Is one day enough for a visit to Disney’s Magic Kingdom?
We recently visited Magic Kingdom park for just one day with our children ages 7 and 10, and it was definitely a magical experience. But you’re probably wondering, how much were we able to see and do in just one day? How did we break up our day? Well, in today’s post I will answer all of those questions and more!
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First things first, let’s discuss the details of our trip.
We took a brief family trip to Orlando at the end of October – a few days before Halloween. During our trip that week, we made a stop at Magic Kingdom on a Thursday. We were super lucky as there weren’t a ton of visitors the day we went, and this could be for a few reasons:
- There was a thunderstorm/tornado watch in effect the day we went (and yes, we did get absolutely drenched during a midday storm)
- It was a Thursday at the end of October
But it is important to note that the low attendance that day had a massive impact on how our day went. The longest wait time we had for a ride was approximately 45 minutes. But many of the rides we were able to walk right up and hop on.
So, let me just give you a breakdown of our 12-hour day at Magic Kingdom.
Our Itinerary
9:00am Arrive at Magic Kingdom via Ferry
RIDES/ ATTRACTIONS VISITED BEFORE LUNCH:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (wait time: approximately 45 minutes)
- Peter Pan’s Flight (wait time: approximately 35 minutes)
- Haunted Mansion (wait time: approximately 15 minutes)
- Splash Mountain (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
Please note: We did grab the girls a snack (popcorn and a popsicle) before lunch and were, therefore, able to push lunch to 1:00pm.
We took a lunch break around 1 pm at the Columbia Harbour House in Liberty Square. For about $40, all 4 of us were able to enjoy a tasty quick service meal and rest our feet to prepare for the second half of our Magic Kingdom fun.
RIDES/ ATTRACTIONS VISITED AFTER LUNCH:
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- Space Mountain (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- PeopleMover (wait time: NONE)
***At this point, we were hit by a massive thunderstorm so we went to enjoy one of the shows until the storm passed***
- Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor show
- Mad Tea Party (wait time: NONE)
- Tomorrowland Speedway (wait time: approximately 20 minutes)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (wait time: approximately 20 minutes)
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant (wait time: approximately 10 minutes)
- The Barnstormer (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid (wait time: approximately 15 minutes)
- It’s a Small World (wait time: approximately 5 minutes)
- Prince Charming Regal Carousel (wait time: approximately 10 minutes)
- Astro Orbiter (wait time: approximately 30 minutes)
8:00pm Fireworks
Tips/Mom Notes
We did stay until Disney’s 50th-anniversary fireworks show at 8:00 pm which was 15 minutes long. So, yes, we had a pretty long day. But it was no problem for my kids. It also wasn’t super hot outside- the temperature was in the high 70s and there wasn’t a lot of sunlight so we were pretty comfortable. Additionally, as many of the rides didn’t have long wait times when we went, we got lots of breaks to rest our feet throughout the day.
Here are a few more tips to keep in mind if trying to visit Magic Kingdom in one day:
- Download the Walt Disney World app so you can check ride wait times and any temporary closures throughout the day. I actually monitored wait times for rides throughout the week to get a better idea of which rides typically had the longest wait times. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train consistently had one of the longest wait times, so we hit that one first thing in the morning before the line got super long.
- Bring your own snacks so you can snack on the go! Making stops to purchase snacks can slow you down (and also run up the bill)
- Make sure you have your ponchos! We got caught in a pretty rough storm but we threw on those ponchos and kept it moving. When the weather got a little too wild for us, we just headed indoors to enjoy one of the shows.
- We did skip the popular Jungle Cruise this time around because it had over a 60-minute wait all day and we just wanted to keep it moving. My kids weren’t particularly interested in that attraction so it wasn’t worth the wait for us. I recommend having a list of must-ride/see attractions before you go so you can prioritize.
- If you all need a break, TAKE A BREAK! There is SO much to see at Magic Kingdom. There is no way you can experience it all in just one day, so just try to do as much as you can. The most important thing is that you actually ENJOY the experience. Don’t suck the fun out of it by trying to squeeze every single attraction into your schedule.
Conclusion
It is possible to see and do ALOT at Magic Kingdom in one day. There are a lot of variables to consider when trying to pull it off. However, as you can see, we got on nearly every ride at Magic Kingdom and even got to enjoy one of the shows. By the way, the Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor show is awesome and I highly recommend it.
What are some of your top tips for visiting Disney World? What are some of your favorite parks/attractions? Feel free to share in the comments!
