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.
Walt Disney World has changed a lot in the last few years. And with the addition of Lightning Lane and Disney Genie+ getting onto rides has become more complicated. So, how can you strategically plan your day to where you actually get to do everything you want to do? From deciding your top rides, to where you’re going to eat and which restaurants will need reservations, to shows, fireworks, and more. There is so much to do that a few decisions upfront can make your One day in Magic Kingdom easy, fun, and manageable! Get ready to plan your day.
Can you Plan a Disney Park in One Day?
Yes. You can plan on one day in any Disney Park, but Magic Kingdom tends to be the most difficult. As a solid two park, Magic Kingdom includes over 20 rides and attractions, plus shows, and more restaurants than you may want to fit into one day. Add in fun things like the Hidden Pascal Game at Magic Kingdom, and character visits, and you’ll find one day is nearly impossible. As such, in our How to Plan your Disney Days post, we share our best strategy for a fun, and easy day at the park. While we’ll share ways to get the most out of your park day, here’s the basic formula for a day at Disney. Mind you this is dependent on when you arrive in the park, when you leave, and what the crowds look like.
- 3 rides: Plan your 3 Top Priority rides first, and then add more through the day.
- 1 table service meal: Plan a late lunch around 2PM at a sit down restaurant to escape the heat and crowds.
- 1 parade or show: Make time for entertainment.
- 1 character meet and greet: Choose your favorite character and aim for a Noon meet and greet time.
Contents
Magic Kingdom Details
Before we dive in, let’s chat the plan. We talk about Magic Kingdom a lot on this blog! As Disney’s most popular park, we have loads of tips, reviews, recommendations and guides. And while it is impossible to fit everything in on a 1-day Magic Kingdom Itinerary, we’ll do our best to give you a snapshot with some specific articles to read. If you start to get overwhelmed by “all the things,” just check out our Magic Kingdom Top 10 Things to Do post. This is a well balanced Magic Kingdom List of 10 things, that will help you feel like you got in the important stuff.
And of course at one point throughout the day you will need to eat, so we’re including our Magic Kingdom Restaurants Guide for you to peruse as well. Know that we’ll include our favorite restaurants at Magic Kingdom in this post, but if you’re hoping for more details on any of them, just check out the guide.
And finally, everything we chat here, can be seen on our easy Magic Kingdom Checklist PRINTABLE. So, if you already know what you want to add to your one day at Magic Kingdom, you can print the List of Attractions at Magic Kingdom, and shows, and restaurants, and check your favorites to start building your day.
How to Get to Magic Kingdom
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. 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. Here is the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot Address: 1180 Seven Seas Drive, Orlando, FL 32836 for the TTC.
Magic Kingdom Hours
- Early Entry Hours ( when offered): 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM
- Magic Kingdom Daytime Hours: 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM
- Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3:00 PM
- Happily Ever After Fireworks Show: 8:00 PM
- Extended Evening Hours ( when offered):11:00 PM to 1:00 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.
Early Theme Park Entry at Magic Kingdom
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.
Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane at Magic Kingdom
If you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, we highly recommend you buy Disney Genie+ 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.
Is Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane the Same Thing?
Sort of. Disney Genie+ is the skip the line service you can add 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 2 Lightning Lane Passes to start your day. And as you use them you can add more Lightning Lane Passes as ride times become available. While Lightning Lane Passes are included in the Disney Genie+ service, there is 1-2 select rides in each park that require an Individual Lighting Lane Pass, these costs extra, and are more difficult to get.
Here are the most important things to know about Disney Genie+
- Disney Genie+ is a service you pay for, daily, for each person in your party
- The Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Passes only include certain rides. Read about the Rides included in Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World.
- As part of Disney Genie+, you can only hold one Lightning Lane reservation at a time.
- If you are a Disney Resort guest then you get to make Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations early- at 7 am- which means you have a better chance of getting your highest priority ride.
- If you want Genie+, you’ll need to purchase it either as part of your vacation package or same-day between 12:00 AM and 7:00 AM. Since you can’t choose your first ride until 7:00AM, there’s no benefit to waking up at 1AM to buy it. Just grab it at 6:30 AM or 6:45 AM so you’re ready.
- The Virtual Queue for TRON opens at 7AM and 1PM, so be sure to be in the My Disney Experience App to grab your boarding pass, if you’re hoping to ride. ( Note, getting a Disney Virtual Queue Boarding Pass is FREE)
Planning Magic Kingdom Rides for One Day
Okay, to break down what rides you should try to fit in one day at Magic Kingdom, here’s the breakdown on the rides that are most popular. For our money, buying Disney Genie+ for Magic Kingdom is a must. With so many rides, if you can get your Disney Genie+ at 7am, and choose the earliest time, high priority, rides, then you’ll be able to add another ride as soon as you’re done with your last, giving you the chance to ride the most rides during your day. Depending on which rides you choose, you can generally get between 10-12 rides in, in one day.
What are the Best Rides at Magic Kingdom?
If you only have one day at Magic Kingdom your time is limited! And so much of it will depend on crowds. And some rides are naturally more crowded than others.
Highest Waits
- Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train – Individual Lightning Lane or Wait In Line (45-90 minutes)
- Peter Pan’s Flight- Rope Drop with Early Morning Theme Park Entry
- Haunted Mansion- Disney Genie+
- Jungle Cruise- Rope Drop with Early Morning Theme Park Entry
- TRON- Must have Virtual Queue Boarding Pass or Lightning Lane Pass.
Average Waits
- Space Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Low Waits
- 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
What are the Best Rides to Use Disney Genie+ for in Magic Kingdom?
These rides are the best rides to try for if you’re using Disney Genie+. And overall, Magic Kingdom rides you’ll want to add to your 1-day itinerary regardless.
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Jungle Cruise
- Haunted Mansion
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Space Mountain
What are the Best Rides to Use Individual Lightning Lane for in Magic Kingdom?
The ride included as Disney’s Individual Purchase Lightning Lane at Magic Kingdom is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Characters at Magic Kingdom
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. There are also times when you can meet the Beast at Be Our Guest, but this is only offered during dinner.
Planning Magic Kingdom Meals for One Day
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. If looking for a more elaborate Magic Kingdom breakfast, we recommend breakfast at Crystal Palace for a nice buffet meal that includes all the makings of a good breakfast.
Lunch at Magic Kingdom
Lunch at Magic Kingdom can be a great table service restaurant or a quick service meal. Unfortunately, the quick service offerings at Magic Kingdom are very much “theme park” food. Casey’s offers hot dogs, Cosmic Rays Cafe serves up burgers, Pecos Bill’s offers tacos and burritos, etc. Of the quick service options available Columbia Harbour House, and Pinocchio’s Village Haus are decent bets. As an alternative, we like to make the lunch hour a true break with a table-service meal instead. Options for lunch include Be Our Guest, Skipper Canteen, Crystal Palace, and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.
Dinner at Magic Kingdom
Dinner at Magic Kingdom can easily be something simple either in the park or at any of the Monorail Resorts. Dinnertime at Magic Kingdom gets rather busy with people either grabbing food or racing to their last rides of the day. We highly recommend mobile ordering food if you’re heading to a quick-service restaurant. Pinocchio’s Village Haus has simple flatbreads and ample seating indoors if you’re looking for something cheap and easy.
Planning Magic Kingdom Entertainment for One Day
One of the best parts of any day at Magic Kingdom are the shows. 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, and the Happily Ever After Fireworks Show. Be sure to make time for them in your daily plan at 3PM and 8PM respectively.
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.
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 Cavalcades 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.
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.
Evening Shows at Magic Kingdom
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.
Magic Kingdom Park Itinerary for One Day
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.
If purchasing Disney Genie+ for your Magic Kingdom Day plan to buy it between 12 am-7 am the day you’re hoping to use it. That way you will already have Disney Genie+ attached to your travel party before you need to select your Lightning Lane selections. This will give you your best chance at getting the ride at a decent time.
If purchasing Disney Individual Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train you have to grab that the second you step into the park.
Get there Early
Frankly, the earlier the better. Whether you’re grabbing breakfast at Starbucks, or heading to your favorite ride, being there earlier is better. It doesn’t matter how you arrive at Magic Kingdom. Monorail, Ferry, Walking Paths, and parking your car at the TTC are all ways of getting there. Know that the busiest times for guest arrival are typically between 10-11 am. With heavy crowds happening from 11 am- 6 pm each day. While this 1-day itinerary for Magic Kingdom focuses on trying to complete your top priority rides before 2 pm, this is a lot easier when you get to the park early!
Do Popular Rides in the Morning
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.
7:30 AM: Arrive
Breakfast: Plan an early morning breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace, or head to the Starbucks at Magic Kingdom as soon as you arrive. Note that the Starbucks line is consistently long in the mornings, so be ready to stand in line and wait if that is your breakfast choice.
30 minutes before Park Opening ( Early Theme Park Entry)
Both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open for Early Theme Park entry, which means you can head to Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, and/or Space Mountain.
8:30 AM: Early Entry Starts
Head to Peter Pan’s Flight or Jungle Cruise as soon as the park opens. Or Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train if you haven’t bought the Lightning Lane pass. While waits during rope drop may be about 30-45 minutes long once you get to the ride, these are popular rides, and getting them done early, will help you tackle rides with lower waits the rest of the day. Rides with the asterisk* can be pushed to evening hours as well if unable to get to earlier in the day.
- Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train
- Peter Pan’s Flight*
- Jungle Cruise
Let the Magic Begin Welcome Show ( 5 minutes before park opening)
9 AM Park Opens
Head to Frontierland and Liberty Square.
- Haunted Mansion*
- Ride Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Pirates of the Caribbean*
Mickey’s Friendship Faire Show (1:05 pm, 2:15 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:35 pm, and 7:00 pm)
Plan a Late Lunch
2 PM 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.
The best Quick Service Lunch Restaurants near Magic Kingdom to consider are Contempo Cafe at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Captain Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Maximize Late Afternoon
3 PM Festival of Fantasy Parade
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
- PeopleMover
- Dumbo
- Barnstormer
- Mad Tea Party
4-5 PM Character Cavalcades Wrap up
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. Disney Character Cavalcades are a great way to see the characters without having to wait in line.
Break for Dinner
Depending on where you are at this point in the day, anytime after your second group of rides is a good time to take a break. During the 5-6 pm hour at Magic Kingdom, people flood the restaurants for dinner, head to rides they need to get in before they leave, and descend upon the gift shops. 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.
For Table Service Dinner, we like the Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
If you’re committed to staying inside the park, any quick-service restaurant will do. Frankly, all the quick-service restaurants at Magic Kingdom are equally sub-par. Thankfully, they mostly all take Mobile Order, which at least you can save you some time.
Evening Rides
Evening hours are typically spent grabbing any favorite rides you may have missed, and save your spot in front of the castle for the Fireworks show. It’s also a great time to grab one last Snack at Magic Kingdom for the day.
8 PM Happily Ever After Fireworks Nighttime Spectacular
The fireworks show at Magic Kingdom 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.
How to Make the Most of Your Magic Kingdom Day
Early Theme Park Entry
Reserved for Disney Resort Guests only Early Theme Park Entry allows you to get into the park 30 minutes before other guests. 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. Our advice is to be at the Magic Kingdom gates at least 30 minutes BEFORE Early Theme Park Entry begins.
Choose a Day with Extra Evening Hours
Extra Evening Hours are reserved for Disney Guests, staying at SELECT Disney Resorts. Typically, Disney Deluxe Hotels are included. 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.
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. Head to a Monorail Resort, or the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds area ( via boat) for some walking and beach time.
Don’t Save More than One 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
Get additional time in Magic Kingdom by attending a party or event
One of our favorite Magic Kingdom day strategies is to book an 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. Disney’s Boo Bash and Very Merriest After Hours are seasonal holiday events, and expensive. They also, however, have very limited capacity.
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 an Advanced Dining Reservation
We highly recommend one sit-down meal for your Magic Kingdom Day. Mainly because taking a break from a whirlwind day is always needed. Plus, there are certain restaurants in Magic Kingdom that may be on your Disney Must-Do List. Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest, Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen and Crystal Palace are all difficult reservations to get, but worth it for many!
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 or using Disney Genie+ 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. Grab this FREE Printable Fill-In Disney Planner for Magic Kingdom to get started. Happy Planning!
Check out our other One Day at Walt Disney World Itinerary Guides for Each Park.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. 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.
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