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A Local’s Guide to Magic Kingdom

  • December 5, 2024
  • | 9:41 PM

Hey Orlando! Have you ever been overwhelmed while trying to plan the perfect day at Magic Kingdom? Well don’t worry anymore! We are here to sprinkle some pixie dust on your next trip! Let us do the planning so you can enjoy your day! Keep scrolling for some of our favorite things and must-dos when visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom!

Special Events

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Did you know Magic Kingdom hosts one of the best halloween parties in town? Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a family friendly event full of spooky treats, characters and amazing entertainment. You can even go trick-or-treating around the park!

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Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Have you ever thought about combining the magic of Disney with the magic of Christmas? Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is  a festive party full of magic and holiday cheer. You can even meet Santa and see it snow on Main Street USA!

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Disney After Hours

Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough hours in the day at Magic Kingdom? Disney After Hours may be perfect for you! This is a special ticketed event that gives you 3 extra hours in the park. That’s 3 extra hours to enjoy the rides in the park with significantly lower wait times! The event also offers their own firework show and you get endless popcorn, ice cream and drinks included with the price of admission!

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Rides

Must Do Rides

Magic Kingdom is full of rides both classic and new! So, which ones do you DEFINITELY need to make sure you do while you’re there? Some of the most popular rides in the park are the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Tron Lightcycle Run and Peter Pan’s Flight. These rides usually have a longer wait time but they are worth it! Tron is only available through Disney’s virtual queue and boarding groups. The Mine Train and Peter Pan both have lightning lanes available for an extra price that may help you shorten your wait times!

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Photo credit Disney Parks Blog

The Magic Kingdom Mountains

Of course, we can’t talk about rides at the Magic Kingdom without talking about the infamous mountains! While we now only have 2 Magic Kingdom mountains instead of 3 (RIP Splash Mountain), they are still two of the most popular and must-do rides in the park! You can take off into space with Space Mountain in Tomorrowland then head on over to Frontierland to help chase a run away train on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

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Photo credit Touring Plans

Best Rides at Rope Drop

As most local Disney Fans know, rope dropping Magic Kingdom is a fast paced and chaotic experience that is also so much fun! Most people run towards the right side of the park when they rope drop. Their goal is to make it to rides like Space Mountain and The Seven Dwarves Mine Train before the crowds. One thing I’ve noticed about this is that everyone has that exact same plan. My favorite way to rope drop is to go to the opposite side of the park. If you head to Adventureland and Frontierland first, you’re bound to see a lot of short wait times and get two huge sections of the park done fairly quickly! Make sure you ride Pirates of the Caribbean while you’re over there!

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Photo credit Walt Disney World

Rainy Day Rides

As all Orlando locals know, rain just loves to come out of nowhere, especially during the summer. Luckily there’s quite a few attractions at Magic Kingdom that are the perfect place to escape an afternoon rain storm! The park has multiple shows. Things like Mickey’s PhilharMagic and The Carousel of Progress are great shows to watch and get out of the rain for about 15 minutes! There’s also rides like “it’s a small world” and Pirates of the Caribbean that take place fully inside and last about 15-20 minutes so they give you a great escape from the rain. During a storm, the wait times for these attractions may be a little bit longer, but standing under cover waiting for a ride is better than standing in the rain right?!

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Entertainment

Fireworks, Parades & More!

While Disney’s Magic Kingdom may be home to some amazing rides, it is also home to some of the best entertainment Disney has to offer! There’s Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire, a stage show that takes place throughout the day on the castle forecourt stage and Happily Ever After, a magical fireworks show that takes place every night! There’s also multiple cavalcades, or mini parades throughout the day as well as Disney’s Festival of Fantasy parade, also know as the infamous 3:00 parade!

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Special Experiences

Tours & More!

Disney’s Magic Kingdom is also home to some truly unique experiences. You can schedule a “Capture Your Moment” photo session. During this session you get your own personal Photo Pass photographer that will follow you around and help you capture some really special moments! If you’re into Disney history, the Keys to the Kingdom tour may be a great option for you! During this tour, you will get the inside scoop on some of the history behind the Magic Kingdom. You also get a chance to go inside the infamous Magic Kingdom tunnels! If you feel like being a celebrity for a day, then a Disney VIP Tour may be just for you! With these tours, you get your own personal tour guide that will escort you around the Magic Kingdom and get you through the Lightning Lane on all the rides!

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Dining & More

Photo credit Walt Disney World

Character Dining

We can’t talk about a day in the Magic Kingdom without talking about dining! Magic Kingdom is home to multiple character dining locations. You can book a pre-park opening breakfast and Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest. With these breakfasts, you can get into the park a little earlier than every one else, which allows a little bit of time for some great photo ops inside a basically empty park! You can also book character dining throughout the day. Cinderella’s Royal Table is located inside Cinderella Castle and you get the chance to meet multiple princesses! You can also eat at The Crystal Palace and meet a bunch of your favorite friends from the Hundred Acre Woods!

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Snacks

It’s no secret that Disney World is home to some of the best theme park snacks. What’s better than a Mickey shaped pretzel or a warm bucket of popcorn?! Magic Kingdom is also home to some unique snacks that you can’t get at any of the other Disney parks! Storybook Treats in Fantasyland rotates their ice cream selection seasonally and they usually  have at least one character or ride themed option available! Gaston’s Tavern in Fantasyland also offers amazing frozen apple juice, also known as LeFou’s Brew. Don’t forget to make sure you check out the Adventureland Egg Roll cart and try the fan favorite cheeseburger egg rolls!

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Transportation

Busses, Boats & More

Have you ever noticed that there’s no parking close to the Magic Kingdom? That’s because Walt Disney wanted it to feel like you’ve escaped into another world when you enter the park! To help with this illusion, Disney offers multiple types of transportation that will help you easily get anywhere on Disney property! First, there are busses that run from all Disney resorts to all of the Disney Parks. Certain resorts offer boats or even the Skyliner to either get from resort-to-park or resort-to-resort. The monorail also takes you to some resorts! You can even switch to a different monorail at the Ticket and Transportation Center and make your way over to EPCOT!

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Alright Orlando, now it’s time for you to head on out there and soak up some of that Disney Magic! If you’re looking for more things to do this weekend, check out our weekend guide for more Stuff to do in Orlando! 

Curated by

allysonbking

allysonbking

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