DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM


There is simply no place on earth like the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  The second you step onto Main Street, you can feel the magic.  If you ask Jess, the magic even begins when you pay 20 bucks to park.  This was our second time visiting the Magic Kingdom together.  Magic Kingdom will forever go down as Jess's favorite park at Disney.  After experiencing Epcot together as adults on this trip, Dave has deemed Epcot his favorite.  You can't go wrong with either, but we recommend doing both!

If you missed our visit to other parks, you can see them here:
ANIMAL KINGDOM
EPCOT


Our days at Magic Kingdom start bright and early.  Our little back entrance to Disney property gets us to the park in a matter of minutes and we are ready to park, jump on the monorail and get to the park.  Always confirm park hours as they vary from park to park and week to week at Disney.  We're going to share a few tips that we hope make your day more magical!

1. Download My Disney Experience App
2. Secure Your Fast Passes
3. Plan to Arrive Early and Stay Late
4. Pack Snacks in Your Bag
5. Soak in Bonus Time After the Fireworks Show

First things first.  Get your fast passes, people!  If you are staying on Disney property, you are able to secure your fast passes 60 days before you'll be visiting.  If you don't stay on property (like us) then you are able to secure your passes 30 days before visiting.  There are certainly perks for staying on property like magic hours, advance fast pass reservations and the convenience of shuttle transportation however, it's not for everyone or necessarily for every visit.  


Fast passes open up at 7 in the morning, eastern time.  If you are new to visiting Disney and fast passes, you'll want to make sure to go ahead and register for My Disney Experience ahead of time so that right at 7 o'clock you can begin selecting your fast passes and not waste any time.

You are allowed three fast passes per park, per day... at first.  We recommend scheduling all of your fast passes as early in the day as possible so that you can become eligible for an additional fast pass at MK once all three fast passes you originally secured have been used. 


If you’ve experienced waiting at the front of the park to kick off the day at Magic Kingdom, you are all too familiar with the countdown to opening and the infamous rope drop.  Friends, these days are long gone and we have mixed emotions on the whole ordeal.  Jess argues that both experiences are part of the magic.

However, we both agree that the recent changes made to entering the park are much less stressful and buy parents some more time before the complaining and tears start flowing.  Wait, complaining and tears in the midst of all that magic? YES!

Beginning in 2017, guests were allowed to enter the Main Street U.S.A. area of the park an hour or so earlier than the park's scheduled opening time.  This extra time allows everyone to savor the charm of Main Street while enjoying breakfast for the first second caffeine fix of the day.  

Anyone recognize that handsome knight protecting Belle?

With the changes, we recommend trying to arrive at the parking lot about an hour or so before the park opens.  This allows time for you to get parked and jump on the ferry or monorail to take you to the park. There will be plenty of time to get through security and walk down Main Street towards your first ride of the day.

Now, if you really plan to grab breakfast and get the perfect photo in front of Cinderella's Castle then you may want to get to the parking lot about hour and a half before the park opens.  We typically head towards our first ride to ensure a good spot in line.


We always try to get our fast passes for the rides that typically have the longest waits.  From experience, we secure fast passes for Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened in 2014 and has been added to the list of longest wait times.  Knowing this, and not able to get a fast pass since they are usually all taken by Disney Guests staying on property, this is our first ride of the day.  We walk speed walk behind the Disney Cast Member that designates themselves as the start of the line for Seven Dwarfs.  


Up next, we hit up Peter Pan's Flight.  This is another ride that grows a long line and it pretty much stays that way until park close.  With Peter Pan's Flight being in Fantasyland, we are able to hit up a few more rides that still have relatively short lines.

Then, we make our way around to The Haunted Mansion.

Hello, technology!  We recommend checking the Disney Experience App for wait times the entire day you are at the park.  See what rides are close to you while waiting in line and then make your next move based on wait times.

You have to be smart about this!  Just because something is down to a twenty minute wait doesn't mean you need to run to the other side of the park to ride it.  Take advantage of using the app to see what is close to where you are with a good wait time.  You will be amazed at how you can maximize your time at the park doing this.  Make the most of your day!


If you're at Disney without some of the precious people in your life (like your cute little niece) you can send them a piece of mail directly from the park.  There are mailboxes lined up Main Street USA and mail goes out daily.  It is the sweetest idea that makes your mail so thoughtful.

We planned ahead and grabbed a Disney postcard earlier in the week at Disney Springs.  We recommend going ahead and writing your message and stamping it before heading to the park.  #noonehastimeforthatatdisney

Just don't forget to take it out of your bag and slip it in a mailbox while you're there.

 
We also use this rule of thumb about eating while at the park.  We don't do the dining plan since we don't stay on property.  For those that do, more power to ya... keep making the most of it.  We have certain places we like to eat lunch and dinner when we're at Magic Kingdom.  


We snack when we are hungry or quickly grab something if it sounds good.  Carry snacks in your bag!  Although we have our favorite spots for meals, we don't plan to eat lunch or dinner at certain times.  We stop to eat when we are conveniently close to each, around typical meal times.


Lots of people say their night at Magic Kingdom ends with "Wishes," the popular firework spectacular that has been running at the park since 2003.  If you're really wanting to maximize your day at Disney, don't be those people!  We always squeeze in as many "bonus" rides as we can following the fireworks.  As long as you are in line by the park closing, you can ride.

Wishes was shown for the last time on May 11th... cue the tears.  Seriously, it is just part of the magic.  Instead, there will be a new show called "Happily Ever After" that will feature fireworks, projections and lasers.

Disney does everything top notch and we anticipate the new show will be amazing.  Wishes carries a special tradition, and lots of magical memories so the new show certainly has big shoes to fill.  Bring it on, Disney!  We can't wait to see what you've got in store.

Bring sunscreen with you and reapply all day.  Magic doesn't protect you from that Florida sun.

If you need a good nap, catch the train that circles Magic Kingdom.  That way you still get to ride something even while you're asleep!

Take as many pictures and videos as you want, but leave plenty of time to just live in the moment and let the magic take you back to being a kid again.

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