1-Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary
Our 1-day Magic Kingdom touring plan offers a step by step itinerary for an ideal visit to Walt Disney World, with strategy to wait in lines less, avoid crowds, and score a spot in the TRON Lightcycle Run virtual queue. We’d ride these attractions, eat at these restaurants & snack stands, and more. (Updated February 18, 2024.)
This one-day Magic Kingdom itinerary has been overhauled several times in the last year, including for TRON Lightcycle Run and the return of Happily Ever After fireworks. It also takes into account Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours, Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, elevated crowds, and hard ticket parties.
A lot has changed at Magic Kingdom this year, and even more will change in Summer 2024 when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Country Bear Musical Jamboree both open in Frontierland, advance-booking of Lightning Lanes debuts, and more happens. For now, we’ve been testing and tweaking our strategy, and devised this revised 2024 Magic Kingdom itinerary as a result, including rope drop priority and when to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Train…
By and large, Magic Kingdom strategy has stabilized and shouldn’t change much in the first half of 2024. About the only thing that could throw a monkey wrench into this plan is if TRON Lightcycle Run drops its its virtual queue early, but Cosmic Rewind still hasn’t, so we doubt TRON Lightcycle Run will shift to standby anytime soon. Accordingly, this Magic Kingdom itinerary should remain accurate until at least June 2024. With that in mind, here’s how to plan your day in the Magic Kingdom.
This Magic Kingdom itinerary also assumes you will not be buying the Lightning Lane line-skipping services. If you do plan on spending the extra, consult our 1-Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Without a doubt, Genie+ is most useful at Magic Kingdom–the one park where we recommend readers purchase the upcharge.
If you’re staying on-site and can arrive early, check out our report on Early Entry at Magic Kingdom. Likewise, if you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort or Disney Vacation Club property, read about our experience during Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom. Either of those things will help you save time and avoid crowds, giving you a big advantage. However, neither are strictly necessary for a productive day in MK.
While efficiency is a big goal, this Magic Kingdom itinerary focuses on both doing as many rides as possible while still enjoying the Disney ambiance and details that make Magic Kingdom the most popular theme park in the world. Our Magic Kingdom itinerary is somewhat subjective in that it covers our favorite things to do during our “perfect day.” Additionally, this Magic Kingdom touring plan is optimized so that wait times are minimized.
To accomplish everything in a single day, some (less popular) attractions and shows are skipped. (Sorry, Magic Carpets of Aladdin! Actually…not sorry.) For our ride ratings and reviews of every attraction, read our comprehensive Best Magic Kingdom Attractions & Ride Guide post. For something more comprehensive to plan every aspect of your vacation, from where to purchase discount tickets to when to visit and more, read our 2024 Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide.
Get on the grid to enter The Grid – On the morning of your Magic Kingdom day, at least one person in your party will need to be awake and online before 7 am. This is because guests with a valid ticket and a Disney Park Pass reservation for Magic Kingdom will be able to access the virtual queue for TRON Lightcycle Run starting at 7 am on the day of their park visit. This is done outside the park–before you leave your resort hotel, or from literally anywhere.
The 7 am virtual queue fills up fast. Our How to Ride TRON Lightcycle Run & Virtual Queue Speed Strategy is essential reading and covers everything you need to know–like increasing your chances of success! If you’re unsuccessful at 7 am, you can try again to join the virtual queue again at 1 pm from inside Magic Kingdom. (Alternatively, you can gamble and only attempt to join at 1 pm if you’d prefer to ride at night.)
Add TRON Lightcycle Run into this itinerary whenever is convenient after your boarding group gets called. You have an hour to return to the attraction from receiving the notification that it’s your time to ride. Upon arrival, you’ll enter The Grid of TRON!
Pre-Rope Drop Arrival – For an ideal experience at Magic Kingdom, we recommend arriving to the park about 30 minutes before official opening time, and picking up this itinerary from there. If you’re driving, this means leaving for the park to allow sufficient time to park and get from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to Magic Kingdom.
If you’re staying on-site and are eligible for Early Entry at Magic Kingdom (see above), we’d recommend arriving 45 minutes before the official start time of that.
Fantasyland Flight? – If you’re not eligible for Early Entry, do not bother with Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. Those are the two lands open for that on-site perk, and by the time that 30 minute “headstart” is over, all of the headliner attractions in both lands will have moderate or longer wait times.
Instead, you should head to the left of Cinderella Castle and focus your energy on Adventureland or Frontierland–popular attractions that are not open for Early Entry…
Set Sail for Adventure(land) – While this recommendation might seem unorthodox, Jungle Cruise has become one of the most popular attractions in Magic Kingdom following its reimagining. In fact, Jungle Cruise is the #4 attraction by average in the last year. Accordingly, we’d recommend knocking it out first.
Immediately after Jungle Cruise, one option is right next door: Pirates of the Caribbean. This is the easy choice if you want to minimize walking. It’s also the best choice now that Splash Mountain is closed–you can actually usually arrive in Frontierland a little later and still knock out Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with minimal wait.
Magic Kingdom Classics — Double back to Tangled Toilet Territory (not the official name of this area…but it should be!) and do Haunted Mansion followed by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and ‘it’s a small world’.
We realize that involves a bit of backtracking, but waits for Winnie the Pooh’s dark ride usually get longer than ‘it’s a small world,’ so it’s the objectively superior approach. If you want to save some steps, it’s not a big deal to do them in the reverse order.
Character Intermission – While you’re in Pooh’s neck of the (100 acre) woods, now can be a good time to knock out some character meet & greets if you’re so inclined. A couple of these open after the rest of Magic Kingdom, and they typically have lower crowd levels in the first hour that they’re open because most guests prioritize rides. Accordingly, it can be a good time to knock out the following:
- Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Meet Dashing Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Mirabel at Fairytale Garden
- Meet Various Princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall
Obviously, you’re going to know if princesses are important to your party. If so, you should prioritize Princess Fairytale Hall and Mirabel (there’s a path that cuts from Fairytale Hall to Fairytale Garden, which is in front/to the side of Cinderella Castle) above The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The princesses are popular and offer Lightning Lane line-skipping, so you want to beat the late-arriving crowd there.
Personally, Pete’s Silly Sideshow is my favorite of the bunch. The “daring” Disney pals are Goofy and Donald Duck as circus performers. The “dashing” pals are Daisy and Minnie Mouse, looking lovely as always. The costumes for both sets of characters are fantastic. Ariel is also a good pick–her line gets a lot worse later in the day since this is a popular-but-low-capacity meet & greet.
Space Out – The above is likely all you’ll be able to accomplish before crowds build, so continue from the far corner of Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. If the line for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is under 30 minutes, do that. Knock out Space Mountain too via the standby line.
To recap, before lunch you’ll hopefully have accomplished the following, in order:
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (optional–save for later if it’s too much walking)
- Haunted Mansion
- Character Meet & Greets (optional)
- Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- ‘it’s a small world’
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Space Mountain
On a really busy day, you might only hit the first 4 of these. On a slower day, you might be able to accomplish even more than we have listed here. Either way, to achieve all of this, it’s imperative that you arrive before official park opening time. If you arrive later, you’ll be lucky to do half of this list.
Leisurely Late Lunch – If you’re able to accomplish ~8 attractions to start the morning, you should have time for an early sit-down lunch. We recommend a table service option, with our favorite foods being at Skipper Canteen–an underrated gem of Magic Kingdom dining.
Right now, there aren’t many great counter service dining options in Magic Kingdom. Our go-to is recommended for dinner; other alternatives are Pecos Bill in Frontierland or Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland. Neither are great, but both get the job done. Alternatively, two fun sleeper picks are Sleepy Hollow and Friar’s Nook–just be sure to look at menus before doing either of those, as their options are more limited.
Magic Kingdom Masterpiece Theater – Afternoon is when any Disney theme park has its longest lines, so take an AC break with these life-changing (in a good way) shows that are just too awesome for the general public to comprehend.
Hit up Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room or Country Bear Jamboree during the hottest and busiest time of the day. Country Bear Jamboree is the only must-do of these, and is beloved around the world by highly intelligent and attractive people. While you’re in their neck of the woods, be sure to wave to Big Al and his crew.
Catch the 3 O’clock Parade – Festival of Fantasy is Magic Kingdom’s daytime parade, which arrives to Main Street roughly 20 minutes after the parade steps off in Frontierland. The float that captures everyone’s eye is the steampunk-esque Maleficent dragon float that breathes fire, which makes for a photogenic scene. The whole parade is great, though, with Tangled, Peter Pan, Monstro, and princess floats that are quite cool.
Add to this performers in costumes that have a lot of detail and are, in some cases, a bit darker and more interesting than the ‘fantasy fluff’ you’d expect to find in a Magic Kingdom parade, a catchy soundtrack, and a great energy, and you have a parade that’s a real winner. Frontierland is least crowded, but the area around Cinderella Castle and Main Street makes for better photos.
Masterpiece Intermission: More Snacking – You have a few options to choose from, as covered in our Best Magic Kingdom Snacks & Desserts. This list was just updated and expanded, and now also includes the worst snacks that we highly recommend avoiding.
If you did the ‘Masterpieces’ out of order and are in Liberty Square or Adventureland, the good news is that there are wonderful snacks in both of those lands, too. This includes the Dole Whip and Citrus Swirl, which are beloved among Walt Disney World fans! While you’re passing through Adventureland, be sure to do Pirates of the Caribbean if you haven’t already.
Fantasyland Fun – Without Genie+ or Early Entry, you’re at a serious disadvantage when it comes to doing the popular family-friendly Fantasyland attractions. As such, the goal is to “outlast” the crowds, doing these rides in the late afternoon and early evening as families with small children start to wear out and head for the exits.
We’d recommend knocking out the remaining Fantasyland attractions in this order:
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Barnstormer Starring the Great Goofini (skippable)
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Mad Tea Party (skippable)
- Peter Pan’s Flight
Of those, the only long wait you should encounter is Peter Pan’s Flight. There’s really no way around that one.
All Quiet on the Western Front — If you skipped it earlier, make your way back to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in late afternoon, as crowds should depart from this dead-end corner of the park by now.
With Splash Mountain now closed until at least mid-2024 (to convert the log flume ride to a Princess and the Frog attraction), there’s no need to prioritize this area of the park. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is popular, but not that popular.
Cinderella Castle Stage Show – If your family is into characters, be sure to see Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire. This features a few songs from Frozen, Tangled, and Princess and the Frog, plus characters from those films and Mickey Mouse and friends. It’s cute and well done.
While you can catch this throughout the day, we’d strongly recommend catching one of the last two performances. The sunlight and heat can be brutal for earlier showtimes, and Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire is relatively lengthy. (Or so it feels when standing directly in the blazing sun, heat and humidity!)
Tomorrowland Tranquility – After sunset, we recommend returning to Tomorrowland. Not because it’s strategically important–to the contrary, it’s not–but because the atmosphere is improved. The neon lights shine bright and really pop, and the bland land during the daytime has a ton more personality.
While in Tomorrowland, be sure to do the PeopleMover, which is a leisurely ride above the land. Once finished with that, head over to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, which is a stage show chronicling innovations of the 20th century. You can also do Tomorrowland Speedway if it interests you. At night, Astro Orbiter is a must-do. The line is shorter and the atmosphere is so much better.
Dinner: Be Our Guest Restaurant – Still the most popular restaurant in Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest Restaurant (read our full review) remains a very hard Advance Dining Reservation to score. The theming and attention to detail are great here and the food is ambitious for a restaurant in the Magic Kingdom (let alone in New Fantasyland), with several solid menu items. Make sure to check out the West Wing!
If you are able, grab an Advance Dining Reservation before your vacation. If you’re unable to score a reservation, keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app for Walk-Up Waitlist availability.
Alternative Dinner: Columbia Harbour House — Given the sheer number of worthwhile attractions in the Magic Kingdom and the high wait times, you might want to save time by having dinner at Columbia Harbour House, a counter service restaurant.
Great seafood options, plus the quaint and somewhat secluded (or perhaps underutilized is the better term) upstairs seating area makes this an easy pick. We love grabbing a table by the window, recharging, and watching the hustle and bustle of Magic Kingdom outside.
Nighttime Spectacular: Happily Ever After – The beloved Happily Ever After fireworks have returned! This nighttime spectacular features new projections on Main Street and is also drawing colossal crowds. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon, as Walt Disney World fans love Happily Ever After and are coming out in full force to see it.
Our Viewing Guide to the Happily Ever After Fireworks at Magic Kingdom covers the best & worst spots to see the nighttime spectacular. Perhaps most importantly, it shares a few great low-crowds locations for those who don’t want to be in the crush of crowds. (Seriously, don’t underestimate the chaos and congestion, which can be downright uncomfortable, especially for those with strollers or ECVs. Personally, I would not watch Happily Ever After from Main Street if I were an ECV user; I would not feel safe.)
Evening Attractions: Better at Night – At this point, you should have about an hour until park closing on a normal night. Dumbo, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are some attractions that we most strongly recommend doing at night for a superior experience.
Obviously, you won’t have time to do them all–and if Magic Kingdom closes earlier, you might not have time for any of them. As for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, we’ll cover that below. If you have time for additional attractions, check out our 10 Best Magic Kingdom Attractions at Night for others to add to this plan.
Mine Train Half Court Shot – One minute before Magic Kingdom closes, consider jumping in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This is like sinking a game-winning, half court shot.
Or, so I assume…I’ve never done the latter. You basically avoid the long lines all day by getting in line as late as you possible can, and you will literally feel yourself saving time in line.
Peaceful Park Closing – After you’re done with either of the above options, the Magic Kingdom will be closed. Be aware that the shops on Main Street are typically open an hour after park closing, so then is the time to do your souvenir shopping.
Beyond shopping, this is a great time for appreciating the details of Magic Kingdom as it empties. Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse followed by a walk on the boardwalk along the Rivers of America leading away from Big Thunder towards Haunted Mansion is a solid, surprise pick here.
If you’re able to do even 75% of the things on this Magic Kingdom touring plan, you are pretty much assured of having an excellent day in the Magic Kingdom. That’s our guarantee! (Please note that this guarantee has no cash value and is not offered to residents of any state except Wyoming. Also note that any day you are at Magic Kingdom should be amazing, so if you don’t have a great time, it’s probably your own fault! ;))
While this itinerary covers most of the park in a single day, in a truly ideal world, we recommend reading our 2-Day Magic Kingdom Ideal Day Plan. That’s how much time you should be spending in Magic Kingdom if your trip lasts a week or longer. Magic Kingdom is the only park at Walt Disney World that we believe requires two days to do everything without feeling rushed–you can do the other parks in one day each.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What would you include in your ideal day in the Magic Kingdom? Any hidden gem favorite attractions, quiet spots you enjoy savoring, little details to stop and enjoy, or delicious snacks to try? Do you agree or disagree with our strategy? Do you plan on buying Genie+ or an Individual Lightning Lane during your day in MK? Will you take advantage of Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours? If you haven’t visited Walt Disney World, what do you plan on doing? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Thank you, Tom! I love your emails and followed the Magic Kingdom 1 day itinerary yesterday during a sold out day. Park opened at 8 but we were in line at the Mine train at 7:30 and on the ride at 8:09!! Park didn’t seem crowded at all and lines moved quickly. Thank you for your advice!
Hey Tom,
I’m a long time reader, your blog helped me make the most of my first trip to Disney a few years back, so thank you for all your tips. I’m heading to Magic Kingdom for 1 day this summer in mid June (longer trip, planned for next summer). I was wondering if you could make an updated 1 day Magic Kingdom itinerary reflecting the wait times during spring break and the reccomended order for the attractions; could be helpful to those of us traveling in the summer.
Super helpful! Any suggestions on which days to do which parks, especially if you have to include weekends? I don’t know if MK is better on a Sat or Sun, or if it’s a negligible difference.
Tom, your itineraries were so helpful on our trip last week – thank you!! We rope-dropped Mine train and actually headed over to splash & big thunder before coming back to peter pan & found just a 15/20 minute wait there. Toddler girl wanted to do the carousel, which never got below 30 minutes all day, so we went straight there our 2nd MK day after waiting with brothers to ride swap 7 dwarfs. I forgot your advice to hit small world in the morning but would reiterate that – lines get long there in the afternoon! And our lunch at Tony’s was perfect…outdoor dining with character convaclades coming by. The Dapper Dans also serenaded us from the train platform. Fun surprises!
My family just returned from a trip to Florida in which we made a last-minute decision to take our four children (ages 9, 7, 6 and 4) to Magic Kingdom for a day (Friday, Jan 8). This blog was immensely helpful for our planning, and I wanted to add a few comments from our experience.
We did not have cell phones, but our iPads used the Disney WiFi just fine. We used the Disney World app for maps and wait times (not always very helpful) and online ordered our snacks from there. We would recommend the app.
We drove from Bradenton, FL, which was just under 2 hours. We arrived to the MK parking lot around 7 am, but it didn’t seem to open until about 7:20. There were only a few cars ahead of us. Parking went quickly, and so did the Monorail to the entrance. The temperature check and security was fast, and entry to the park happened before 8 am, even though all I had was an email with a barcode showing that we purchased tickets.
We headed straight for Mine Train, but as it was the kids’ first time in Disney, we didn’t rush there. We let them take in the giant Christmas tree, Main Street, stopped for a bathroom break, admire the Castle (and take a family picture), so that by the time we got to the ride, only a few minutes after 8, the line was already 50 min. Again, because this was their first time there, we decided it wasn’t worth it and we would try back later. Instead, we hit Winnie the Pooh, the Carousel, Peter Pan and Small World all before 9 am. All the lines were super short and went really fast. Our kids loved the beauty of these story rides.
We followed the itinerary by heading over to Frontierland, but we hit Haunted Mansion on our way there since the line was so short. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. The river and Tom Sawyer Island are under construction, but we weren’t planning on doing them anyway.
Next we did Splash Mountain. The blog said to hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad first, but the Splash Mountain line said 35 min, and I didn’t think it would get much better than that. I thought the kids would enjoy Splash Mountain better than the Railroad. It was definitely a hit, and even our 4-year-old was able to do this one. It was her first log chute ride. Next we did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (I sat out on this one due to pregnancy and a memory from my teen years that it was rather rough). The kids and their dad got through that line fast as well, and the kids actually also really loved this one. Then we headed to Jungle Cruise, snacking on some packed goodies on the way there.
As we were passing Pirates of the Caribbean, the ride looked like it had been closed for some reason (cleaning maybe?) and was just reopening, so we got really lucky and hopped in line for a no-wait experience. Then we hit Jungle Cruise with a bit of a line – maybe 30-40 min. It was not as fun as I remembered it, and the jokes went totally over the kids’ heads, but they still enjoyed the boat ride and seeing the animals, which they continually asked if they were real.
Because we were making great time, we did the Magic Carpet Aladdin ride because the kids thought it looked really fun. While on the ride, I ordered Dole Whips from the nearby Aloha Isle, and we picked them up afterwards. The kids split a
Then we got in line for the Tiki room and had to wait for only about 2 shows before getting in. This was another short fun thing for the kids, with a nice sit-down break.
We decided to head towards Main Street but were undecided about what to do for lunch. We considered stopping to buy something, but we had a lot of food packed and had booked supper at the Be Our Guest Restaurant which was a major investment for 2 adults and 4 kids, so we opted to skip out on buying lunch. I’m not sure if this was the best idea, because we literally did not see any characters the whole day except for as we entered the park before 8 am when we saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald and Daisy and some Cast Members who waved to welcome us. I didn’t read up too much on the Character Cavalcades, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We didn’t want to waste time on Main Street if nobody was going to walk by, but the kids really did hope to see some princesses (we have 4 girls).
On our way to Tomorrowland, we made a quick, no-line stop at Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. That only took us a few minutes to get through and continue on.
Tomorrowland had much longer waits than we expected right after lunch. We did Buzz Lightyear, the Astro Orbiter (our longest wait yet – the kids insisted they wanted to ride the spaceships, and they had fun and we had time), and then Space Mountain. My 4-year-old was not tall enough for Space Mountain, so her dad took her back to the Carousel while I took the older 3 on my favorite ride. They did NOT enjoy it. Too dark, I think.
We headed back over to Fantasyland to meet up with little sister and Dad and see what we could get in before our 4 pm reservation at Be Our Guest. Mine Train was over an hour wait at this time, so we did Little Mermaid and then got to our reservation around 3:35. They let us in right away and we sat down to eat. The kids loved the ambiance and the food. The service was great. I wasn’t sure if they would let us carry out the extras, but they did. The Beast stopped by to wave at guests every 25 minutes or so. That was a bit exciting, but wore off as the evening went on. We probably saw him at least 3 times. The kids loved having the courses, and there was a paintable Chip cup for dessert which was fun. Then we could walk around the other 2 rooms of the Castle (we were in the Rose room). We probably finished around 5:30 or so. Mine Train was still long, so we opted to do Mickey’s PhilharMagic. The kids absolutely loved their first 3D experience and seeing all the familiar Disney Songs.
We split up into groups of 3 to try for Mines one last time while the other group did Carousel, but when got there, the line was still an hour, and it was around 7. My oldest decided she would rather try other shorter rides than spend the last hour waiting in line, so we did Mad Tea Party, Dumbo and Barnstormer. We met up with the other group after they did Mad Tea Party and did Dumbo and Barnstormer again with them. All three of these had no lines.
The kids picked Small World for the last ride, which was excellent, but we actually also got in line for Peter Pan at 7:58 pm and did that one last. Then we had a pretty easy trek out of the park. The ferry had no wait, so we took it back to the parking lot, and the 4-year-old fell asleep in the stroller between the ferry and the car.
Overall, a great experience. The lines were completely manageable for the kids, and they were troopers to make it through a 12+ hour day. Their only disappointment was the lack of princesses.
Sounds like a great time! I enjoyed reading this to get an idea somewhat of what to expect even though we aren’t traveling to Disney for another few months (hoping fast pass will be back or at least meet and greets )
Jenna, we actually found we enjoyed ourselves a bit more when we weren’t trying to make sure we were at certain places for fastpass return windows. I hope you find the same!
In Epcot, rather than Anna & Elsa doing a parade, they came out individually at unannounced times. My daughter got to talk to each of them for a few minutes and get an individual picture. The characters are pretty interactive in the convaclades, too.
are you able to eat snacks as you are walking to other rides or do you need to be in a designated eating area?
We were able to eat snacks as we walked. It’s discouraged, but we were not confronted.
Hello to all and happy holidays,
I do Apologize in advance, but my experience last week at Magic Kingdom was not good at all. It was My daughters 15th birthday on that specific date and we made the reservation on the phone with a Representative from “my Disney experience” since it’s the only way of booking right now. I purchased 7 tickets for that specific date to visit magic kingdom. I got my confirmation order number and reviewed all the details with the rep while in the phone and everything was good to go. (You would think, NOT) I went Ahead and booked my flight and place to stay that went well. We arrived at Magic Kindom at 8am after receiving all our access cards at the ticket booth we we waiting for the ferry and crossed over to magic kingdom we arrived by 10:30am. That whole process from took long but we were happy to finally cross over. When we arrived at the main gate to get our access cards scanned, the cards did not scan properly and were told we were missing a step to please head over to the customer service area. There was at least 50 people in front of us, seemed like everyone was having the same issue. Once we reach the window and spoke to the rep he explained to me that that step missing was the selection of the actual theme park we wanted to visit on the reserved day. I was Like WTF, how were we suppose to know this stupid step if the Representative on the phone did not even tell me. The only way we were able to reserve a day was by selecting a park and that’s what the customer representative did on the phone, he did everything for us. I even Received the email confirmation with digital ticket that had a bar code. They did not allow us to go inside the park because of that missed step and everyone in front of me was turned away also. We were issued a full refund after 1 hour of begging for it because we would not be able to reschedule for 2 week later when they had availability. Pretty much my daughters dream trip to Disney turned into a nightmare. They supposedly have a limited amount of people allowed into the park but I compared It to my previous visits and everything was jammed packed from the parking lot, ferry and actual Magic Kingdom. PLEASE CONFIRM EVERYTHING BY CALLING AND SPEAKING WITH A MANAGER BEFORE HEADING OUT ON YOUR TRIP…
This was so helpful, thank you! We were taking photos in front of castle by 7:20am – caught the first bus from Caribbean Beach! We headed straight for Mine Train! We followed the suggested 8 spots and completed all with a tasty treat from Peco Bills by 12:30 leaving a lot of time for tomorrow land and 2nd rides on 3 favorites.
For a Saturday, we were expecting longer wait times but although standby lines indicated 35 – 55 minute waits, we were quickly through in 25 – 30 minutes!
We caught multiple quick parades and a larger in front of castle at 3:30. Although many gather in front of castle awaiting a fireworks show, there isn’t one. We witnessed a quick firework as castle changed color a few times. We did catch the lighted water parade as we exited park at 8:30. A great day!
The river is currently drained…any updates for December?
I noted you mentioned checking out the Swiss Family Robinson tree house after the park officially closes… can you actually go inside it? Or just viewing it from the outside after hours?
Tom, How do you suggest adjusting this plan to watch the holiday cavalcades on Main St.? Should I include time on Main St. in the afternoon when ride wait times are typically longest? Thank you for providing a post reopening plan.
This is a huge help! Can you confirm that there are actually NO fireworks displays right now (during covid)?
Tom,
Here what we accomplished today 10/20/20. We tried hard to make the rope drop but ended up getting in at 9:15am. Took some photos as we worked our way to Dwarfs which the sign said 55 mins. We ended up on it in 45 mins. We checked times and decided to head over to Space Mountain 35 mins. At this time we get hungry and it was around 1130 so we got Cosmic Ray’s. After a tasty burger we went for the Haunted Mansion 35 mins. Since we were in the area we grabbed a soda and the Constance Cake while waiting for Hall of Presidents. After HOP we trekked over to Thunder Mountain posted wait was 45 mins but somehow we got on it in 25 mins. Headed for Pirates 35 mins and even got a pic with Jack Sparrow! After that it was time to head back to Fantasyland. We got in line for Peter Pan 25 mins and put a order in for the Poison Apple cupcake which was awesome!!! After the quick bite we headed over to the little mermaid which was a walk on. After that we hit Pooh 15 mins. With 10 mins until park close we headed into the Dwarf line to finish our day.
Hi Tom, do you know what time the ferryboat and monorail start running to the park? We are planning on being there as early as possible when we go next Thursday. I’m taking my sister in law, niece and nephew that have never been and my kids haven’t been in five years. I want to give them the magic of the park before we start running for rides!
HI Tom — just got back today – Monday 10/19/20 – from MK, and it was crazy busy. Almost every ride was 45 to 60min. The posted wait times were all correct. To be transparent, we left for the park around 9:00am — and didn’t get in line for our first ride until 10:30am!! (7 Drawf’s Mine Train). It was 60 min at that time, and it was accurate. **Was there a FL holiday today? It was still less people I think, but the park was full.
Also, the LINE to get Temperature checked was LONG. But did move fairly well. Then the monorail to the park – was a bit long — as due to social distancing – it took a while to board. (We took the Ferryboat back from MK to the parking lot and that was super fast. The cast members advised us of that — so tip, Ferryboat can be faster than monorail, depending on if there’s a boat arriving or loading when you arrive at the boat area).
REMEMBER to bring a poncho and/or umbrella. It was pouring rain today — in the afternoon, around 3:00pm/3:30pm and didn’t stop for about an hour or so. And it was pouring, no light sprinkle. They sell umbrellas and ponchos, but you’ll be running to find a place if you didn’t come prepared ahead of time or know where to buy. (We bought an umbrella at the shop next to the Country Bear Jamboree).
Anyway, Tom, you’ve been so helpful with all of your reviews and tips — I thought I’d return the favor and report a recent first hand experience. 🙂 Thanks!
Thank you for reiterating the fact that I need to be there for rope drop next week! I’m a little scared we have missed the blessed window of no crowds. I was only able to convince my hubs to go b/c 25% capacity…
Thank you! Headed to MK Tuesday so very helpful! We are going in December with the kids so I’ll be looking for your updates as things change Between now and then
Thanks Tom, super helpful to have this updated to reflect the current conditions at WDW. Do you plan to update the two day itinerary as well? Curious what that might look like. Thanks again!
I just have to say, I am very grateful for your posts. We just finished a one day trip to magic and then universal Harry Potter world only…. and if it had been for your crowd updates we may have missed one of THE best visits ever. We waited for nothing . Kids were thrilled. Got great pics sans crowds. It was what I wanted forever on a disney vacation. There was only one other rare time during a Halloween party when we had NO crowds and this was just as good. We just needed the church ice cream sandwich from sleepy hollow…. killer!!!! But yeah…. looking forward to finding a great window for the 50th. Thanks again look fo
Tom, could you please give me the name of the local grocer that will deliver to resorts in Disney World. I think you mentioned it one of your emails. I am unable to find it. We will be going the week of Thanksgiving. Looks like from your emails crowds are picking up. Thank you for your continued emails and updates.
Garden Grocer. They are amazing! A little more pricey, but worth it!
This revised plan is great! Thanks! Anyway you can revise a plan for the other 3 parks? My family leaves next week from out of state. It would be awesome if I knew the best plan of approach for all our days. Thanks!
My apologies to Debby above. I didn’t realize my comment was a reply to hers. Sorry@
Here’s what i wanted to know, can you really walk over to Swiss Family tree house after the park is closed? I have never done this, but would love to get some nighttime pictures.