Visiting Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom. It’s synonymous with Disney World. When most people picture Walt Disney World, they think of the iconic Cinderella Castle located at this park. While it’s not the biggest park at Disney World (acreage wise, it’s shockingly the smallest), it sure feels like it. I think that is because SO much is crammed into the area. Obviously all the parks are good to bring children to but Magic Kingdom has the most rides for the kiddos. It’s the only park that doesn’t sell alcohol that you can wander around with - but it is available at some of the sit down restaurants. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not good for adults - because if you want the classic Disney experience, this is your park!
GETTING TO MAGIC KINGDOM
Magic Kingdom has a multitude of options for arrival. Buses are the most efficient because you get dropped off right at the park entrance. But it means you won’t arrive via monorail which is a unique Disney experience. If you drive to the park be sure to plan on a lot of transportation time. Even if you drive from a nearby Disney resort this entire process can take 30 - 45 minutes. Once you park in the massive parking lot you will either walk or take a tram to the Transportation & Ticket Center. Then, from the T&TC you choose to either take the monorail or the ferryboat to get to the Magic Kingdom entrance. These two options take about the same time, just really depends on the experience you want! If you are lucky enough to be staying at the Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian you can take the monorail from your resort directly to Magic Kingdom. Contemporary guests can also walk and Grand Floridian guests have a small water taxi option. Those staying at the Wilderness Lodge can also take a water taxi but it is not on the monorail route. If you are also visiting Epcot, you can get to Magic Kingdom by taking the monorail from Epcot to the Transportation & Ticket Center. At the T&TC you’ll exit that monorail and board another that will take you to the Magic Kingdom entrance. When leaving via monorail pay attention to the signs as the resorts have a separate line - when in doubt, ask a Cast Member!
Once your in the Kingdom you’ll walk down Main Street, USA. Stores, the Starbucks and food options line the street leading up to the castle. The hub is the area around the castle. The hub grass is a good spot to sit and relax with a snack or drink. Everything spreads out from the castle and hub. Adventureland, Liberty Square and Frontierland are to your left, Tomorrowland is to your right and Fantasyland is behind the castle. Adventureland is home to things like the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean and most importantly, Dole Whip. Frontierland has two of the Magic Kingdom Mountains - Splash and Big Thunder. Liberty Square is where you’ll find Haunted Mansion. In between Liberty Square and Fantasyland is where you’ll find the ‘Rapunzel bathrooms.’ Definitely check this area out even though it’s only bathrooms. Fantasyland has all the princesses, the Seven Dwarves Mine Train and the Be Our Guest restaurant. Tomorrowland is where you’ll find the third Magic Kingdom mountain - Space Mountain. It’s also the future home to the currently under construction Tron ride.
The hub area around the castle has paths to get you anywhere in Magic Kingdom. There are also statues, fountains and spots to sit and relax at.
FAVORITE MAGIC KINGDOM ATTRACTIONS
Fast passes are the best way to maximize your time in the park because they allow you to bypass the standby line. You can read more about Fast Passes on the Disney website here. The most popular Fast Passes are the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Meeting Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater or the Princesses at Fairy Tale Hall. I also love The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh but it’s probably because Pooh is my all time favorite Disney character. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a fun show that has songs that you’ll be singing along to and rarely has much of a wait time. When it’s hot there are lots of slow indoor rides that everyone can ride with the queues in the shade or inside - Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, Pooh, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean or Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. And there is always Splash Mountain if you really want to cool off! A full list of Magic Kingdom attractions can be found here.
Magic Kingdom is the place for character interactions. They are all over the park but the most popular are Mickey at the Town Square Theater and several Princesses in and around Fantasyland. Some rides often have their characters out nearby - Winnie the Pooh, Buzz and Pirates. A character/Photopass stop is always set up right as you enter the park before you head down Main Street.
Magic Kingdom is now the only place that you can watch a parade (Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios both used to have one). The current parade is the Festival of Fantasy parade, also known as the ‘3 o’clock parade’ because Magic Kingdom has always had a one at this time. They also have the short Move It! Shake It! MouskeDance It! Street Party on Main Street a couple times a day - basically a mini parade on Main Street. The Festival of Fantasy is the one to see as you’ll get princesses, pirates and of course, Mickey himself. However, one of the main attractions of the parade is the huge metal steampunk themed Maleficent - in fire breathing dragon form. The detail on her is amazing.
The nighttime shows at Magic Kingdom include castle projections and fireworks. The current castle projection show is called Once Upon A Time. Magic Kingdom had the original projection show at Walt Disney World and when I first saw it, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Now they do projections on the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom and the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Studios. We’ve been waiting for them to use Spaceship Earth at Epcot for the same but this hasn’t happened yet. The current fireworks show at Magic Kingdom is ‘Happily Ever After.’ Magic Kingdom has the best fireworks display of all the parks and also an awesome backdrop with the castle in view. While the ideal viewing location is on Main Street you really can see them from anywhere in the park. Other good viewing spots include the resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon. You can enjoy dinner at the California Grill at the Contemporary with views off the balcony and the music piped in to the restaurant. I’ve done this once and they even held food back, planning it around when everyone would go outside to watch the fireworks.
The Tea Cups are a classic Magic Kingdom attraction but similar to the “It’s A Small World” ride, you either love it or hate it!
FAVORITE MAGIC KINGDOM RESTAURANTS
Magic Kingdom ranks at the bottom of my list for favorite parks to eat in mainly because it’s just mostly typical theme park food. So, if we are eating in the park it is likely to be at Be Our Guest (Beast’s Castle) in Fantasyland. It’s one of the best themed restaurants in all the parks and you definitely need to try the grey stuff - it IS delicious! For quick service we like Pinocchio Village Haus and Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. Both have good gluten free options. Magic Kingdom is the original home of the Dole Whip at Aloha Isle. Another good snack option is the Nutella Waffle at Sleepy Hollow. Because #caloriesdontcountatdisney
If you have the time you can always take the monorail from the park to one of the resorts on the monorail line for much better food options. All three resorts have counter service, sit down restaurants and character meals. We like going to Captain Cook’s, the counter service on the ground floor of the Polynesian.
To help decide where to eat, I love using AllEars.net for their always updated park menus. If you or someone in your party has food allergies like me, you can also check out Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW for the places that offer allergy friendly menus. If you’re a passholder be sure to ask for discounts in the restaurants.
Inside Beast’s castle in Fantasyland is the Be Our Guest Restaurant. It’s quick service for breakfast and lunch but changes at dinner to a ‘sit-down’ style (including alcohol).
MISC THINGS TO DO AT MAGIC KINGDOM
If you didn’t know, #wallsofDisney is a thing. Disney has some colorful and creative walls in Magic Kingdom and Epcot that inadvertently started a trend on social media with selfies by the wall. Magic Kingdom has the OG Purple Wall. It was literally just a wall painted purple that you only directly passed if you headed into Tomorrowland by turning right off Main Street before the hub so you pass by the Plaza Restaurant and the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant. Not the typical way people head to Tomorrowland. However, once Disney knew that it was becoming a trend they controversially jazzed up part of the wall with a design. I happen to like the update. Besides, part of the wall is still all purple! While there is no Photopass photographer you’ll likely see some people doing some of their own photo shoots especially over RunDisney race weekends (for more info on RunDisney, check out my blog post all about it!). It’s out of the way of normal park traffic so be sure to detour that way for a selfie!
Magic Kingdom has all sorts of special events (aka additional money). Something that’s not too expensive is getting a haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop. While they cater to kids (especially for first haircuts) I’ve seen my fair share of adults there too. Magic Kingdom is also home to one of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques. The other is in Disney Springs but the Magic Kingdom one is in the castle. They’ll do your child’s hair up in full princess style and while you can buy the whole ensemble, you can bring your own dress from home to save money. For a behind the scenes tour of the park, you can reserve a spot on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. While all the parks are holding separate ticketed after hours events, Magic Kingdom is the only one that has the Halloween & Christmas themed ones. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party will be held on select nights beginning in September and ending right around Halloween. The party on Halloween will usually sell out quickly and the closer you get to the holiday, the more expensive the tickets will be. Mickey’s Christmas Party begins in early November - if you plan your trip right you can sometimes go to the last Halloween party and the first Christmas party! The Christmas parties will end before Christmas and like the Halloween tickets, will get more expensive the closer you get to Christmas. Going at Christmas time also gives you the opportunity to see the lights on the castle. They are lit up every night, not just for the parties. Both the Halloween and Christmas parties have special parades and firework displays. The parties have my favorite parades. For Halloween you’ll see your favorite characters dressed up in their own costumes but the grave diggers really steal the show. At Christmas I love watching the Toy Soldiers stomp down Main Street and getting high fives from Santa’s reindeer. Plus, it snows on Main Street for this one! All the after hours events at Magic Kingdom will have a time period that the event is going on but you can often get in earlier than that time if you don’t have a regular ticket of annual pass. The Halloween and Christmas parties officially run from 7pm to Midnight but you can enter as early as 4pm to maximize your time in the park. A good perk if this is the only way you are experiencing the parks! If you’re a passholder, be sure to ask for any discounts on all these activities!
While the castle is always magnificent, seeing it at Christmas time with the Dream Lights is a must do.