The Magic Kingdom - The most magical place on earth
In my opinion Magic Kingdom is the king of all theme parks, as Disney put it, it is "where your fantasy becomes a reality".
The way it was planned out so carefully from the way you transition between the lands, the theming, the rides, the characters, the parades, I could go on and on. This is a park with so much to see and do, you can easily spend three days here and still not have done everything.
Getting There
You cannot just drive up to the car park out front like many theme parks, to reach the Magic Kingdom you will park your car at the Transportation and Ticket Center, then you will normally have the option of getting the Monorail or a Ferryboat across Bay Lake. Once you arrive at the entrance to the Park and have scanned you MagicBand or ticket, you will see the Main Street Train Station front centre and either side of this tunnels to enter this world of fantasy.
Main Street USA
Coming out from the tunnel you enter Main Street USA, based partly on a town called Marceline where Walt Disney lived as a child. It is a place stuck in time with a selection of shops and stores including a Barber Shop, Confectionery Store, Bakery, Emporium and Ice Cream Parlour to name a few.
As you wander along Main Street you get closer and closer to the centre piece of the park, Cinderella Castle, it is a spectacular sight and is even more impressive when lit up with fireworks and projections.
The Town Square Theater is home to Mickey Mouse, a great character interaction. There is quite often a character meet and greet in the Town Square as well. The Town Square is also the location of the Main Street Station for the Walt Disney World Railroad which takes you around the whole of the park, with stops in Frontierland and Fantasyland - unfortunately the Railroad is closed for the foreseeable future while the Tron ride is being built.
Adventureland
The attractions in Adventureland are:
Swiss Family Treehouse
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Pirates of the Caribbean
We skip the Swiss Family Treehouse, because it is a bit of a mission going up the Treehouse and then down again, I think it is a bit boring once you have seen it once, even then it is not the most interesting thing (in my opinion). I like all the other rides/attractions - the Tiki Room is great to get out of the heat for a little while and then at the exit there is Aloha Isle, the home of the Dole Whip and Dole Whip Float, if you don't know what I am talking about, just make sure you try one.
Frontierland
The home to two of Magic Kingdoms famous mountains, Splash and Big Thunder, both are great iconic rides for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, Splash Mountain has now closed and is currently being transformed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure with an opening date currently set at Late 2024. You will also find a Walt Disney Railroad station in Frontierland, as well as the raft that takes you across to Tom Sawyer Island - I find this time consuming and a bit boring, but if you want to get away from the crowds for a bit, it is probably one of the quietest parts of Magic Kingdom. Also just before you enter Liberty Square, you will come across the Country Bear Jamboree which is another great attraction that enables you to get out of the heat to relax for a little while.
Liberty Square
The smallest of the Magic Kingdom lands, the big ride here is the Haunted Mansion, you can also take a trip on the Liberty Square Riverboat as well as watch The Hall of Presidents.
Fantasyland
The largest and most magical land in Magic Kingdom it has so many rides and attractions:
It's a Small World
Peter Pan's Flight
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Princess Fairytale Hall
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid
Mad Tea Party
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
The Barnstormer
Walt Disney World Railroad
In my opinion the best ride is by far the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, unfortunately it generally has the longest queues, but I think all the rides and attractions in Fantasyland are good. Peter Pan's Flight usually has long queues so it is worth trying to get there early if you want to ride it.
Tomorrowland
Here you will find the following rides and attractions:
Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
TRON Lightcycle/Run (Opening 4 April 2023)
My favourite is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, I also like chilling out on the Peoplemover. Space Mountain is one of the classics, but it can be a little jolty. The Speedway looks great fun, but it is actually quite slow and the steering is awful. Astro Orbiter is good when done in the dark. The TRON coaster has been a long time coming, originally set to open Spring 2023 it was delayed by Covid, it is a high speed coaster which looks great. I look forward to trying it out later in the year.
In my opinion Magic Kingdom is the king of all theme parks, as Disney put it, it is "where your fantasy becomes a reality".
The way it was planned out so carefully from the way you transition between the lands, the theming, the rides, the characters, the parades, I could go on and on. This is a park with so much to see and do, you can easily spend three days here and still not have done everything.
Getting There
You cannot just drive up to the car park out front like many theme parks, to reach the Magic Kingdom you will park your car at the Transportation and Ticket Center, then you will normally have the option of getting the Monorail or a Ferryboat across Bay Lake. Once you arrive at the entrance to the Park and have scanned you MagicBand or ticket, you will see the Main Street Train Station front centre and either side of this tunnels to enter this world of fantasy.
Main Street USA
Coming out from the tunnel you enter Main Street USA, based partly on a town called Marceline where Walt Disney lived as a child. It is a place stuck in time with a selection of shops and stores including a Barber Shop, Confectionery Store, Bakery, Emporium and Ice Cream Parlour to name a few.
As you wander along Main Street you get closer and closer to the centre piece of the park, Cinderella Castle, it is a spectacular sight and is even more impressive when lit up with fireworks and projections.
The Town Square Theater is home to Mickey Mouse, a great character interaction. There is quite often a character meet and greet in the Town Square as well. The Town Square is also the location of the Main Street Station for the Walt Disney World Railroad which takes you around the whole of the park, with stops in Frontierland and Fantasyland - unfortunately the Railroad is closed for the foreseeable future while the Tron ride is being built.
Adventureland
The attractions in Adventureland are:
Swiss Family Treehouse
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Pirates of the Caribbean
We skip the Swiss Family Treehouse, because it is a bit of a mission going up the Treehouse and then down again, I think it is a bit boring once you have seen it once, even then it is not the most interesting thing (in my opinion). I like all the other rides/attractions - the Tiki Room is great to get out of the heat for a little while and then at the exit there is Aloha Isle, the home of the Dole Whip and Dole Whip Float, if you don't know what I am talking about, just make sure you try one.
Frontierland
The home to two of Magic Kingdoms famous mountains, Splash and Big Thunder, both are great iconic rides for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, Splash Mountain has now closed and is currently being transformed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure with an opening date currently set at Late 2024. You will also find a Walt Disney Railroad station in Frontierland, as well as the raft that takes you across to Tom Sawyer Island - I find this time consuming and a bit boring, but if you want to get away from the crowds for a bit, it is probably one of the quietest parts of Magic Kingdom. Also just before you enter Liberty Square, you will come across the Country Bear Jamboree which is another great attraction that enables you to get out of the heat to relax for a little while.
Liberty Square
The smallest of the Magic Kingdom lands, the big ride here is the Haunted Mansion, you can also take a trip on the Liberty Square Riverboat as well as watch The Hall of Presidents.
Fantasyland
The largest and most magical land in Magic Kingdom it has so many rides and attractions:
It's a Small World
Peter Pan's Flight
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Princess Fairytale Hall
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid
Mad Tea Party
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
The Barnstormer
Walt Disney World Railroad
In my opinion the best ride is by far the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, unfortunately it generally has the longest queues, but I think all the rides and attractions in Fantasyland are good. Peter Pan's Flight usually has long queues so it is worth trying to get there early if you want to ride it.
Tomorrowland
Here you will find the following rides and attractions:
Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
TRON Lightcycle/Run (Opening 4 April 2023)
My favourite is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, I also like chilling out on the Peoplemover. Space Mountain is one of the classics, but it can be a little jolty. The Speedway looks great fun, but it is actually quite slow and the steering is awful. Astro Orbiter is good when done in the dark. The TRON coaster has been a long time coming, originally set to open Spring 2023 it was delayed by Covid, it is a high speed coaster which looks great. I look forward to trying it out later in the year.