Are you planning a one day Magic Kingdom itinerary and not sure where to start? Do you want to spend one day in Magic Kingdom and see all the best rides and attractions? This Magic Kingdom touring plan will help you plan your day at the Walt Disney World park .
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Magic Kingdom is located at the Walt Disney World park in Orlando, Florida. It is the first Disney theme park in Florida and has classic attractions like Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and it’s a Small World.
When planning your 1 day at Magic Kingdom itinerary you need to consider a few things before you arrive at the park.
Is it a low, moderate, or high crowd day? Deciding the best time to visit the Magic Kingdom, and considering crowd levels, can have an impact on how many attractions you can experience in one day. You can check crowd levels here.
What attractions does everyone in your group want to ride? Do they meet the height requirements? Are there any attractions or rides you want to skip? You can check out our top picks for the best rides at Magic Kingdom to get you started.
What will the weather be? Do you want to be at the parks mid-day in July? Weather is very unpredictable in Florida and rain can roll in without warning. The temperature is very hot and humid during the summer months and warm with cooler evening and mornings during the winter.
Do you have a FastPass reservation or dining reservation for the day? These times will help determine when and where you will start for your itinerary. Check out this article where I go into details on how to make FastPass at Magic Kingdom.
One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary
Before you visit the Magic Kingdom it is important to take a look at the Magic Kingdom map. This will give you an idea of the layout of the park and help you have a better understanding of the itinerary for Magic Kingdom you are planning.
You also want to check prices and hours before you arrive. Magic Kingdom one day ticket price starts at $109.00 a day. This price depends on the date of your visit and can change. Check ticket prices for Magic Kingdom here.
Hours also vary by the time of year. Shorter daily hours are in the lower crowd days and off-season, or on days where there is a special event.
Special events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are ticketed events and have earlier than normal park closing times. Guests need a separate ticket to attend the events. If you are not planning on attending the special events pick a different day for your Magic Kingdom visit.
Extra Magic hours can also affect Magic Kingdom hours. Extra Magic hours are before or after regular park hours and allow guests staying at a Disney resort to enter the park before other guests or stay later. Read our 7 Reasons for Staying On-Site During Your Disney World Vacation.
Magic Kingdom Layout
Magic Kingdom is laid out like a hub and spokes park. This means there is a center with paths leading out in other directions towards the different lands. There are 5 distinct lands at Magic Kingdom. They are Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.
Fantasyland is the most popular area and often where you want to start. This has rides like Peter Pan’s Flight, Winnie the Pooh, and Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train. You will also find Dumbo, it’s a Small World, and The Little Mermaid.
Tomorrowland has Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Frontierland has Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad. Adventureland has Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. Liberty Square has the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents.
All of the lands have more attractions but those listed are the most popular.
Now that you have gone over all of the important details to planning your Magic Kingdom itinerary you can start planning your day.
Arriving at Magic Kingdom
There are a few ways to arrive at the Magic Kingdom. Guests staying on-site can take bus transportation from their resort to the entrance. If you are staying at a Magic Kingdom resort you can take a boat or the monorail to the front entrance.
Guests staying off-site will park at the Magic Kingdom and take a ferry or the monorail to the front entrance.
Currently the opening schedule allows guests into the park 1 hour before park opening. Guests can explore Main Street U.S.A and grab breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. Shops are also open. This is also a great time to take photos in front of Cinderella’s Castle.
The park attractions do not officially open until around 9:00am (or whenever park opening is that day.) Guests will begin to line up at the entrance to the land where they will start their day.
There is a show in front of the castle to open up the park. It is called Let the Magic Begin and includes lots of Disney characters to start your day. If you want to see the show make sure to get close to the castle.
If you are not interested in the show you want to find a spot close to the entrance to the land you are starting at.
Where to Start Your Magic Kingdom Touring Plan
Where you start your day at Magic Kingdom will depend on your FastPass reservations and dining reservations. I suggest eating a quick breakfast at your hotel or on Main Street as soon as you arrive. This will maximize your time to ride the attractions once the park opens.
I also suggest starting your FastPass time around 9:30am for Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train. This is what we did in the itinerary example below and it allowed us to ride most of the Fantasyland attractions before lunch. You have a 1 hour window for your fastpass. If you have a 9:30 start time, you will have until 10:30 to ride.
Start with Peter Pan’s Flight, then Winnie the Pooh, and the Little Mermaid attraction. Then ride Dumbo and the Barnstormer. At this point you should be in your window to go on Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train.
After Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train you can go do the rest of the attractions in Fantasyland. They are the Tea Cups, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Prince Charming’s Carousel, and it’s a Small World.
If you are trying to ride the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom and you don’t mind the extra walking, we like to ride Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland. This allows us to get the most popular attractions in two Magic Kingdom lands done before 11:30am.
Dining at the Magic Kingdom
At this point we are usually ready for lunch because of our early breakfast. I try to plan our lunch before 12:00 to beat the lunch crowd but this isn’t always successful.
One way to save on waiting in lines at the parks is to take advantage of mobile ordering. Mobile Ordering at Disney allows you to order your meal from your phone, before you arrive at the restaurant.
This is a free service to all guests at the park and one we take advantage of often. Check out this article for full details on How to Use Mobile Ordering at Disney World.
A few of our favorite dining options at Magic Kingdom:
- Be Our Guest (Fantasyland, You need reservations for this but it is a quick service meal. Check reservation availability here.)
- Casey’s Corner (Main Street U.S.A)
- Cosmic Star Ray’s Starlight Cafe (Tomorrowland)
- Pinocchio Village Haus (Fantasyland)
- Columbia Harbour House (Liberty Square)
- Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen (Adventureland, You need reservations for this but it is a quick service meal. Check reservation availability here)
- Cinderella’s Royal Table (Cinderella’s Castle, Character meal featuring Disney princesses. Reservations here.)
- Crystal Palace (Main Street U.S.A., Character meal featuring Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Reservations here.)
- Tortuga Tavern (Adventureland)
When deciding where to eat at Magic Kingdom you need to know what are of the park you will be at around lunch time and do you need a reservation for the restaurant. There are quick service and table service options at the Magic Kingdom that fit all budgets and food preferences.
Shows at the Magic Kingdom
There are daily shows and entertainment options at the Magic Kingdom throughout the day. If seeing a parade is a top priority on your Magic Kingdom itinerary I suggest checking the times and creating an itinerary that works around the show times.
The Festival of Fantasy Parade runs daily, usually around 2:00pm. You also don’t want to miss Happily Ever After. This is the nightly fireworks show at Cinderella’s Castle. Happily Ever After is a celebration of classic Disney characters and the castle is brought to life in this amazing show.
Characters at the Magic Kingdom
Between the parades and attractions there are many places to see your favorite Disney characters. If you want to get to meet them you will need to make time for that in your itinerary. Some characters have FastPass reservation options and some do not.
Most are listed on the My Disney Experience app with times and locations. Check out this article that goes into details about the characters at the Magic Kingdom.
Now that you have considered your options and all the different things to see and do at the Magic Kingdom it is time to put it all together. I am a planner and I like to write out a flexible schedule for our visit.
At times this may change but I like being prepared going into our day at Magic Kingdom. Below I am sharing a sample Magic Kingdom 1 day itinerary we used. It allowed us to see and do many of our favorites.
I want you to know that it is near impossible to get everything done at the Magic Kingdom in 1 day. We have visited numerous times and there are still things we have never done.
With that being said, we always have an amazing day at the park. Focus on the experiences you have and what you do get to enjoy as a family and you will have an amazing day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Sample Magic Kingdom 1 Day Itinerary
7:00am-7:15am: Catch bus from resort to Magic Kingdom. Pick a time the night before that you want to leave by. Pack your park bag and get ready at night to have less stress as you get out the door.
7:30am -7:45am: Arrive at Magic Kingdom. Go through bag check/security. We typically eat a small breakfast while we wait to get into the parks or when we get to Main Street. This is usually granola bars or dry cereal.
8:20am-8:30am: Line up at the entrance to the area you will start your day at. We started at Fantasyland. Look at the map and go to the entrance of the land you would like to start at.
9:00am: Park Opens!! This is the order we did all the rides including our Fastpass and meals. By arriving early we were able to get 7 attraction done before lunch. This was on a moderate crowd level day.
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Dumbo
- The Barnstormer
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (FastPass 9:15am-10:15am)
- Space Mountain (older kids), Buzz Lightyear (Younger Kid)
- Lunch: Be Our Guest at 11:05am. We had reservations and we ordered our meal before we arrived at the park. Doing this will save you time waiting to order when you arrive.
- It’s A Small World
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain (FastPass 12:30pm-1:30pm)
- Enchanted Tiki Room
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Festival of Fantasy Parade at 3:00pm We watched in Frontierland. Find a spot 45-30 minutes before. This is a good time to grab a Dole Whip in Adventureland to enjoy while you wait. Remember to use mobile ordering!
- The Haunted Mansion
- Princess Fairytale Hall (FastPass 5:50pm-650pm) Currently you can meet Cinderella, Elena, Rapunzel, and Tiana.
- Dinner at Cosmic Rays Café
- Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor
- Any Attractions we missed or wanted to ride again
- Finish with fining a good spot around Cinerella’s Castle to watch Happily Ever After.
With this Magic Kingdom itinerary we were able to experience the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions. We spent most of our time experiencing rides and didn’t do as many characters.
Most of the rides and attractions are for families with kids of all ages, but I added a few extras below that you may want to ride if you are planning a day at Magic Kingdom with Toddlers or for adults.
Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Toddlers
- Meet Characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and more at different locations through the park.
- Ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Play in the Dumbo Playground
- Casey Jr. Splash n’ Soak Station
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
- Jungle Cruise
Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Adults
- The Hall of Presidents
- Carousel of Progress
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
- Jungle Cruise
- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain
Magic Kingdom is a park that families can enjoy all together. From toddlers to adults, and everyone in the middle, there is something for everyone at Magic Kingdom.
This one day Magic Kingdom itinerary is flexible and works best when you prioritize what works best for your family. Use this as a guide to plan the best day at Magic Kingdom for your family.
Read Next: Step by Step Disney World 7 Day Itinerary Planning Guide
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