We know the feeling. You’re just through the gates of the park and you’re immediately surrounded by the all-encompassing fantasy and excitement that is its stock in trade. What do you do first? How do you navigate? Where do you go to avoid the crowds?
It’s that “Welcome to Orlando!” moment when everything seems larger than life and twice as complicated, and it’s especially true of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the first of Central Florida’s major theme parks in 1971, and still the world’s most-visited 50-plus years later.
The first thing to do is take a deep breath and avoid getting caught up in the initial rush to the rides. Get a park map (available throughout the entry area) and get your bearings. The park is deigned in a simple hub-and-spoke layout, with the initial Main Street USA “land” feeding all visitors into the Castle plaza area, from which radiate the other five lands – Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
There’s no hard and fast rule about how to proceed or which direction to take first, but be aware Fantasyland tends to be the busiest area, drawing visitors in like a magnet via the towering icon of Cinderella Castle.
Your first tactic should really take place before you even reach the park, though. Are you going to pay for the extra queue-shortening options of the Lightning Lane Pass system, which allows you to book certain rides in advance, either as a 3-pack (the Multi Pass option) or just one of the most popular rides (the Single Pass ride choice, one or two rides that are not included on the Multi Pass)? Prices vary by seasonality and the “busy-ness” of the day, and can be as much as $29/person for the Multi Pass and $20/person for the Single Pass.
For the Magic Kingdom, you pre-select your Multi options from two groups: one from a four-ride selection and the other two from a list of 13. The two Single ride choices are the TRON and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coasters. All of this can be done on the Walt Disney World app, which sets you up for your visit and provides helpful info and updates along the way, including the chance to use Mobile Ordering at the counter-service restaurants, which is a great time-saver when it’s busy.
Irrespective of whether you go the Lightning Lane route or not, your basic tactics for navigating a day at the park are as follows, especially if you have young children:
Arrive early. The Magic Kingdom typically opens at 9am, while Disney hotel guests are allowed in from 8.30, which means you will already be behind a fair number of people. However, if you’re ready for the morning “rope-drop,” the official opening, you will be able to do more in that first hour of the day than at almost any time.
This is also the most time-consuming of all Disney parks to arrive at. The massive car park (with its 12,000 parking spaces!) only brings you to the Transportation & Ticket Center (the TTC), either by the round-trip courtesy tram or on foot (and the latter can be quicker when it’s busy). Once through the security check at the TTC, you next need to choose between the Ferry and the Monorail to get to the park itself. We prefer the Ferry for its more gradual – and spectacular – view of the park, but the Monorail can be quicker if the queue isn’t backed up into the main plaza.
Be aware that, after passing through the toll booth for the car park, it can still be a full 30 minutes before you reach the Magic Kingdom itself, so plan accordingly. By the same token, it can take 45 minutes or so to get back to your car at the end of the day.
Know your rides in advance. This isn’t the place to “wing it” and just go where the fancy takes you, especially if you have children. There are probably a good 12-15 rides and attractions that are an essential part of the park’s experience, and you’ll want to focus on these to start with. The likes of The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Jungle Cruise are all classic, family-friendly rides and are the core Magic Kingdom experience, hence they all draw substantial queues by mid-day.
For young children, each of Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, it’s a small world, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Astro Orbiter and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are all must-do fare. For the most dynamic rides, seek out TRON Lightcycle/Run, Space Mountain and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which will typically have the longest queues (hence they are also Single Pass Lightning Lane options).
Pace Yourself. On days when the park is open to until 11pm, it’s tempting to plan your day commando-style, aiming to get in as many rides as possible (and repeats of your favourites!). Hold on. Spending upwards of 10-plus hours in a major theme park, especially during the hotter months in Florida – and it was a whopping 33.5C this past weekend – is a huge physical load and liable to lead to family tantrums. We often call 4pm in the parks Meltdown Hour, as that’s when a lot of pre-school children seem to reach their limit!
It really does pay to slow things down with timeouts for drinks, a sit-down in the shade and/or a pre-booked lunch in one of the full-service restaurants like Liberty Tree Tavern, the Plaza Restaurant and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, where everyone can breathe a bit easier and enjoy the air-conditioned cool for a while.
Cool down, regularly. Having mentioned the A/C, this is your best friend in hot, humid Florida. Even being in the shade doesn’t take the edge off in the height of summer, hence it’s wise to look the main indoor attractions at regular intervals, and especially in the afternoon. Even something relatively tame like the 25-minute Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland (one of Walt’s pet projects) can be a major boon in June, July and August, while each of Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, The Hall of Presidents and the fun Country Bear Jamboree offer a chance to take the weight off for a while in the cool. By the same token, you need to take in a LOT of water as you tour, and Disney provides refillable water stations in each land. Bring a bottle with you, and refill it, regularly.
Finally, you will definitely want to make time for the daily Festival of Fantasy Parade (usually at 3pm) and night-time Happily Ever After fireworks (9pm). These are truly magnificent presentations, but people will often stake out spaces for them an hour or more in advance. If you look for a shady spot at the same time, this will provide a cooler place to wait and watch from.
Need one last tip? If you need to escape the crowds for a while, take the Disney boat transport to Fort Wilderness for a chance to wander and sit in a more natural setting, or take the Resort Monorail to any of the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village or Grand Floridian and enjoy their indoor fantasy and design. Both options will give you a much-needed break and help re-charge the batteries for the evening!
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