Do You Know These Tips for a Successful Day at Magic Kingdom?

Magic Kingdom is a must-do park for almost every Walt Disney World guest. With the iconic Cinderella Castle, a thrilling new ride in Tron: Lightycycle Run, and numerous classics, Magic Kingdom is one park most guests visit during their vacation to Walt Disney World.

Because of this, we want to ensure you have a great time. We have some top tips to help you successfully travel to Magic Kingdom. Have lower wait times, more magical moments, and less stress with these top tips.

Go Early

Setting the alarm during a vacation isn’t ideal, but will lead to success at Magic Kingdom. If you want to get ahead of the crowd, plan on going to the park early. For those staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, plan on attending early entry.

Early entry will allow you to enter Magic Kingdom 30 minutes before the park opens. This is a fantastic way to experience some of the top rides in Fantasyland, like Peter Pan’s Flight and Space Mountain in Tomorrowland, before the regular park guests arrive.

Because you are already in the park early, you can head right into Liberty Square, Adventureland, or Frontierland when these lands open, already having finished some of the big rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland during those extra thirty minutes.

A successful day in Magic Kingdom starts early in the morning. Doing so will get you ahead of the crowd, making a huge difference throughout the day.

Purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes

This might not be a popular tip, but purchasing Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes for your Magic Kingdom day will set you up for success.

Looking at Individual Lightning Lanes, two rides are available in Magic Kingdom. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron: Lightcycle Run allows guests to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane to avoid waiting longer.

Although you can consider rope-dropping Seven Dwarfs Mine Train during early entry, an Individual Lightning Lane for this experience hasn’t been costly, costing between $7 and $12/person most days. Because of this lower price point, avoiding the longer standby lines is worth the cost.

Tron: Lightcyle Run is the other ride that has Individual Lightning Lane as an option. The only other way to experience this new, thrilling attraction is to join a virtual queue. This is an acceptable option, but you won’t have any control over your return time. This can make planning the rest of your day in Magic Kingdom hard. Instead, we like purchasing the Individual Lightning Lane, where we can choose our return time and experience a much shorter wait for the best ride in this Disney park.

Finally, we recommend purchasing Genie+ for a successful day in Magic Kingdom. It is an excellent investment because so many experiences throughout the park are included with Genie+. Having Genie+ will allow you to experience more throughout the park with less time waiting in line.

See the Festival of Fantasy Parade

A successful day at Magic Kingdom includes seeing the fantastic Festival of Fantasy Parade. Right now, the parade is happening at noon and 3:00 p.m. daily. Take time during your day to plan to watch the parade. We don’t think you have to watch around the hub, which gets extremely crowded, but instead, head to Frontierland to catch where it begins.

By seeing the start of the parade, you can hop onto attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, or Pirates of the Caribbean with shorter wait times as other guests await the parade to get to the castle area.

The parade is fantastic. We love the beautiful floats, the different characters, and the outstanding fire-breathing dragon. The Festival of Fantasy Parade is a must-do experience during a day at Magic Kingdom.

Have a Food Plan

The one big downfall of Magic Kingdom is the food selection. There is still some growth that needs to take place when it comes to food. Make sure you go into the day with a dining plan. No matter when you are visiting, typical meal times will be busy in Magic Kingdom.

Take time to either have previously made reservations at one of the sit-down locations, such as Crystal Palace or Jungle Skipper Canteen or look into mobile ordering early on in the day.

Guests can place their mobile orders as soon as the park opens for the day. This means you can make your lunch and dinner selections while waiting in line in the morning. Doing this early on will secure your time slot and prevent meltdowns during mealtime.

A successful day in Magic Kingdom means being proactive regarding meals. Don’t wait until everyone is hungry to come up with a plan. Instead, have your plan ready ahead of time!

Happily Ever After

Our last big tip for a successful day at Magic Kingdom revolves around seeing Happily Ever After. This is the nighttime show at Magic Kingdom and a not-to-be-missed show. A combination of fantastic fireworks, impressive projections, great music, and a touching message creates a magical performance that is the perfect end to a day in Magic Kingdom.

You don’t have to wait hours for the show to enjoy a good view. There are so many fantastic views throughout Magic Kingdom. If having a good spot is essential, consider booking a dessert party. This will give you amazing desserts and a particular viewing area for the show.

Don’t skip out on this outstanding nighttime show during your day at Magic Kingdom. Once the show is over, take a moment to sit. Don’t rush out of the park; it will be packed and stressful. Instead, enjoy the lights on the castle and down Main Street, U.S.A., and take in the magic of the evening.

Those are some top tips for a successful day at Magic Kingdom. Use them to have a magical time!