One of the great things about a vacation to Walt Disney World is that there is so much to see and do. With the four main Theme Park (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom), the two water parks (Blizard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), Disney Springs, as well as the Disney Resorts- there is always something to see and do at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The downside to this though is that you have to realize that you aren’t going to be able to see and do it all during your Disney vacation. No matter how long you stay, there are still rides, shows, restaurants, and experiences that you won’t be able to do.
Because of this, we are going to do a quick breakdown of experiences that you should do therefore helping you prioritize experiences during your Walt Disney World vacation.
We are going to focus on the iconic Disney Park. Magic Kingdom has the most to do out of the four Disney Parks. We often suggest that families schedule two days in order to have the most magical time.
Let’s take a look at a few things we would prioritize when in Magic Kingdom during your vacation.
Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan’s Flight
In Fantasyland, we would recommend checking out Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid instead of Peter Pan’s Flight.
We know that Peter Pan’s Flight is a classic, but because of that the line gets extremely long and the ride itself isn’t even a minute long.
Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid on the other hand typically doesn’t see long wait times and is easier to get a Genie+ reservation for throughout the day. Like how Peter Pan’s Flight takes Guests through the story of Peter Pan, this ride takes Guests through the story of the Little Mermaid.
Since most kids are more familiar with Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian, and Flounder, we think that this ride is a better option when in Magic Kingdom. Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid is also a longer ride with a lot more to see throughout the ride itself as well.
For us, we would suggest riding Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid and not Peter Pan’s Flight.
Tomorrowland Transit Peoplemover, Tomorrowland Speedway
When in Tomorrowland looking for something to do, we highly recommend taking a spin on the Peoplemover over the Tomorrowland Speedway. Although these rides are drastically different in their experiences, we think that the overall experience for the Peoplemover is way better than the speedway.
When it comes to wait times, the Peoplemover typically has a very short wait that moves quickly. The speedway’s wait is longer and not a pleasant wait. The heat of the track along with the fumes from the cars can give a lot of Guests a headache before they even get onto the ride.
We enjoy the relaxed, calming experience provided by the Peoplemover as we take a nice ride through Tomorrowland. It is fun to people watch, see inside some of the rides such as Space Mountain, and enjoy some great views of the castle and the soon to come (we hope) Tron Coaster.
Tomorrowland Speedway is anything but relaxing. The stop and go of the cars along with the back and forth as you try to steer can be frustrating.
For us, we would much rather take a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Peoplemover than the Tomorrowland Speedway.
Pirates of the Caribbean, “it’s a small world”
Both of these rides are classics in Magic Kingdom; however, if we are short on time we would prioritize Pirates of the Caribbean over “it’s a small world”.
What we love about Pirates of the Caribbean is that it has a little of everything. A great storyline, fun songs, great scenes, and even a little thrill. Although we love the concept of “it’s a small world” and think the message is important, we don’t feel like it is one that is overly exciting.
If we have a limited amount of time in Magic Kingdom, we are going to focus on Pirates of the Caribbean over “it’s a small world”.
Cavalcades, Festival of Fantasy Parade
We love that the Magic Kingdom afternoon parade- Festival of Fantasy- is back in Magic Kingdom. There is something truly magical about having a parade take to the streets of Magic Kingdom once again.
With that being said, the downfall of parades is that a lot of Guests will waste valuable Park time sitting and waiting for the parade to start.
Because of this, we would recommend watching the different cavalcades in Magic Kingdom instead of the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
The cavalcades are quick, short, mini-parades that happen throughout the day. Each of them focuses on different characters allowing Guests to make sure they see the characters they want.
Although many of the same characters can be seen in the parade, we like that we can easily walk up and catch the cavalcade for a few minutes and then continue on with our Park plans.
When watching the parade we often lose almost an hour or more between waiting for it to start, watching the whole thing, and then fighting the crowd to get to where we want to be afterward.
The bonus of skipping the parade is that you also might experience some lower wait times as Guests wait for the parade.
This is why we prefer the cavalcades over the parade in Magic Kingdom.
There is so much to see and do in Magic Kingdom. We hope that this helps you narrow down a few options as you plan out your day.
