Our Touring Plan for the Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is my family’s favorite Disney theme park and is the first one we visit when we arrive at WDW, and the last one we visit before we leave for home. All four WDW theme parks are exciting and thrilling, but the Magic Kingdom brings out the child in all of us. The fantasy, magic, and fun-filled rides and attractions are what dreams are made of. The following is an average touring plan that we pretty much follow every year we visit our favorite place on earth.

Rise and Shine — Wake up early and drive or ride a Resort bus to the Magic Kingdom in time for Park opening, usually 9:00am. Grab a quick breakfast sandwich or pastry Starbucks coffee or other beverage, find a table near Casey’s Corner near the hub, and watch the crowds go by.

Tomorrowland

9:30am — Space Mountain— first fast pass+ reservation for an indoor, dark, thrilling roller coaster ride in a rocket shaped vehicle

9:45am — Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin— An indoor ride in a space ranger vehicle. Your vehicle spins 360 degrees while you shoot laser canons at hundreds of alien targets.

10:00am—Astro-Orbitor— The plan includes this iconic ride on an outdoor, elevated rocket ship, which you access by an elevator. You get a great view of Tomorrowland

10:00am–*Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover— The People Mover is an option if the Astro-Orbitor is too crowded. Board a smooth, relaxing ride in tram cars for a 10-minute tour of the shops and attractions of Tomorrowland, both inside and out.

Fantasyland

10:30am — Peter Pan’s Flight— Our second fast pass+ reservation is for this classic Disney attraction based on the classic Disney film, Peter Pan, this is the only ride in Walt Disney World where your ride vehicle, a flying pirate ship, is suspended from a track on the ceiling. The music is pure Disney, the audio animatronics are colorful and lively, and the bird’s eye view of London and Neverland are what make this ride so popular—always crowded.

10:45am — It’s A Small World— This classic attraction, also dedicated by Walt Disney himself in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair, then later moved to Disneyland in 1966, then to WDW in 1971. This charming boat ride takes you through many countries of the world, being hosted by children in their native costumes, surrounded by their host country’s scenery, while their dancing and singing of “It’s A Small World” brings smiles and joy to all who visit this classic Disney experience.

11:00am — Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train— Fast Pass+ #3—This newest addition to the New Fantasyland is an amazing thrill ride and extremely popular with wait times as long as 90 minutes. An oversized mine car whisks you away on a rousing trip through the countryside, with plenty of curves and dips, while your car sways back and forth at every turn an sudden drop. It’s an exciting roller coaster ride, but not too intense for the younger kids.

11:30am — Gaston’s Tavern— It’s time for a snack break. Here you can choose a mixed fruit cup, mixed vegetable cup with dip, or apple slices with caramel dip. For a real treat, you can try LeFou’s Brew—frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow, topped with a passion-fruit-mango foam—so cool! Find a table or bench nearby and enjoy your snack.

11:45am- Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid — Climb into a giant clamshell for a trip into the undersea world of Ariel and her friends Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle, Prince Eric, her father, King Triton, and the evil Ursula. It’s a musical adventure featuring dynamic and colorful audio-animatronic figures right out of the classic Disney feature length film, The Little Mermaid. The whole family will enjoy this delightful attraction.

Liberty Square

12:00pm — The Haunted Mansion — Enter this old, decrepit, spooky, once magnificent mansion which is now inhabited by 999 ghostly spirits, step into your private doom buggy and prepare yourselves for a truly ghoulish journey. Your ghost host takes you on a spooky tour of this haunted mansion, with spine-chilling music and frightening spirits accompanying your tour. Don’t hang around too long or you’ll become the 1000th resident!

12:30pm — The Liberty Belle Riverboat — Since this attraction is very close to the Haunted Mansion, why not go for a cruise on this Colonial-American inspired steam-powered, 3-tiered paddler-wheeler for a relaxing journey around Tom Sawyer’s Island along the Rivers of America. Your trip is narrated by the famous iconic author, Mark Twain.

Frontierland

1:00pm — Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Fast Pass recommended. Board an old rickey 5-car locomotive for the “wildest ride in the wilderness”, with a ton of sharp turns, dips, drops, and a trip through an abandoned mine shaft. This is a fast and furious ride that will knock your socks (and hats) off, so be prepared to raise some ruckus.

1:20pm— Splash Mountain — Splash Mountain is one of those popular rides that may or may not be overly crowded, but our plan includes this ride. You step into a hollowed out log for a flume ride into the world of Br’er Bear, Br’er Rabbit, and Br’er Fox and many other Song of the South characters for a rollicking good time in their “Laughing Place”. The music, the audio-animatronic characters, and the 5-story drop near the end of the ride make this a very entertaining and exciting attraction.

2:00pm — After drying off a bit after Splash Mountain, its lunch time. Our choice: Pecos bill Tall Tale Inn and Café—Rustle up some delicious grub right out of the Old West, with a Southwestern twist. Choose between a taco burger, Southwest burger, Fajita platter, beef nachos, and more. For dessert have some mini churros with chocolate dipping sauce. Choose your favorite beverage, and sit a spell.

3:00pm — Festival of Fantasy Parade — Right here in front of Pecos Bill’s is the perfect place to watch this truly magnificent Parade, filled with awesome floats, Disney characters, and a flame throwing dragon. This particular parade begins in Frontierland and ends on Main Street. It’s the perfect way to let your food settle.

Adventureland

3:30pm — Pirates of the Caribbean — Just around the corner from Pecos Bill’s you enter Adventureland, where we will take a swashbucking voyage on a small dingy past a battle between Capt. Barbosa and a Spanish Fortress, through a village being pillaged and plundered by out-of-control pirates, and just before your adventure ends, you observe Capt. Jack Sparrow himself sitting on a throne atop a pirate’s plunder of gems and jewels, while singing his favorite tune, “A Pirate’s Life for Me”.

3:45—The Jungle Cruise — No trip to Adventureland is complete without a visit to the jungles of Asia, Africa, and South America. This voyage takes place on a canopied tramp steamer, piloted by a trustworthy skipper whose job is to take you on a journey across several continents while navigating the Nile and Mekong Rivers, and encountering African elephants, hungry lions, angry hippos, gorillas, and even a tribe of headhunters. The skippers are always informative, in a humorous sort of way. It’s a fun adventure into the jungle.

Tomorrowland

4:30pm — After the Jungle Cruise adventure, we hoof it over to Tomorrowland for our next fast pass to Space Mountain for another thrilling ride on our favorite out-of-this-world roller coaster.

5:00pm — Tomorrowland Speedway— For the child in all of us, put the pedal to the metal in a miniature streamlined gas powered race car around a winding, hilly, track which takes you over a bridge while you race other drivers right into Victory Circle.

Fantasyland

5:30pm — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train— Fast pass recommended. Just can’t get enough of this exhilarating ride!

6:00pm—Storybook Circus — Inspired by the Disney classic, Dumbo, this whole area is filled with a circus atmosphere, including colorful posters, circus tents, popcorn vendors, and traditional calliope music. There are three attractions: the Casey Jr. Soak ‘N’ Splash Station, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Barnstormer featuring Goofy as the Great Goofini. You can spend about an hour here and check out the huge circus tent filled with all sorts of Dumbo’s circus souvenirs, clothing, and a large supply of homemade treats, like caramel apples, candy, fudge, and character cupcakes and cake pops. Let your kids cool off in the splash and play area, take a relaxing ride with Dumbo, or go on a barnstormer roller coaster just right for parents and their youngsters.

7:00pm — Walt Disney World Railroad— After romping around Storybook Circus, take a train ride on a steam powered locomotive, with a stop at Main Street, USA, then on to Frontierland where we will disembark and make our way to our dinner destination.

Liberty Square

7:10pm – Columbia Harbour House located in Liberty Square, where seafaring meals such as a lobster roll, chicken breast nuggets and fish, tuna sandwich, fried shrimp platter, grilled salmon, clam chowder, and much more. Satisfy your sweet tooth with chocolate cake or seasonal cobbler. This colonial style restaurant has all the atmosphere and décor of a fishing village of the early 1800’s. Enjoy, Matey!

7:30pm — The Haunted Mansion— Since the Haunted Mansion is so close to this eating place, take another ride on a doom buggy.

Fantasyland

7:45pm — Peter Pan’s Flight — Fast Pass and another magical ride on a flying sailing ship.

8:00pm — Prince Charming Regal Carrousel— This beautifully, ornately decorated carrousel usually has a long line, but staying in this area in time for the next few hours, because Fantasyland near Cinderella’s Castle is the best place to view the most breathtaking fireworks show in all of Walt Disney World.

8:30pm — Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid— Visit Ariel and her friends once again.

8:45pm — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — With or without a fast pass, this is a favorite ride, and since this is where we’ll watch the Fireworks show, which begins at 10pm, we’ll have time to wait; might even visit Gaston’s again.

10:00pm—Wishes Nighttime Spectacular — Fantasyland is one of the best places to be when this awesome fireworks extravaganza. It’s a brilliant combination of a medley of Disney songs, voices of famous Disney characters, along with an absolutely glorious display of explosions that light up the night sky in so many radiant colors of the rainbow. It is a show you definitely do not want to miss.

Tomorrowland

10:30pm — Space Mountain— Even if the line is long, our plan calls for another ride on this fantastic roller coaster.

11:00pm — People Mover — Riding the People Mover at night is magical. The neon lights on all the buildings and signs make Tomorrowland come alive with color and sounds that take you into the world of tomorrow.

11:20pm — Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin — After exiting Space Mountain, head for Buzz Lightyear and take another spin on this amusing trip through space fighting the evil Emperor Zurg.

11:30pm—closing — The final plan — a slow meandering stroll down Main Street, through all the shops along the way to the exit. We always take time for photos and final looks at the beauty and majesty of Cinderella’s Castle gleaming with sparkles and changing colors. The final announcement wishes all guests a good evening, and Mickey joins in to invite everyone back again to this most magical place on earth!

Bonus Tip!

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This is just one of our touring plans for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Even though you may not visit every attraction and ride in one day, you can plan your next visit to include what you missed the first time around.

Also you need to allow time for shopping, which we do along the way to our next ride or attraction. There is no wrong or right touring plan. Walt Disney World is a place where dreams and wishes come true, so enjoy your day, and with a little creative planning, your day at the Magic Kingdom will be even more magical.

BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!

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