If you’ve never been to Walt Disney World before, your first trip can be somewhat daunting if you’re not sure where to go and what to do. While the parks do provide maps and event details, it can be confusing to the average visitor. So, to save you from hopefully experiencing any more frustration than you really have to (and in order to keep you from asking questions such as, “When is the 3 o’clock parade?”), here are a few tips to help you truly experience the magic.
1. Plan Ahead. Which rides does your family really want to experience? What restaurants? Shows? While a little spontaneity can always be injected into your trip to the Magic Kingdom, a little planning goes a long way. Take the time to decide exactly what it is you want to do, plan out your day a bit, and go ahead and plan out those meals as it will save you a great deal of time from trying to decide where to eat while in the park.
2. Food. Ah, yes. Believe it or not, the food at Disney can be almost as fun as the attractions themselves. Before you go, decide on whether you’ll be doing mostly counter service or a more upscale meal. A character dinner really tops off a visit to the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom has three separate character dining locations, all tailored to different groups of characters: Cinderella’s Royal Table featuring the Royalty of Disney (Cinderella, Prince Charming, Snow White, etc.), Liberty Tree Tavern featuring Disney’s flagship characters Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto, and The Crystal Palace featuring the characters of The 100 Acre Wood (ehm, that’s Winnie the Pooh and friends). For these dinners, reservations are strongly recommended and can be easily made by contacting 407-WDW-DINE or contacting the concierge at your WDW resort. You’ll receive a dining time and, trust me, this makes it easier to plan the rest of your day at the Magic Kingdom.
3. Get those Fastpasses! Fastpasses save so much time and frustration that I still marvel at how many visitors don’t take advantage of the system. When you enter the Magic Kingdom, have in mind which attraction you’d most like to experience and make a b-line for the Fastpass kiosk for that attraction. Your Fastpass time will most likely be an hour from the time you receive it, so that will give you plenty of time to shop, see another attraction, or get some breakfast if you planned on doing breakfast at the park.
Some attractions that have Fastpasses within the park are: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, The Haunted Mansion, The Jungle Cruise, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, Stitch’s Great Escape.
If you vacation during off-peak times, you won’t even need a Fast Pass for The Haunted Mansion (and might not even during peak as it’s a continual loading system with a short pre-show).
4. Plan for the parades. The parades are some of the best entertainment in the Magic Kingdom. Prepare to get there at least an hour early during peak times. For more ways to enjoy the MK parades, see my earlier article Tips For Catching Nightly Parades.
5. Shop after lunch. It’s tempting to stop in the shops as you first enter the gates and head down Main Street, U.S.A. However, you’ll find that you’re much more ready to shop once you’ve eaten lunch and experienced a few of the attractions. If you are staying on property, make sure to have those packages delivered to your hotel so that you won’t spend the rest of the afternoon carrying your packages around.
With these tips in mind, sit down and plan out your day. Here’s a Magic Kingdom day plan that you can use for yourself or tweak to your liking:
*Upon entering the park, cut just past the left of the castle through Liberty Square and make your way to Frontierland. Once there, get a Fastpass for either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain. During your wait, hop back over to Liberty Square and pay spirits of The Haunted Mansion a visit.
*After visiting either Splash or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you’ll probably have a thirty minutes to an hour to wait until you can get another Fastpass. While you wait, visit the Country Bears at the Country Bear Jamboree.
*Once you’ve paid the Country Bears a visit, head back over to either Splash or Big Thunder and get your next Fastpass. While you’re waiting for time until your next Fastpass arrives, hop on over to Adventureland, just behind Frontierland. While there you can visit the Pirates of the Caribbean, catch the birds at the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management), and if the line isn’t too long, sail through the jungle at the Jungle Cruise.
*As your Fastpass should now be in effect for your next mountain ride, head back over to the mountain and experience the attraction. Once you’re finished, it’s time for lunch!
*If you’ve made reservations for a character lunch, you won’t be too far away to head on over to either The Liberty Tree Tavern, The Crystal Palace or Cinderella’s Royal Table. After lunch, it’s time to head back to Main Street, U.S.A. and experience the Share a Dream Come True Parade.
*Now that you’ve experienced the parade, it’s time to head back into the world of Fantasy. Get your Fastpasses for Peter Pan’s Flight and while you’re waiting for your Fastpass call time, take a ride around the world at It’s A Small World. You may also want to wander around Mickey’s Toontown Fair which is right around the corner.
*After riding Peter Pan’s Flight, hop on over to Tomorrowland and get your Fastpasses for either Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. While there, check out the Tomorrowland Transit Authority for an all inclusive tour of Tomorrowland.
*Get ready for Spectromagic! If there are two nightly parades instead of one, make plans to attend the second parade as its less crowded. Following Spectromagic!, end your day with Wishes, a spectacular fireworks display above Cinderella’s Castle.
All in all, have fun and don’t get too stressed if you can’t accomplish everything in one day. The magic of Disney is that it becomes more and more magical with each visit.