7 Best Tips for a Perfect Day at Magic Kingdom
Everyone has their own strategies for the best way to maximize time spent at the Most Magical Place on Earth. As an infrequent guest, you’re always on the lookout for ideas about how to get the most out of your trip, and that’s where MickeyBlog can help! Here are seven tips for a perfect day at Magic Kingdom.
Plan Your Rides
Depending on how you count, Magic Kingdom features somewhere between 35 and 48 attractions. Rides, character meetings, and special sections like Cinderella Castle are all a part of the potential visitation spots at the park. The reality is that you can’t do everything in one day, at least not without expending a tremendous amount of effort. And since you’re on vacation, you don’t want to do that, right?
You’ll want to highlight all of the attractions that interest you before the trip. Wikipedia has published a detailed list of attractions. I recommend that you contact the members of your party and have everyone look at this list. Ask for feedback on which attractions your friends and family will want to do.
By taking this step, you’ll have a good idea about ride prioritization. It saves you a lot of aggravation in the parks when people tend to stare blankly and say, “I dunno, what do you wanna do?” You can avoid such conversations by being proactive. Everyone will know the essential attractions and what you have/haven’t done.
Download MyDisneyExperience
Not that long ago, old school Disney fans would cry foul whenever they saw someone staring at their phone at Magic Kingdom. That debate ended when Disney sided with the smartphone crowd. They introduced Play Disney Parks and My Disney Experience apps, the latter of which is critical to having the best possible park day.
With My Disney Experience, you can shop for Disney merchandise, see attraction wait-times, and even order food. Most importantly, you can (and should) book FastPasses via the app. When you’re either 60 or 30 days prior to your trip, your FastPass window opens. You’re enabled with the ability to book your favorite attractions.
The beauty of scheduled FastPasses is that you’ll structure your day better. You’ll have one-hour windows to enter the much shorter FastPass line queue for these attractions. You’ll know when and where you need to be, which will help you decide what to do before and after your FastPasses.
Plus, while you’re at Magic Kingdom, you can book more FastPasses. As soon as you’ve used yours for that day, you can seek others. While some attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight will sell out their FastPass allotments early in the day, many favorites like Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad may have availability.
Each FastPass that you schedule through MyDisneyExperience improves your park visit. You want as many of them as you can get. So, the app is your best friend during a day at Magic Kingdom.
Arrive Early or Stay Late
I always stress this point because I feel strongly about it. Magic Kingdom is least crowded during the earliest hours of the day. When you show up early enough to pass security, you’ll guarantee a spot at the front of the line for some spectacular attraction.
When you stay until the last few minutes of a park day, the situation is even better. Disney won’t turn away anyone standing in line for an attraction. If you enter the Space Mountain line queue one minute before closing, you’ll ride Space Mountain one more time. I’m not saying that the cast members will be thrilled about it, but they know the deal. It’s standard operating procedure at closing time.
To a larger point, the first and last hours of a Magic Kingdom day are reserved for the most passionate Disney fans. I find that these are the most serene, enjoyable times to be inside Magic Kingdom. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, you’ll get the most out of your day by starting early or staying late.
Remember Mobile Ordering
In 2017, Disney streamlined the ordering process at many of its Quick Service restaurants. With Mobile Ordering, park visitors can select their meals on the MyDisneyExperience app. The best part is that you can do it at any time.
Let’s say that you’re standing in line for Splash Mountain. You know that you’ll want to dry off after the ride. A great way to do that is dining. You can sit down in a restaurant and reset. With Mobile Ordering, you can order your meal from your phone while you wait in line for a ride!
You don’t have to worry about a time limit, either. The restaurant won’t prepare your food until you explicitly instruct it to do so. It’ll recognize when you’re in the area and ask whether you’d like your meal readied. Mobile Ordering will vastly improve the efficiency of your park day.
Plan Your Breaks
Your Fitbit or Apple Watch might explode when you spend the day at Magic Kingdom. You’re likely to walk several miles, whether you’re aware of it or not. Let me tell you that while you may not notice, your feet will. For this reason, please remember to pace yourself.
The beauty of Magic Kingdom is that park officials understand your dilemma. You want to do as much as possible, but you’d rather not overdo it. They’ve constructed several attractions as a way for you to take in an activity without stressing your body.
When you need a break, watch Mickey’s PhilHarmagic or ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. Visit the Hall of Presidents or sing along with the wisecracking performers at the Country Bears Jamboree. All of these activities are fantastic entertainment, and you can sit down during each one.
Have Fun!
This sounds the stupidest tip possible. Be patient with me for just a moment as I explain. I’ve convinced MANY people over the years to vacation at Walt Disney World. Almost all of them have had unforgettable trips. Inevitably, some of them will return with horror stories, though.
The quote that I use the most as a travel writer is, “Why do we always fight on vacation?” I say this independent of where a person/family chooses to travel. Everyone inevitably gets dialed up on the trip, and sometimes cross words are exchanged.
My oldest brother got married at Dollywood, and my entire family refers to that as one of the darkest days in family history. It had nothing to do with the marriage, which is as happy and stable as they come. Instead, it involved the fact that they scheduled their wedding on the hottest day in the history of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I’m not exaggerating. After the 10-minute ceremony (cut short to reduce the risk of heat stroke), members of the wedding party had to use hairdryers to remove the sweat.
You never know what will happen during a festive vacation day. You can only control so much. My brother couldn’t control the weather (because he’s not a supervillain). Everyone still blames him for the 112-degree temperature that day.
What have I learned from this experience? Finger-pointing is a waste of everyone’s time. Please accept that some things won’t go perfectly during your trip. Rather than obsess on what went wrong and/or grow angry about the changing circumstances, just lean into it!
You’re traveling with people that you adore, right? Why don’t you all laugh about it? Commit to having a wonderful time together and maybe even come up with a safe word that everyone knows to say if tensions begin to escalate. You’re visiting Magic Kingdom to have fun! Don’t let a few irritations stand in the way of your perfect day!
Stay at an Official Resort
I’ve previously detailed the many benefits of staying at an official Disney resort. I fervently believe that two of them are so significant that they justify the decision. One is that you receive a longer FastPass window. I mentioned earlier that you’ll either book these 60 or 30 days in advance. Well, the only people who can select Fastpasses at the 60-day mark are guests at Disney hotels. It’s a huge benefit that increases your odds of booking the best FastPasses at Magic Kingdom.
The other huge benefit is Extra Magic Hours. Each day, a Walt Disney World park opens one hour earlier or closes one hour later. This Extra Magic Hour is available only to guests staying at official Disney resorts. During this time, your Magic Band will entitle you to early/late access to your favorite attractions. It’s a huge advantage that will help you perfect your park day.
You may wonder what you can do in an hour. Well, I cannot guarantee results as crowd sizes vary, and traffic patterns are unpredictable. What I can say from personal experience is that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train almost always has a wait of 60+ minutes. I’ve ridden it three times during a single Extra Magic Hour. The line was shorter during this period than it was for the FastPass line later in the day.
The best part is that Disney official resorts are more affordable than you’d expect. The Value and Moderate Tiers offer these two benefits, just the same as Deluxe Tier properties. When you contact an official Disney agent at MickeyTravels, you’re sure to find accommodations that fit your budget. Best of all, the agent’s services are free to you! Contact them to get a free quote for your perfect day at Magic Kingdom!