Disney Magic Kingdom Touring Plan

As promised in my Disney World tips and tricks post, I’m sharing our touring plans from our recent Disney trip for each park. The Animal Kingdom touring plan, in case you missed it previously, has been a popular one. This Magic Kingdom touring plan is for a one-day visit and tailored to a family with older children (9.5 and 8 years) and a toddler (2 years). I looked at several touring plans to figure out what might work well for our family and took our FastPass+ into account for a rough plan each day.

Because we were moving to a resort not on Disney property in the evening, we thought it would be easier to drive our car to Magic Kingdom to avoid having to go back for our luggage to Pop Century Resort after a long day. Parking is free at the parks if you stay on property. Ultimately, I think the hotel buses/transport are still better, because they drop you right at the park entrance.

Breakfast was in the park (Disney’s Starbucks version on Main Street, called Main Street Bakery) so we watched a parade during the extra magic hour before going on our first ride.

Magic Kingdom Touring Plan: Morning

Peter Pan’s Flight. We used a FastPass+ for this, and in hindsight, it’s shocking to me that this was necessary. It’s basically a slow ride, mostly in the dark, through Peter Pan’s world. Definitely geared to little ones, probably best for ages 3-6. The boys thought it was boring, the toddler hated the dark… We were off to a great start at Magic Kingdom…
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Another ride that’s geared to the little ones. Before we got on, we asked how much of it would be in the dark and were assured that only a tiny bit would be dark… Lies, all lies. Most of it was in the dark again, so it was another slow ride where the boys were bored, and my husband and I were making a big fuss over how awesome the ride was for our little one’s sake. She didn’t buy into our squeals of delight and hated it. Her favorite part were the gift shop as you exit, where she loaded herself up with stuffed animals, and the play area that’s designed to entertain the kids while you wait in line.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Finally, an outdoor ride for the little ones! She LOVED it and asked for more as soon as it was done. And the boys liked it, too. Win-win.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. A must-do classic! We had a FastPass+ and also got a Rider Switch since the toddler was too short for this ride. The boys loved the ride and rode it back to back with the Rider Switch.

Magic Kingdom Touring Plan: Lunch

After our busy morning of rides, we were starving and stopped at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe. I don’t know who came up with that name, but the food was good Tex-Mex. The kids’ meals were a really great value for the money.

Magic Kingdom Touring Plan: Afternoon

After lunch, we ended up making another loop through Magic Kingdom like this:

Pirates of the Caribbean. After lunch, the boys rode this ride, while Ellen and I walked around and eventually hung out in the gift shop exit, where she was happy to rummage around and play with the pirate treasure for sale.
Space Mountain. Another must-do classic. Again, we had a FastPass+ and a Rider Switch so we were here for a little while.
Parade on Main Street. It happened to be Mickey’s birthday during our visit so we watched this for a while. Our toddler loved the music and the princesses from afar.
The Barnstormer. The boys wanted to go back to try this ride, but it was too tame for them. It’s probably a good way to test if your kids like roller coaster type rides.
Haunted Mansion. The boys did this one. We all thought it would be a scary walking tour of the mansion, but it’s a slow ride. The boys claimed it wasn’t scary, but who knows.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. The toddler and I rode this, while the boys were in the Haunted Mansion. Basically, the exact same ride as Dumbo, except that you’re riding a magic carpet instead of an elephant. Another hit with the little one.
Swiss Family Treehouse. A fun walk through of a treehouse.

Magic Kingdom Touring Plan: Evening

At this point, we were all tired of walking and ready to see the cousins and grandparents. We watched the show in front of the castle on our way out, I tortured the kids by trying to get a photo of the three of them on Main Street (Fail. The toddler wouldn’t have any of it.), and then we rode the Monorail to our parking lot.