How to Tour the Parks – Floating through the Magic Kingdom

With all the construction going on at the Magic Kingdom visiting here can be difficult. With all the closures and refurbishments throughout the park it can make navigating a little interesting.

Having said that I feel you can do Magic Kingdom in a day if you really push it but if you like to take your time and really enjoy spreading the magic over 2 days, or if you have little ones, might I suggest splitting my touring plan up. Either way I will help you navigate around the park and help make the most of your stay at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Get there Early

I like to get to the park at rope drop or plan an early breakfast at the Crystal Palace to grab some photos of the park before all the people come in.

Quick Tip – Be sure to make your Advanced Dining Reservation 180 days out for the Crystal Palace, ask for seating before the park opens for some spectacular photos of yourself and your family on Main Street, U.S.A..

And were off

Once Disney does the song and dance and drops the rope I have noticed most people are making a mad dash towards 3 rides.

• Space Mountain
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean

I am guilty of being one of those people way back when. I would hurry off and try to ride Space Mountain at-least 3 times before I did anything else.

First Stop: Fantasyland

Over the years I have learned when you get into the park the first place you want to go is Fantasyland, especially with kids. You walk into Fantasyland on any day around noon and it will be PACKED! So we have always made it a point to hit up the rides in Fantasyland first.

Start on the Peter Pan and work your towards Tomorrowland. We usually just go from ride to ride with no wait time. Keep in mind around lunchtime Peter Pan will have long waits so it’s just better to get it out-of-the-way now.

Quick Tip – Wait on Mickey’s PhilharMagic till later in the day when you need a break and want to sit down for a while. There is plenty of room so there is no need to rush it.

There is a lot of construction going on to make way for the new Fantasyland Expansion so some rides may be open or closed depending on your visit.

Onward to Tomorrow

By the time you are done in Fantasyland most of the people who ran to Tomorrowland first are now done and moving onto new areas. So there is usually a decline in people for a short period of time. This is your chance to check out Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Speedway, etc.

Quick Tip – Hold off on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I find this ride is the best later in the afternoon or around dusk with all the neon in Tomorrowland is lit up.

Journey to Adventure

At this point most of the people who slept in late are arriving to the park and they are going towards Fantasyland or Tomorrowland which means this is the best time to attack Adventureland.

Ride the Jungle Boats, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. The lines should be short but the day is starting to heat up. This would be a great time for a Dole Whip at Aloha Isle!

Quick Tip – Wait on the Swiss Family Treehouse as we will get to this ride later in the day since it is just a walk through anyway.

Give us Liberty

Most people think at this point I would head up to Frontierland and hit up Thunder & Splash Mountain since we are so close, but they would be wrong. We take a short detour through Liberty Square and hit the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents. This is also a good time to have lunch at a few of my favorites Liberty Tree Tavern, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe or Sleepy Hollow for a snack.

Quick Tip – If you’re not eating lunch and want a Disney Snack that is more like a meal you can get a Turkey Leg right on the edge of Frontierland. I would pay cash for it and not use a Quick Service Credit.

The Final Frontier

Now is the time to head over to Frontierland and visit the Mountains – Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain (if its open). Head out to Tom Sawyer Island to work off that lunch. If you have a little one there is a play area right underneath the Walt Disney World Railroad. Hang out here after you are done with the rides in the area till the train comes. There is also a great place to charge your cell phone near the Play area.

Quick Tip – There are bathrooms here as well so if you need to go this is a great pit stop site.

Riding the Rail

We like to take the train around Walt Disney World at this point and head back to the entrance of Disney World. This is a great time to nurse or bottle feed your little ones.

Time to Relax & Take in a Show

After you are done riding the rail head back to Fantasyland and check out Mickey’s Phillharmagic. Usually from there we Ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Carousel of Progress, etc. Stuff where we can sit down and relax. Most times my feet are tired at this point so taking in the shows seems to help restore my used up energy. Here are some more tips of re-energizing.

Walk to Adventureland and do the Swiss Family Tree House and The Enchanted Tiki Room. Along with any other shows you want to do.

This is also a good time to check out a parade or any other shows you might have missed. Hopefully you picked up a Times Guide when you entered the park.

Quick Tip – Ask any Cast Member for a map or Times Guide and they will point you to the nearest place to get one.

Ride Rinse Repeat

You have done just about everything in the park by now. This is when you whip out your smart phone and bring up my favorite tool – Lines from Touring Plans.com. Check wait times on rides you may want to ride again.

Time to Eat

So we like to take an early dinner. Most times we are going to leave the park and visit one of the Resorts. This would be a good time to do that. You could always leave and hit another park, go back to the room to freshen up, or if you are really hardcore go back through my Plan of Attack all over again.

Parades & Fireworks

Usually by the time we leave for dinner and come back it is starting to get dark, there is where you will try to find a good seat for one of the nighttime parades and shows. If you are a little early you can always window shop on Main Street till it gets closer to the time.

Check out my past article Best Fireworks Viewing Locations at Walt Disney World for an idea on where you want to sit.

Extra Evening Magic Hour

I love Extra Magic Hours especially in the evening. Most times the park starts out crowded then they seem to dwindle down to nothing. I can remember being at the Magic Kingdom at 3am one time..It was fabulous!

As far as an attack plan goes during EMH I usually go clockwise around the Park. We usually walk a little slower and take in being in the Magic Kingdom at Night. I love all the lights and sounds of being there after dark!

There you have it

Well there is my Magic kingdom Touring Plan. There are tons of books out there that charge big bucks for what I just gave you for free. If you have any suggestions of want to share with us your Touring Plan let us know in the comment section below.

Related articles

• Top 10 Things To Do at Night in the Magic Kingdom (chipandco.com)
• Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks (chipandco.com)

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