There’s theme parks, and then there’s Magic Kingdom Park. The number one park in North America, and one of the most visited parks in the entire world.
Inside Magic Kingdom, you’ll find everything you could dream of. Delicious food? Check! Characters Galore? Check! Fireworks, parades, hidden adventures, fast (and slow) rides? Check!
But as the most popular theme park in the world, it also comes with it’s on set of challenges. There’s so much to do at Magic Kingdom that it may be hard to even plan a to-do list, let alone get it all done in one day.
How many days do you need to do Magic Kingdom?
If you only have a few items on your list, you could see most of what you wanted at Magic Kingdom in a day. Most People need to plan for at least two days, with three or more days giving you an opportunity to do everything (shows, rides, parades, fireworks, shopping, and character meets and dining).
Does Magic Kingdom need two days?
Magic Kingdom needs at least two days because there are so many things out of your control. You may encounter large crowds, broken rides and bad weather. With two days at Magic Kingdom, you give your vacation a buffer in case things don’t go as planned (and they won’t go as planned)
There are a lot of factors that can impact your Magic Kingdom day, like the time of year, the weather, the holiday festivities, and how many people you have in your party! Let’s dive into those specifications for a Magic Kingdom itinerary so you’ll know exactly how much time you’ll need at Magic Kingdom for your vacation.
Since Disney World is famous for their ‘surprise and delight’ approach to theme parks, and I think you’ll find that there is a lot more to do than you realized in your bucket list planning.
Ready to do Magic Kingdom in just one day? Jump to 5 tips to make it super stress free!
Can you do Magic Kingdom in one day?
Technically you can do anything you want! If you only have one day to spend at Magic Kingdom, make the most of you time with a To-Do List.
With a short To-Do list, you can prioritize those items and then enjoy whatever else is available at Magic Kingdom that day. There are many exceptions though, like the weather, any special ticket events, and how many people are in your family, what time you get there etc.
Many people, if they can afford the time or the tickets (or both!) will likely spend more than one day at Magic Kingdom. It’s common for people with young children or those with disabilities to spend multiple days in Magic Kingdom as this is the most accommodating park at Disney World for those groups.
What should I not miss at Magic Kingdom?
This is totally unique to you! For my daughter, it’s a meet and greet with the Princesses. For my Oldest? He needs all the Coasters and Shows.
Here are some Classics to consider at Magic Kingdom:
Rides
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Meet and Greets
- Mickey and Minnie at the Town Square Theater
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
- Princess Tiana and Other Princesses
Attractions and Shows
- The Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Mickey Philharmagic
- Disney Enchantment (End of night Fireworks Show)
The Best Time of Year to Only Spend one day at Magic Kingdom- if you only have one day available
There is a right way to do Magic Kingdom and then there is a day that will leave you a flustered dehydrated mess.
The right way to get Magic Kingdom done all in one day is to have a gameplan that involves low crowd times.
The not so right way is to jump into Magic Kingdom in the middle of summer or spring break and assume you’ll get it all done (spoiler alert, this is the day that isn’t going to end well for you!)
If you only have or want to do Magic kingdom in one day, you’ll need to go in one of the following months/weeks:
- January 7-31
- Last week of February
- First two weeks of May
- Last two weeks of August
- Most of September (see holiday and weather tabs below!)
- First two weeks of October
- First week of December
These are going to be your lower crowd times, and can really help you enjoy your day at Magic Kingdom without super long lines.
The Downsides to only One Day at Magic Kingdom
The Weather is Unpredictable
There is some cool stuff that happens at Magic Kingdom when it rains, and not cool stuff when it snows.
Kinda kidding about the snow, we’ll talk about that below under the holiday specifications for Magic Kingdom!
But if you are at Magic Kingdom when it rains, you’ll need this Rainy Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
Now, thunderstorms and rainclouds are no strangers to Magic Kingdom. In fact, they have their own rain show that replaces the normal parade!
It’s called the rainy day calvalade and it is so cute and fun… but it’s also not fun because you’ve got wet shoes and a bunch of rides you can’t enjoy! If you are going anytime in the “rainy season” of mid march through october, you should plan two days at Magic Kingdom just to be safe.
The good news is that if you only have one day at Magic Kingdom and it’s rainy, you’ll be able to do everything open because they have to close all the outdoor rides!
Park hours are shorter around the Holidays
The holidays at Disney are Halloween, a slice of Thanksgiving, and then Christmas! It is truly magical and I highly recommend that last week of November if you want to see both the Fall and Winter Decorations!
The BIG thing that you need to know about is the reduced hours!
So if you are planning a trip between September and Early January, and Disney World has a Mickey Party planned, then you will be experiencing reduced hours!
Yes friends, they will kick you out of Magic Kingdom early if you don’t have two tickets. One for your regular entrance and one for the hard ticket event party!
In this case, I’d recommend either coming on a non party day OR planning to come on a regular day and then go to the hard ticket party. So you’d be technically spending two days at Magic Kingdom. One full day, and then one 2 pm to 12 am day with the Halloween or Christmas Party.
Party Size has a big impact on your time in Magic Kingdom
With three kids in our immediate family (and one on the way!) it can seem overwhelming to spend rope drop in the early AM to the kiss goodnight at magic Kingdom.
Seriously, we’ve only done it once! Spending the entire day at Magic Kingdom and taking advantage of all the time hacks is really a great options for solo travelers, families with just one child, and families with teens and up!
For those with younger kids, especially if you are doing a multi family type celebration, you’ll want to plan to do two or three days at Magic Kingdom to hit your entire bucket list.
Ready to do Magic Kingdom in just one day? Here’s 5 tips you’ll need!
1-Plan to arrive early and stay late.
2. Bring Snacks and Use Mobile Ordering to cut down on food wait times.
3.Save all shopping till the very end of the night. They keep the shops open an hour passed closing. They don’t do this for the rides. So once rides close, go shop!
4. Lines are typically the longest in the morning/afternoon as people are hot and looking to get some shade. Consider buying Genie+ to help with lines, and save some options with longer lines for the end of the night.
5. Pictures need to be a priority before 10 am. The lines get really long around then, and you will get sweaty and have the sun in your eyes. Get the pictures out of the way first thing in the morning so you can enjoy the sites and sounds of Magic Kingdom!
How many days will you actually spend at Magic Kingdom?
Many people, if they can afford the time or the tickets (or both!) will likely spend more than one day at Magic Kingdom. It’s common for people with young children or those with disabilities to spend multiple days in Magic Kingdom as this is the most accommodating park at Disney World for those groups.