Consider this your Magic Kingdom Primer
1. Getting There
If you've never been before, its important to plan ahead. You cannot drive in your car or shuttle and be dropped off on Main Street. Oh no...Disney plays hard to get with its most magical of all magical places on the planet. You first, if you are driving, must park your car in their expansive parking lot. You then, unless you get there early, must take a little shuttle that drops you off at the Monorail.
Most get on the Monorail. If the line is long, take the Ferry. Its a lesser known and used method of getting to Magic Kingdom and the kids love it.
Once off the Monorail/Ferry, you must get through security..."Security" being a kindly retired cop who probably paid his dues bustin' perps for 35 years in the ghetto of Detroit, who glances in your purse and tells your daughter that she looks like Cinderella.
THEN! You may enter the Magical of Magicals.
2. The Set Up
Disney has several "Lands", with Main Street being the sole artery into the place. A helpful tip from my sister...don't wait forever to get your picture taken on Main Street by a Photo Pass guy. If you walk down Main Street and veer right toward Tomorrow Land, there will be a photographer, bored to tears, standing near a rose garden. The picture turns out tons better and you never had to wait.
Here's a map:
3. The Rides
If you have small children, this section is very important. Disney specializes in what they call Dark Rides. These are indoor rides that are typically "dark" so that they can spotlight their stunning anamotronic characters. Most of the Dark Rides are in Fantasyland and are for young kids. They are super safe. I once nursed my 8 week old daughter on Peter Pan.
However, the order in which you do the Dark Rides is key for a newby. Do NOT start with Pirates of the Carribean. Your child might be so terrified that they refuse to ride anything else. Even the Pooh ride is a little intense.
Try this: Its a Small World, then Peter Pan, then Winnie the Pooh., Splash Mountain, then MAYBE Haunted Mansion and Pirates. If they are good with that, then its just up to you as a parent what else they see. In Janurary (hopefully) they will debut their newest Dark Ride, "Ariel's Undersea Adventure". I can't wait.
4. The Story
Something you need to know to appreciate Magic Kingdom, is that Walt Disney is all about The Story. As you enter the tunnel that leads to Main Street, there are fake movie posters on the walls. He meant these to remind you of movie previews.
Next, you'll notice in the top windows of the Main Street shops that there are names listed. These are the original Disney guys. Its supposed to be like the opening credits.
Main Street guides you through the beginning of the story...of YOUR story...the different lands are simply vehicles for the adventure that you and your family create.
Beautiful. However, this does make things a little tricky for small kids. You see, each ride is not just a ride unto itself. It adheres to the rich Disney tradition of story telling. There is the set up, there's meeting the characters, but then there is always some friction...something tense happens. The Pooh ride has a thunderstorm/bad dream, for instance. Splash Mountain has a scary cave where Brair Rabit looks like he will meet certain demise. But they always end with a happy song and everyone living happily ever after.
Just keep that in mind with your little ones. I suggest getting on youtube and letting the kids "tour" a ride online so that they are used to the dark rides and robots (anamatronics) within the ride.
5. Mickey Punches In
One of our favorite things to do is to go to Magic Kingdom our first full day at Disney. If the park opens at 9am, get there at 8:30am. You will be rewarded. The Mayor of Main Street comes out and welcomes you from on high at the Disney Railway Depot as you wait in anticipation below. A bunch of singers come out and sing/dance. Then, the anticipation builds. In the distance, you'll see smoke. You realize its the train! Into the station it rolls with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and several princesses all ready to go to work.
No joke, my husband cried a little. Its SO exciting and the kids love it! Under a spray of confetti and streamers, the Mayor declares the park officially open, and in you walk to virtually no crowds at all.
6. Tips and Tricks
Which leads me to my next section. Here's what to do and not do in MK.
- Get there early! You'll have the park to yourselves for about 2 hours.
- As you enter, to your left is a souvenir cart. As the cast member for the day's schedule of events. Its very useful.
- Enjoy the ambience, soak in the atmosphere of Main Street, then make a bee line to Fantasyland
- Ride the crap out of Dumbo, Its a Small World, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh before the lines form.
- Head to the Buzz Lightyear Ride before the lines form.
- If you have older kids, book it to Splash Mountain or Space Mountain
- Skip Tiki Birds, its so dumb. My Dad is shedding a tear somewhere, because this is his favorite.
- Skip Tom Sawyer's island. You get herded on to a raft that is standing room only, you wait 10 minutes for it to fill up, you put-put across to the island that is really not that big of a deal, then you repeat the herding process and wallow in your disappointment that you just wasted an hour at a glorified park. Again. Personal opinion
- Do Astro Orbiter at night...so worth it.
- Need a nap? Take the kids on the super lame People Mover in Tomorrowland. Its dark, slow, and sometimes you can make eye contact with the attendant and they will let you take a couple circuits around if there isn't a big line.
- Eat a Mickey Premium Bar.
- The famous Dole Whip is over-rated.
- Its about $15/day to rent a stroller. Our children are almost 7 and 5 and we still take strollers with us. Those little legs do ALOT of walking! Tie something to the top of your stroller, because castmembers sometimes move strollers to make room. We found ours about 2 rides down the way once!
- If you do Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique, take your child to the bathroom first!!! They do not have one there and you end up hoofing it across Fanstasyland while praying they don't call your kid's name in the Boutique during your long absense...trust me.
- WEAR TENNIS SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Bring ponchos. .89 at Walmart. Its a sub-tropical climate and pop up rain storms come and go. We've only had to break them out once, but boy am I glad we had them! That's a tip from my sister, who practically lives at Disney.
As always, have a magical day and let me know if you have questions!
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