Earlier this month, we found ourselves with a few days in Orlando, Florida. Our daughter is four-years-old now so we figured this would be the perfect opportunity for her first trip to Disney World! However, since she has a lot of sensory sensitivites and gets overwhelmed easily, we figured it would be best to stick to just one day at one park. This led us to create this perfect Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary!
The following Disney World itinerary is the exact itinerary we followed and we all had a fabulous time. If you’re looking to plan a one day Magic Kingdom itinerary with kids and are feeling overwhelmed, you’ve come to the right place. We’re sharing everything we learned and recommend for one day at Disney World to ensure you have a fantastic trip! We’ll cover everything from the best time to arrive with kids, to using Genie+ and booking lightning lanes, to where to eat with kids. Let’s dive into it!
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Overview
Is one day enough at Magic Kingdom?
This is subjective and I feel like it all depends on your wants, expectations, and planning skills.
When we told people we were headed to Orlando and only spending one day at Disney World, they were shocked. Most felt that one day would not be enough to experience all the magic of Disney.
However, by sticking to Magic Kingdom which has the most rides for younger kids, and by spending the time to carefully plan our one day itinerary, we honestly felt like we were able to accomplish everything we wanted to in just one day!
For us, one day at Magic Kingdom was enough. Would we have liked more days? Of course, but we didn’t feel like we missed out on anything by only having one day at Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom 1-Day Tickets
Magic Kingdom is unfortunately the most expensive out of the four parks at Disney World.
For a one-day ticket, the price starts at $129/adult (age 10+) (during the low season in August/September) all the way up to $189/adult (age 10+) (during the winter holiday season).
Children ages 3 to 9 are $5 less per ticket and children under 3 are FREE!
Purchase tickets in advance on the official Disney website.
Should I use a stroller at Magic Kingdom?
Yes! A stroller makes all the difference in your kids being able to last the entire full day at Magic Kingdom. Even if your kids are older and never use a stroller back home, I’d recommend using one, even up to age 7 or 8!
Our four-year-old never uses a stroller back home, but we appreciated it so much while at Magic Kingdom. We rented one when we arrived at the park and she was so excited to ride in it. She didn’t use it the entire time, but it definitely made for a quicker and easier walk between rides separated by long distances.
Also, even though she doesn’t nap back home, she was able to take a quick cat nap mid-day while we went on an “adult ride” that she was too small for.
Doing Magic Kingdom in one day is a LOT and you will cover many miles walking throughout the park, so using a stroller is definitely worth it so that your child does not get too tired and grouchy.
We honestly feel like using a stroller was the number one reason for how we were able to accomplish everything we wanted to in one day at Magic Kingdom. Without it, our daughter would not have been able to last the full day.
Stroller Rental
- Single Stroller (for kids up to 50 lbs): $15 for one day
- Double Stroller (for kids up to 100 lbs): $31 for one day
How to find it: When arriving at Magic Kingdom, you will see signs indicating where to find the various rentals.
First, you’ll pass by the wheelchair and locker rentals, before coming to the stroller rentals on the left.
They will give you a name tag and crayon so that you can write your name and place it in the slot on the stroller so it’s easier for you to find amongst a sea of strollers.
Is Genie+ worth it?
Yes! With only one day at Magic Kingdom, Genie+ is definitely worth it so that you can hit up as many rides as possible!
Not only that, but being able to wait in the lightning lanes instead of the long standby lanes is way more preferrable with a child. Our daughter was able to wait 45 minutes in line a few times throughout the day, but we often had to carry her and entertain her. Using the lightning lanes was much better and kept the complaints from our daughter to a minimum!
By utilizing Genie+, we were able to do a total of 14 rides and four character meet and greets in one day! This was way more than we were expecting. It allowed us to experience everything we wanted to from our Magic Kingdom 1-day itinerary!
How much does Genie+ cost?
You can only purchase Genie+ on the day of your park visit (starting from 12:01am Orlando time) and it must be purchased on the My Disney Experience app.
The cost varies depending on the day and you won’t be able to see the price ahead of time. However, it ranges between $15-$35/person. On the day we visited, it was $27/person plus tax.
Is Memory Maker worth it?
Yes! We found the price to be quite reasonable for one day and we got so many great family photos that we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to take.
We easily found photographers at all the iconic spots and never had to wait in line too long. The photographers got us to do some fun poses that we wouldn’t have thought of and also added some “magic” to the photos.
It was nice to be able to see the photos right away on our phones using the app and share them instantly.
Cost: $75 for one day, includes unlimited downloads of all photos (accessible for 45 days afterwards)
How to do Magic Kingdom in one day
Here are all our tips to maximize your Magic Kingdom 1-day itinerary!
- Arrive one hour before opening (this allows you enough time to park your car and get to Magic Kingdom in time for rope drop)
- Use a stroller (save/restore your kids’ energy and get around the park quicker)
- Purchase Genie+ (save time waiting in line and ride more rides)
- Bring snacks and water (keep yourself energized and hydrated and save yourself from waiting in food stall lines)
- Skip the sit-down restaurants and opt for quick service instead
- Wear lightweight comfortable shoes (to ensure you can be on your feet all day long)
- Book lightning lanes strategically (you’ll want to book the most popular ones first)
- Watch POV videos ahead of time (to figure out which rides you want to prioritize)
Best rides at Magic Kingdom for kids
Out of the four parks at Disney World, we found that Magic Kingdom has the most rides geared toward younger kids. In fact, there are 17 rides that don’t even have height requirements! You’ll find something for everyone, even with babies and toddlers.
The following are the best rides at Magic Kingdom for kids, in alphabetical order:
- Astro Orbiter
- The Barnstormer (35″/89cm height requirement)
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- It’s A Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tomorrowland Speedway (32″/82 cm height requirement)
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad
Magic Kingdom Ride Height Requirements
The majority of Magic Kingdom rides do not have any height requirements at all! This is perfect for families visiting Disney World since you don’t have to worry whether or not your baby or toddler is too short for the ride.
As shown above, out of all the rides we recommend for young kids, only two have a height requirement.
The following are all the rides at Magic Kingdom that DO have a height requirement. There are only six of them!:
- The Barnstormer (35″/89 cm)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (40″/102 cm)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (38″/97 cm)
- Space Mountain (44″/113 cm)
- Tomorrowland Speedway (32″/82 cm)
- TRON Lightcycle/Run (48″/122 cm)
Detailed Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary
This is the exact Magic Kingdom 1-Day itinerary we followed. We’re providing our exact timeline so that you can get an idea of our approximate wait times and schedule, but obviously your exact times will differ depending on the day you visit.
We visited on a Saturday in February when the park opened at 8 AM and closed at 11 PM. Since we were not staying at a Disney resort, we did not have early entry but we still planned to arrive before opening so that we could be there for rope drop.
6:00am Genie+ Purchase
We were up bright and early to ensure we could get in a quick breakfast before heading to Magic Kingdom well before park opening time.
The first thing I did when I woke up was open up the My Disney Experience app and purchase Genie+.
7:00am TRON Virtual Queue
If you would like to experience Magic Kingdom’s newest ride, TRON, but don’t want to pay extra to purchase an individual lightning lane, you can try your luck at joining the virtual queue right at 7 AM.
We were actually in the car and headed to Magic Kingdom at 7:00am, so I was on my phone at 6:58am ready to try my luck. I had the app open, ready to click the button to join the virtual queue, and watched as the seconds counted down to 7:00am.
As soon as I saw the minute turn, I clicked the button and got it! What a way to get your adrenaline going first thing in the morning haha. Despite joining the second it opened, we were in Group 60, meaning our ride time would likely be sometime in the afternoon.
7:02am First Lightning Lane Selection
For those who have purchased Genie+, you may select your first lightning lane at 7:00am. However, if you want to try riding TRON, you should prioritize joining the virtual queue at 7:00am, and then select your lightning lane afterwards.
Ideally, you should select a lightning lane for one of the most popular rides that you want to go on, since these will have the longest waits throughout the day.
For us, this was Peter Pan’s Flight. It is a very popular ride at Magic Kingdom for all ages and usually has some of the longest standby times. As you can see below, Peter Pan already had a 40 minute standby wait at 8:15am.
Once you have your lightning lane entry time, you have one hour to enter. For us, we were given a lightning lane time of 8:55am for Peter Pan, meaning we could enter anytime between 8:55am-9:55am.
7:05am Parking
Our goal was to arrive at the Disney World parking lot about an hour before park opening to ensure we had enough time to park, make our way to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), take the monorail, enter Magic Kingdom and walk up Main Street.
We arrived at the Disney World parking toll booths at 7:05am and paid for standard parking. By 7:12am, we were parked and walking to the TTC.
Don’t bother paying extra for preferred parking when you arrive this early in the morning. The lot isn’t too full yet so you get to park pretty close to the TTC. You’ll be able to walk over instead of having to take one of the parking lot trams.
Daily Parking Costs (in and out privileges for all 4 parks):
- $30 for standard parking (car or motorcycle)
- $45-55 for preferred parking (seasonal, depends on day)
- $35 for oversized vehicle (shuttle, limo, camper trailer, RV, bus)
Tip: Use the My Disney Experience app to remember your parking spot!
7:20am Monorail
We arrived at the TTC at 7:17am and were happy to see there was no line at all. It was a quick walk through security, which was just a simple metal detector.
From the TTC, you have the choice of taking either the monorail or the ferryboat. We chose the monorail as it seemed like it was going to be quicker. The ferryboat doesn’t run as regularly, but still only takes about 10 minutes once on it.
We were able to walk right onto the monorail at 7:21am, just before the doors were about to close. The monorail from TTC to Magic Kingdom is the express line so there are no stops in between. It was a quick 5-minute ride and we were off the monorail at 7:27am.
7:30am Magic Kingdom Entry
We arrived at the park gates at 7:30am and were greeted by a friendly cast member. After scanning our tickets on my phone, we were given our physical ticket cards.
It was a very quick process and before we knew it, we were greeted with our first real glimpse of Magic Kingdom!
7:32am Photos
We wanted to capture this special moment of entering Magic Kingdom for the first time, and luckily there was a PhotoPass photographer right there so we got in line.
Since we had purchased Memory Maker, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to get in our first shots. There was a small line but we only waited five minutes to get our photos taken.
7:41am Stroller Rental
If you have not brought your own stroller, then you’ll want to rent one as soon as you enter Magic Kingdom. Just follow the signs.
Again, since it was so early in the morning, there was no line when we arrived. We just walked up, paid for our rental, and picked up a single stroller. The whole process took three minutes.
7:45am Main Street USA
After entering Magic Kingdom, you’ll make your way down Main Street USA, with a lovely view of the castle.
This is a great time to take some photos. There are a number of PhotoPass photographers up and down Main Street ready to take the perfect shot of your family with the iconic castle in the background.
However, if you’d like to witness rope drop, skip the photos and quickly make your way down Main Street so you can watch rope drop right at 8:00am.
We opted to take our time to avoid the crowds and big rush of rope drop. Once the initial rope drop crowd dispersed into the park, we made our way down Main Street and headed to Fantasyland.
Fantasyland has the largest concentration of rides for kids and was where most of the rides our daughter wanted to go on were located. Therefore, this was the logical place to start our day at Disney World.
8:06am The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Standby Line)
Our daughter absolutely loves Winnie the Pooh so we figured this would be the perfect introductory ride to begin our day. Considering the park had just opened, we took advantage of the low standby wait times and got in line at 8:06am.
The line moved quickly and there were lots of interactive displays to keep kids entertained. Before we knew it, we were riding in the honey pot!
The Winnie the Pooh ride turned out to be an excellent choice for our first ride of the day. While it is a darker ride, it is slow, gentle and happy, so our daughter loved it and it got her feeling more comfortable about riding more rides.
We were off the ride by 8:27am.
8:32am Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid (Standby Line)
Next, we headed to the nearby Little Mermaid ride. Our daughter was super excited to ride the seashell! Luckily, there was no wait for standby so we literally got to just walk onto the ride.
While this is another darker ride, it has the fun element of feeling like you are going under the sea, and is gentle and slow. This is another great introductory ride for kids to start your day with.
We were off the ride by 8:45am.
8:45am Multi-experience pass
We had planned to head to Peter Pan’s Flight for our lightning lane entry but got a notification on the app that the ride was unfortunately closed. Because of this, we were given a Multi-experience Pass which instead allowed us lightning lane access to any ride from the list provided in the app.
This was disappointing because it felt like a bit of a waste of a lightning lane since we had strategially chosen Peter Pan for early in the day. All the other rides we wanted to go on currently had short standby waits. However, our daughter excitedly spotted the Tomorrowland Speedway so that’s where we decided to go next!
8:51am Tomorrowland Speedway Lightning Lane
We used our multi-experience pass to tap into the Tomorrowland Speedway Lightning Lane at 8:51am. The standby line was quite short so it was a bit of a waste of our lightning lane, but we didn’t see any better option to use it on. Oh well.
Our daughter is fascinated by cars so she obviously loved getting to try driving for the very first time! She did better than I expected, but she did get tired of it after a while and I had to take over steering.
We were off the ride by 9:05am.
9:10am Cheshire Cafe
By now, it felt like time for a snack and luckily the Cheshire Cafe was right there to greet us when we got off the Tomorrowland Speedway.
I had the Cheshire Cat Tail on my Magic Kingdom food bucketlist so we ordered one to share, along with an iced coffee.
While enjoying our sweet treats, we looked at the Disney app and strategized what our next steps should be. Unfortunately, many of the rides our daughter wanted to go on were closed!
We were right there by the Mad Tea Party teacups but it was closed, and so was the Barnstormer. A few of the other rides our daughter was interested in had short standby waits so we ultimately decided to book our lightning lane for It’s A Small World. Then we were off to take advantage of some kids rides with short standby waits.
9:24am Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Standby Line)
This was one of the rides our daughter was most excited for at Disney World so we were thrilled to see a short, fast-moving line. The standby wait said 15-20 minutes, but it only took us 5 minutes in line and we were on the ride by 9:30am!
Our daughter was ecstatic to fly high up in the air with mommy and daddy. This is an excellent ride for kids of all ages. It’s exciting but still gentle, and kids love being able to control the elephant going up and down.
We were off the ride by 9:34am and went to take some photos with Dumbo.
9:39am Bathroom Break/Casey Jr. Splash N Soak Station
We spotted some restrooms by Casey Jr. Splash N Soak Station and figured this would be a good time for a potty break.
Since it was February and cooler weather, the splash and soak station wasn’t on. However, in the warmer months, this would be a great place for kids to take a break from line-ups and just run around and have some free play.
9:57am Princess Fairytale Hall (Standby Line)
Our daughter was very excited to meet some Disney princesses so this was obviously high up on our priority list. We noticed the app was showing only a 20 minute standby wait so we figured now would be a good time to get in line while we waited for our next lightning lane.
We got in the line to meet Cinderella and a visiting princess at 9:57am. The estimated wait time was accurate and we got in to see them at 10:23am.
Tip: If this is high up on your child’s bucketlist, visit early in the day, or book a lightning lane for the afternoon. Standby times can get pretty long mid-day. This is also when temperatures are hottest so it’s a good time to plan to be inside where you can escape into some AC.
Princess Elena greeted us in her beautiful red ball gown. Our daughter was feeling pretty shy and hesitant, so I ended up having to go with her and take photos together.
She warmed up a bit by the time we got to Cinderella and we got lots of photos with the automatic photo capture machine, as well as our own personal photos on our phones. Since we had Memory Maker, we were able to download all the captures on our phones.
We exited into the gift shop at 10:30am and of course she wanted to purchase a magical wand like Cinderella’s.
10:35am Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (Failed attempt)
Across from Princess Fairytale Hall is the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. Considering how much our daughter loves carrousels, it was no surprise that this is the ride she absolutely had to go on next.
After Daddy (unsuccessfully) tried pulling the sword from the stone, we got into the line at 10:37am. The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel does not have a lightning lane, only a standby line. However, the line moves quickly and we only waited about five minutes.
Unfortunately, when we got to the front of the line, the ride broke down. Our daughter was understandably very upset. There were some tears and we had to quickly find something else to get her excited about to distract her.
Thankfully, I saw on the app that The Barnstormer ride she wanted to go on earlier was now open with a posted standby wait of only 10 minutes.
10:53am The Barnstormer (Standby Line)
We rushed over to The Barnstormer and joined the standby line. It was still showing a 10 minute wait, but that turned out to be inaccurate. I guess everyone rushed over when the ride opened and the standby time did not update right away.
We ended up waiting 30 minutes in line and our daughter struggled with it. The line wraps around next to the Walt Disney World Railroad station and the train’s steam whistle is very loud.
The long wait coupled with the loud noise was not fun for our daughter and we would have been much better off using a lightning lane for this ride.
However, we finally made it on the ride at 11:23am and our daughter was excited to try out her first roller coaster! She was a little nervous at first but she did very well. It’s a great introductory roller coaster and the perfect way to gauge your kids ability to go on the bigger coasters.
Despite being a kiddie roller coaster, it was more thrilling than I expected. It’s a very short ride though so if your child does struggle with it, at least it will be over quickly.
11:38am Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (2nd Attempt)
After our thrilling roller coaster ride, we headed to It’s a Small World for our lightning lane. However, on the way there, we noticed the carrousel was running again – yay! So, obviously, we had to stop and try riding it again.
We got in line at 11:38am and were on the ride by 11:46am. The smile on our daughter’s face could not have been bigger. This may be an unexciting ride for adults, but it’s super magical for the kids!
11:55am It’s a Small World (Lightning Lane)
After the carrousel, it was time to join our next lightning lane. By now, the park was starting to feel very busy and crowded so we were grateful to have lightning lane access to It’s a Small World.
When we arrived at 11:55am, the standby wait showed 35 minutes and the line looked quite long. Luckily, we were able to join the very short lightning lane and walk right on past the long lines – nice!
Our daughter absolutely loved this gentle ride and was singing along and dancing in her seat the entire time. It really is a great ride for kids.
We were off the ride at 12:13pm and it was time to start thinking about lunch and our next lightning lane. However, we had been checking the Disney app often to ensure we didn’t miss our TRON boarding group. We could see that the virtual queue was almost at our boarding group so we figured we’d better head towards Tomorrowland.
Since we were headed in that direction, we decided to book our next lightning lane for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
12:28pm TRON Lightcycle/Run (Virtual Queue)
At 12:20pm, we were notified on the Disney app that our boarding group was called and we had one hour to enter the queue. We were super excited for this ride so we decided to head there first before grabbing lunch.
Obviously our daughter could not join us since there is a height requirement of 48″/122 cm. We were planning to do Rider Switch with Grandma, but Grandma decided she wanted to hang back with our daughter instead and skip the ride after seeing it up close.
We arrived at TRON at 12:28pm. After a surprise celebrity encounter (we ran into MICHAEL JORDAN – Ryan’s life was made!!), we made our way through the long queue. This was the longest line we had to wait in at Magic Kingdom, which we weren’t expecting. We waited a total of 55 minutes in line but it was worth it!
The in-line experience is very cool and futuristic and you can feel the anticipation building as you watch other riders speed off on the ride.
Note: There are lockers available to leave your bags/ears/sunglasses/etc. Remember the locker number and use your ticket/MagicBand to unlock it after the ride.
It’s a very unique roller coaster in the way that you sit as if you are on a motorcycle. The speed is intense! We absolutely loved it. So thrilling and so much fun!
It was nice to get in a ride for us parents, even though this 1-day Magic Kingdom itinerary was planned around our daughter.
We were off the ride at 1:25pm. As we exited, there was a PhotoPass photographer so we stopped to get some more fun photos.
Tip: If you don’t have a MagicBand or you leave your phone in the locker, your ride photos probably won’t show up on the app (ours didn’t). You’ll have to visit Town Square Theater before you exit Magic Kingdom and ask the staff to manually link your ride photos.
1:45pm Lunch at the Lunching Pad
After TRON, we reunited with Grandma and our daughter. She had actually fallen asleep in the stroller while waiting for us so she got in a rejuvenating nap. Now it was time to eat!
We headed to the nearby The Lunching Pad. This is an inexpensive and quick option for lunch with a menu to please both adults and kids.
We ordered Cuban Hot Dogs which came with a side of chips, and a warm Mickey pretzel with cheese sauce for our daughter. The Cuban hot dogs were unique and delicious!
2:28pm Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Lightning Lane)
After refuelling at lunch, we headed to our next lightning lane which was conveniently right across from The Lunching Pad. We entered at 2:28pm and were on the ride by 2:35pm.
Our daughter wasn’t sure if she was going to like this ride but she had an absolute blast! She had so much fun spinning around and shooting at the targets. It ended up being her favourite ride at Magic Kingdom!
Afterwards, it was time to make our next lightning lane selection. We decided on Pirates of the Caribbean as we figured it would be an appropriate time for our daughter to have another snack break while we went on the ride.
3:00pm Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
Our daughter was very eager to meet more Disney characters so next we headed to Pete’s Silly Sideshow.
There are two separate line-ups: one for Daring Disney Pals (Goofy and Donald) and another for Dashing Disney Pals (Daisy and Minnie). Our daughter wanted to meet Goofy and Donald first so that’s what we did!
Note that there’s no lightning lanes here – only standby. Fortunately, the waits don’t get too long in comparison to the princesses. When we arrived at 3:00pm, the posted wait time was 20 minutes, which turned out to be accurate. The line wasn’t very long but it moved slowly.
Our daughter loved interacting with Goofy and Donald and thought they were so silly. She got lots of hugs, high-fives and laughs!
3:28pm Meet Dashing Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
After we finished with Goofy and Donald, we saw that there was no line to meet Minnie and Daisy! So we exited and headed back in again to see the ladies.
We literally got to walk right in to meet them!
By now, our daughter was feeling much less shy after having met a number of characters already. She couldn’t stop giving big hugs to Daisy and Minnie.
Minnie Mouse is her absolute favourite character so she was ecstatic to hug her and show off her Minnie Mouse dress and shoes!
After meeting her idol, we exited into the gift shop and she didn’t even want anything. She said, “Mom, I’m done.” Her day was made.
She was looking tired and it sounded like she wanted to return back to the hotel and call it a day. We decided we’d first stop for some ice cream in Fantasyland and then make our way out of the park.
3:45pm Meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at The Thotful Spot
As we made our way to get ice cream, we saw Pooh Bear and Tigger doing meet and greets! Winnie the Pooh is our daughter’s second favourite character so we of course had to get in line.
The posted wait time was 45 minutes, but our daughter said she was willing to wait so we did. It was a long wait but the pure joy on our daughter’s face when she held Pooh’s hand made it all worth it!
It was like meeting a life-size version of her Pooh Bear stuffy! She couldn’t stop giving hugs.
In fact, all of us got some lovely hugs from Pooh and Tigger. 🙂
4:35pm Storybook Treats
After our meet and greet, we finally made it to Storybook Treats for some ice cream!
Our daughter ordered the Aurora Cone and we got the Rapunzel Sundae to share. Both were delicious! We loved the Dole Whip flavours.
The refreshing treats re-energized us and our daughter got a second wind! She agreed to explore the park a little longer so we headed towards our next lightning lane.
5:12pm Pirates of the Caribbean (Lightning Lane)
We arrived at Pirates of the Caribbean and found a relaxing spot for our daughter and Grandma to wait for us. However, our daughter decided at the last minute that she wanted to join us on the ride!
All four of us joined the lightning lane and we got to skip the very lengthy standby lane. We only waited about five minutes before getting on the ride – hooray!
Even though it was a dark ride with a sudden drop, some splashes, and scary pirates, our daughter ended up doing very well on it! She didn’t find it too scary, but it wasn’t her favourite, either.
5:40pm The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Lightning Lane)
I was able to find an immediate lightning lane booking for nearby Magic Carpets of Aladdin so we snagged it and headed over. Our daughter was super excited for another flying ride, just like Dumbo!
We joined the lightning lane at 5:40pm and only waited five minutes to get on. The excitement of the ride gave our daughter a new burst of energy and when we got off of it, she wanted to keep on going!
We were able to make another lightning lane selection so I decided to book Peter Pan since we missed out on it earlier in the day.
5:55pm Swiss Family Treehouse
Next to Aladdin is the Swiss Family Treehouse so we decided to make a stop so our daughter could do more exploring. At first she wasn’t too excited about it, but she ended up being quite interested in the displays.
There’s no lightning lane here but there’s never much of a wait. We easily walked through the entire thing without any waits. The whole thing took us about 10 minutes.
6:25pm Main Street Bakery (Starbucks)
Since we still had a bit of time before our Peter Pan lightning lane entry, we headed back to Main Street so that I could pick up a special Starbucks mug to add to my collection.
I wanted to head here before Main Street got too packed with people waiting for the fireworks. By this time, it was already starting to get very crowded but there was still enough space to navigate through the crowds.
I waited 10 minutes in the Starbucks line and got my special edition Magic Kingdom mug 🙂
By now, the crowds were starting to get thick so we quickly made our way out of there and headed to quieter Fantasyland.
6:53pm Peter Pan (Lightning Lane)
We arrived at Peter Pan at 6:53pm and joined the lightning lane. At this time, the posted standby wait was 60 minutes! However, I’m not sure that was totally accurate as the line seemed to be moving very quickly and didn’t look long.
We only waited 5 minutes in the lightning lane before getting on the ride.
Our daughter isn’t familiar with Peter Pan so she wasn’t that into this ride, unfortunately. Or maybe it was just because it was the end of the day.
7:05pm It’s A Small World (Standby line)
As we exited from Peter Pan and looked across to It’s A Small World, we noticed the standby wait was only 10 minutes! Our daughter was ready to go home but she wanted to ride It’s A Small World one more time before we left.
The line was super quick, thanks to almost everyone else waiting by Main Street for the fireworks to start. If you’re not into the fireworks, this is a great time to get in some rides because the lines are much shorter!
Our daughter is afraid of fireworks so it worked well for us!
7:45pm Main Street Confectionery
Before we exited Magic Kingdom, we had to get a few last Disney treats to take with us.
There are lots of Disney treats here to satisfy any sweet tooth! Our daughter’s choice was a special Valentine’s Day caramel apple.
8:00pm Happily Ever After Fireworks
The nightly fireworks show is absolutely spectacular. If you want to get a good viewing spot, we recommend heading to your chosen spot 1.5 hours prior and getting comfy while you wait for the show to start.
Since we chose to skip it, we were making our way out of Main Street around 7:40pm and it was absolute madness. The cast members do a great job at keeping lanes clear so that people can still exit, but wow, was it ever packed.
We got on the monorail at 8:20pm, just after the fireworks ended. This turned out to be a very good idea as we narrowly avoided the massive crowd of people leaving the park after the fireworks.
Final Thoughts
Our one day Magic Kingdom itinerary was a success! We managed to tick everything off our Magic Kingdom bucketlist in just one day.
Our daughter got to ride every single ride she wanted to go on, she met every character she wanted to meet, Mommy and Daddy got to go on TRON, we enjoyed yummy treats, got some magical photos, and we did it all with only one quick meltdown. Hooray!
In total, we were at the park for just over 13 hours! We were shocked our daughter lasted that long. By the end of the night, she was still in a great mood, too!
We really feel like purchasing Genie+, arriving at rope drop, and renting a stroller made all the difference! These three things are what really made this Magic Kingdom 1-Day itinerary possible.
Video Tour of Our 1-Day Itinerary
What to pack for Magic Kingdom with kids
These are all the things we packed for Magic Kingdom that we felt were really useful and recommend:
- Kids Mini Handheld Fan (our daughter loved having this to cool down while we waited in stuffy lines)
- Simple Modern Minnie Mouse Kids Insulated Water Bottle with Straw Lid (this is the exact one our daughter brought and loved)
- Yumbox Leakproof Bento Box (we brought this to pack fresh fruits for our daughter to snack on without getting squished)
- Apple AirTag (for our daughter to wear)
- Waterproof AirTag Bracelet for Kids (to keep track of our daughter just in case)
- Belt Bag (small and lightweight so I didn’t feel like I was carrying a lot throughout the day)
- Disney World Autograph Book with Pen (our daughter loved getting the characters to sign this and we love that we can add photos to it)
- Minnie Mouse Ears (the perfect accessory for Magic Kingdom)
- Nike Roshe Sneakers (the COMFIEST lightweight shoe to last a whole day at Magic Kingdom, both Ryan and I wore them and our feet did not hurt AT ALL at the end of the night)
- Slim Portable Charger with USB-C In&Out (keep your phone charged – you’ll be using it a lot with Genie+!)
- Minnie Mouse Kids Sunglasses (kept our daughter’s eyes comfortable in the bright Florida sun)
- Minnie Mouse Kids Rain Coat (you never know with the Florida weather! Luckily we didn’t end up needing it)
- Disney Adult Poncho (be prepared in case it rains!)
- Bumkins Disney Wet Bag (in case of wet clothes from rides/splash pad/rain/etc)
- Extra Change of Kids Clothes (in case of soaked clothes/accidents)
- Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Coated Raisins Snack Boxes (perfect easy snack for Disney World)
- Mickey Mouse Goldfish Crackers (another favourite snack perfect for Magic Kingdom!)
- Freshly Picked Minnie Mouse Minimal Diaper Bag Backpack (okay, I didn’t actually bring this because our daughter is too old now, but it’s perfect for Disney World if you have a wee one!)
Where To Stay Near Magic Kingdom
Staying on-site at Disney World obviously has its advantages, a major one being you get to enter the park 30 minutes earlier than everyone else. However, Disney World resorts are also on the pricier side.
We chose to stay off-site to save money and this worked well for our family.
On-Site: Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Dolphin is an excellent option if you want to stay on-site and have access to early entry. Epcot is only a 15-minute walk away, or you can take the water taxi, and the Disney Boardwalk is only a 7-minute walk.
Off-Site: Marriott’s Grande Vista
We chose to stay at the Grande Vista and despite being off-site, it was still an excellent choice for our family. Our room had a full kitchen which allowed us to save money by making some meals at the hotel. The resort also has many great pools, a kid’s playground, and a golf course for Ryan.
We hope this Magic Kingdom 1-Day itinerary helps your family plan the most magial Disney World trip!
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