10 Do’s and Don’ts for Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom can be the most magical place on earth, but only if you go in with a little bit of knowledge first. Here are ten Dos and Don’ts to help ensure your trip to Magic Kingdom is full of fun and pixie dust.

10 – Do – Arrive Early

The best time to arrive at Magic Kingdom is one hour before the posted opening time. Magic Kingdom opens its gates sixty minutes before park opening. Guests are now allowed to stroll up Main Street U.S.A and up to the Hub. This will enable guests to get pictures, get some shopping done, and eat breakfast in the park without losing time otherwise spent on riding attractions.

Disney resort guests will also want to take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry, which allows resort guests to enter Fantasyland and Tomorrowland thirty minutes before the official park opening. This allows guests to jump in line for popular attractions such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Space Mountain. This can make a huge difference since wait times for these attractions will already be up to an hour at park opening. Non-resort guests will want to head to Adventureland and Frontierland when the park opens since those lands are closed during the Early Theme Park Entry time and wait times will be low at park opening.

Arriving early is the only way to see the opening show, “Let the Magic Begin,” which opens the park five minutes before the posted opening time. A Royal Herald invites you to join Mickey and friends as they open the park in a magical way. This stage show takes place at the Castle Forecourt Stage. The show sets the tone for a special day at Magic Kingdom.

9 – Don’t – Expect to Do it All

Magic Kingdom is a park made up of six areas and lands, each with many attractions, shows, rides, shops, and places to eat. It’s impossible to experience it all in one day at Magic Kingdom, so have realistic expectations of what you can do and see during your day at the park. If you’re worried about doing everything while at Magic Kingdom, you may be disappointed instead of enjoying all the wonderful things you experience.

8- Do – Set a Budget

Before setting foot in the park, set a budget for your day at Magic Kingdom. The first area of the park is Main Street U.S.A., which is lined with shops full of wonderful Disney souvenirs, not to mention the stores located throughout the park and all the food carts and dining locations. It’s easy to get caught up in all the items there are to purchase, and spending can easily get out of control. Setting a budget ahead of time makes it much easier to keep your spending in check.

7 – Don’t – Miss the Characters

If you plan on arriving at the park for rope drop and staying for the nighttime parades and fireworks, take a break during the day. Spending 10-12 hours in the park, in the Florida sun, is tiring, and people can get cranky, and this can affect how much you enjoy the day. Take the time to return to your resort for a break. Take a nap or a dip in the pool. Or, if you stay in the park, head out to Tom Sawyer’s Island to rest in the shade or see a couple of shows.

5 – Don’t – Delay Your Mobile Order

Disney has changed the process for Mobile Orders at quick-service restaurants. Rather than just being able to order and pick up your meal immediately, you now choose an “arrival window” when you order. Arrival windows are 30 minutes long, and a new window opens every 15 minutes (i.e. – 12:00-12:30 pm; 12:15-12:45 pm; 12:30-1:00 pm; etc.). Disney sets aside a select number of orders per ‘arrival window,’ so once a time slot is full, no more orders for that time will be accepted. Prime arrival window time slots will fill up on particularly busy days. So, if you go to order your food at 12 noon, the first arrival window you can choose may not be until 2:00 pm. For this reason, we strongly suggest that you order and choose your ‘arrival window’ early in the day and place your order for lunch and/or dinner as soon as you have an idea of where you’ll be dining. You can always modify and cancel your order if needed, so there is no risk in getting that order in early!

4 – Consider Purchasing Lightning Lane Access

While it’s not right for everyone, you may want to consider paying for Lightning Lane access, a paid option available to guests at Walt Disney World. Lightning Lane allows you to “skip the line,” and there are three different paid options that you can choose (along with different attractions) to access it. The first option is to purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a day or each day of your visit. It costs each person anywhere from $15-$39 per day. With Multi Pass, you can pre-book up to three initial attractions and access the Lightning Lane attractions at each park. Once you’ve visited the first attraction, you can book another attraction, based on availability. The second option is to purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass for individual attractions. These are a select group of top attractions at each park that are NOT included with your Multi Pass purchase. They must be purchased separately, and pricing ranges from $7-$25 per attraction, per person.

When booking Multi Pass and Single Pass, you can now book these selections seven days ahead of time (plus the length of stay) for Disney Resort guests or three days ahead for date-based tickets or annual passholders. You can now see what’s available, see exact pricing, and make selections before you make your purchase. This allows you to see if booking Lightning Lanes will be worth it for your trip.

A third option, only available to Disney Deluxe Resort guests, is the new Premier Pass option. Guests who purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will give guests one entry to each available Lightning Lane attraction at any time in the theme park they are visiting that day. This includes attractions included in both Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass, but with Lightning Lane Premier Pass, guests do not need to select an entrance time. Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be a “premium offering,” and prices will vary based on the date and theme park guests are visiting. Guests can expect to pay anywhere from $129 to $449 (per pass, plus tax) for the new offering.

While we encourage you to consider these options for your family, do keep in mind that you do not have to purchase either of these options to enjoy these attractions. A standby queue is available to all Magic Kingdom attractions, except for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which uses a virtual queue. 

3 – Do – Ride Attractions at Night

Many of the rides at Magic Kingdom are worth riding again at night. The Jungle Cruise takes on a whole new atmosphere at night, and you may even hear different jokes. Big Thunder Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and TRON Lightcycle / Run are all attractions that you should tackle at night. The Peoplemover is also great at night. It gives you a chance to relax and admire the park lit up against the night sky.

2 – Do – Make Dining Reservations

Table service restaurants are a great way to take a break and refuel at lunch or dinner. But the table service restaurants are very popular and book up quickly, so you can’t expect to walk up and get seated. Dining reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance, and making those reservations as early as possible is highly recommended. Having a reservation will also help you make a plan for your day at Magic Kingdom.

1 – Do – Research

Doing even a bit of research about the park ahead of time will greatly enhance your experience at Magic Kingdom. Check out the menus before you visit so you don’t waste time traipsing across the park to find a quick-service location everyone will enjoy. Knowing which attractions you simply must do will help you have a plan and give your day a sense of direction. Doing research before arriving at the park will help you avoid wasting time and feel like you’re doing the things you want to do and not missing out.