It’s safe to say, my family knows a thing or 2 about the House of Mouse, we are going in October and this will be my 22nd time (in my 48 years) going. With that said, you are now wondering how can someone go that many times? I will tell you it takes willpower. LOL. I almost feel guilty for taking precious travel time and going to the same place over and over, but Disney IS different literally every time on some level. Yes, some things are exactly, predictably the same and that is ok too. So, I’m going to jump right in and drill down to what I think are the top Disney hacks for Magic Kingdom in this post. At some later date this summer I’ll cover the entire Walt Disney World Experience, but MK is where everyone goes at least one day of their trip.
Tip # 1
I recommend starting off your trip at The Magic Kingdom. It sets up the entire mood of Disney. So, with that in mind….plan, plan, plan. I do enjoy flying by the seat of my pants on vacation. I have seen the light when it comes to Walt Disney World. So, here is a sample timeline. First things FIRST….Once you pick the dates of your trip, don’t waist any time making reservations. I promise everyone and anyone who has been to the mega complex that is Disney World will back me up. When you purchase your tickets, you have to pick the first day of your visit and that’s what sets the price of your tickets. Say you buy a 2 day pass, you get to go to one park per day. ****note unless you add the “park hopper” option you cannot go into another park on the same day. It’s against the rules of Disney. For a single park ticket, you can expect to pay minimum $109 per adult, quite a bit more if it’s a popular day, they start discounting the prices when you buy multiple day passes, but it’s only a few bucks off per day. So, you buy a 2 day pass—-the first day you go to a park is Monday….you then only have 4 more days to use day 2 on your 2 day pass before it expires. Yes, you will need to decide which park, which day when you start planning. (see no flying by the seat of your pants).
You have your tickets, picked the day/dates and we are set! Now I’m going to break it down inside the Magic Kingdom….where the Magic lives!
Tip # 2
When you kick off your trip at Magic Kingdom, your littles, big kids and adults will have more than they could ever want in a day. In fact it’s overwhelming for some kids to think about moving around parks. Let yourself go and enjoy the experience. A good thing to consider is giving up any strict timelines (unless you have a fast pass) and just go with the flow of the park. One more thing to mention, when (if) Disney revives the “fast pass” program, you’ll want to pick your first 3 experiences before you go to your park of choice. It’s a difficult choice, I’m not going to lie, and when the park is really busy you will spend way less time in line using the FP program.
Tip #3
Magic Kingdom: Where it all began. Saying the MK is exciting is an understatement. It’s overwhelming, even if you’ve been many times. I would recommend making your first stop a character meet and greet just inside the park to meet Mickey Mouse. Yep, if you want to be a kid again this is your place. You get a special one on one meeting with the big guy himself and you even get to see his dressing room and get some awesome photo’s! It’s well worth a fast pass or a wait in line to get in the spirit of WDW. After, take a walk down Main Street and see the Cinderella’s Castle and a well-known photo op! From there I would head straight to Adventure Land and over to the Pirates of the Caribbean—grab a drink/snack it’s a long line and a must do. This might be a good time to mention some attractions have seriously and deceptively long lines.
Tip #4
Go to lunch. LOL. It’s important to stay fed and hydrated for optimal fun—did you know WDW let’s you bring your own water and small snacks or lunch? Saves lots of $, but can be a hassel! Meals in the Magic Kingdom: There are SO many foodie options here. Full service dining—for anything “full service” you will need a reservation and you can make it 60 day’s in advance….If you really want to go to a character experience meal, you need to be making that reservation at the strike of midnight on the day you want to go—60 day’s out! Trust me, you will need to do that to get in. You need reservations at—Cinderella’s Castle–great food, character meeting and photo’s, $$$$! The Beasts Castle–great food, good wine list, you will meet The Beast (he’s always there) and do a photo, $$$$. Here’s a hack–try to get your reservation as the meal times change and if you have a lot in your group, split up the reservations. You’ll get in a lot faster. By the way, most of the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom sit downs have the same menu for lunch as dinner. So, you don’t need to worry about missing out. Fit it into your timeline and then plan your day around your food.
Tip #5
Parades…..Disney is well know for their parades. They have longer parade in the evening and other parades thru the day. Check the schedule for times and locations. Parades are in different places thru the park. Tip: send one person to stake your spot while the rest of your party goes and does something. People start gathering well before the scheduled time of the parade. If you wait and let it happen organically, you’ll be standing in the very back on your tip toes to see. Stay behind or in front of the tape Disney puts down on the pavement. They strictly enforce this for fire code safety. Take tons of photo’s—Disney parades are amazing even for a non parade person like me. If you’ve seen the parades and are going to pass on parades, THIS is a GREAT time to go stand in line and ride some of the bigger rides!
Tip #6
The Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique is super cute and expensive. The prices include a lot of cool things for your kid including getting fawned over by the staff. They will leave feeling like a Prince or Princess. Just know it will add $$$$ to your day and it will take time away from riding rides or experiences. If you must do it and don’t have time to go inside the park or can’t get a spot, their is a BBB in Disney Springs same prices not as cool as doing it in Cinderella’s Castle. If you are going for it—I’d recommend taking your dolled up Prince or Princess to dine inside the castle once they are ready. Just know going in—anything you do within the compound of WDW is $$$$. They do a great job here and it’s fun to take a short and free tour just to see it, however, you can only go in so far the rest is for guests getting salon services.
Tip #7
Sunscreen, drink water and take breaks. The most important thing to remember is take breaks. Even if you leave for a bit, go back to your hotel and swim. The park is open late and you can go back when it’s thinned out a bit. No need to have meltdowns and meltdowns will happen if you push it too hard. Sun protection is so important. Nothing ruins a vacation like a sunburn, but a close second is family meltdowns. Tom Sawyers Island is a great place to breath, rest and get out of the crowd. Take the raft/boat over and chill out, have ice cream and regroup. And remember water is your friend!
