As is most of Walt Disney World, and any of their individual parks, there is far too much to see and do in only one day. But sometimes one day is all you get, so you make the best of it! While we had planned a total of five park days, giving us one extra day to spend at any one of the parks, we ended up not using that extra park day for Magic Kingdom. Therefore we crammed as much Magic Kingdom as any of us could handle into just one open to close park day. Rather than give you a play by play schedule of exactly when we did things, I just want to cover what my general experience in the park was. While we made fast pass reservations, we did not schedule out our park days, and there are literally hundreds of other bloggers who have that skill down to a science. Chunked up into three different categories, Rides & Attractions, Restaurants & Food, and Shows & Events, I'm going to touch on things we managed to fit in, what we really enjoyed, and what we could have done differently. Also just a disclaimer up-front, our entire group consisted of my mom, my sister, her boyfriend, and myself being the youngest at 25 years old. No Kiddos. *Disney has changed many policies due to the COVID situation, so I can't really comment on what to expect over the next few months, just assuming that they will get back to some level of normal eventually. Serena (Living By Disney) has always been my go-to for explaining legit Disney news so check out her recent posts and stories on Insta for better updates. Rides & AttractionsMagic Kingdom has the most rides of all four parks in Walt Disney World, which sounds pretty daunting for a one day visit, but you can definitely get through most, if not all of them depending on how much planning goes into it. There are some hardcore schedules available out there that you could follow and knock out all the rides in one day, but it might not leave much room for spontaneity. We didn't follow any specific ride schedule or plan, other than hitting rides known for their long wait times as soon as we entered the park. We managed to walk onto both Peter Pan's Flight and Space Mountain, even without rope dropping the park (we may have slept through our wake up alarms), though we still made used of the morning extra magic hour for resort guests. We had fastpasses for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, and I believe Pirates of the Caribbean (which didn't have a long wait time anyways). I don't think we waited longer than 30 minutes to get on any ride, except for Splash Mountain, which was easily over an hour and a half wait. I'd say there are three types of rides in Magic Kingdom; thrill rides, dark rides, and a few miscellaneous classic rides. Disney World in general doesn't have a very high number of thrill rides compared to most theme parks, and Magic Kingdom actually has more than one or two, it has a whole whopping FOUR! You've got the three mountains (Space, Splash, and Thunder), and then Mine Train. I'm a coaster nut who has historically spent her midwestern summers at Cedar Point, and it's difficult to say the thrill rides are truly "thrilling." They aren't boring by any means, perhaps "exciting" rather than "thrilling" though, and if compared to a roller coaster oriented theme park they are pretty tame. But this is Walt Disney World, and we don't go to Disney for rides that are painted green and slapped with a menacing name. We go to Disney for theming; Stories being brought to life, and immersive design and detailing that literally no other theme park can even come close to. Which brings us to the largest group of rides in Magic Kingdom, the "dark rides." Dark rides are the ones where you essentially hop into a ride car, sit back, and enjoy the show. You're taken through the world of a classic story with familiar characters, settings, and music. Basically the complete opposite of what you would normally think of a ride at a theme park, but they are so endearing as you just glide through your favorite childhood movies. If I had to choose I would say that my favorite "dark rides" would be Pirates of the Caribbean, which had quite a bit of action in it, and then Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (sorry didn't get a photo), because it was really fun to go through and actually get to interact with the ride and compete with your partner. Then there are the rides that don't really have a class of their own other than simply being classic Disney rides. These are immediately what you think of when a Disney park comes to mind, and they are replicated among the other Disney properties around the world for this reason. Jungle Cruise is overly corny and almost cringey with their commentary, but you just have to love the skippers shooting these jokes off like a well seasoned dad. I was actually surprised at how many people they piled into one boat for this so it may get a little squished and uncomfortable not having your own row or seats. Super near and dear to us were two rides we couldn't wait to recreate 20 year old memories on. Spinning around and around trying to make a family member sick on the Mad Tea Party is 100% a must do! I love spinning rides like this, and I could take fun swirly photos on, and around this ride all day. Just be warned, these seats are slippery so you and your bags may slide into your fellow tea party members. My mom was thrilled to only wait 15 minutes in line for Dumbo, after explaining to us that when we were kids, we had to wait an hour to hop into these flying elephants. As a grown adult with control over my very own up and down lever, this was much more entertaining than I expected it to be, albeit a little sketchy feeling. There are a few variations of the Dumbo ride, like Astro Orbiter and the Magic Carpets, so besides really liking this style of ride, I don't see a need to hop on all three. Magic Kingdom rides were all-around fun, with a true "feel good" vibe. While they aren't as wild as some other theme parks, you really have to allow yourself to be a kid again and just go with it. Everything is very well themed, and even the queues are designed to keep you entertained while you wait. The park is literally full of rides and attractions, so there's always something you can do here, and if you're visiting during a slower season it is possible to get to most of the rides. Restaurants & FoodThe menus in Magic Kingdom are always adding new trendy snacks and treats every few weeks, and I had been adding almost all of them to my "must try" list while planning our trip. We soon realized that testing out all the insta-worthy snacks, would be a physical impossibility, even split between the all four of us. My sister and I have quite the sweet tooth, but we were not prepared for the full amount of sugar we unknowingly were planning to consume. It was a tough call for us to opt out of the character breakfast at The Crystal Palace, since that experience was a special memory for us 20 years ago. With character interaction being the main value to the breakfast buffet, the cost just wasn't justified for four adults who weren't super into character meet and greets. Instead we made our way back to Gaston's tavern, where all four of us split one cinnamon roll and a LeFou's Brew. While it was all on the sweeter side, the cinnamon roll wasn't overly sugary like a donut, and it was massive, easily split for a group or family. We didn't find many budget friendly breakfast options that weren't in the pastry category, so grabbing something at the hotel, bringing some granola bars, or settling for a kinda bland ham and egg breakfast sandwich at Sleepy Hollow will get you through if you're not a sugar queen like me. Though we didn't take advantage of Sleepy Hollow's breakfast opportunity, we were not going to miss out on the other waffle sandwiches they're serving up later on in the day. We ended up getting both ends of the spectrum with the strawberry banana nutella waffle, and the spicy chicken waffle sandwiches. The spicy chicken sandwich was just what I needed to cut the sugar intake for the day. The strawberry banana Nutella waffle really speaks for itself, its obviously chocolaty with the brightness of strawberries in a drool worthy balance with some nanners. But be warned... these bad boys do not come in the super thick and sturdy waffles, and they can get a bit soggy and very messy to eat. Grab a few of the wet wipe packages by the napkins, because your fingers and hands are ganna get sticky fast. Even though Magic Kingdom has some amazing sounding menus for table dining restaurants, I can't share much of an opinion on them since we either weren't able to get reservations, or we felt it was too pricey for what was being offered. The one place we did end up actually sitting down and eating something that classifies as a full meal, even as a quick service restaurant, was Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. It has essentially been unanimously dubbed the best "bang for your buck" restaurant in Magic Kingdom (if not all of Walt Disney World...) with an easy quick service offering of tacos, fajitas, nachos, and rice bowls, THEN the toppings bar. Now I have no photo of this meal for two reasons: 1. I dug into it so fast I never even thought to stop and document it, and 2. it was not a pretty sight in the first place. This is as standard of nachos and tacos as you can get from a theme park, don't expect much quality in meat here, but I mean sometimes you're okay with that. These plates could be shared if you wanted, but the gremlin in me decided I deserved a plate all to myself. The toppings bar is what really makes Pecos your wallet's best friend. One entree can be spread out into an extremely long meal that you just keep adding lettuce to. It's basically an endless salad bar, with no additional charge for the guac.. that alone deserves some high praise. With that said, don't have high expectations for Pecos in any other area of dining experience, its loud, there's lettuce and sour cream all over the floor, and its oddly very dark in the large dining room. If we were to go again I would put Be Our Guest on our "must try" list, for either breakfast, even though its pricey, since it has a heartier variety, or the lunch menu with one or two interesting items. I may be more bummed that we didn't get to go inside and see the design of the restaurant, than missing out on the food. Where Magic Kingdom flourished food-wise, was easily within the "snack" sector. Full meals were, for the most part, either too expensive or kinda blah, but they went wild with the variety of pastries, frozen treats, themed cupcakes, and a few spicy snacks. And thats okay, snacks can make great cheaper meal options, or you can just get a snack every few hours or so and then have a sugar crash when you get back to your room. Shows & EventsThere are a few parades that occur throughout the day in Magic Kingdom, though since I'm not really a sing-along, dance around kinda person, only one really peaked my interest. The Festival of Fantasy parade offered displays with bright colors, characters you don't have to search for or wait in line for, and just downright beautiful designs, all of which would excite anyone who enjoys taking photos. Then the floats/cars themselves and how they move and interact with the characters, was really fascinating. I also want to point out that this is a really nice way to see a lot of characters and even interact with some in a less awkward and formal way than the meet and greet spots. If you have anyone who would like to see the characters without the fear, anxiety, or stress of the one on one interactions, or if you want to get little ones used to the idea of seeing characters, this is a great opportunity. I'd say it was pretty simple getting a good viewing spot for this parade since it goes along a fairly long stretch from Splash Mountain all the way to the front of Main Street USA. The big one. The nightly fireworks show. Now I can't remember the last time I witnessed the Magic Kingdom fireworks show, since I was 6 years old, but just for some reference and to see how far this has really come, heres what I would have experienced 20 years ago (if was was awake or even paying attention). I was so excited to finally see the detailed projections and effects that have been added in addition to some of the best pyrotechnic work I would ever see in my life. They literally transform the castle in the blink of an eye, and it's simply gorgeous. The music brought me back to movies and soundtracks I haven't seen or heard in years, as well as singing along to some of my absolute favorites. They haven't forgotten the Disney era that I grew up with in the 90's, and it wasn't taken over by Frozen and newer films (which I do like, don't get me wrong). I just really appreciated how it wasn't focusing mostly on their newer work, and even some lesser known characters got some love. If there is one Disney event/show that I think everyone should experience at least once, it's this. Though for some people, once is just enough. My mom, for example, decided that since she had seen the fireworks 20 years ago, she didn't need to see them again, and went back to the hotel to relax and go to bed early. I wouldn't say it's a "must see" every time you find yourself in Magic Kingdom, but if you haven't been to the parks in a few years, you'll want to stick around for it. So what would I do differently? This one is a bit of a doozy, so I'll make it a two-parter, and apologies in advance if it sounds "rant-y"... I can honestly say that I would never go through the fireworks show how we did, ever again. The reality of the normal fireworks show experience overall, simply is not as magical as you expect it to be. Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful display of technology, lighting, effects, music coordination, and of course fireworks... but I personally find no enjoyment in being sardined into a crowd, and only a partial view of the projections. And we showed up early to get a spot on the edge of the sectioned off show viewing areas, just to have a couple hundred people fill in the main walkway minutes before the show started. Didn't know that was a thing... but it was. I know there are better viewing locations, that people swear by, but if it's your one and only time to see the show, you might want to see the front of the castle rather than off to the side. In this case I wish we would have dropped the extra money on a dining experience with the priority views, and the next time I would skip it entirely and use the opportunity to enjoy other attractions (some of which I hear are amazing during the show) without any lines. Part two, which may ruffle some feathers... It is literally pointless to video anything longer than a snapchat or instagram story during the show. As soon as the sound comes on, the phones come up, and if you thought you couldn't see anything over that large man's head in front of you, just wait til he holds his phone above it, for 20 minutes straight. I'm serious here, I don't care what phone you have, your video is not going to be worth holding your hands above your head for the entire show. Just leave it to the professionals (who literally post the entire show in great quality on youtube for you to watch whenever you want). It's night so it's going to be grainy as hell, and the flashing lights are going to cause all sorts of focus issues and exposure problems. I'm not really sure why people do this, I tried it for five minutes, realized it was silly and then just tried to watch the show... does anyone do that anymore? Just watch and enjoy the show? If we could have gotten a photo together with the fireworks in the background, or if I snagged a quick moment of my sister and her boyfriend watching the show with the glow on their faces, it would have meant so much more, and represented the memories better than the grainy photos and videos of the castle with thousands of phones in it. Again apologies for the rant, but I believe those are valid points (and warnings) to be made. Also if you just need to have a video of the show, have a look at this: Lastly, be careful leaving the park after the fireworks show! Hang on to your kids and group members, since it feels like a mass exodus of the park. We were so wiped out by the time the show was over. As exhausted and disoriented as we were, I can only imagine how hard it would be to find a straying group member in this crowd. |