Lewandowski
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2016
- Messages
- 137
Hey Everyone,
As a very experienced Disney connoisseur myself, I'd like to share important tips, tricks, and strategies for the Magic Kingdom Park! This will especially be very useful for first time visitors, or people that do NOT visit Disney World super frequently; and or have not been in a very long time. This also assumes that you will be staying ONSITE at any Disney Property. However, if not, you can always let me know and I can modify this slightly for offsite guests.
How Many Days Needed to See the Best of Magic Kingdom?
The Magic Kingdom tends to be the busiest and most popular park out of all four them for pretty obvious reasons. Therefore, I would say that the IDEAL would be TWO FULL DAYS starting at Rope Drop; regardless of whenever you go and the season. You can definitely see quite a bit in just one full day, but it would be almost near impossible to see everything in one day, especially when trying to make the most out of everything and enjoy your time, NOT feeling rushed. Two Full Days is the IDEAL and should be enough to see pretty much everything if you plan and strategize correctly!
Note: If you go to Disney World in September, October, November, or Early December, DO NOT plan to visit Magic Kingdom on days that Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is going on. Those parties cost extra, and the park closes quite early for all other guests on those days. Your days will be cut quite short if you visit on party days, and you'll be rushed to leave the park at closing time.
Which Attractions are Most Important / Must Do's? Which Ones are Skippable? Are there any Attractions worth Riding Twice?
This is a frequently asked question, and honestly this will always depend on the people going, likes / dislikes, etc. That being said there is kind of a general answer to this that will apply to the majority of guests that visit Disney World. I would split this up into 4 tiers: (BEST Attractions, Other Must Do's, Fairly Important, and Skippable Attractions).
Arguably the BEST Attractions (Many People will want to Experience Twice): Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Space Mountain, TRON Lightcycle, and MAYBE Big Thunder Mountain (As a general rule, if you are scared by thrills and NOT a seeker, you'll want two rides on BTMR, but for thrill-seekers, once will probably be enough, as it is a very mild thrill ride).
OTHER Must Do's (Once is Generally Enough): Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan's Flight, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Carousel of Progress (NON-Thrill Seekers will likely call this their favorite attraction at the park), and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
Fairly Important Attractions, but NOT Necessarily Must Do's: Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree, It's a Small World, Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.
Skippable Attractions: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Prince Charming Carousel, Barnstormer, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Mad Tea Party.
Note: The Hall of Presidents and Liberty Square Riverboat are more subjective. They are very skippable to some people, but others might put them in the fairly important category. Those two are probably somewhere in the middle between those two categories.
Character Meet & Greets: The Character Meet & Greets are really a waste of time in my opinion. I highly recommend pursuing character meals instead, as they are often a lot more fun, and the demand will be slightly lower at meals vs lines for character meet & greets elsewhere. I will talk about this next; but I feel like it is a very good strategy to take advantage of meeting characters while dining, especially for first time visitors and visitors that do not frequent WDW regularly.
Dining:
Like I mentioned earlier, character dining is what I would recommend to make priorities for at the Magic Kingdom.
Must Do's: Crystal Palace (Buffet with Winnie the Pooh & Friends), and Cinderella's Royal Table (Castle Meal with Disney Princesses). The Food at Both Restaurants is actually quite good and pretty high quality. For anyone who does not know, Cinderella's Royal Table will cost 2 Table Service Meal Credits on the Dining Plan. Crystal Palace is only 1 Table Service Meal Credit. I highly recommend reserving dinner at both places on the two days you visit Magic Kingdom. If you only have one day at the park, do Cinderella's Royal Table for Breakfast as early as possible prior to official park opening, and Crystal Palace for Dinner!
There are other Table Service Restaurants around the Park. Liberty Tree Tavern is also a fairly good place, but definitely NOT a must do. I honestly would only recommend Liberty Tree Tavern if you are for some reason unable to get CP or CRT, and really want a table service meal. The other Table Service Restaurants in the park are pretty Meh and a waste of time if you want my personal opinion.
Be Our Guest Restaurant is a very popular place, but to be honest since it is now 2 Table Service Credits on the Dining Plan, and prices have really gone up quite high; I do not really feel like it is worth it. The Beast sometimes makes appearances for meet & greet, but it is not a guarantee, and it is not considered a character meal. The place does have good food, but I personally would not go there, unless you are unable to get a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table. Be Our Guest might be a good Plan B option to CRT as it is also in another castle, but considering it is 2 TS credits, and NO princesses or characters, I feel like it is overpriced and not worth it.
Counter Service Restaurants: As for Counter Service Restaurants, there are no must do's or any special places; but you'll definitely want to know about the good ones around the park, so you know where to stop and get lunch or another meal when needed. Peco's Bill Tall Tale Inn Cafe in Frontierland, Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square, Pinnochio's Village Haus in Fantasyland, and Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland; are the big four with the most variety and will probably have something for everyone.
Snacks (Coffee & Treats): There are a bunch of places around the park that offer good snacks while going about your day, and here are a few places to look at if looking for a quick snack: Main Street Bakery (Has Starbucks) on Main Street, Aloha Isle in Adventureland, Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland, Cheshire Cafe & Storybook Treats in Fantasyland, and Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland. All these places have some good snack options.
Note: Try to make Reservations for Crystal Palace and Cinderella's Royal Table around 180 days ahead of first day at Disney World. This will really be beneficial for getting good and preferable times, etc. I recommend shooting for a 7:15pm Dinner Reservation at Crystal Palace on your first day at Magic Kingdom, and an 8:00pm Dinner Reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table on your second day at Magic Kingdom.
Lightening Lanes for Rides:
Lightening Lane Passes are a very good way to skip lines at certain rides during the day, and book hour windows on time schedules in order to come and ride specific attractions. Unfortunately nowadays, they are extra charge, but well worth it in my opinion, and very important in order to make the most of your time at the park.
Multi-Lightening Lane Pass:
The Multi-Lightening Lane Pass is kind of like a paid version of the old Fastpass+ system. It costs around $15-25/person per day (the exact price will slightly range between the season and exact day). The way it works is that it gives you the option to reserve times for three rides throughout the day. When you first reserve, there is Tiering. You can only reserve one Tier 1 Ride per day, and the other two must be from Tier 2. Once you finish riding the three attractions, you can reserve more; I believe it is one at a time from when you finish the pre-reserved 3 attractions, and can be from any Tier. That being said, reserving additional Lightening Lane Passes will be very dependent on availability, and these things run out pretty fast. I would NOT expect or count on most attractions having any availability after completing the three pre-reserved attractions. You also CANNOT pre-reserve multiple rides on the same attractions on the same day ahead of time.
Tier 1 Lightening Lane Attractions (Limited 1 to Pre-Reserve per day): Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Tier 2 Lightening Lane Attractions (You can Pre-Reserve 2 or all 3 per day): Barnstormer, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Mad Tea Party, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid.
Note (Virtual Queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure): I also would like to point out that as of right now Tiana's Bayou Adventure has a Virtual Queue, and Standby is NOT an option. This will likely change in the future, but we have no idea when. The way the Virtual Queue works is that you either need to get online on the My Disney Experience App at 7:00am or 1:00pm the day of, and reserve a spot. Then it'll tell you an estimated time to come to the ride. They will call your name via a notification at some point throughout the day, and usually you'll have an hour period to go and ride Tiana's from when they call your name. It can be a bit messy, and while as soon as you book the Virtual Queue, you'll get an estimated time, but it can be way off. This does not take into account ride breakdowns or ride closures do to rough weather; so delays can be inevitable. The Virtual Queue can also fill up extremely fast, sometimes within the first 10-30 seconds of opening. Therefore I highly recommend going online 5 min prior and keep refreshing the page, until it is either 7am or 1pm and reserve quickly! The Virtual Queue also does NOT necessarily guarantee a Ride on there, because if there are delays due to unforeseen circumstances, later group numbers might never be called throughout the day. In general, it is rare to never be called or never be given the chance, but it can happen occasionally.
My Take and Strategy Recommendations:
With two tiers, I am going to list my take on this, and the ranks on which attractions to aim for to pre-reserve with the Lightening Lane up to 7 days ahead of first day at Disney World.
Tier 1:
1. Tiana's Bayou Adventure: I recommend aiming for Tiana's as your first choice for your Tier 1 attraction. This is because the virtual queue is not a guarantee, and even with the virtual queue, it is one of those rides where you will likely want to ride twice. Standby line is NOT an option on this ride.
2. Space Mountain: Space Mountain would be your second choice to pre-reserve for Tier 1 attraction if you cannot get Tiana's or if you have two days at the park. Space Mountain is one of the most popular rides in the park and can often experience wait times up to 120 min during peak times and seasons. 50-80 min is generally the average wait time throughout most days. You can also rope drop Space Mountain, but this is another attraction that you'll likely want to ride twice, so I honestly recommend doing both: rope drop and Lightening Lane.
3. Peter Pan's Flight: Peter Pan's Flight is another very popular ride and will often experience average wait times of around 50-90 min throughout the day. That being said, one ride on this will be enough for most people, and this is a ride that I always recommend people to rope drop and ride first thing upon arrival.
4. Big Thunder Mountain: Because Big Thunder Mountain is a Tier 1 Ride, I honestly do not recommend pre-reserving the Lightening Lane for this one, unless you failed to get any of the other 3 above. The Thunder Mountain can definitely have long lines at times, but they usually are not as long as the three above, and it is rare to see wait times exceed 60-65 min throughout the day. I'd say the average wait time throughout the day on this is usually 40-60 min. If you're lucky, sometimes you'll find it as low as 30 min during less popular seasons. This is also another good ride to hit really early in the morning, after rope dropping either Peter Pan's or Space Mountain. The wait times will generally be reasonable before 10:00am.
5. Jungle Cruise: This ride's wait times can be very inconsistent and it is really hard to predict at times. However, it is very rare to exceed 65 min, and the average wait times throughout the day tend to range from 30-55 min. I've even seen this ride having as low as 10-20 min wait times during the middle of the day in the summer before. Generally, it is a very hard ride to predict, but I would not waste a pre-reserved Tier one Lightening Lane on this. Also, this might be one of the few rides that is more likely to have same-day availability and not run out of Lightening Lanes early, so you might be able to reserve an additional Lightening Lane on this ride after finishing your pre-reserved three.
Tier 2:
1. Haunted Mansion: This ride can sometimes have very long lines throughout the day, and is arguably the Tier 2 attraction with the longest lines, so I recommend pre-reserving this ride.
2. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: This ride is very popular, especially with smaller kids, so it can sometimes have very long lines. I recommend pre-reserving this ride.
3. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: Can sometimes have long lines but usually won't exceed 30 min. However, I'd reserve this one ahead of time just in case, because during peak times, the wait can sometimes be up to 40-45 min, and it can save a lot of time.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: This is another ride where lines and wait times can be very inconsistent. I've seen this ride have waits of up to 40-50 min, but I'll also never forget the time I walked right on this ride at around 4:30pm in Early August with NO Wait at all. I'd say the average wait time is 20-35 min, but it can be inconsistent and unpredictable.
5. Tomorrowland Speedway: Another ride that can have decent wait times at certain times, so if you couldn't get the other 4, this could be a good option. Usually not too bad, and if you ride this in the late morning, you should be fine. Might experience wait times of around 20 min (35 min max).
6. It's a Small World: This ride very rarely has wait times exceeding 30 min even during peak times. I'd only pre-reserve this ride if you need to waste a Lightening Lane somewhere and couldn't get on the others above.
The rest of the Tier 2 attractions really are NOT worth reserving at all, as they either have little to no wait, or are very skippable rides for most people. I'd only reserve any of the rest of Tier 2 if you couldn't get the ones above, and need to waste a Lightening Lane in order to get additional ones after finishing the pre-reserved 3.
Single Lightening Lane Passes:
There are two separate single attraction Lightening Lane Passes up for purchase for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle. The Price will range about $10-30/person per day depending on the season and exact day. You can only buy ONE ride on each of these per day, and cannot buy the same ride twice. Now I highly recommend purchasing both, as they will save a lot of time. These two rides are arguably the most popular rides in the park and can experience very long wait times averaging of around 60-90 min, sometimes up to 120 min during very high seasons like Christmas, Easter, or 4th of July. If you do two days at the park, buy Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on one day, and TRON on the other day. You can also Rope Drop TRON just around 9am when it opens with usually a short wait, but TRON is another ride that you'll likely crave to experience twice.
Note: For Both Multi and Single Lightening Lane Passes, if a ride breaks down, or closes due to rough weather or unforeseen circumstances, you can use your Lightening Lane Pass for the ride anytime later in the day, even after the original hour window.
Touring Plans / Recommended Strategy (Especially for First Time Visitors and NON-Frequent Visitors):
180 Days in Advance:
1. Reserve Dinner at Crystal Palace for 7:15pm or around that time on your first day, and Cinderella's Royal Table at 8:00pm or around that time for your second day.
Before You Go (7 days in advance of your first day):
1. For Your First Day at Magic Kingdom, Buy a Single Lightening Lane Pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Try and get the timing at around 4:00pm-5:00pm or later.
2. Buy a Lightening Lane Multi-Pass and Try to reserve Tiana's Bayou Adventure (12:30pm-1:30pm or Early Afternoon), Haunted Mansion (1:45pm-2:45pm or Afternoon), and Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (5:30pm-6:30pm or Evening, but Make sure starting well before 7:00pm).
3. For your Second Day at Magic Kingdom, Buy a Single Lightening Lane Pass for TRON Lightcycle. Try for around 1:45pm-2:45pm or anytime during the Early Afternoon)
4. Buy a Lightening Lane Multi-Pass and Try to reserve Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin anytime in the Afternoon (Try NO Later than 4:00pm for either). Then Try to reserve Pirates of the Caribbean for Late Afternoon or Early Evening (Anytime after 4:30pm would be ideal).
Day of First Day:
At 6:55am, Get online on MY Disney Experience App, choose how many people, and get read to reserve the Virtual Queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Keep refreshing the page until 6:59am or 7am, and right when you can reserve, join the Virtual Queue as quickly as possible. Be as disciplined as possible, because the Virtual Queue can run out sometimes within 15 seconds of being available.
First Day at Magic Kingdom:
1. Arrive at Magic Kingdom by 8:20am for Rope Drop. Rope Drop for Onsite Guests is usually around 8:30am.
2. Go Straight to Fantasyland and Ride Peter Pan's Flight as soon as Rope Drops. If you are a bit late like 10-15 min no problem, but you just might wait like 20-30 min max.
3. Head to Frontierland and Ride Big Thunder Mountain. If you want to Ride it Again, do it now after the first time while lines will still be reasonable.
4. If you need a morning coffee break like my family does, take that now.
5. Keep Track of your Virtual Queue Return to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and your Lightening Lane Time likely in the afternoon at sometime. If it is still well before 11:00am, Head to Liberty Square and Ride the Liberty Square Riverboat. Otherwise Go and See Tom Sawyer Island. You'll likely want to spend 30-45 min at Tom Sawyer Island. It is a very interesting place.
6. Work in Lunch and the Country Bear Jamboree around both your virtual queue and Lightening Lane Return Times for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. (Peco's Bill and Columbia Harbor House are good lunch options as they're in the same area).
7. Once you are done with your Lightening Lane Pass for Tiana's, Lunch, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Country Bears, Ride the Liberty Square Riverboat if you haven't yet.
8. Make sure you are done with all the above before you move forward. If your virtual queue return time for Tiana's is later in the day, keep going and come back to Tiana's whenever your group is called.
9. Work in the Hall of Presidents and It's a Small World around your Lightening Lane Time to Ride the Haunted Mansion.
10. At some point, grab a snack / coffee somewhere!
11. When you are done with the above, you've got Lightening Lane Times for both the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at some point in the late afternoon / early evening. Most likely Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first if you followed my instructions correctly. At this point, you likely have already ridden Tiana's with your virtual queue, but if you haven't yet, keep track of that as well.
12. Work in Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid, Mickey's PhilharMagic, and the Enchanted Tales with Belle around your Lightening Lane Times for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Winnie the Pooh.
13. Once you have done ALL THE ABOVE (EVERYTHING listed above), and if you still have a decent amount of time before 7:00pm, you can consider Riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Barnstormer, Mad Tea Party, and/or Prince Charming Carousel. These are very skippable, and if you miss those don't worry. If those rides are too lame for you, maybe re-ride any of your favorites if you still have a good amount of time before 7pm.
14. At 7:00pm start making your way to the Crystal Palace for your Dinner Reservation.
15. After Dinner find a spot somewhere on Main Street to See The Nighttime Fireworks. Timing can vary, but they're usually scheduled anytime between 9pm and 10pm; check times guide for that day for exact timing.
Tips: A good strategy when visiting the Magic Kingdom is, ALWAYS start in Frontierland! This is because some of the best attractions are there, but are outdoors and are prone to closing in case of rough weather, etc. Rough weather is often more likely to happen in the afternoon, so it's always good to get Frontierland over with in the Morning and Early Afternoon. The rest of the park is mostly indoors with a few outdoor attractions that are not as much of a priority as Big Thunder Mountain and Tiana's.
Second Day at Magic Kingdom:
1. Arrive at Magic Kingdom by 8:20am for Rope Drop. Rope Drop for Onsite Guests is usually around 8:30am.
2. Head to Tomorrowland and Ride Space Mountain
3. TRON does not open until 9am, so if it is still before 9am, just head over there and Line up to Ride TRON. If it is 9am or after, Get in Line and Ride TRON standby!
4. Ride Tomorrowland Speedway
5. If you Need a Morning Coffee Break, Take it Now.
6. You should have Afternoon Lightening Lane Return Times to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, TRON, and Space Mountain. Work in Lunch, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carousel of Progress, and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor around those three Lightening return times. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is a good option for lunch as it is in the area. Try and finish with Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Astro Orbiter first as they are outdoor attractions in case of rough weather in the afternoon. Make Carousel of Progress a priority, as you do NOT want to miss that Ride.
7. At Some point grab an afternoon snack somewhere.
8. Once you are Finished with Tomorrowland (Make sure you've done ALL THE ABOVE), head over to Adventureland.
9. Check the Line for Jungle Cruise. If it is 35 min or under, Ride that now. If the wait is above 35 min, save that for later.
10. You should have a Lightening Lane Return for Pirates of the Caribbean at some point. Work in Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Swiss Family Treehouse, and the Enchanted Tiki Room around the Pirates of the Caribbean return time. Try to do Swiss Family Treehouse and Magic Carpets of Aladdin first if the weather is good in case of rough weather later.
11. Once you are done with Pirates of the Caribbean, and if you have NOT done Jungle Cruise yet, check and see if there are any additional Lightening Lanes available for Jungle Cruise. If there are none available, get in Line for Jungle Cruise now regardless of the wait time.
12. If you have not done the Enchanted Tiki Room yet, do it now. This attraction can be saved for last in Adventureland as it is indoors.
13. When you have done EVERYTHING ABOVE, and if you still have a lot of time before 8pm, you can ReRide your favorite rides for either today or the first day; just be sure you know the wait times before choosing to ride, and don't overlap with your dinner reservation. You can also check and see if there are any Lightening Lanes available for any favorite rides you'd like to ReRide within the time frame prior to dinner reservation.
14. At around 7:50pm, head to Cinderella's Castle for your 8:00pm Dinner Reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table.
15. After dinner, if you have the energy, and if the park is still opened, Re-Ride any favorite rides before leaving.
Note: Don't switch the days up, and do what I said for the first day on the first day, and second day on second day. It is designed this way to take into consideration rough weather and/or unforeseen circumstances.
If you can only do ONE DAY at Magic Kingdom, you are going to have to make a list of certain priority attractions, and strategize slightly differently. Let me know the most important attractions, and I'll be happy to create a one day strategic touring plan for you to make the most out of it.
Now I am curious on all your thoughts? Did I miss anything important? Anything any of you would like to add to this? Let me know what you all think! Also if any of you here are visiting for the first time or need any help with Touring Plans or Strategies, I'll be very happy to look at everything and guide you!
As a very experienced Disney connoisseur myself, I'd like to share important tips, tricks, and strategies for the Magic Kingdom Park! This will especially be very useful for first time visitors, or people that do NOT visit Disney World super frequently; and or have not been in a very long time. This also assumes that you will be staying ONSITE at any Disney Property. However, if not, you can always let me know and I can modify this slightly for offsite guests.
How Many Days Needed to See the Best of Magic Kingdom?
The Magic Kingdom tends to be the busiest and most popular park out of all four them for pretty obvious reasons. Therefore, I would say that the IDEAL would be TWO FULL DAYS starting at Rope Drop; regardless of whenever you go and the season. You can definitely see quite a bit in just one full day, but it would be almost near impossible to see everything in one day, especially when trying to make the most out of everything and enjoy your time, NOT feeling rushed. Two Full Days is the IDEAL and should be enough to see pretty much everything if you plan and strategize correctly!
Note: If you go to Disney World in September, October, November, or Early December, DO NOT plan to visit Magic Kingdom on days that Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is going on. Those parties cost extra, and the park closes quite early for all other guests on those days. Your days will be cut quite short if you visit on party days, and you'll be rushed to leave the park at closing time.
Which Attractions are Most Important / Must Do's? Which Ones are Skippable? Are there any Attractions worth Riding Twice?
This is a frequently asked question, and honestly this will always depend on the people going, likes / dislikes, etc. That being said there is kind of a general answer to this that will apply to the majority of guests that visit Disney World. I would split this up into 4 tiers: (BEST Attractions, Other Must Do's, Fairly Important, and Skippable Attractions).
Arguably the BEST Attractions (Many People will want to Experience Twice): Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Space Mountain, TRON Lightcycle, and MAYBE Big Thunder Mountain (As a general rule, if you are scared by thrills and NOT a seeker, you'll want two rides on BTMR, but for thrill-seekers, once will probably be enough, as it is a very mild thrill ride).
OTHER Must Do's (Once is Generally Enough): Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan's Flight, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Carousel of Progress (NON-Thrill Seekers will likely call this their favorite attraction at the park), and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
Fairly Important Attractions, but NOT Necessarily Must Do's: Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree, It's a Small World, Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.
Skippable Attractions: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Prince Charming Carousel, Barnstormer, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Mad Tea Party.
Note: The Hall of Presidents and Liberty Square Riverboat are more subjective. They are very skippable to some people, but others might put them in the fairly important category. Those two are probably somewhere in the middle between those two categories.
Character Meet & Greets: The Character Meet & Greets are really a waste of time in my opinion. I highly recommend pursuing character meals instead, as they are often a lot more fun, and the demand will be slightly lower at meals vs lines for character meet & greets elsewhere. I will talk about this next; but I feel like it is a very good strategy to take advantage of meeting characters while dining, especially for first time visitors and visitors that do not frequent WDW regularly.
Dining:
Like I mentioned earlier, character dining is what I would recommend to make priorities for at the Magic Kingdom.
Must Do's: Crystal Palace (Buffet with Winnie the Pooh & Friends), and Cinderella's Royal Table (Castle Meal with Disney Princesses). The Food at Both Restaurants is actually quite good and pretty high quality. For anyone who does not know, Cinderella's Royal Table will cost 2 Table Service Meal Credits on the Dining Plan. Crystal Palace is only 1 Table Service Meal Credit. I highly recommend reserving dinner at both places on the two days you visit Magic Kingdom. If you only have one day at the park, do Cinderella's Royal Table for Breakfast as early as possible prior to official park opening, and Crystal Palace for Dinner!
There are other Table Service Restaurants around the Park. Liberty Tree Tavern is also a fairly good place, but definitely NOT a must do. I honestly would only recommend Liberty Tree Tavern if you are for some reason unable to get CP or CRT, and really want a table service meal. The other Table Service Restaurants in the park are pretty Meh and a waste of time if you want my personal opinion.
Be Our Guest Restaurant is a very popular place, but to be honest since it is now 2 Table Service Credits on the Dining Plan, and prices have really gone up quite high; I do not really feel like it is worth it. The Beast sometimes makes appearances for meet & greet, but it is not a guarantee, and it is not considered a character meal. The place does have good food, but I personally would not go there, unless you are unable to get a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table. Be Our Guest might be a good Plan B option to CRT as it is also in another castle, but considering it is 2 TS credits, and NO princesses or characters, I feel like it is overpriced and not worth it.
Counter Service Restaurants: As for Counter Service Restaurants, there are no must do's or any special places; but you'll definitely want to know about the good ones around the park, so you know where to stop and get lunch or another meal when needed. Peco's Bill Tall Tale Inn Cafe in Frontierland, Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square, Pinnochio's Village Haus in Fantasyland, and Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland; are the big four with the most variety and will probably have something for everyone.
Snacks (Coffee & Treats): There are a bunch of places around the park that offer good snacks while going about your day, and here are a few places to look at if looking for a quick snack: Main Street Bakery (Has Starbucks) on Main Street, Aloha Isle in Adventureland, Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland, Cheshire Cafe & Storybook Treats in Fantasyland, and Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland. All these places have some good snack options.
Note: Try to make Reservations for Crystal Palace and Cinderella's Royal Table around 180 days ahead of first day at Disney World. This will really be beneficial for getting good and preferable times, etc. I recommend shooting for a 7:15pm Dinner Reservation at Crystal Palace on your first day at Magic Kingdom, and an 8:00pm Dinner Reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table on your second day at Magic Kingdom.
Lightening Lanes for Rides:
Lightening Lane Passes are a very good way to skip lines at certain rides during the day, and book hour windows on time schedules in order to come and ride specific attractions. Unfortunately nowadays, they are extra charge, but well worth it in my opinion, and very important in order to make the most of your time at the park.
Multi-Lightening Lane Pass:
The Multi-Lightening Lane Pass is kind of like a paid version of the old Fastpass+ system. It costs around $15-25/person per day (the exact price will slightly range between the season and exact day). The way it works is that it gives you the option to reserve times for three rides throughout the day. When you first reserve, there is Tiering. You can only reserve one Tier 1 Ride per day, and the other two must be from Tier 2. Once you finish riding the three attractions, you can reserve more; I believe it is one at a time from when you finish the pre-reserved 3 attractions, and can be from any Tier. That being said, reserving additional Lightening Lane Passes will be very dependent on availability, and these things run out pretty fast. I would NOT expect or count on most attractions having any availability after completing the three pre-reserved attractions. You also CANNOT pre-reserve multiple rides on the same attractions on the same day ahead of time.
Tier 1 Lightening Lane Attractions (Limited 1 to Pre-Reserve per day): Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Tier 2 Lightening Lane Attractions (You can Pre-Reserve 2 or all 3 per day): Barnstormer, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Mad Tea Party, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid.
Note (Virtual Queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure): I also would like to point out that as of right now Tiana's Bayou Adventure has a Virtual Queue, and Standby is NOT an option. This will likely change in the future, but we have no idea when. The way the Virtual Queue works is that you either need to get online on the My Disney Experience App at 7:00am or 1:00pm the day of, and reserve a spot. Then it'll tell you an estimated time to come to the ride. They will call your name via a notification at some point throughout the day, and usually you'll have an hour period to go and ride Tiana's from when they call your name. It can be a bit messy, and while as soon as you book the Virtual Queue, you'll get an estimated time, but it can be way off. This does not take into account ride breakdowns or ride closures do to rough weather; so delays can be inevitable. The Virtual Queue can also fill up extremely fast, sometimes within the first 10-30 seconds of opening. Therefore I highly recommend going online 5 min prior and keep refreshing the page, until it is either 7am or 1pm and reserve quickly! The Virtual Queue also does NOT necessarily guarantee a Ride on there, because if there are delays due to unforeseen circumstances, later group numbers might never be called throughout the day. In general, it is rare to never be called or never be given the chance, but it can happen occasionally.
My Take and Strategy Recommendations:
With two tiers, I am going to list my take on this, and the ranks on which attractions to aim for to pre-reserve with the Lightening Lane up to 7 days ahead of first day at Disney World.
Tier 1:
1. Tiana's Bayou Adventure: I recommend aiming for Tiana's as your first choice for your Tier 1 attraction. This is because the virtual queue is not a guarantee, and even with the virtual queue, it is one of those rides where you will likely want to ride twice. Standby line is NOT an option on this ride.
2. Space Mountain: Space Mountain would be your second choice to pre-reserve for Tier 1 attraction if you cannot get Tiana's or if you have two days at the park. Space Mountain is one of the most popular rides in the park and can often experience wait times up to 120 min during peak times and seasons. 50-80 min is generally the average wait time throughout most days. You can also rope drop Space Mountain, but this is another attraction that you'll likely want to ride twice, so I honestly recommend doing both: rope drop and Lightening Lane.
3. Peter Pan's Flight: Peter Pan's Flight is another very popular ride and will often experience average wait times of around 50-90 min throughout the day. That being said, one ride on this will be enough for most people, and this is a ride that I always recommend people to rope drop and ride first thing upon arrival.
4. Big Thunder Mountain: Because Big Thunder Mountain is a Tier 1 Ride, I honestly do not recommend pre-reserving the Lightening Lane for this one, unless you failed to get any of the other 3 above. The Thunder Mountain can definitely have long lines at times, but they usually are not as long as the three above, and it is rare to see wait times exceed 60-65 min throughout the day. I'd say the average wait time throughout the day on this is usually 40-60 min. If you're lucky, sometimes you'll find it as low as 30 min during less popular seasons. This is also another good ride to hit really early in the morning, after rope dropping either Peter Pan's or Space Mountain. The wait times will generally be reasonable before 10:00am.
5. Jungle Cruise: This ride's wait times can be very inconsistent and it is really hard to predict at times. However, it is very rare to exceed 65 min, and the average wait times throughout the day tend to range from 30-55 min. I've even seen this ride having as low as 10-20 min wait times during the middle of the day in the summer before. Generally, it is a very hard ride to predict, but I would not waste a pre-reserved Tier one Lightening Lane on this. Also, this might be one of the few rides that is more likely to have same-day availability and not run out of Lightening Lanes early, so you might be able to reserve an additional Lightening Lane on this ride after finishing your pre-reserved three.
Tier 2:
1. Haunted Mansion: This ride can sometimes have very long lines throughout the day, and is arguably the Tier 2 attraction with the longest lines, so I recommend pre-reserving this ride.
2. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: This ride is very popular, especially with smaller kids, so it can sometimes have very long lines. I recommend pre-reserving this ride.
3. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: Can sometimes have long lines but usually won't exceed 30 min. However, I'd reserve this one ahead of time just in case, because during peak times, the wait can sometimes be up to 40-45 min, and it can save a lot of time.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: This is another ride where lines and wait times can be very inconsistent. I've seen this ride have waits of up to 40-50 min, but I'll also never forget the time I walked right on this ride at around 4:30pm in Early August with NO Wait at all. I'd say the average wait time is 20-35 min, but it can be inconsistent and unpredictable.
5. Tomorrowland Speedway: Another ride that can have decent wait times at certain times, so if you couldn't get the other 4, this could be a good option. Usually not too bad, and if you ride this in the late morning, you should be fine. Might experience wait times of around 20 min (35 min max).
6. It's a Small World: This ride very rarely has wait times exceeding 30 min even during peak times. I'd only pre-reserve this ride if you need to waste a Lightening Lane somewhere and couldn't get on the others above.
The rest of the Tier 2 attractions really are NOT worth reserving at all, as they either have little to no wait, or are very skippable rides for most people. I'd only reserve any of the rest of Tier 2 if you couldn't get the ones above, and need to waste a Lightening Lane in order to get additional ones after finishing the pre-reserved 3.
Single Lightening Lane Passes:
There are two separate single attraction Lightening Lane Passes up for purchase for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle. The Price will range about $10-30/person per day depending on the season and exact day. You can only buy ONE ride on each of these per day, and cannot buy the same ride twice. Now I highly recommend purchasing both, as they will save a lot of time. These two rides are arguably the most popular rides in the park and can experience very long wait times averaging of around 60-90 min, sometimes up to 120 min during very high seasons like Christmas, Easter, or 4th of July. If you do two days at the park, buy Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on one day, and TRON on the other day. You can also Rope Drop TRON just around 9am when it opens with usually a short wait, but TRON is another ride that you'll likely crave to experience twice.
Note: For Both Multi and Single Lightening Lane Passes, if a ride breaks down, or closes due to rough weather or unforeseen circumstances, you can use your Lightening Lane Pass for the ride anytime later in the day, even after the original hour window.
Touring Plans / Recommended Strategy (Especially for First Time Visitors and NON-Frequent Visitors):
180 Days in Advance:
1. Reserve Dinner at Crystal Palace for 7:15pm or around that time on your first day, and Cinderella's Royal Table at 8:00pm or around that time for your second day.
Before You Go (7 days in advance of your first day):
1. For Your First Day at Magic Kingdom, Buy a Single Lightening Lane Pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Try and get the timing at around 4:00pm-5:00pm or later.
2. Buy a Lightening Lane Multi-Pass and Try to reserve Tiana's Bayou Adventure (12:30pm-1:30pm or Early Afternoon), Haunted Mansion (1:45pm-2:45pm or Afternoon), and Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (5:30pm-6:30pm or Evening, but Make sure starting well before 7:00pm).
3. For your Second Day at Magic Kingdom, Buy a Single Lightening Lane Pass for TRON Lightcycle. Try for around 1:45pm-2:45pm or anytime during the Early Afternoon)
4. Buy a Lightening Lane Multi-Pass and Try to reserve Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin anytime in the Afternoon (Try NO Later than 4:00pm for either). Then Try to reserve Pirates of the Caribbean for Late Afternoon or Early Evening (Anytime after 4:30pm would be ideal).
Day of First Day:
At 6:55am, Get online on MY Disney Experience App, choose how many people, and get read to reserve the Virtual Queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Keep refreshing the page until 6:59am or 7am, and right when you can reserve, join the Virtual Queue as quickly as possible. Be as disciplined as possible, because the Virtual Queue can run out sometimes within 15 seconds of being available.
First Day at Magic Kingdom:
1. Arrive at Magic Kingdom by 8:20am for Rope Drop. Rope Drop for Onsite Guests is usually around 8:30am.
2. Go Straight to Fantasyland and Ride Peter Pan's Flight as soon as Rope Drops. If you are a bit late like 10-15 min no problem, but you just might wait like 20-30 min max.
3. Head to Frontierland and Ride Big Thunder Mountain. If you want to Ride it Again, do it now after the first time while lines will still be reasonable.
4. If you need a morning coffee break like my family does, take that now.
5. Keep Track of your Virtual Queue Return to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and your Lightening Lane Time likely in the afternoon at sometime. If it is still well before 11:00am, Head to Liberty Square and Ride the Liberty Square Riverboat. Otherwise Go and See Tom Sawyer Island. You'll likely want to spend 30-45 min at Tom Sawyer Island. It is a very interesting place.
6. Work in Lunch and the Country Bear Jamboree around both your virtual queue and Lightening Lane Return Times for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. (Peco's Bill and Columbia Harbor House are good lunch options as they're in the same area).
7. Once you are done with your Lightening Lane Pass for Tiana's, Lunch, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Country Bears, Ride the Liberty Square Riverboat if you haven't yet.
8. Make sure you are done with all the above before you move forward. If your virtual queue return time for Tiana's is later in the day, keep going and come back to Tiana's whenever your group is called.
9. Work in the Hall of Presidents and It's a Small World around your Lightening Lane Time to Ride the Haunted Mansion.
10. At some point, grab a snack / coffee somewhere!
11. When you are done with the above, you've got Lightening Lane Times for both the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at some point in the late afternoon / early evening. Most likely Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first if you followed my instructions correctly. At this point, you likely have already ridden Tiana's with your virtual queue, but if you haven't yet, keep track of that as well.
12. Work in Under the Sea--Journey of the Little Mermaid, Mickey's PhilharMagic, and the Enchanted Tales with Belle around your Lightening Lane Times for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Winnie the Pooh.
13. Once you have done ALL THE ABOVE (EVERYTHING listed above), and if you still have a decent amount of time before 7:00pm, you can consider Riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Barnstormer, Mad Tea Party, and/or Prince Charming Carousel. These are very skippable, and if you miss those don't worry. If those rides are too lame for you, maybe re-ride any of your favorites if you still have a good amount of time before 7pm.
14. At 7:00pm start making your way to the Crystal Palace for your Dinner Reservation.
15. After Dinner find a spot somewhere on Main Street to See The Nighttime Fireworks. Timing can vary, but they're usually scheduled anytime between 9pm and 10pm; check times guide for that day for exact timing.
Tips: A good strategy when visiting the Magic Kingdom is, ALWAYS start in Frontierland! This is because some of the best attractions are there, but are outdoors and are prone to closing in case of rough weather, etc. Rough weather is often more likely to happen in the afternoon, so it's always good to get Frontierland over with in the Morning and Early Afternoon. The rest of the park is mostly indoors with a few outdoor attractions that are not as much of a priority as Big Thunder Mountain and Tiana's.
Second Day at Magic Kingdom:
1. Arrive at Magic Kingdom by 8:20am for Rope Drop. Rope Drop for Onsite Guests is usually around 8:30am.
2. Head to Tomorrowland and Ride Space Mountain
3. TRON does not open until 9am, so if it is still before 9am, just head over there and Line up to Ride TRON. If it is 9am or after, Get in Line and Ride TRON standby!
4. Ride Tomorrowland Speedway
5. If you Need a Morning Coffee Break, Take it Now.
6. You should have Afternoon Lightening Lane Return Times to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, TRON, and Space Mountain. Work in Lunch, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carousel of Progress, and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor around those three Lightening return times. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is a good option for lunch as it is in the area. Try and finish with Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Astro Orbiter first as they are outdoor attractions in case of rough weather in the afternoon. Make Carousel of Progress a priority, as you do NOT want to miss that Ride.
7. At Some point grab an afternoon snack somewhere.
8. Once you are Finished with Tomorrowland (Make sure you've done ALL THE ABOVE), head over to Adventureland.
9. Check the Line for Jungle Cruise. If it is 35 min or under, Ride that now. If the wait is above 35 min, save that for later.
10. You should have a Lightening Lane Return for Pirates of the Caribbean at some point. Work in Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Swiss Family Treehouse, and the Enchanted Tiki Room around the Pirates of the Caribbean return time. Try to do Swiss Family Treehouse and Magic Carpets of Aladdin first if the weather is good in case of rough weather later.
11. Once you are done with Pirates of the Caribbean, and if you have NOT done Jungle Cruise yet, check and see if there are any additional Lightening Lanes available for Jungle Cruise. If there are none available, get in Line for Jungle Cruise now regardless of the wait time.
12. If you have not done the Enchanted Tiki Room yet, do it now. This attraction can be saved for last in Adventureland as it is indoors.
13. When you have done EVERYTHING ABOVE, and if you still have a lot of time before 8pm, you can ReRide your favorite rides for either today or the first day; just be sure you know the wait times before choosing to ride, and don't overlap with your dinner reservation. You can also check and see if there are any Lightening Lanes available for any favorite rides you'd like to ReRide within the time frame prior to dinner reservation.
14. At around 7:50pm, head to Cinderella's Castle for your 8:00pm Dinner Reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table.
15. After dinner, if you have the energy, and if the park is still opened, Re-Ride any favorite rides before leaving.
Note: Don't switch the days up, and do what I said for the first day on the first day, and second day on second day. It is designed this way to take into consideration rough weather and/or unforeseen circumstances.
If you can only do ONE DAY at Magic Kingdom, you are going to have to make a list of certain priority attractions, and strategize slightly differently. Let me know the most important attractions, and I'll be happy to create a one day strategic touring plan for you to make the most out of it.
Now I am curious on all your thoughts? Did I miss anything important? Anything any of you would like to add to this? Let me know what you all think! Also if any of you here are visiting for the first time or need any help with Touring Plans or Strategies, I'll be very happy to look at everything and guide you!
