Magic Kingdom with Kids

Woohoo! Our day at Magic Kingdom with kids was my absolute FAVORITE! We did so much but yet there’s still more to be done when we visit next! You could easily spend 2 days at this park imo. We did one full day + packed A LOT in. It’s magical, iconic, fun, and all the things! we LOVED IT! Here’s a recap of our day:

Our magic kingdom Timeline

This is total recap of our day – this may be helpful if you’re trying to plan out your day! I loosely had a schedule w our Lightening Lanes & dining reservations and then we filled in the time from there:

• 7:15am – Left The Grand Floridian to walk to Magic Kingdom via the sidewalk
• 7:30a – In line for Magic Kingdom Early Entry
• 7:50a – In the park!
• 7:50-8a – Walked down Main Street USA/took pictures in front of the castle before the crowds arrived!
• 8:05am – Went to Fantasyland to rope drop Peter Pan’s Flight/Nic held our place in line while I took the girls to the nearby Rapunzel bathroom
• 8:40am – Got on Peter Pan’s Flight
• 8:50am – Walked onto the teacups/they broke down so we had to get off LOL – this was the only ride that this happened with our entire week but it was up & running again later that day
• 9am – Rode Tomorrowland Speedway (in Tomorrowland but very close the teacups in Fantasyland)
• 9:25am – Rode Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• 9:35am – Rode The Barnstormer roller coaster – this is a great first roller coaster for the kiddos! It’s super quick ride!
• 9:40-9:50am – Used our lightening lane for “it’s a small world”/immediately after scanning in I was able to get one for Jungle Cruise too for later that afternoon – this was a huge score for me bc this one was high on my list and I was nervous about the wait times! One of Ava’s all-time favorite books is this one – it tells the story of Mary Blair + her love of color, who designed “it’s a small world.”
• 10am – Left Fantasyland and walked to nearby Liberty Square to get breakfast at Sleepy Hollow – We LOVED this quick service breakfast with Mickey waffles, fruit, nutella, etc.
• 10:45-11:30a – Ava & Nic waited in the standby line for Haunted Mansion & Ellie & I rode the calm Liberty Sq. Riverboat bc she didn’t want to ride Haunted Mansion – later Ava shared she made the right call bc she found it scary, too!
• 11:45am- Ava got a Mickey ice cream bar at a stand by Haunted Mansion – LOL
• 12:15pm – Went back to Fantasyland & rode Under the Sea – The Journey of the Little Mermaid
• 1-2:15pm – Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – the girls got their hair, nails & makeup done in the castle! Highly recommend this experience although it books up superrrr quickly. I reserved this 90 days in advance- at midnight when booking opened.
• 2:30pm – Rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – definitely recommend a lightening lane for this!
• 2:45pm – After Bibbidi Bobbidi, got cheshire cat tail treats from the Cheshire Cafe – the ladies were so sweet & gave us 2 cupcakes for free here, too!
• 2:50pm – Took pictures in front of the castle in their dresses
• 3pm – Walked to Adventureland for our Pirates of the Caribbean Lightening Lane
• 3:30pm – Realized we hadn’t had lunch so i did a mobile order pickup from Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe for Nic & I – we got their plant-based rice bowl which comes with Impossible Meatballs in a Red Chile Tomato Sauce, Pinto Beans, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Cowboy Caviar, and a Lime “Crema” + is amaaazingly delicious.
• 4pm – Picked up our mobile order of mini corn dogs + fries for the girls from Casey’s Corner on Main Street. We got lucky + found a table outside with a fantastic view of the castle.
• 4:30pm – Went back to Adventureland for our Jungle Cruise Lightening Lane
• 4:45pm – Grabbed dole whip from Sunshine Tree Terrace. I thought about getting in line at Aloha Isle for this, which is where everyone recommends you get it from, but the line was SO much shorter here + this was in the heat of the day so it really worked out well!
• 5pm – Explored the 6-story high Swiss Family Treehouse
• 5:20pm – Nic & the girls rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – this is the only ride I sat out LOL – it was hotter and busy at this time so I just stayed w the stroller & watched them ride
• 5:30pm – Found some of the characters dancing, including Clarabelle – Ava joined in!
• 6pm – Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Frontierland – we thankfully had a lightening lane for this!
• 7-8pm – We had a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table – in the castle!!! Another reservation that’s super hard to get – be sure to try for this one as soon as your dining opens up if want it. The girls met Cinderella at the entrance & then they took us up to the main dining room. The girls also met Ariel, Rapunzel, Aurora, & Merida, too! A highlight of our trip, for sure!
• 8pm – We scrambled out of Cinderella’s Royal Table to try to find a spot for their nightly fireworks. We landed in Liberty Square by Sleepy Hollow, which is where we had breakfast. While this spot didn’t give us a straight-on view of the castle, it was a fantastic spot imo – crowded, but not super crowded & we were CLOSE to the castle!
• 8:30-9pm We watched the fireworks show!
• 9pm – We had a chance to stay for their extended park hours (all the way to midnight). I asked Ava if she wanted to go ride the carousel at this time or go back to our room and she without hesitation replied “I’m ready to go back.” We were super tired LOL
• 9-9:15pm – Walked down Main Street USA to leave the park – I mention this bc Main Street is pretty magical at night with all of the lights!!! If we would’ve had time/energy, I would’ve visited Main Street Confectionery.
• 9:15-9:30pm – Walked back to our hotel on the sidewalk!

Our Top Magic Kingdom Rides

• PETER PAN’S FLIGHT – we rope dropped this one & i didn’t expect to love it as much as i did! definitely a top ride (definitely top 5 – maybe even top 2) for me for all of Disney! nostalgic & so sweet. If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with kids, this is a must-do!

• TIANA’S BAYOU ADVENTURE – we wore ponchos for this – we didn’t need them but we would have if we were to be in the very front LOL – this was one of my top 5 rides of all of Disney, too! It was beautiful & the drop was something else!!! Be sure to look up for the castle at the top of the drop – don’t look down! I’m also pretty sure I rode this w my family when i was in 7th grade – it used to be Splash Mountain.

• SEVEN DWARFS MINE TRAIN – Another top 5 for me! Ava also loved this roller coaster – it’s much more mild when compared to Slinky Dog at HS. My favorite part was the dwarfs in the mine.

• JUNGLE CRUISE – I was SO happy to have scored an impromptu lightening lane for this one! It’s a classic – and a relaxing, cooler ride which is so nice when you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with kids… especially in the hot summer months.

Our Top Magic Kingdom Experience

• BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOUTIQUE – Wow! I’m so glad we did this! This one books up FAST! I woke up at midnight 3 months before our stay to reserve this one, you guys! They do their hair, nails, makeup, and they can pick out a dress! The girls brought dresses I bought them from Only Little Once bc I knew they are particular about materials and scratchiness at this age. I could (and should) do a completely separate blog post on BBB! They were treated like royalty there and everywhere we went after this. They especially loved their hair – they sprinkled them with shimmery fairy dust. Such a sweet moment in time.

Where We Ate at magic kingdom

We had a fantastic breakfast at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square – I’m still dreaming about their nutella/fruit mickey waffles – SO, SO GOOD.

For lunch (which we almost forgot to eat we were so busy/having so much fun), we did 2 mobile order pick-ups – one at Casey’s Corner for the girls (can’t beat their mini corn dogs and fries) and one at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe in for us – their plant-based rice bowl which comes with Impossible Meatballs in a Red Chile Tomato Sauce, Pinto Beans, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Cowboy Caviar, and a Lime “Crema” is amaaazingly delicious.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

For dinner, I made a reservation at the highly sought after Cinderella’s Royal Table at 7pm. In my opinion, this dining experience is unmatched! Yes, it’s pricey but gosh you get to eat in the castle, the food is fantastic, and you get to meet so many princesses. It was so very memorable and I’m so glad we did it. Be sure to book it as soon as you can though – it fills up very quickly! A must-do in Magic Kingdom with kids!!! Another option I’ve heard that’s comparable but also a different experience – Be Our Guest at the Beast’s castle.

Our Favorite snacks

If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with kids, there are a ton of great snack options to be found at Magic Kingdom it’s hard to choose! But here is what we sought out and LOVED!

• MICKEY ICE CREAM BARS – You can find these everywhere!
• DOLE WHIP – either at the classic Aloha Isle or where we got it – Sunshine Tree Terrace – this had a much shorter line! Both places are in Adventureland. Here is a list of where else you can find it at Disney World. It’s light and refreshing and perfect on a hot day!
• CHESHIRE CAT TAIL – from Cheshire Cafe – I got it bc it’s pretty let’s be honest – but it was delicious, too!

SECRET Photo Opps at Magic Kingdom

• RAPUNZEL TOWER IN FANTASYLAND – i almost missed this one! super close to the rapunzel bathrooms – in between those & Haunted Mansion! Ava loves Rapunzel so I’m so glad we caught this one!
• RAPUNZEL BATHROOMS IN FANTASYLAND – it’s really close to “it’s a small world” and Peter Pan’s Flight & the most magical bathroom I’ve seen LOL
• CINDERELLA FOUNTAIN – In the back of the castle by Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – it’s so pretty & wasn’t busy when we were there.

classic Photo Opps at Magic Kingdom

• TEACUPS- they’re just so fun & colorful – i consider this a classic photo opportunity for sure.
• FRONT OF THE CASTLE – Iconic, obviously!
• BACK OF THE CASTLE – You can get really close to the castle.
• MAIN STREET USA – Esp. at night! Lights are everywhere and it’s so magical.
• FIREWORKS – You just can’t miss these at Magic Kingdom!

Whew – that was our day at Magic Kingdom with kids! We loved every second.

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