it up to the front quite a while 30-40 min before the show and try to watch it from there. The closer to the castle the more we like it because the projections on the castle are just spectacular. There is nothing like them. We usually walk back towards the entrance and either try to see Mickey if the park is still open or head back to the buses to get the kids in bed. Carrying five tired kids is impossible. Thank God for strollers - we barely use it before 9pm, but never regret bringing it!
While no Magic Kingdom trip is flawless, our general plan usually gets us to see the must-dos on our list. When we have multiple days to visit Magic Kingdom if we have a longer stay, we like to take more time, include sit down meals and enjoy things I didn't list. But, these are my favorite things - my priorities for Magic Kingdom.
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