I have had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World several times, but when I planned our first trip I was very overwhelmed with information. There were so many moving parts to a Disney vacation and spent lots of time planning. So what happens if it is a last minute trip and you don’t know where to start? I will give you some high level tips and remember to be in the moment!
I had the chance to help out a friend whose family had never been to Disney World it was kind of a last minute decision to add a park day to their trip since it was not their primary reason for being in the area. They decided to just do one day at Magic Kingdom.
My top tips for her were the following:
-From the parking lot it will take you at least 30 minutes to get into the park.
-Even if your family are not early birds the lines will be shorter if you go early.
-Go straight to the ride you want to ride most, there will be lots of time later in the day to take pictures with the Castle
-You can bring your own snacks and drinks into the park
-The Disney World App is incredible helpful while in the park
I asked her a few questions in regards to what the goal of their one day at Magic Kingdom was, rides, characters, parades, fireworks, food? Her family wanted to meet a few characters, ride the rides and see a parade. I asked about the kids height to be sure we included things everyone could ride. My other major question was were the kids scared or anything or not so sure about anything? If you have never been to the park unless you do some research you aren’t going to know about every ride, but asking if they would be ok on a ride that has areas that you go through a dark part like Pirates of the Caribbean or even Jungle Cruise.
I had her open the MyDisneyExperiance APP to show her some quick and simple things in the APP like filtering for the Park you are at, that you can filter for restrooms! Being able to filter for restrooms when you are not familiar with the park is so helpful with young kids. I also find it useful if there are specific characters to be able to check to see the times they are available. Then for dining I explained the helpfulness of the mobile order and how it will save you time if you order while waiting in line for a ride and then you can just click I’m here and your food will be ready shortly.
Talking a bit more about dinning, while there a few good table service restaurants for the short one day trip, I recommend a couple of the quick service locations that have kid friendly food options. Ordering from the kids menu is another one of my tips we like to get a few snacks to share thru out the day and if it is warm eating a big meal is not ideal. If you are planning a last minute trip in the App filter for Dinning and you will see the mobile order symbol, these are the locations I recommend so you can order food while in line and it will be fresh when you get to the restaurant.
After a few more questions about specifics this is what I came up with. I told her this is a very loose schedule, use it as a guide to know what is in the area that you are in, and things that her kids will like based on their ages and first time experiences. My tips were if something has a really long line you can always skip it and come back later or if you see something not listed and it looks fun just hop in line and keep going with the list.
1) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
2) Peter Pan’s Flight
3) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
4) Mad Tea Party
5) Dumbo the Flying Elephant
6) Journey of the Little Mermaid
7) Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
8) It’s a small world
9) Pinocchio Village Haus
10)Character Meet and Greet with Mirabell (check times in app)
11) Mickey’s PhilharMagic
12) Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
13) Enchanted Tales with Belle
14) Gaston’s Tavern
15) Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
16) Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
17) Tomorrowland Speedway
18) Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
19) Happily Ever After
20) Pirates of the Caribbean
21) Jungle Cruise
22) The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
23) Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
Are you planning a trip with a little one check out this one day Magic Kingdom post HERE
Need a little more help planning for your Disney World Trip check out this post HERE
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