How To Do Magic Kingdom In One Day

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Of all the theme parks in Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom is the most visited. With the largest number of rides, characters, and shows, it’s important to have a strategy if you’re hoping to fit it in one day. And as Walt Disney World’s smallest park, you will feel the crowds fastest and be left wondering how you’re going to fit it all in. Thankfully, we have pulled together a 1 Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary to help help you maximize your day in Magic Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom Castle at Walt Disney World Princesses

Contents

1 Magic Kingdom Details
2 Magic Kingdom Early Entry
3 Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours
4 Magic Kingdom Rides
5 Magic Kingdom Characters
6 Magic Kingdom Shows
7 Magic Kingdom Meals
8 Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary
9 Magic Kingdom Tips

Magic Kingdom Details

As the worlds most popular theme park, it’s hard to believe that Magic Kingdom is Walt Disney World’s smallest park, and has the most rides. As a result there is way more than can possibly fit into one day. Especially if you’re hoping for Disney-esque experiences, like finding hidden pascals at the Tangled Tower, or booking a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointment. That said, this post will give you an idea of how to fit in rides, meals, characters and shows. Here are the details to know before you go.

Hours

Early Entry Hours ( when offered): 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Magic Kingdom Daytime Hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3:00 PM
Happily Ever After Fireworks Show: 9:00 PM
Extended Evening Hours ( when offered):10:00 PM to 12:00 AM

When does Magic Kingdom Open? Magic Kingdom hours vary throughout the year. It’s critical to check park hours for each park throughout your vacation, so you can match your vacation days to the park with the best hours each day. Check Disney Theme Park Hours in the My Disney Experience App or on the 5-Day Disney Calendar.

Be sure to arrive at Magic Kingdom at least 30 minutes prior to opening. If you’re staying at a Disney Resort you’ll have access to both Early Theme Park Entry and Extra Evening Hours throughout your stay. Check the 5-day Disney Calendar for the schedule.

Location

Here is the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot Address: 1180 Seven Seas Drive, Orlando, FL 32836 for the TTC. If you’re driving to Magic Kingdom then plan ample time to get to the TTC ( Ticket and Transportation Center), which is the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot. This location offers travel to the Magic Kingdom front gates via Monorail or Ferry. You will have to wait for both, and both take time to arrive at the park, so plan ahead.

Transportation

If you’re staying at a Disney Resort, then you can simply take whatever mode of complimentary Disney Transportation Your Resort Offers. This could be the monorail, a boat, or Disney Bus.

Magic Kingdom Early Entry

Reserved for Disney Resort Guests only Early Theme Park Entry allows you to get into the park 30 minutes before other guests. And ideally you want to arrive 30- 45 Minutes Before Early Entry Begins. While Main Street USA is open to all guests, two areas of the parks are reserved for Early Theme Park Entry. This includes Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This allows you to race to the lines for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, or Peter Pan’s Flight. All of which are popular rides and may not see low waits throughout the day. Few people want to be out of their resort at 6:30 AM during vacation, which is necessary if you’re hoping to arrive at Magic Kingdom 30 minutes ahead at 7:00 AM, for a 7:30 AM Early Entry start time. Or if the park opens at 9 AM, that early entry start time is 8:30 AM, allowing you a little extra sleep time.

Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours

Extra Evening Hours are reserved for Disney Guests, staying at Disney Deluxe Hotels. This allows you the opportunity to stay later than park closing on certain days. Often on a 9 pm-close, extra evening hours are extended to 11 pm. This gives you two more hours to ride what you didn’t during the day. As always check the 5-Day Disney Calendar for availability.

Magic Kingdom Rides

If you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, we highly recommend you buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass for the day and maximize it. As the park with the most rides, it’s very difficult to get all the best rides in with normal ride strategies. You can add this skip the line service to your park day through the My Disney Experience App. This allows you to wait in a “shorter” line than the regular standby line and therefore add more rides to your day. The service allows you an initial 3 Lightning Lane Passes to start your day. And as you use them you can add more Lightning Lane Passes as ride times become available. There are also 1-2 select rides in each park that require an Individual Lighting Lane Pass, these costs extra, and are more difficult to get.

Magic Kingdom Early Entry Rides

If you are staying at a Disney Resort and eligible to enter the park 30 minutes ahead of time you can try for select rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. However, there are a few things to know when it comes to maximizing your Early Entry at Magic Kingdom

Almost everyone races to Seven Dwarf’s Mines Train- so you can expect a long line.
Everyone else races to TRON, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and while neither are included in Early Entry, it still gets people closer to the front of the line, when the park officially opens
Aim for Space Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight during Early Entry.

Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Selections

These rides are the best rides to try for if you’re using Lightning Lane. And overall, Magic Kingdom rides you’ll want to add to your 1-day itinerary regardless.

Peter Pan’s Flight * ( try during Early Entry)
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
TRON
Space Mountain* ( try during Early Entry)
Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train ( standby line, or Lightning Lane Single Pass)

Lightning Lane Details

Lightning Lane is a service you pay for, daily, for each person in your party, Priced between $15- $30, per person, per day.
Lightning Lane Passes only include certain rides.
You can only hold one Lightning Lane reservation at a time. So as soon as you complete one, you can add another to the app. This is called stacking, and how you make the most of your day.
If you are a Disney Resort guest then you can make Lightning Lane reservations 7 days ahead of time.

Magic Kingdom Rides with Low Waits

As you’re working through the list of Must-Do rides, know that there are many rides that typically see waits under 20 minutes. These are great to add into spaces of your day, while you’re waiting for lines to lessen.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Carousel of Progress
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Enchanted Tiki Room
Swiss Family Treehouse
Country Bear Jamboree
Tom Sawyer Island
Liberty Square Riverboat
The Hall of Presidents
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
Mad Tea Party

Disney Characters in the Parks Disney World Pooh and Friends

Magic Kingdom Characters

If you’re adding characters to your day in the park, there are several character meet and greet locations if you want to add these to your plan. Know that Character Meet and Greets can have some of the LONGEST WAITS! As such be sure to check the app for times, so you can plan ahead. You can typically get 1–2-character meet and greets in one day.

Mickey Mouse can be found at Town Square Theater on Main Street USA
Disney Princesses are available at Fairytale Hall
Belle can be seen at Enchanted Tales with Belle
Ariel from the Little Mermaid can be seen in Ariel’s Grotto
Aladdin and Jasmine in Adventureland
Meet Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Slideshow
Meet Mirabel at Fairytale Garden
Meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at Thotful Spot

Keep in mind that Disney characters are also available at several restaurants in the park, so if you’d rather skip the line and have a meal instead that’s always an option. Character Dining options in Magic Kingdom are Cinderella’s Royal Table featuring Disney Princesses and Crystal Palace featuring Winnie the Pooh and Friends.

Festival of Fantasy Anna and Elsa Disney Parade

Magic Kingdom Shows

One of the best parts of any day at Magic Kingdom are the shows, parades and fireworks. Without them, it’s simply a theme park and it feels less magical. That said, our must do shows at Magic Kingdom are The Festival of Fantasy Parade, the Starlight Nighttime Parade and the Happily Ever After Fireworks Show. Be sure to make time for them in your daily plan.

Morning Shows at Magic Kingdom

Let the Magic Begin is the Magic Kingdom Welcome Show on the Cinderella Castle Stage and begins at 8:55 am. This is a 3 minute show and while cute, isn’t super necessary, if you’re racing to a ride line somewhere. TIME: 8:55 AM

The Main Street Trolley Show happens intermittently throughout the day on Main Street USA. And often includes dancing, singing, and seasonal overlays with the Dapper Dans and Citizens of Main Street.

Afternoon Shows and Parades at Magic Kingdom

Character Parades at Magic Kingdom happen throughout the day between 11 am and 5 pm and feature short parades, set to music, with Disney characters dancing and waving from whatever magical vehicle they’re riding in.

Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire is the afternoon show at Cinderella’s Castle featuring Princess Tiana, Rapunzel, and Anna and Else. Along with favorite friends from those films. Shown at 1:05 pm, 2:15 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:35 pm, and 7:00 pm this show is a great way to fill time between rides and see the Disney characters in the park. TIME: 1:05 pm, 2:15 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:35 pm, and 7:00 pm

Festival of Fantasy Parade is shown at 3 pm daily and shows off all the best fairytale characters, on floats, to music. This parade even features a mechanical fire-breathing dragon! A must-see during your Magic Kingdom day. TIME: 3 PM

Evening Shows at Magic Kingdom

Starlight Parade Dream the Night Away. This magical evening parade at Magic Kingdom features a variety of Disney characters, against floats covered with lights. Led by the Blue Fairy herself, all you need to do…is wish upon a star.

The Happily Ever After Fireworks Show is 360-degree fireworks show that happens at Cinderella Castle, with digital projections, crawling the buildings of Main Street. The ideal location for this show is about halfway down Main Street USA. However, it is typically very, very crowded, with many people waiting an hour or two ahead of time to claim their spot. We recommend the Happily Ever After Fireworks Dessert Party ticket if you’re determined to have a good view of this show and don’t want to waste precious park hours saving your spot. TIME: 9 PM

Magic Kingdom Meals

We are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan layout; the best of which is 1 quick service meals and 1 table service meal per day. This setup gives you the treat of having a special meal and is a good way to stick to your Disney Dining Budget. If getting the Disney Dining Plan as part of your Disney Vacation Package this will be built in for you as meal credits. That said, Magic Kingdom doesn’t always have the best food options. So, be sure to check menus ahead of time, to see which you may like best. Check out the Magic Kingdom Quick Service Restaurants you can choose from.

Breakfast at Magic Kingdom

For many, Breakfast at Magic Kingdom includes grabbing a sandwich and coffee at the Starbucks on Main Street USA. Other options include grabbing a quick-service breakfast at Sleepy Hollow, which includes fruit and chocolate hazelnut waffles, or Friar’s Nook, which has tater tot breakfast bowls intermittently throughout the year. Either way, you want to maximize your ride time in the morning so a quick breakfast is best.

Lunch at Magic Kingdom

Around lunchtime, that 1- 2 PM timeslot, the sun will be the highest and hottest and the park the most crowded. As such, in Magic Kingdom, we recommend a Table Service Restaurant break in the afternoon, and a quick service dinner. Skipper Canteen, Liberty Tree Tavern and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant are all good choices if you’re staying in the park.

Dinner at Magic Kingdom

For dinner at Magic Kingdom, it’s sometimes best to grab a quick serve, as you try and finish up the must-do items for your day. Pinocchio’s Village Haus has simple flatbreads and ample seating indoors if you’re looking for something cheap and easy and Columbia Harbour House is a good choice if you like seafood. You can also use this time to take a break and leave the park, by visiting one of the monorail resorts. All of which have great quick service options for dinner.

Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary

If you’re looking for a way to add in all your favorite things at Magic Kingdom consider the following lineup. While everyone will have their favorite things to try, here’s our daily park plan for Magic Kingdom. Note that not all rides are included, and really it is about personal preference and time. For us, we never take time for Hall of Presidents or Country Bear Jamboree, the same as you’d rarely find us at Barnstormer or Dumbo the Flying Elephant. That said, if these are priorities for you, just add them in! This isn’t by any means a one-size-fits-all situation, just a template to help you get started.

Morning Rides

When figuring out what to do at Magic Kingdom aim for getting the rides you want to do most DONE in the early part of the day before lunch. The exception here is if you are visiting on a day with Extra Evening Hours. Knowing that if you wait until later to ride your top priority rides, you may be stuck standing in line and/or missing out on them entirely. Here are the rides we’re tacking in the morning hours at Magic Kingdom.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
it’s a small world
Peter Pan’s Flight
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Note that if you have booked Lightning Lane Multi-Passes then you’re tied to those ride times. Keep in mind that there are always other times of day when line waits are lower. So, don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the big rides done early.

8 – 9 AM

If you’re able to take advantage of Early Entry, pick either Space Mountain or Peter Pan’s Flight, to help you maximize your day.

9 – 11 AM

As soon as rope drop happens, you’ll want to aim for Jungle Cruise, which is crazy popular and deserves your morning rush. Afterwards, check the wait time on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. You can also tackle Pirates of the Caribbean, since it’s in the area. And then plan to re-check Tiana afterwards. After Adventureland, head to Haunted Mansion, it’s a Small World and Winnie the Pooh.

11 – 12 PM

After what seems like hours of high wait times at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight you can count on a lower wait time between 11 AM- 12noon, as people avoided getting in the longer lines from the morning. As a result, typically wait time will say about 60 minutes around this time, as the line begins to go down, but in reality it’s closer to 40 minutes, usually.

12 – 1 PM

By far the best time to add in hard-to get-rides, is when everyone else is eating lunch. As such, you can use this time ( or dinner time) to tackle TRON, Tiana and the Snow White ride if they are still on your list. You may be surprised at line waits, so be sure to double check the My Disney Experience App for wait times.

Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake at Liberty Tree Tavern Magic Kingdom

1- 2 PM – Grab Lunch

The sweet spot time for Lunch at Magic Kingdom is 2 pm. We recommend you grab a snack to hold you over throughout the morning. That way you can aim for a good table-service restaurant to have your lunch. Why spend the middle of the day sitting for an hour in a restaurant to eat lunch? Well, because between 2-4 pm, the parks are the most crowded and the busiest. And since it’s Florida, it’s also the hottest time of day.

Plus, lunch reservations are easier to get than dinner reservations, so you have a better chance of getting your favorite restaurant. That said, Magic Kingdom does not have the best quick-service restaurants. So, if you’re looking to save money and grab a quick-service lunch instead, we’d actually recommend leaving Magic Kingdom and heading to a monorail resort just outside the park. Our best recommendation for a Table Service Lunch is Liberty Tree Tavern or Skipper Canteen.

3-5 PM

Your main priority during this time is the Festival of Fantasy Parade which starts at 3 PM.

Afternoon Rides

If you’ve prioritized the main and most popular rides in the morning, you’ll have ample time in the afternoon to get in everything else you’re hoping to do. Since crowds and waits don’t start to die down until 6 pm it’s time to head to lower-wait rides. And to aim for rides that are indoors.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid
“it’s a small world”
Mickey’s Philharmagic
Mad Tea Party
Walt Disney World Railroad

If you’re waiting to see Disney Characters on the cavalcades the hours between 4-5 pm are the last times they run at Magic Kingdom. Additionally, Character Meet and Greets waits are lowest during dinnertime, as families with small children head to grab dinner. As such, if visiting characters are on your list, check the My Disney Experience App for wait times, and jump in line. While certain meet and greets end around 3PM, the Princesses at Fairytale Hall, Mickey and the characters at Pete’s Silly Side Show are open later. Be sure to check times in advance!

5-6 PM- Grab Dinner

During the 5-6 pm hour at Magic Kingdom, people flood the restaurants for dinner. For this reason, we recommend you take your break and/ or dinner outside of Magic Kingdom at the Monorail Resorts. These resorts are easy to get to within 5 minutes, via the Resort Monorail just outside Magic Kingdom’s gates. For a Quick Service dinner, we like Captain Cooks at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, or Contempo Cafe at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

6-9 PM

Head to Tomorrowland for your last chance at rides. This area is gorgeous at night, and offers better ride experiences. Finding your place for the fireworks show, the gift shop and snacks should be a priority during this time of day, around 8-8:30 people start piling in front of the castle.

PeopleMover
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
TRON
Space Mountain
Carousel of Progress

9- 10 PM

The fireworks show at Magic Kingdom, Happily Ever After, starts at 9 PM, and is considered a Must-Do for your Magic Kingdom day. And since it is also a Projection show on the castle requires you to save yourself a spot anywhere in front of Cinderella Castle. And down Main Street USA if you’re hoping to have a decent view.

Magic Kingdom Tips

In addition to all the things we shared in this point, keep in mind that there are always more ways to maximize your money and time. Here are a few extra tips to help you make the most of your Magic Kingdom day.

Take Breaks When You Can

While this may feel counterintuitive, remember you are still on vacation! So, it should feel like a vacation, and less like a checklist. That said, we like grabbing a break as a treat for finishing the main rides in the morning. While this break can sometimes blend into a table service lunch, we find it also helps to just get away when it’s hot in the middle of the afternoon. Check out our list of the best places to take breaks at Disney World.

Only Save 1 Popular Ride for the Evening

Evenings are busy for several reasons. First, most people take stock of wait times of rides throughout the day, and when they see it’s too long of a wait, they just hope it will ease up later. This leaves many people finally giving in at the end of the day to ride the top priority rides they didn’t get to earlier. Second, after lunch, Magic Kingdom fills up with people who have park hopped there. This includes locals, pass holders, and other guests who have park hopper tickets. So getting to as many rides as possible before that 1pm or 2pm hour is critical

Add a Party or Event for More Time

One of our favorite Magic Kingdom day strategies is to book a Disney After Hours event. There are just a few of these available at Magic Kingdom and they all cost extra. But, they also typically have limited crowds and allow you to get to the rides without the heavy crowds. And if you’re traveling during the holidays, Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are also available. While the parties and events are expensive, the limited capacity helps you to tackle more rides than you can during the day and may be worth it to you.

Mobile Order your Meals

An easy way to keep out of lines, many of Magic Kingdom’s Quick-Service Restaurants offer Mobile Order. This means you can select and purchase your meals in your My Disney Experience App. Quick Service Restaurants we like, that offer Mobile Order, are Columbia Harbour House, Pinocchio Village Haus, and Aloha Isle- which means you can even grab a Dole Whip without waiting in line.

Make a Dining Reservation for Lunch

We highly recommend one sit-down meal for your Magic Kingdom Day. Mainly because taking a break from a whirlwind day is always needed. And if you plan it at lunchtime you’re out of the heat and highest level of crowds. Skipper Canteen, Tony’s, Crystal Palace, and Liberty Tree Tavern are all good budget friendly choices.

Ride popular rides during the 12-2 pm hour

Between 12-2 pm most people are either eating lunch or heading to their next park for the day via the park hopper. This means between 1-2 pm many people are traveling to their next park, leaving parks across Walt Disney World a little emptier as people travel between parks. As a result, 12-2 pm is an IDEAL time to try and finish up your morning batch of high-priority rides.

While You’re Waiting for Your Lightning Lane

If purchasing Lightning Lane passes you want to make the most of the time while you’re waiting. Since times given for these scheduled rides has a cushion of waiting, we recommend you fill this time with catching a show or riding the low-wait rides. That way your Magic Kingdom day is filled with fun, even when it’s not scheduled.

One Day at Magic Kingdom

While we always recommend 2 Days at Magic Kingdom, hopefully, this one-day itinerary has helped you see some options. As Disney’s busiest park it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like you need to spend all day waiting in lines. But that’s not the case! Planning Ahead can help you prioritize each part of your Magic Kingdom day, and make the most of your Disney Vacation.

Check out our other One Day at Walt Disney World Itinerary Guides for Each Park.

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One Day at Disney Magic Kingdom Park Itinerary

Rochelle Mariah

Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she’s watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.