The place where storybook fantasy comes to life for children of all ages. No trip to Disney World is complete without visiting the Magic Kingdom. The park is made up of seven Lands; Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. Each area offers excitement and entertainment for all ages in the form of rides, shows and attractions!Exploring Magic Kingdom
Arrive early! Sometimes the gates open 15 to 30 minutes earlier than the official opening time. Arriving early also helps to counter morning traffic. If you are staying at a Disney resort, you are in luck. As their guest, you will have access to early entry privileges two days of the week - Thursday and Sunday. This will allow an extra 90 minutes of precious time to enjoy Magic Kingdom before the park officially opens.
Early entry provides your best chance to ride classics like Space Mountain and Dumbo with minimal waits.
Upon entering the park you will receive a leaflet listing the Lands and rides as well as the schedules for the shows and parades. The most popular attractions are situated at opposite ends of the park, making for a considerable amount of walking. A steam train makes a 20 minute circuit of the park, stopping at Main Street, Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown Fair.
Main Street, USA is the entry zone where everyone enters the park. This famous street is the thoroughfare to the land of make-believe. The best part of Main Street is the view of Cinderella Castle, which soars at a height of 190 feet. You can dine in the Castle. As you walk down Main Street, you will pass beneath the Main Street Station where you can catch the train for a ride around the park. Beneath the station are lockers where you can store your valuables and bags for a small fee. At the end of Main Street, closest to the Plaza, you'll find the Guest Information Board, showing wait times for all operating attractions.
Adventureland is a left turn off the end of Main Street. Adventureland is an exciting and entertaining fusion of the exotic and the tropical. One of the first attractions you'll come across in this Land, is the Swiss Family Treehouse. Climbing the tree provides you with a splendid overhead view of this section of the park. The Jungle Cruise boat ride is a ten minute narrated voyage on the rivers of three different continents. See animatronic exotic animals, zany explorers and ancient ruins as your skipper leads you deep into the jungle. The Enchanted Tiki Room is an amusing and cleverly animated attraction featuring characters from Aladdin and The Lion King. The show runs continuously throughout the day. The Pirates of the Caribbean is an extremely entertaining and detailed voyage on a seemingly realistic cruise through crumbling, underground prisons, past fighting galleons of the 16th century and through scenes of debauchery and mayhem. It remains one of the best of the original rides. Most kids 6 or older will like it. In Another popular ride, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, four-passenger carpets circle around a giant replica of a genie's bottle; the carpets move at the "command" of the riders, while camels spit water at riders.
Frontierland is located behind Adventureland, featuring rustic log cabins, wooden sidewalks, swinging saloon doors and other Old West staples. Attractions include; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, one of the park's popular rides acquires long lines of people starting early in the day, so enjoy this ride sooner rather than later upon entering the park. Thunder Mountain is something of a low-grade roller coaster with speed that whisks you through an old mining site, where you dodge floods, a bridge collapse, rock slides and other mayhem. Probably too intense for kids under 6. The Country Bear Jamboree, on the other hand, provides a completely animatronic musical animal show, much liked by youngsters. An outstanding attraction and probably the most popular is Splash Mountain. One of the finest flume rides, Splash Mountain is a voyage through the world of Disney's classic film, Song of the South, with a plunging vertical drop with a high splash factor.
Liberty Square is the smallest of the Lands and set in post-Colonial America. It hosts three attractions; Liberty Belle Riverboat - a relaxing scenic cruise aboard a steam-powered sternwheeler; The Hall of Presidents - theatrical magic brings you up close and personal to all of the Presidents of the United States; and The Haunted Mansion - the first ride constructed at Walt Disney World still holds its own as one of the best.
Fantasyland is usually the first destination for kids as their favorite storybook characters come to life here. Dumbo the Flying Elephant proves a compelling draw for the young while Cinderella's Golden Carrousel seems to entice both the young and old. Peter Pan's Flight is a deservedly popular ride among visitors under 8. It begins with a nighttime flight over London in search of Captain Hook, Tiger Lily and the Lost Boys. It combines the feeling of flying with the delight of perfectly matched music and movement. It's a Small World is a glide around the world in small boats accompanied by a persistent (or annoying) melody that is hard to get out of your head for the rest of the day. The newest attraction, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, features Winnie the Pooh with friends Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger. You board a golden honey pot and ride through a storybook version of the Hundred Acre Wood. The Mad Tea Party ride has guests sitting in teacups that go right and left in circular motions. This musical ride is a must for young children. Snow White's Scary Adventure may scare kids younger than 5. Ride on one of the dwarfs' mine cars into Snow White's adventures as the Evil Queen pursues Snow White into scenes from the animated film.
Mickey's ToonTown Fair appeals mainly to younger children. Here you'll find Mickey and Minnie's houses and have the opportunity to have your picture made with Mickey himself. Both houses are walk through attractions. Another character encounter can be found at Toontown Hall of Fame. The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm is a mini-roller coaster and the only "thrill" ride in this area. Donald's Boat is a playground with fountains that offers the very young a chance to get wet and relief from the heat on hot days.
Tomorrowland is based on a futuristic theme and has undergone numerous changes. The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was closed down after it was judged to be too scary for Disney. In it's place is Stitch's Great Escape!, inspired by the film Lilo and Stitch, the ride showcases the mayhem caused by the mischievous Stitch's adventures in outer space. Space Mountain is a classic roller coaster with plenty of plunging and spinning in the dark against projections of asteroids and the like. Visitors can soar high on silvery rockets on the Astro Orbiter ride. One of this Land's recent innovations is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. An extremely fast loader, it's one of the park's best rides. The new Tomorrowland Indy Speedway is a large safe course where kids and adults can drive their own race cars around a twisting track.
The Fastpass system works as a valuable timesaver by reducing the waiting time by up to an hour at most of the popular rides. Get a complimentary pass at dispensers near the entrance to the ride. Return within a scheduled "window of time" to get into a much shorter line. You can get only one Fastpass at a time so prioritize carefully.
