Maximize Magic Kingdom In 1 Day!

Only have one day at Magic Kingdom in 2022 or planning for 2023? You need a plan! Here's an itinerary to max out your Disney day with smiles, not stress. Here comes the magic!

We carefully planned the below itinerary with the 50th Anniversary Celebration, Early Entry and Extended Evening hours, Genie+, Lightning Lanes and 2022 crowds in consideration to help you keep the magic alive during your 2022 Disney Vacation. Noted this itinerary assumes you will not be purchasing lightening line (LL) passes, if you are needing a itinerary that utilizes LL this can be found here: 1 Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary With LL and Genie+

Pre Arrival to Magic Kingdom Tips:

Arrive Before Park Opening

If you want to jam-pack your one day in Magic Kingdom, get there early! If you are staying in a Disney Resort Hotel you can take advantage of 30-minute early entry in to a Walt Disney Park each day exclusive to Disney Resort guests!

Skip the Duplicate Rides

Some rides give you the same experience such as Aladdin's Flying Carpets, Astro Orbiter and Dumbo The Flying Elephant, the only different is the setting. If you prefer a ride with a view then go for Astro Orbiter, if not then choose Dumbo as the line is shorter versus Aladdin.

Order Your Meals Ahead To Save Time

Did you know you can order meals on your My Disney Experience app? This is a great reason to download the app prior to arriving in the parks. Additionally you can pay with credit, debit, Disney Gift Card, Apple Pay, Disney Rewards Redemption Card or your Disney Dining Plan credits (note so far for 2022 and 2023 there are no dining plans). The current list of available locations for mobile ordering is available here!

Step One: Download the My Disney Experience App

Before you spend one day in Magic Kingdom, you should download the My Disney Experience app and link your park tickets and park reservations, remember you HAVE TO reserve a park for each day BEFORE arriving otherwise you will be turned away! The app additionally allows you to link your Resort Reservation or Vacation Package, Dining Reservations, Park Tickets, Memory Maker, Magic Bands and Annual Passes.

Now Lightening Lane passes have replaced Fast Passes and are available within Genie+ on the My Disney Experience App (will cost 15$ per person per day, complimentary Genie is free). There is a great map to help you get around the park before and during your trip, if it is your first time to Magic Kingdom I recommend familiarizing yourself with the layout and rides you specifically are interested in before entering the park. Below is a rough layout of each "land" within the Magic Kingdom for reference:

Additionally be prepared to know which ride has height requirements and your children's heights before each ride, this is a key factor in planning your one day in Magic Kingdom and thankfully there are only 5 attractions with requirements in Magic Kingdom:

Barnstormer: 35″
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: 40″
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 38″
Space Mountain: 44″
Splash Mountain: 40″
Tomorrowland Speedway Passenger: 32″
Tomorrowland Speedway Driver: 54″

Step Two: Schedule Your Lightening Lane Passes Every Day

At 7 am all guests can start making their Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations for the day from your hotel with Genie+ in the My Disney Experience App. Once you secure your LL (lightning lane) reservation you wait 120 minutes until you can make your next reservation, and so on until you stack the day with Lightning Lane reservations. This is optional and for our following plan we did not utilize LL passes.

Step Three: Arrive Early and Rope Drop

We usually arrive about 45 minutes early to rope drop which is sufficient, in Magic Kingdom all other "lands" are roped off until official opening each day hence the term rope drop. We start in the back of the park at Fantasyland, our itinerary for the morning in looks like this:

In Fantasyland:

1. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

2. Peter Pan’s Flight

In Frontierland:

3. Big Thunder Mountain

4. Splash Mountain

Then Adventureland:

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

6. Jungle Cruise

7. Swiss Family Treehouse (explore for 10 minutes)

Liberty Square and the edge of Fantasyland:

8. Haunted Mansion

9. It’s A Small World

Now for the afternoon our itinerary looks like this:

At Liberty Square:

1. Hall of Presidents

2. Country Bear Jamboree

In Tomorrowland:

3. Space Mountain

4. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

5. Astro Orbiter

6. Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover

7. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (8-minute narration)

8. Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid

9. Mad Tea Party

10. Mickey’s PhilharMagic

11. Watch Disney Enchantment

This is by no means the end all be all way to take on Magic Kingdom but just what we do with our 5 year old. Below is a link to a blank and filled itinerary for you to print for your Magic Kingdom 1 Day trip to stay organized! Have a magical trip!