When you arrive at the entrance gates to the Magic Kingdom you will be thoroughly searched. This includes emptying and going through anything you have carried with you - backpack, purse, fanny pack, diaper bag, lunch bag or whatever. And with any stroke of luck, Disney won't have pegged you as a "domestic terrorist" and assault you with their bomb sniffing K9 and Security force simply because you left an empty lunch bag in your scooter basket - having gotten prior permission to do this from a Disney cast member in the first place.
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Yes, Disney really did this to my sister and I! In front of every park visitor within eyeshot/earshot of the ridiculous spectacle their own delusions, fear and paranoia had created.
Welcome to Walt Disney World - where your dreams of nuking Mickey and Company into oblivion really do come true! (Insert heavy dose of sarcasm there)
​The Magic Kingdom is divided into six different sections - Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Frontierland and Adventureland.
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Fast Pass (which was free) has now been replaced with a pay for service - Lightning Lanes.
Disney changed the name and many features of the Genie+ and Lightning Lane system as of July 2024. The new pay to skip the line service is now called Lightning Lane Multi Pass and allows guests to book advance reservations to access the shorter line (the Lightning Lane) for popular attractions.
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This is a replacement for the prior Walt Disney World Genie+ system which replaced the previous FastPlass Plus service. Guests can make attraction reservations prior to their trip and once they redeem at least one of these reservations in the theme park they can access more reservations. These reservations give guests access to the shorter Lightning Lane option as opposed to the longer standby queue.
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Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes some of the most popular rides at all the theme parks. There are a few select rides, including TRON and the Guardians of the Galaxy rollercoaster, that offer paid access to the Lightning Lanes separately allowing guests to choose from multiple options in advance of their trip.
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If you don't want to pay $25-$39 per day for Lightning Lanes, arrive at the park at rope drop and head straight for the more popular rides that you wish to ride and get those out of the way first, to avoid waiting in longer lines.
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After you hit your favorite rides then I found it was easiest to just work my way around the six different sections of the park in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction - but what you do is up to you.
I can't post all of the rides, shows, parades and other attractions in Magic Kingdom so I'll just post the favorites:
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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - my #1 fave attraction
The only thing that could possibly make this ride better is if the real Johnny Depp jumped down into your boat and whisked you off to the Black Pearl with him. (There is a figure of him that appears during the ride.)
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Excellent everything on this ride: music, animatronics, you name it. Step aboard a barge and get ready to journey back to a long-forgotten time when pirates ruled the high seas with this classic ride. The pirate ship ride takes you along a treacherous voyage through ransacked seaport towns, past the haunted Dead Man’s Cove, and amidst booming cannons between a Caribbean fort and a 12-gun galleon.
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IT'S A SMALL WORLD
Another great ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean but showcasing children of different cultures around the world.
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Cute as can be. The only problem is the theme song for this ride will get stuck in your head and repeatedly loop in your head over and over and over again for the rest of the day. Even if you try to 'turn it off'.
So ride at your own risk.
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BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD
Some call this the wildest ride at WDW but I didn't think it was wild at all. Big thunder Mountain reminds me of the old roller coasters from days of yore with a kind of mining theme to it.
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The ride is set in the 1850s-era Gold Rush ghost town of Tumbleweed. You will enter the abandoned mine shaft and willingly step aboard a train that has lost its marbles.
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The train speeds along rickety old tracks, catapults you through tunnels, swoops around turns, and drops into canyons. All the while, you will narrowly miss falling boulders and escape exploding dynamite.
Overall, the theming is fantastic, and this attraction really shines at night. It is a bumpy ride with some dark sections, but it’s one of those classic Disney World attractions that stands the test of time.
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JUNGLE CRUISE
The Jungle Cruise is a 10-minute boat tour of scenic riverways across Africa, Asia, and South America. Guests board a canopied steamer and set sail through some of the globe’s most treacherous waterways.
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Your boat cruises through South America’s lush, tropical foliage, passing by picturesque waterfalls. Then you encounter an abandoned camp along the banks of the African Congo and bathing elephants and angry hippos along the Nile. Keep alert because there’s a tribe of headhunters on the loose!
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The Jungle Cruise continues through Asia and down the Mekong River, where you’ll come into close contact with cobras, baboons, and other exotic creatures.
Nice relaxing ride but beware: the boat skippers have corny senses of humor.
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HAUNTED MANSION
Just what it says - a haunted mansion. Not scary at all but kind of cute and clever and suitable for little kids.
Located in Liberty Square, guests will climb aboard a Doom Buggy and embark on an eerie adventure through a maze of haunted chambers.
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The Ghost Host serves as your private guide throughout the tour of this haunted estate. Here, you will encounter ghosts, ghouls, and supernatural phenomena as you skate by a conservatory of caskets, Madame Leota’s séance room of horrors, and a spooky graveyard of singing ghosts.
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TIANA'S BAYOU ADVENTURE
This is the ride that replaced Splash Mountain log flume ride. You do get the feeling of being in a bayou. This low-key, relaxing musical cruise concludes with an exciting surprise as you drop 5-stories down a waterfall! Be warned: riders can expect to get wet, especially those seated in the front of the ride. Lockers are available to store your personal items while you are on the ride.
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SPACE MOUNTAIN
Loved this roller coaster as you were in the dark much of the time so didn't know if you were up, down, sideways or what. Apparently a lot of visitors liked this coaster too - you can see how long the waiting line was!
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TRON LIGHTCYCLE RUN
The best coaster at the Magic Kingdom! It's the newest attraction at WDW.
Board your Lightcycle and be instantly launched into the Grid on this roller-coaster ride through the world of Disney’s TRON movies. Along the way, race a rival (digital) team to see which of you can pass through all the energy points first. Try not to get derezzed!
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The ride offers much more than typical Magic Kingdom roller coasters, thanks to high-resolution animated graphics that really make you feel like you’ve jumped straight into these popular films. In addition, part of the launch sequence is outdoors under a canopy; at night, it’s bathed in vibrant animated lights. For this reason, I suggest a nighttime ride if possible.
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CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS
Did this one surprise you? This exhibit was created totally by Walt himself and premiered at the 1964 World's Fair - where I saw it for the first time as a 9 year old.
I like it because it's a look back at where we've been and where we may be going. It's nostalgic and obviously it's stood the test of time as a WDW exhibit. However, it could do with some updating to include more modern times.
As I said before, we kept our in-park dining to a bare minimum but these are the restaurants we did eat at.
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LIBERTY TREE TAVERN
Disney did away with Liberty Tree Tavern's ala carte menu, which is a shame.
Now what you get is basically a processed version of Thanksgiving dinner.
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WDW went for period-appropriate when designing Liberty Tree. That's all well and good...but when you go
so authentic you neglect to put bathrooms in your restaurant and diners have to trek over a block down the street to use a restroom - not good! Especially for disabled guests with mobility issues.
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Apart from that, there was nothing whatsoever remarkable about Liberty Tree Tavern or its food and the place was annoyingly loud.
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O'HANA AT THE POLYNESIAN RESORT
If I could give O'Hana 10 stars I would! If you eat anywhere in the Magic Kingdom, O'Hana is the don't miss restaurant.
What a fantastic restaurant! Hands down the best restaurant within Disney. Everything about it was excellent - the food, the coconut races for the kids, the service and being able to watch them cook your food.
Photo credit: Disney Dining
The dinner was all you can eat and included: Wood Fire-grilled Black Pepper-Mirin-Teriyaki Beef*, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp coated with 'Ohana Seasoning, Grilled Chicken with Guava-Pineapple Glaze, 'Ohana Noodles with Mirin-Teriyaki, Stir-fried Vegetables.
They'd bring big skewers of different meats to your table and carve the meat right onto your plate. Even the dishes containing the sides never went empty without being refilled.
The current pricing for this meal is $65 for adults, $42 for children aged 3-9. That's a bargain by WDW standards!
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We were so full we skipped the next activity we had planned and just rode the monorail around the park for awhile.
