One Day at Magic Kingdom

For your one day in Magic Kingdom, you want to start off by purchasing Genie+ anytime after midnight on the day you're going to the park. At 7 a.m. on the dot, you can purchase Individual Lightning Lane Passes (if you choose). Set your alarm to go onto your My Disney Experience app to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane pass TRON Lightcycle/Run and/or for Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train. Arrive at the park roughly an hour before the listed opening time and check out Main Street. I love being going in the shops, grabbing a drink or a treat from Starbucks, and of course stop and have your photos taken in front of the castle (the Disney Cast Members will happily use your personal phone instead of their camera if you don't want to purchase Memory Maker photos). Just prior to 9 a.m., you can head towards the castle for the opening dance show with your favorite Disney characters and then join the crowds for rope drop.

Here's a loose schedule of how to get through all of the lands of Magic Kingdom, and everything can certainly be modified if you're able to get Genie+ times or if you want to skip certain things.

1) Fantasyland Part 1
Walk directly through the castle once the stage show is over and the park officially opens.
#1 ride suggestion: Peter Pan's Flight
#2: ride suggestion: It's a Small World

2) Liberty Square
Continue on through Liberty Square, stopping at the Haunted Mansion if you're interested.
Most everything else in Liberty Square is restaurants and stage shows (like the Hall of Presidents and the Country Bears Jamboree.) I find these are great to save for later in the day if you're tired and want a cool place to sit and rest for a little bit.
There is also the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe if you want to have a look around and the Liberty Square Riverboat, but again I would save those for later in the day once you've done the rides that you want to do.

3) Frontierland
If you all (or even just some of you) enjoy roller coasters, then I highly recommend checking out Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There will definitely be a wait by the time you get there, but you can use the Rider Swap option and allow everyone who wants to go have a chance without having to wait through the entire line again.

View more information about Rider Swap HERE

Splash Mountain is currently under refurbishment as it's being transformed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Because of it's closure there isn't much else to do in Frontierland, but it is a great place to grab lunch.

4) Lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
Our family loves this restaurant because it offers a ton of indoor and outdoor seating and has yummy Mexican food as well as burgers & more!

View the lunch menu HERE

This is a quick service restaurant that offers Order Ahead, so if you're waiting in line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you could go ahead and place your order using the Disney app and it'll be ready once you arrive at the restaurant.

5) Adventureland
After lunch, these are my recommendations for Adventureland:
Ride #1 suggestion: Pirates of the Caribbean
Ride #2 suggestion: Jungle Cruise
Ride #3 suggestion: Magic Carpets of Aladdin

After that you will be heading back in the direction of the Castle and can continue on to Tomorrowland & Fantasyland if you'd like.

6) Tomorrowland
After a pass by Cinderella's Castle, head to Tomorrowland for lots of adventurous fun! Space Mountain will have a long line, but Rider Swap can be used there if you have kids who aren't tall enough or don't want to ride. In addition, the new TRON ride just opened over here and I imagine it will have the most significant wait of the day. I, myself, haven't tried it yet but it's supposed to be amazing!

Ride #1 suggestion: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (sometimes Buzz does meet and greet outside of this ride)
Ride #2 suggestion: Tomorrowland Speedway
Ride #3 suggestion: Astro Orbiter (it gives a great aerial view of the park)

Also, the Peoplemover is over here and it's one of my favorite relaxing things to do. There's never really a long line because it's constantly moving, but it's a fun way to sit down for a minute and get to see the ins and outs of that side of the park.

7) If you can, try to snag a reservation at Tony's Town Square, Crystal Palace or Be Our Guest. These are all fun venues to sit down and breathe for a few minutes. However, if you're wanting to maximize ride times, then grab a quick bite at Cosmic Ray's or the Launching Pad.

8) Fantasyland Part 2
After dinner, if you're still hanging in there and want to stick around for the fireworks show at 8pm, I would head back to the other side of Fantasyland. This definitely has more of the princess-y stuff but also some fun Mickey & Minnie stuff.

Ride #1 suggestion: The Barnstormer
Ride #2 suggestion: Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Ride #3 suggestion: Mad Tea Party (unless you get motion sickness)

Also, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Journey of the Little Mermaid are good slow rides. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is back there, too, but it always has a significant wait.

9) Happily Ever After Fireworks Show
No one does a fireworks extravaganza better than Disney, so if your crew can stay up late enough, then you won't regret it. There are plenty of places to snag a viewing spot, and it really will be the the cherry on top of a very magical sundae.

You will not be able to do it all, so if you have that mentality going into your trip then you'll save yourself a lot of stress. Each client (solo, couple, family, friends, etc.) will have different interests and things that are must-dos, so think about that list prior to arriving at Magic Kingdom. If it's in your budget to stay at a Disney property, I would highly recommend it because of the quality, the proximity, and the perks like early entry to the park. But regardless of where you stay, don't forget that you can actually get into the park a full hour before the listed opening time. Take this time to stroll down Main Street, get a quintessential photo in front of Cinderella's Castle, and make your way to your chosen land in time for rope drop.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Orlando. In need of further inspiration? Check out Becky Tenaglia’s guide, 1 Week in Walt Disney World.