Do you know what we love most about the Magic Kingdom – absolutely everything!! From the food to the rides, to the stunning Cinderella Castle, Main Street, the parades, the shows, the characters – we’re grinning just thinking about it. A lot of people think on the first visit they won’t be that impressed with it all…oh boy! How wrong are they! We’ve lost count of the people who have gotten really emotional on seeing the Castle for the first time.
Magic Kingdom in Orlando is Disney’s most iconic looking park. Any advertisements for holidays, for Orlando, for Walt Disney World etc will almost certainly use photos of the Magic Kingdom to sell it! The fireworks over Cinderella Castle, which is a whopping 189 feet tall, and images of Mickey and Minnie in the parade, smiling and waving, and adults and children alike looking truly mesmerised. That’s how it gets you.
It sees 17.5 million guests per year and is larger than the original park in California at 107 acres. There is room for 12,000 cars on the parking lot which is bigger than the park itself, at 125 acres.
You enter the park at Main Street drawing your eye to the magic Cinderella Castle. The park uses forced perspective to make buildings look taller, the Main Street buildings look 3 storeys high but in reality they only 2 due to some clever illusions.
Fall decoration on Main Street.
Look out for Chapeau hat shop in Main Street, there’s a phone inside the shop and if you pick it up you’ll hear a conversation between a couple of your favourite Disney characters – just a little secret that not many people know about. Apart from lots of super merchandise shops, there’s the fabulous ice cream store and Casey‘s Corner hot dog store at the top of the street – so don’t forget to use the mobile ordering on the Disney App as they are always busy. There is also a real working barbers shop on Main Street. You can get your hair cut there, and they even do a children’s 1st hair cut package where your child gets a Mickey Certificate and hat. Very cute.
Along Main Street the numerous shops are great to pop into and steal a bit of air conditioning, lots of the stores are joined together so you can walk quite a way down the street in the cool air. A must do is a picture taken in front of the castle, I think it’s the law when in Orlando. If you don’t have a photo pass linked to your account just ask a cast member to use your own camera to take the picture, 9/10 they will take a better photo than you ever could…
The park is split into ‘lands” – Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, Main Street and Liberty Square.
A must see when visiting Liberty Square is the muppets talking about American history. You’ll see Kermit, Sam the Eagle, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo talking about the midnight ride of Paul Revere to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in a way only they can do, just make sure your kids don’t use any of the commentary for their school work!
placeholder://In Fantasy Land there are some mobile phone charging points made to look like tree stumps, handy if you are running low on charge after taking loads of pictures.Or you can purchase a battery bank for $30 ideal to grab so you can charge your phone or camera or iPad, these can be swapped at points dotted about all over the parks or Guest Services.
One of Mr Oh! Orlando’s favourite lands is Tomorrowland, its very kitsch and has some cracking rides such as Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. One way to get around is to is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Mover. A multi car trip around that section of the park, which is also ideal for seeing the progress of the new Tron Lightcycle coaster. (Due to open in 2021). It’s a mirror of the one in Shanghai. A good little ride for the younger park goer is the Tomorrowland Speedway – a ride where cars follow a track. All the thrills but no danger.
The rides you will have heard most about are at Magic Kingdom split between Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Frontierland. The mountains – Space, Big Thunder and Splash are all at Magic Kingdom and are classic rides that are fun for the whole family. After a ride on Splash Mountain you can be sure of two things, getting wet and singing Zip-a-Dee-Do-Da for the next couple of hours, and Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are always good fun. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of the newer rides at Magic Kingdom and is fantastic. It looks amazing and is fun and pretty, and delightful in every way. Don’t forget to use your Magic Band on entering the ride – you get a brilliant little video as well as the photo!
placeholder://Adventureland is a funny little place, its part jungle, part tropical island and part desert oasis! A real hodgepodge! You access this land via a rope bridge right next to the Swiss Family Robinsons tree house. The island is home to of the biggest attractions the Jungle Cruise and the Pirates of The Caribbean ride. There is also a pirate show several times a day. It features Jack Sparrow and the new girl Red. A fun show for all ages. You can also become a pirate yourself if you join the pirates league, this includes make up, a makeover and a costume.
Pirates of the Caribbean, which has been updated quite a lot recently to ensure the newer characters from the films are in the ride. Look out for the newer characters from the later films, and for Red, the new female pirate, as she’s popping up more and more around the park. There is some very good film related merchandise in the gift shop as you exit the ride, which has come a long way since its original incarnation, but it still remains a classic.
There are lots of family and young children friendly rides in the Magic Kingdom, constantly updated and reimagined as you’d expect from Disney, to include newer film characters whilst still keeping classic rides such as the Teacups and Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s a Small World (another ear worm if ever there was one) and Winnie the Pooh.
The parades are just beautiful and you get a chance to see lots of your favourite characters in the most amazing floats all in one go! People get their spots for the parades in advance and you can find the parade route and times on the daily park maps, or even better on you MyDisney App. This is an ideal time time to grab a snack and a drink! Or a sneaky fast pass for a ride as the rides tend to get a bit quieter when the parade is on.
There are day time shows on the stage in front of the Cinderella Castle and of course the night time shows and firework displays – 1 million fireworks are used each year in the displays. Disney World’s night time fireworks can be seen from miles away and we often see them on our way back from dinner as we are driving along Route 27 back to our accommodation.
There are loads of character meet and greets at Magic Kingdom, in various locations, which again you can find on your maps or MyDisney Apps. You will also find the talking Mickey in the Town Hall as you enter the Magic Kingdom. You will definitely need to Fastpass this attraction as wait times can be long. We have yet to meet the talking Mickey and it’s definitely on our list for our next trip.
Finally, if you are flagging a little and fancy a sit down, take a ride on the train that circles around the perimeter of the park. It’s a lovely old steam train and takes a leisurely trip around. There’s lots to see from a totally different perspective being a little higher up and it takes you to parts of the park you may not see when queuing for rides. You can get on and off at Main Street as you enter the park and also at Frontierland at the back of Splash Mountain and also in Storybook Circus in Fantasyland so if you are in Main Street and have a Fastpass for Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain or any of the rides in Fantasyland, and are totally worn out, take a little trip on the train. It will get you there in style!
There are lots of little hints and tips available to help to folks visiting the House of the Mouse for the first time, for example, if your child ever gets lost don’t panic! We suggest you tell them to always look for a cast member and point out the oval badges they wear. We once heard a cast member tell a child who had lost his family “you are not lost my little friend, we know exactly where you are – it’s your mommy and daddy who are lost so we’re gonna find them so they don’t get scared” Brilliant work from the outstanding Disney cast member. Any lost children are taken to the family room, which incidentally stocks nappies, baby food and formula, and first aid for anyone who needs it. So if you need just one aspirin don’t buy a pack just pop in there. Disney cast members all around the park and rides and in Guest Services are amazing and will help you whatever your problem may be. Don’t hesitate to ask them – they are worthy their weight in gold.
We know you’ll have a fabulous time, and even in peak times Fastpass, mobile food ordering and early starts or afternoon/evening visits to watch the fireworks etc mean it is always possible to get on what you want, see what you want and generally have a magical day – they don’t call it Magic Kingdom for nothing!
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