If you have little ones, Magic Kingdom is your place. It will take you 2-3 days to get through it all, there is that much to see. The remaining parks will only take you about a day each.

Magic Kingdom is the most toddler friendly park in Disney World. I was worried that my kiddos wouldn’t be tall enough for the rides or that they were going to lose interest after a few hours. Not the case at all.

Two major tips you will get from anybody who has done Magic Kingdom with toddlers is:

  1. Get there early. Like before they even open the gates. I found that this was effective two-fold: you beat the rush, and the lines are short so you can start off with immediate gratification that we all strive for. It only took a ride or two for my kiddos to understand that there is amazement at the end of the line.
  2. Bee-line it to Fantasyland the moment you walk through the gates. It is where all the good stuff is and you are going to want to get on Peter Pan’s Flight before the line is 80+ minutes long.

I can’t really tell you what the “must-sees” are because it is all “must-sees,” however, I can tell you which ones you will want to use your FastPass+ on.

Fantasyland

FastPass+ it

  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Princess Fairytale Hall—where you get to meet the princesses.There are two lines, one for Anna & Elsa and the other for Cinderella & Rapunzel.

When they are tired

  • Mickey’s Philhar Magic
  • Walt Disney World Railroad

Shortest lines

  • “It’s a Small World”
  • Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid
  • Ariel’s Grotto

Cool off

  • Mickey’s Philhar Magic (indoors)
  • Casey Jr Splash N Soak Station

Height Requirement

  • The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 38″

Main Street

Frontierland

Tomorrowland

Must sees

  • Main Street Electrical Parade at 9:00pm

FastPass+ it

  • Town Square Theater—where you get to meet Mickey and Tinker Bell

Must See

  • Tom Sawyer Island

Height Requirement

  • Splash Mountain at 40″
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 40″

FastPass+ it

  • Tomorrowland Speedway—big hit
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Liberty Square

More for older kiddos. My kiddos didn’t want to go anywhere near the Haunted Mansion and they didn’t have a clue what a President was so we didn’t spend much time here.

Dinning at Magic Kingdom

We did not make reservations beforehand, which was a mistake. I would have really liked to have gone to Be Our Guest but they were booked out. That is not to say that we starved to death. Despite how intimidating Pinocchio Village Haus line was, we were able to get a well-balanced lunch, reasonably quickly and at a decent price. Having learned my lesson, I quickly booked Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen for a 7:20 reservation.

Where reservations are recommended:
  • Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
  • The Plaza Restaurant
  • The Crystal Palace, A buffet with Character
  • Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen
  • The Diamond Horseshoe
  • Liberty Tree Tavern
  • Cinderella’s Royal Table
  • Be Our Guest Restaurant

Side Notes

  • You have to stay until the end. At 9:00 they have the Main Street Electrical Parade on Main Street and at 10:00 they have the Wishes nighttime spectacular and fireworks at Cinderella’s Castle.
  • Magic Kingdom does not serve alcohol. Weird, seeing how they have so many Taverns.  I was a little bummed that I couldn’t get a glass of wine at the end of the long day.
  • Phone charger. Between checking your My Disney Experience for the shortest lines and taking photos of every exciting thing your kiddos sees, your phone is going to die. Don’t worry. Just make sure you pack your phone charger. They have green lanterns above a charging station by Rapunzel’s tower where you can charge your phone, take turns for a potty break, eat some ice cream and do some people watching.
  • It gets cold for the parade and fireworks. When you pack for the day, bring something for the kiddos so they are comfortable at night when they are already tired.