Top tips for one day in Magic Kingdom Park
Take note of our insider tips to help you plan your day at Magic Kingdom Park.
Tip 1: Get to the park early
The early bird catches the worm is our guiding philosophy when it comes to the Orlando theme parks. Guests staying at one of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels can enter the Disney theme parks half an hour before the regular opening times, so make the most of this time.
If you’re not staying in a Disney Resort hotel, you should still plan to arrive before opening time so you can see the welcome show and get the most time possible in the parks. A lot of the attractions are quieter earlier on, so you may get on rides quicker, too.
Tip 2: Go to the theme park during the week
Magic Kingdom Park experiences larger crowds at the weekend when people are off work, and children aren’t at school, so it’s best to visit the theme park on a weekday if you can.
Tip 3: Swap the parade for a main attraction
Although we wouldn’t recommend missing the parade (spoiler alert: it’s amazing!), if you prefer thrill-seeking to seeing Disney Characters, then it’s a fantastic time to jump on an attraction that usually has longer lines. TRON Lightcycle / RUN or Space Mountain is a good option for this time.
Make your way over to your desired attraction early, as it can be tricky to move around the park once the parade starts.
Summary: top tips for one day at Magic Kingdom Park
- Get to the park early
- Visit during the week
- Swap the parade for a main attraction
What can you do in Magic Kingdom Park in one day?
There’s so much to do in Magic Kingdom Park, including rides, shows, shopping, dining, and meeting the Disney Characters. Here’s a list of what you can do at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park.
You can check the My Disney Experience app for timings for character meetings and shows on the day of your visit, as these can vary.
Rides | Attractions | Shows | Character meetings |
TRON Lightcycle / RUN | Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress | Festival of Fantasy parade | Mickey at Town Square Theater |
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor | Royal Friendship Faire stage show | Princesses at Fairytale Hall |
Peter Pan’s Flight | Enchanted Tiki Room | Casey’s Corner Pianist | Ariel at Ariel’s Grotto |
Jungle Cruise | Swiss Family Treehouse | The Dapper Dans | Enchanted Tales with Belle |
Space Mountain | Country Bear Musical Jamboree | Happily Ever After | Characters from Aladdin in Adventureland |
Astro Orbiter | Tom Sawyer Island | Peter Pan in Fantasyland | |
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Liberty Square River Boat | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at The Thotful Spot | |
The Barnstormer | The Hall of Presidents | ||
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin | Mickey’s PhilharMagic | ||
Dumbo the Flying Elephant | Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station | ||
Haunted Mansion | Cinderella Castle | ||
“it’s a small world” | A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas | ||
Mad Tea Party | |||
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | |||
Main Street Vehicles | |||
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | |||
Pirates of the Caribbean | |||
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel | |||
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure | |||
Tomorrowland Speedway | |||
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover | |||
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid | |||
Walt Disney World Railroad |
What to do before your visit to Magic Kingdom Park
No doubt you’ll be putting in a lot of planning before you travel to Orlando. There are a couple of things it’s helpful to do before your visit:
- If you’re buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass, we recommend you do this between three and 21 days before your visit
- Download the My Disney Experience app to create your wish list of what you want to do while you’re in the park. Split your list into “must-dos,” things you’d like to do, and things you don’t mind missing
- Decide on dining options – if you want a sit-down meal during your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, it’s best to book this as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment
Magic Kingdom Park one-day itinerary
Before visiting Magic Kingdom Park
7am: The TRON Lightcycle / RUN roller coaster in Tomorrowland can only be accessed using the virtual queue or the Individual Lightning Lane access. If you want to join the virtual queue, you’ll need to do this in the My Disney Experience app at 7am on the day of your visit.
Top tip: Practice this process at least once beforehand so that you know exactly what to do when the time comes.
If you don’t manage to get into the virtual queue at this time, there’s another chance to join at 1pm.
\How to spend the morning at Magic Kingdom Park
Rides: If you have early entry, head straight for Fantasyland or Tomorrowland to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan’s Flight when the wait times are likely to be shorter.
If you’re not staying at a Disney Resort hotel and you don’t have early entry, it makes sense to avoid these two lands to start with as they’re likely to already be busy. Instead, make your way to Liberty Square to begin your fun-filled day and walk through to Frontierland.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a good attraction to start your day with, as it’s close to two other popular rides, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. You could also go with Jungle Cruise or “it’s a small world” first.
Shows: Every morning, Magic Kingdom Park opens with a welcome show in front of Cinderella Castle, so arrive early to see this. You’ll see Mickey and his friends and you’ll also be in the park when it opens, so you can get straight to some of the other attractions.
The morning could also be a great time to meet Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater. This meet-and-greet location is right at the front of the park, so it’s a good one to tick off as soon as you come in.
Midday at Magic Kingdom Park
After a morning of exploring the attractions, you’ll have worked up an appetite, so it’s time to grab some lunch. If you’ve booked a sit-down meal, this is a good opportunity to relax and take your time, or you can grab lunch on the go at one of the Quick Service restaurants.
Midday is a great time to enjoy some of the smaller rides and other attractions, as the most popular rides are usually at their busiest during this time. Younger children will love Prince Charming Regal Carousel and Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, a comedy club hosted by monster Mike Wazowski, uses technology to interact with audience members and improvise, so every show is different. Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a 3D music adventure, is also worth a visit. These attractions usually only have a wait time for how long the show is.
How to spend the afternoon at Magic Kingdom Park
Characters: In the afternoon, you can watch the Festival of Fantasy parade and see some of the Disney Characters you know and love. This is an absolute must-do if you’re a huge Disney fan (and who isn’t?).
If you’re looking to meet specific Disney Characters, head to some of the meet-and-greet spots located throughout the park. Try Aladdin in Adventureland, the Disney Princesses in the Princess Fairytale Hall, or Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at The Thotful Spot in Fantasyland.
Rides: If you’re not too bothered about the parade, it’s a good opportunity to tick some more rides off, as they’re likely to be less busy during this time as lots of guests have a break to watch the parade.
Head to your chosen ride before the parade starts, as it’s more difficult to get around the park once it begins.
How to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom Park
Shows: There’s no better way to end a wonderful day at Magic Kingdom Park than with the legendary Happily Ever After fireworks. Aim to stand on Main Street, U.S.A. for a great view of the fireworks and the light projections on Cinderella Castle.
Rides: Most guests leave the theme park after the fireworks, meaning you can now experience a few final attractions. You’ll probably find a short wait time for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The latter is an excellent option, as this coaster feels very different in the dark!
No matter how you choose to end the evening at Magic Kingdom Park, it will be the perfect happy ending to a magical day.
Once you’ve customised this itinerary for spending one day at Magic Kingdom Park to suit your preferences, you’ll be one step closer to your Orlando vacation. There’s so much to see and do here, so if you can’t fit everything you want to do in one day, then you can visit the park more than once with our 7 or 14-Day Magic Tickets.
You can visit any of the Disney theme parks over consecutive days and you can also park hop after 2pm, so you can spend an extra afternoon or two at Magic Kingdom Park.
