I get a lot of questions and emails on Chip and Company asking me the best ways to tour the parks. I wanted to share with you my Magic Kingdom Touring Plan to help make your Disney World Vacation more enjoyable. I posted this last week on Couponing to Disney and thought it would be great to share it here too!
Get there Early
I like to get to the park at rope drop or plan an early breakfast at Crystal Palace to grab some photos of the park before all the people come in.
Quick Tip – Be sure to make your Disney Advanced Dining Reservation far enough in advanced for the Crystal Palace, ask for seating before the park opens for some spectacular photos of yourself and your family on Main Street USA.
And were off
Once Disney drops the rope I have noticed most people are making a mad dash towards 3 rides.
- Space Mountain
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Thunder Mountain
I myself am guilty of being one of those people way back when. I would hurry off and try to ride Space Mountain atleast 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 Peterpan side and work your way clockwise towards Tomorrowland. We usually just go from ride to ride with no wait time.
Quick Tip – Wait on Mickey Phillharmagic till later in the day when you need a break and want to sit down for awhile. There is plenty of room so there is no need to rush it.
Onward to Tomorrow
By the time you are done in Fantasyland most the people who ran to Tomorrowland first are done and moving onto new locations. So there is usually a decline in people for a short period. This is your chance to check out Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, 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 islit 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, Carpets, Pirates, etc. The lines should be short but the day is starting to heat up. This would be a great time for a Dole Whip!
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, Peco Bill’s or Sleepy Hollow for a snack.
Or if your 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.
The Final Frontier
Now is the time to head over to Frontierland and visit the Mountains – Thunder and Splash. 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 location.
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.
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 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 tips of re-energizing.
Walk to Adventureland and do the Tree House and Tiki Room (when it opens). 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. I like using this website WDW Info during my planning to give me an idea when and where the shows are.
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 a 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 WDW 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 Kindgom 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.
