Florida is known for a lot of things… beaches, sun, sand, never ending summers, etc. I think one attraction stands above the rest though, Disney World! Nisheet and I have both been to Epcot on our own a long, long time ago, and just a few years ago we visited Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Planet Hollywood on a whirlwind tour with some dear friends. Now that we actually live in Florida, we thought it was about time to experience the magic again. Since Nisheet’s parents are in town for the holidays, we thought, why not now?
There was much debate about when to go and which park to visit. After reading a lot of online reviews and talking to a few annual Disney World pass holders, we ended up picking Magic Kingdom because we wanted to give Nisheet’s parents a true Disney experience, and we felt Magic Kingdom better represented that. I’m not saying that the other parks aren’t good (I know they are all amazing because I’ve been to all of them), I just think Magic Kingdom is the essence of a Disney experience. They have Cinderella’s castle, the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, and tons of parades after all. After deciding on the park, we had to choose a date. For this, we used the help of WDW Prep School which looks at historical visitor data and predicts the best dates to go. We settled for Wednesday, Dec 16th as that was green on the website, and, as an added bonus, we found out that Magic Kingdom was open from 8 am to midnight that day! Wohoo!
The Magic Kingdom:
On Wednesday morning we excitedly awoke, hurriedly got ready, and hit the road. It takes less than 2 hours to get there from our apartment, which might end up being a bad thing in the future… and quickly parked and headed towards the magic. It ended up being the perfect day to visit as we didn’t experience any of the horrible wait times that Disney can be on some days. Whereas on a busy summer day, you can have wait times well over an hour, almost all of our waits were less than 30 minutes. And, we didn’t have the heat and humidity of a summer day to contend with either. Instead we had a breezy, partly cloudy day with highs in the mid 80s. Perfect! Also, because of the extended hours, we hit all the major attractions we wanted.
Below is an outline of everything we were able to accomplish and our thoughts on the experiences. Make sure you read the lessons learned at the bottom to get some helpful tips.
Parking (9:30 am)
Parking is $20. I know you already paid $100pp for tickets and now you have to pay for parking. Get over it. Get in line, park, and then take the tram to the ticket booth.
Entering Park (10 am)
The tram drops you off at the ticket booth. You can either purchase your ticket here, or walk straight through if you already have your ticket. We already had our tickets, and I think most of the others did too because the lines were extremely short. You do not present your ticket or go through bag check at this point. First you need to take the ferry or the monorail to the real entrance of the Magic Kingdom. The ferry is fun, but it takes a long time. I’d personally recommend taking the train. Once you get to the actual entrance, you will first proceed through bag check. You can bring food and water into the park, but they absolutely prohibit selfie sticks. Then they check your passes, and you tap either your card or the wristband to the mickey pole until it turns green and have your fingerprint taken. I never had to use my fingerprint again, so I’m guessing that it is only relevant if you leave and re-enter the park.
Once you enter the park, you will pass through Main Street which has an awesome view of the castle and lots of souvenir shops. While some of the shops are actually pretty neat, don’t be tempted to stop their yet and instead save it for the end of the day. First of all, you don’t want to lug around your treats and souvenirs all day, and second, the lines for the rides are typically shortest first thing in the morning…so take some pictures and get going.
Pirates of the Caribbean (~10 minutes)
This is an oldie but a goodie. You board a small boat with around 4 people per bench and wander through dark but fun tunnels filled with pirates, treasures, and wenches. It is all in good humor and will give you a good chuckle watching Jack Sparrow pop is head in/out of places, but don’t expect anything fancy. Also, since this is a rather old ride, don’t expect the animatronics to be stellar. It is a Disney classic so go here if the wait times are less than 30 minutes.
Splash Mountain (~20 minutes)
Splash Mountain is my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom, and, obviously, expect to get wet during the ride. You are loaded into a boat with 2-3 people per row, and you begin by gently meandering through the story of Brer Rabbit and the mischievous duo of Brer Bear and Brer Fox. There are cute and funny animatronics showing his escapades, and there are also a couple of unexpected and fun short drops. All the while you are making your way to the top for the ultimate 50 foot splash down! Don’t forget to pose for a photo on the way down!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (~35 minutes)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a good standard and introductory roller coaster. It doesn’t go upside down, it isn’t super fast, and the hills aren’t ridiculous, but it does provide plenty of thrill. The line also has a lot of interactive gadgets to play with and to keep you entertained. There are funny “wanted” western posters, picture fans to wind, short projection movies to see, and… my favorite… dynamite to “explode” near the train tracks.
Jungle Cruise (Fastpass)
I’m glad we used a Fastpass on this ride and didn’t stand in line for more than 5 minutes. Any longer and it wouldn’t have been worth it. I’m honestly not sure why this is such a popular ride. You sit in a boat, and your skipper takes you on a ridiculously pathetic ride through the world rivers while pointing out lifeless, plastic animals and telling you corny jokes. “I’m sorry I don’t have any New Years jokes to tell you. I really dropped the ball on that one.” So, unless you can get a Fastpass, skip this ride.
Golden Oak Outpost (lunch)
I think this is a hidden gem in the park. There were absolutely no lines when we ordered our food around 12:30 pm, the prices were decent, and the food was good. For around $12 we got an order of plain waffle fries, an order of waffle fries loaded with pulled pork and coleslaw, and apple slices that came with our meal. The waffle fries were hot and crispy and the pulled pork was better than what I ate at a sit down restaurant the other week.
The Notorious Banjo Brothers and Bob (No wait)
We just happened upon this fun Banjo band. They were fun to listen to and had lots of energy, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see them.
The Hall of Presidents (~10 minutes)
We went back and forth on if we wanted to actually see this attraction. We had heard lots of rave reviews (including my neighbor who insists it is Disney’s best attraction), and we had heard people say it was a great place to take a cool nap on a hot afternoon. We ended up going, obviously, and I thought it was a great presentation on the history of our country. At the end, all of the presidents are on the stage, and they look super lifelike which is cool. It wasn’t a very Disney-like show, but I still thought it was well worth it. Tip: You don’t want to be the first ones to enter the theater because they have to go all the way across to the other side. If you can judge it, try to be in the middle of the herd, and you will probably get the best seats.
Street Vendor
You have to get mickey mouse ears ice cream when you are at the Magic Kingdom. No exceptions! They are a great way to cool down, and they are fun! Each Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream stick is only $4.25 each, and the quality is pretty good. We ordered at the street vendor near The Hall of Presidents, and they only had the plain kind. Later in the day I saw others were selling the crunchy kind for the same price. Darn!
Main Street Philharmonic (No wait, 2:45pm)
I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, and it only lasts 30 seconds, but it was a nice bit of entertainment while waiting for the Festival of Fantasy parade.
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade (No wait, 3pm)
From my understanding, this is a new parade. You will definitely want to get to the parade route early and get a good spot. We started looking for a spot 30 minutes beforehand and were rewarded with a sitting spot right along the edge of the route. If we had looked 10 minutes earlier, we probably could have snagged spots in the shade instead of in the direct sun. I thought the wait and the heat were well worth it though. All of my favorite Disney characters, including Ariel, were there, all of the costumes and floats were highly detailed and animated, and all of the characters were cheery and friendly.
Haunted Mansion (~50 minutes)
I love the Haunted Mansion. You board a small cart with 1 or 2 other people and wind your way through the haunted mansion meeting lots of friendly ghosts along the way. They really do a great job with the projections making the ghouls look very realistic. However, the wait was rather unbearable, so be sure to use a Fastpass! We were tricked into thinking there was a 20 minute wait according to the sign out front, but this was very misleading because (1) it was after the parade and everyone JUST got in the line throwing the timing off and (2) there were an insane amounts of Fastpass(ers). There wasn’t a line per se but more of a mob of people. Most people try to stay behind the people in front of them but since the paths are so wide, but you do have those who feel entitled to pass everyone else and there is little you can do about it. Also, there is nothing to do in the line, it is outside, and it is hot! So, the lesson here is don’t go here right after a parade and try to get a Fastpass if you can.
It’s a Small World (~20 minutes)
This is a must-do attraction. How can you go to the Magic Kingdom and not go on this ride? It is a classic feel-good ride! You board a small boat and make your way through different regions of the world with It’s a Small world song in all the different languages. There are little kids singing and dancing to the song wearing traditional clothing with a backdrop from their respective country. There’s a lot of animatronics all around you and lots of things to see. At the end of the ride, everyone from all over the world is together signing the song. It’s cheesy, but I do love a good message incorporated into a kids ride. Although I’d give this ride a 9/10, I have to admit that there are some really creepy aspects to the ride. For example, the animatronics are so old and outdated that the people just look weird. Watch the eyes next time you are on this ride and you will know what I mean…
Mickey’s PhilharMagic (~10 minutes)
This is a cute short 3D movie with great music that stars several of the most popular Disney characters including the Lion King and Aladin. The best part comes at the end though. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but be sure to look at the back of theater! Tip: Just as with The Hall of Presidents, you don’t want to be the first ones to enter the theater because then you’ll have to go all the way across to the other side of the aisle. If you can judge it, try to be in the middle of the herd, and you will probably get the best seats.
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid (~20 minutes)
I really enjoyed this ride, being a huge fan of The Little Mermaid. You get to sit in a clam shell that takes you through the life of Ariel from the beginnings under the sea to her becoming human and getting married. Since it is a rather new ride, the animatronics were of course awesome and some of the best. I especially like how they have moved away from multi-pieced rigid bodies to a more plastic, flexible body so there is more lifelike motion in the characters. Nisheet’s opinion? Having never seen the movie, he was shocked and saddened to learn that Ariel chose to become a human.
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
We spent approximately $30 on dinner. Not bad for dinner, for 4 adults, at Disney. And, we got quite a lot of food too. In my opinion, the best “bang-for-your-buck” was the chicken dinner for $11. It came with 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies. For only another $3, you could get a drink with it. We also got a mac-n-cheese kids meal (wonder who ordered that?) that came with fries, a small drink, and grapes, and a veggie burger meal that came with a side of fries. All the food was tasty, at least to some very hungry people.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (~20 minutes)
I sat this ride out, but Nisheet went on it with his dad and loved every second of it. Like some of the other rides, it isn’t worth it if there is a long wait, but Nisheet came off the ride feeling like a little kid again. You get to control how high the Dumbo flies by moving a little lever and the feeling of cool air rushing on your face just feels great. Besides…who doesn’t like the lovable Dumbo!
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (~35 minutes)
This is a pretty fun and interactive ride where you get to be part of the epic battle between Buzz Lightyear and the Evil Emperor Zurg. Best of all, you can compete with the person sitting next to you as each of you have your own gun to shoot at the aliens. As you progress from room to room, take a look around and flip your car to the side with the biggest enemies to shoot. As the picture below shows, I’m freaking awesome at this ride! I maxed out on the points before the ride even ended, and according to the scoreboard at the end of the ride, that means I’m a Galactic Hero!
9:45 pm – Celebrate the Magic
This was an awesome visual pleasure and we ended up seeing it twice in one night because of the location and timing. During this 15 minute show, the Cinderella castle comes alive when Tinker Bell flies in and splashes pixie dust over the castle. The castle gets transformed into a canvas and 3D video projections showcase the art and magic of Disney.
10:00 pm – Wishes Nightime Spectacular
You can’t miss the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. They are indeed spectacular as the name name states. And what makes it so magical is that they are shot off from behind the castle. For the best viewing, especially for those who might be slightly height challenged (me), head to the bridge in front of the castle. Like everything else, get there early to claim your spot. It is slightly raised here, so you will be able to see above everyone else and have awesome views of the beautifully lit castle with bursting colors behind it.
10:45 pm – Celebrate the Magic
Since we wanted to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, we stayed near the castle and ended up watching Celebrate the Magic again. It was exactly the same as the previous time.
11:00 pm – Main Street Electrical Parade
There are two runs of this parade, one at 9 pm and the other at 11 pm. I highly recommend seeing the later parade as the crowds have thinned out by then giving you a better view of the parade. You get to see about 20 floats fully lit up while different characters dance to cheery music around the floats. Ashley, by this point, was completely worn out to completely enjoy the parade. We had already been at the park and going full speed for 13 hours non-stop, so I think that distracted her from this parade. It was still fun though seeing all of the parade floats lit up and characters dancing to the music. Definitely a festive way to end the day.
11:30pm – Main Street Shopping
If you have any energy left, now is when I suggest you do some shopping. It’s not all mickey ears and stuffed animals. There are actually some pretty cool and high quality souvenirs that you can buy!
Tips and Lessons Learned for Disney World Magic Kingdom:
(1) We didn’t really need Fastpasses like you would if you went during peak season, but had we used them more than once, we could have gotten through the attractions more efficiently.
(2) Don’t try to go to a major attraction (like the Haunted Mansion) directly after a parade unless you have a Fastpass. It will show a wait time far less than what it is in reality.
(3) If you want to get a good spot for a parade, get there early (at least 30 minutes).
(4) The best spot to view the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks is straight in front of the castle on the path over the water.
(5) If Magic Kingdom has extended hours, go to the 11 pm electric parade. The crowds aren’t nearly as insane as they are for the 9 pm parade.
(6) Pack water, snacks, and sunscreen in a small backpack. You will be able to take it on every ride/attraction listed above. I can’t speak for the others, but I would assume you can take it on those also.
(7) You can either do the Magic Kingdom clock-wise, counter clock-wise, or just random. We chose to do it clock-wise as it starts off with the classic older rides and ends with the brand new shiny rides. Plus, most people naturally take the path to the right, so you will be doing it opposite of them.
