Magic Kingdom

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Overview
The Magic Kingdom is the flagship park at Walt Disney World (WDW); it opened in 1971 as the East Coast’s version of Disneyland. Inside, you’ll find dozens of famous rides crammed into one venue, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. Built to entertain “kids of all ages,” the Magic Kingdom does arguably the best job of any WDW park at offering rides of interest to the whole family, not just children or just thrill-seekers.

How to Visit
The WDW property is shaped like a giant rectangle, with the long side bordered by Interstate-4. The Magic Kingdom sits at one end of the rectangle – the far end, as seen from the property’s main entrance along World Drive. Hotels in the nearby area often have shuttles directly to the Magic Kingdom, as do the Disney hotels “on property.” If you rented a car, follow the purple signs to the end of World Drive. You’ll pay for parking and enter an enormous parking lot. Walk or take the tram over to the “Ticket and Transportation Center,” where you buy a ticket if you don’t have one already, and then you choose how to make the last leg of your journey: a monorail or a ferryboat, since a big lake sits between you and the Magic Kingdom. Unless it’s a slow time of day, they take the same amount of time. During non-peak moments, it's faster to take the Express Monorail than to take the ferryboat.

Planning Your Day (aka, “Touring” the Park)
There is no shortage of advice out there about how you should visit the Magic Kingdom, and in what order you should do each ride. There are a few Golden Rules, however, that everyone agrees upon:

1. Use FASTPASS. This is a free electronic ride-reservation system. Stick your admission ticket into the machine, and it spits back a time for you to return, at which point you’ll only have a minimal wait before loading. In essence, a virtual version of you is waiting in line while you go do other things, such as eat, shop, relax, or even ride different rides. FASTPASS is on many of the major rides at WDW, though not all. However, you can’t over-use it. You can only hold one reservation at a time (or, if the “return time” is very far away, it allows you to make a different reservation after two hours). Decide which rides having FASTPASS are crucial for you to visit, and plan your day “on the fly” around the FASTPASS return times.

2. Do crowded rides early. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan, and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh sport long waits later in the day. Hit them very early (or very late) in the day to avoid the big crush. Families with small children should ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant first thing in the morning; it develops a long line and has no FASTPASS. Note that some popular rides move people so fast that they never develop enormous lines, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, or Mickey’s Philharmagic.

3. Or, don’t plan at all. First-time visitors are well-advised to avoid the panic and stress of trying to plot out a visit as if it were a major military campaign. Disney parks are built to encourage discovery, wandering, and whimsy. This is especially true if you are visiting with small children. Let THEM determine the agenda and you’ll stumble across the “magic of Disney” a lot faster than if you try to force a hurried schedule onto cranky kids.

Where to Eat
If an extraordinary dining experience isn’t your goal, by all means, make use of the frequent fast-food options in the park, including carts along the street. However, if you’re looking for some variation, here are some ideas:

1. Upscale: there’s only one popular choice – Cinderella’s Royal Table, a table-service restaurant inside Cinderella Castle itself. Reservations are a must, earlier than same-day, if you can: 407-WDW-DINE.

2. Character meals: try the Crystal Palace between Main Street and Adventureland. Reservations very strongly recommended: 407-WDW-DINE.

3. Moderate-but-different: try Harbour House for fish and chips, deli sandwiches at Plaza Pavilion, or the sandwiches at Plaza Restaurant off Main Street.

4. Treats: there’s Dole frozen desserts in Adventureland, slushes at the Enchanted Grove, and funnel cakes in Liberty Square.

Our Bottom-Line Recommendations
It goes without saying that the Magic Kingdom is a "must-see" park; it's perhaps the single most premium experience in all of Orlando. It would take two full days to see literally everything at the Magic Kingdom, especially in the busy seasons. If you don’t have that kind of time, prioritize according to your situation. Young children could spend half a day at Mickey’s Toontown Fair (and the other half of the day running around Tom Sawyer Island). Thrill-seekers might do only the big E-Ticket rides in a single day and move on. Those willing to invest some time for discovery can still spot gems, like the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority or Carousel of Progress, if open. Allow yourself to wander and discover – you won’t regret the investment of time. Most of all, don't rush. There are magical details around every corner in the Magic Kingdom; you just have to take the time to look.

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