The Magic of Magic Kingdom

 When my husband and I first traveled to Disney World in 2013, my husband had never been. I hyped him up for all of this magic that we would experience! We decided to do Epcot (he has a programming and tech background with work) and Hollywood Studios! We headed to Epcot first. Now I will say that this trip was far from perfect, as it was my first time planning a trip, and I didn't really research before leaving! We got to the park, went around the park and around world showcase, and Dan (my husband) asked me where the magic was!!! I was shocked and a little bit upset by his reaction. Knowing we both grew up on the Disney VHS tapes of the 90's, I knew what he was after. I had never been to Epcot before that day either, but I knew where we could find the magic. I took him on a monorail ride over to Magic Kingdom, and we spent the rest of the day there. Walking into the Magic Kingdom park and up Main St USA, he leaned over and said "Okay! This is the heart of the magic!" Watching his face light up while he discovered all of the nostalgic things that live at Magic Kingdom was the best part of my trip! I still get that first time feeling each time I walk into the park and see the castle at the end of Main St! 

Lets go over some of my top tips for Magic Kingdom park! 

1. Park Opening & Closing. You are allowed into the park 1 hour prior to official park opening time. They will keep you on Main St, but you can shop, eat, grab a coffee, and take pictures in front of the castle. Main St is also open an hour after official park closing time. Again a good time for shopping and pictures. Also look at park hours for the day. Magic Kingdom sometimes closes early for special events. Depending on the event and closing time, fireworks might not be available for viewing that day. 

2. Rope Drop. This is a term you will often hear when planning and doing research. Rope Dropping is when you get into the park the hour early, and head to either the entrance of Tomorrowland or Adventureland (depends what ride you are looking to rope drop). As soon as the cast members open the whole park, you head to a big ride to rope drop it. Basically meaning it will have a shorter wait time because it is right at park open! When making your plans for each day, you should have an idea of what popular rides you want to do in that park and look at rope dropping one at park open! 

3. Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass. This one is a harder one for me to justify, but depending what time of year you go, it can be very beneficial. Lightning Lane Single Passes allow you to purchase a "skip the line" pass for a single top attraction. Prices for them fluctuate depending on the date and season. Lightning Lane Multi Pass lets you preselect 3 attractions to ride before you get to the park. after redeeming your first pass, you can select another one. This one again ranges in price depending on the season and date. All of our trips have been in the slower seasons, so we haven't had to purchase Lightning Lane at all. I have helped people use it when planning their trips over busier seasons at the parks. 

4. Where to watch the parades. If you don't need to have the castle in the backdrop of your parade experience, plan to watch the parade from Adventureland! There will be less people, you wont have to wait as long ahead of time, and you get the same parade experience as main st viewing, minus the castle. 

5. Wear Comfy Shoes! This park is crazy large at 107 acers! You are going to do a lot of walking! Please bring shoes that are very comfortable and already broken in! Blisters are not your friend when you're doing a Disney Trip with multiple park days. 

6. Pre-plan! Look at the app and find out what attractions are a must and what might be a skip. Look at at the height restrictions (if applicable for your party), watch wait times leading up to your trip to plan the day better, and check out where you can get food. 

7. Mobile Order. Most of the Quick Service Restaurants have a mobile order option. This allows you to pre-order your food and "skip the line" when your at the restaurant. 

8. Take the Stroller! Even if your child(ren) are older and not "needing" it anymore, take the stroller! It will carry all the things! The backpacks, the waters, the popcorn buckets, the souvenirs! It becomes the pack mule vs you becoming the pack mule! 

9. Scope out a spot for Fireworks. There are a lot of amazing spots to watch the fireworks and projections at Magic Kingdom. Do some research to find the best spots that you don't have to wait an hour for! I have a few of those spots that I might share in another blog post! 😉

10. Slow Down! Enjoy all the little moments that are Disney World. It really is magic and if you are going with kids, live through their eyes! This is the biggest moment in their lives at that point! Have a blast and enjoy the vacation! 




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