With two kids 5 and under, this was the park with the most rides for us, so we had to have a bit of a game plan going into the day.  Bryan and I get a kick out of the blogs/videos that talk about “winning Disney,” but in fairness, if you don’t have at least a general day plan, you’ll be walking way more than you have to and not able to get on as many rides. 

We’ve already done a whole blog post on Epcot, Animal Kingdom and an overall Disney review from our trip last year but we thought we would dedicate a post to Magic Kingdom too as a lot of you have questions. Let’s get into it! 

Tips, Tricks, Suggestions:

1. If you are looking for the one park where Genie+ is an absolute ‘must,’ this is it. There are more rides (22 available for Genie+) than the other parks, more people, and we absolutely felt like we got the most benefit of the Genie add-on at Magic Kingdom.  

 

2. Get there when the park opens.  Certain hotels have access to early openings at most parks, most days.  Check your app or in the hotel lobby to confirm each day.  This was 100% worth it as the park is much less crowded for the first hour or so.  If you saw my story during our morning at Magic Kingdom we did the Carousel, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, It’s a Small World, and grabbed a cinnamon roll at Gaston’s before 10 AM.  It was a whirlwind, but totally do-able!

 

3. If your kids are little like ours, whenever you get access, head straight to Fantasyland.  Those first couple of hours are your big chance to get on as many rides as you can.

 

4. If Peter Pan is on your list, either go there first, or book it as a Lightning Lane.  That line gets long, very quickly.  

 

**Other rides that you’d want to book your early AM lightning lane:, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion.

 

**Other General Genie+ Tips:

1. Book a bigger ride first, then wait in lines until your time window is ready.  You can make your first booking at 7 AM, park opens at 9 AM (to all).  We booked Peter Pan one day, and Jungle Cruise the second day.  Both were 10:30 or 11:00 AM time slots (and Bryan booked as the clock hit 7 AM, so be prompt).  Before that time hits, do as many of the smaller rides as you can while the park is less full.   
2. At 9 AM, your 2 hour clock (until you can book another Lightning Lane) begins.
3. However, if you book a LL at 10:30 – as soon as you scan into that ride, you can book another one.  In that 3-5 minutes after you scan your Magic Band or phone, while waiting in line for your LL ride, that’s when you book your next ride.  This is huge at Magic Kingdom because there are so many rides.  We literally walked on to 8-10 rides in a row doing this.
4. Modify – this is a new feature to Genie+, but you now have the ability to modify reservations.  You can swap times, swap family members, change rides (without restarting your 2 hour clock).  This takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it can really help out as the day moves on.
5. Keep checking! People cancel, modify, etc – all day long! If there’s a ride you really want to go on, book it early, but if you miss keep checking as something may open up later!

This was our first time traveling with the Zoe Twin stroller and we loved it! (seen above) – Very easy to turn and move with one hand, lots of space for bags underneath and both kids were very comfotable!

Eloise’s Favorites (turned 5 on this trip):

• Peter Pan – a bit surprising, it’s old/dark and hard to see inside, but you’re “flying” and she absolutely loves that.  It’s a classic! If you don’t do Genie+ for this and the line isn’t super long, the rooms/story leading into this ride are really fun!
• Little Mermaid – She smiles, sings and dances for this entire ride.  Usually a pretty short line and a ride that she definitely looks forward to!
• It’s a Small World – Maybe not her parents’ favorite ride, but there’s so much to look at, it’s a great spot to cool off, and yes, the song… after all!
• Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and Dumbo – pretty similar rides, loves the ability to control the height and “surprise” her passengers!
• Carousel, teacups, Autopia – the classics!
• Bippity Boppity Boutique (pictured above) – this was our first experience here and oh my, so much fun! She had the absolute best time and I highly recommend it if you have little girls. She was on cloud 9! Note: make sure you make reservations ahead of time – we made them 60 days in advance and they book up fast!

 

Henry’s Favorites (turns 2 in April):

• Carousel – we think he’d ride this all day! One speed, no drops, no darkness, and a whole lot of smiles!
• It’s a Small World
• The Disney transportation buses to and from the park – essentially his favorite part of the trip (other than the food).  He was obsessed with the buses! Too funny!

 

Character Meet and Greets:

Both of our kids loved this! Via your Genie+ app you can book times to meet characters in different locations around the park.  Eloise wanted to meet Ariel in particular, and this allowed for that to happen without waiting in a long line.  

 

 

Food Highlights:

• Corn dog at Sleepy Hollow
• Fruit and Nutella Waffle at Sleepy Hollow
• Dole Whip at Aloha Isle
• Spring Rolls from cart in front of Adventureland
• Giant Cinnamon Roll from Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland
• Hot Dog from Casey’s on Main Street
• Candied Popcorn – Located in the front of the park in the Confectionary. You can create your own popcorn with sauces and candy. It’s super fun and delicous!
• Eloise and Henry love the chocolate ice cream Mickey ears from the carts all around the park, I love the churros, and you can’t go wrong with the popcorn!
• Tony’s – we made reservations for dinner here and LOVED it! It was perfect after a long day at the park – pastas, wine, bread – can’t go wrong.
• Cinderella’s Royal Table – we booked this for lunch on Eloise’s birthday and overall thought it was just ok. Food was good but they still aren’t having any characters walk around while you eat. It’s rumored that the princesses are coming back in March so I’m sure it’s a better experience if that’s the case!

 

What We Wore:

We had great weather while we were there so we just brought light layers to wear in the morning and at night! Comfortable walking shoes are a must and for the kids I always had a change of clothes in our backpack just in case.

Click on each image below for outfit details!

 

Overall, we had another incredible trip. Exhausted? Yes. Worth every minute. Absolutely! So much fun and our kids still talk about it daily. I hope this post was helpful if you are planning an upcoming Disney trip and have the best time!

Questions?! Ask away in the comments and I’ll get back to you!