Mornings are a wonderful time to visit Walt Disney World and a Theme Park. There is something magical about watching a Disney Park come to life as Guests enter and rides and attractions start rolling.
We love mornings in Magic Kingdom, strolling down Main Street, USA, and seeing Cinderella Castle as the sun comes up.
We have how you can have the best morning in Magic Kingdom with these tips and suggestions.
Plan ahead
A great morning at the Magic Kingdom starts before you even get there. There are so many rides, shows, attractions, and dining options in Magic Kingdom that you are going to want to have a plan before you arrive. What is going to be your goal when you get there?
When it comes to Magic Kingdom there are a few big rides that you might want to get to early on in the morning:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Peter Pan’s Flight
Jungle Cruise
These three rides are consistently seeing the longest waits in Magic Kingdom and you will want to have a plan for getting to them in the morning.
Be Early
Our next suggestion for a great morning in Magic Kingdom is to get there early. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you will want to take advantage of Early Entry. This allows you to enter Magic Kingdom a half-hour before the regular Park opening.
This means that if the Park is scheduled to open at 9:00 am, Walt Disney World Resort Guests are able to start their day at 8:30 am.
If this is something that you would be able to do, we highly recommend getting to your mode of transportation around 60 minutes early. This will get you through security, the touchpoints, and the early entry check-in before early entry actually starts.
Only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are opened during early entry so you will want to think about where you want to head.
There are two ways to use the early entry in our opinion. One: you can hit one of the big rides such as Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, or Peter Pan’s Flight during this time.
The second option would be to knock out a few of the smaller attractions such as Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin or Under the Seas: Voyage of the Little Mermaid.
By getting to Magic Kingdom early you are able to be head of the crowd and enjoy some lower wait times.
Genie+/Individual Lightning Lane
This is a harder decision for some, but we think that purchasing Genie+ (the new paid Fastpass option) in Magic Kingdom is a fantastic option. This allows Guests to bypass the regular lines throughout their day and spend less time in line.
For Magic Kingdom, we would recommend spending the $15 on Genie+ and using it to focus on Jungle Cruise or Peter Pan’s Flight at the 7:00 am booking time. If you don’t plan on using the early entry for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, then we would also recommend looking at purchasing Individual Lighting Lane for this ride.
We think that a combination of Genie+, as well as standby lines, is a big part of a magical morning at Magic Kingdom.
Park Opening Plan
Once Magic Kingdom officially opens, you will want to have a plan as to how you are going to tackle the other lands (Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square). Depending on your Genie+ selections, we highly recommend heading to Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, or one of the mountains in Frontierland at Park opening.
These rides are outstanding and should be experienced on a magical morning, but you don’t want to wait long for them. Head there as the Park opens and use Genie+ for the ones you don’t rush to.
As you reach the 10-11 time period of the morning, you will start to see wait times start to climb. This is where Genie+ will come in handy as well knowing the less busy attractions in the Park.
Less Busy Options
As you wait for your Genie+ selections, consider enjoying some of the other attractions and entertainment in Magic Kingdom. The new, updated Mickey’s Magical Friendship Fare is a wonderful castle show and the cavalcades are so fun to catch around the Park as well.
Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, and the Enchanted Tiki Room are all excellent options that hold lots of people, typically have low waits, and are great for getting out of the building crowds as the morning progresses.
Even though we love the popular rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, it is some of these less busy options that truly bring the magic to the Park.
Food Time
Although we aren’t a huge fan of the quick-service locations in Magic Kingdom, having a plan for food is essential. We highly recommend booking your mobile order for lunch early in the morning to ensure you get the location and time that will work the best for you.
We have a breakdown of Magic Kingdom’s quick service meals HERE, but we do like Sleepy Hollow the best overall. If you aren’t super hungry, consider the spring roll cart by Adventureland. And for a great sit-down meal, we would actually suggest heading out to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or Disney’s Contemporary Resort for a meal.
Those are our suggestions for having a magical morning at Magic Kingdom during your Walt Disney World vacation. We highly recommend getting there early and having a plan of action to best use the time with low crowds. Check out my most recent morning in Magic Kingdom HERE to see how we planned our day.
