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5 Things I Will NEVER Do At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom





Magic Kingdom is a quintessential Disney park, with a plethora of rides, shows, characters, and fun to be had. However, these are the 5 things that I will NEVER do at the Magic Kingdom. 

Wait more than an hour for Peter Pan’s Flight

Listen, I love the classics. I adore rides like Dumbo and The Little Mermaid. I will always advise people not to skip rides like Mad Tea Party or the People Mover. But everybody has their limits. Peter Pan’s Flight is a cute ride, but I’m not waiting 60 minutes or more  when I have prioritized other experiences.

 

Peter Pan’s Flight is a great ride. It’s got history, charm, and pixie dust. It is a standout ride in many children’s memories, and that’s why people go crazy over flying to Neverland. The ride also has a very slow loading and unloading time. Popularity plus low capacity equals a long wait time. It is not uncommon to see a wait time of at least 60 minutes. 





Luckily, there are times when the wait time does dip down. If you want to ride Peter Pan, I suggest taking advantage of early entry or after the fireworks. Lower wait times may also occur during the parade and during the fireworks. Monitor the wait times throughout the day on the My Disney Experience app, and jump in line if the wait is 40 minutes or less. 


Get Starbucks during the parade

Magic Kingdom has the Festival of Fantasy parade that happens daily. The parade route starts in Frontierland and ends on Main Street. Many guests love to camp out all along the Main Street sidewalks to get a good view of the floats. The Starbucks, along with some souvenir shops, are located on Main Street. 


I love a good afternoon caffeination break, but I will never go to Starbucks during the parade. The line inside may be shorter, but you and your pumpkin cream cold brew will be stuck from moving as long as the parade is moving. You cannot cross the street, and you will have a difficult time getting through the thick wall of guests waiting for the parade. The crowds take time to disperse even after the parade has gone backstage. 


Try to eat an entire turkey leg by myself

Walt Disney World is known for its gigantic turkey legs. Seriously, those things weigh more than a pound! My one and only turkey leg experience happened when I was at the park with some friends, and one bought a turkey leg for their dinner. She couldn’t finish it, so we went into Cosmic Ray’s, grabbed some forks and knives and went ham on that turkey. And we still couldn’t finish the thing between the three of us! Ordering a turkey leg as a meal to split with your family is a great cost-saving hack that many Disney guests swear by. If you get a turkey leg, I may take a bite or two but no way will I order a whole leg to eat all by myself. 





Leave immediately after the fireworks

Thousands of guests crowd up and down Main Street to watch the fireworks show every single night at the Magic Kingdom. Once the show is over, the crowds will turn away from the castle and towards the exit, and start shuffling their way to the monorail. But I never do! Instead, I head back into the parks for some more rides. The other parks may close immediately following their nightly shows, but Magic Kingdom usually stays open for another hour or two.

My best hack for getting the most out of your day to the Magic Kingdom is to stay after the fireworks to get a few more rides in with less crowds. This has become a little more difficult over the years as the parks hours have been significantly scaled back. I mourn the nights when Magic Kingdom was open until 1am (without any additional costs). I don’t even care if this “secret” gets out to the masses. If more people stay later, then perhaps Disney will see the demand for later and later hours like it used to be. 





Miss an opportunity to walk through the castle

Did you know that you can walk through Cinderella’s castle? Throughout the majority of the day, the castle is blocked off due to shows. Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire is a short performance that takes place periodically on the castle stage. And of course, there are the nightly fireworks. But sometimes in-between the shows, the castle drawbridge is open, creating a short passage between Main Street and Fantasyland.  Guests can freely walk up the castle walls and under the drawbridge. Inside the castle are murals depicting the story of Cinderella, along with some other fun details. 


I will never ever miss an opportunity to walk under the castle. There’s definitely something magical about leaving Fantasyland at the end of the night, walking through Cinderella’s castle, and coming out on the other side of the tunnel to see the glittering lights of Main Street. Cameras don't do it justice, unfortunately. It’s my favorite way to end the night at Magic Kingdom. 






Your Opinions

What are some things that you will never do at the Magic Kingdom? Leave a comment below!



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