1. Pick Your Park
This part of the planning is a no-brainer. If you only have one day in one park - no park-hopping option, then the answer is clear... go to The Magic Kingdom! The oldest of the four Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom is perhaps the most magical, especially for children. The true essence of Disney Magic is experienced simply by entering Magic Kingdom.
This original park, opened in 1971, has stood the test of time with changing cultures, social climate, and technology which often leaves theme parks outdated and obsolete. Magic Kingdom remains the most visited theme park, drawing thousands of visitors each year. I have often said that I would be satisfied to grab a piece of sidewalk on Main Street USA and just sit and enjoy the splendor that is the Magic Kingdom. This park has stayed true to the original vision of Uncle Walt -- a place where families can gather in a clean and safe place to enjoy the time they spend together. This park transports visitors back to their childhood, or the childhood they had wished they had!
2. Select Must Do Attractions
In order to effectively visit a park at WDW, and get the most bang for your buck, you will have to plan, plan, plan! I always start with a list of everything I want to do while I'm there - this is true regardless how many days you have in each park. Short of quitting my job and relocating my family to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, there will never be enough time to experience everything in one trip. This is especially true with a one park/one day pass. I like to plan my must-do's in each land -- this helps me later as I prioritize and make a plan of attack.
For the Magic Kingdom, my "To-Do" list looks something like this:
Main Street USA:
- If line is short - Visit Mickey at the Main Street Theater (if wait time is under 15 minutes)
- Get PhotoPass picture in front of Cinderella Castle (at least twice along the street)
- Watch whomever is performing (maybe The Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet)
- Hurry PAST the shops -- no time to stop, order online later!
Tomorrowland
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (get fastpass for later, ride now if line is under 15 mins)
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Carousel of Progress
- Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
- Space Mountain (no my fav, but just mentioning that it's here)
Fantasyland:
(Keep in mind that Mickey's Toontown Fair is closed, and the new Fantasyland will open Fall 2012. Guests will be able to visit princesses in their own themed attractions. Dance with Cinderella, celebrate Aurora's birthday and perform with Belle in Beast's Castle, which will also include a new themed restaurant. Dumbo the FLying Elephant will be larger and a Little Mermaid attraction will be added. Most of Toontown will be removed and Mickey and Minnie will be relocated to the front of the park.)
- Cinderella Castle
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Prince Charming Regal Carousel
- It's a Small World
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Smow White's Scary Adventures
- Winnie the Pooh
Frontierland
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Splash Mountain
- Lunch! - We like to eat at Pecos Bill Cafe -- same food, a little cheaper price on some items.
Liberty Square:
- Haunted Mansion
- Dinner! -- We like to swing back through Liberty Square (through the pass through near Pirates of the Caribbean) and eat at Columbia Harbor House while we wait for our fastpass to Jungle Cruise. All 4 of us can eat well with 2 meals.
Adventureland:
- Enchanted Tiki Room
- Jungle Cruise (get fastpass)
- Pirates of the Caribbean
3. Shows & Parades
Depending on the time you are visiting, parades, shows and Fireworks have varying schedules. Check the times of your visit. We like to use the Share a Dream Come True parade (usually around 3:00) for our rest time. The kids can side in the stroller, and we can rest on the sidewalk while the parade comes through. We have no favorite place to see any parade -- especially if we are only at one park on one day. We plan on opening and closing the park...so we are not in any hurry to beat crowds at any point in the day! Most crowds start to head out of the park following the parades, so this is a valuable time to revisit any attractions that were too crowded earlier!
4. Prioritize & Make a Route
This is the final step in ensuring that you visit the really important places. Decide which attractions that you may be willing to part with -- the Enchanted Tiki Room recently reopened with changes that restore the attraction to its orginal 1971 version. I would not miss the opportunity to see the "Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" from my childhood!
Now get a park map (WDW will mail you FREE maps - see www.disneyparks.com to order) and plan your route. Most visitors head for the bigger attractions early -- don't expect to ride space mountain or Splash mountain right away unless you want to waste your day in line -- so visit the lesser attractions first, and get fastpasses for the bigger rides. Be prepared, and willing, to cross lands throughout the day. Getting a fastpass for a ride in Adventureland, then returning to Fantasyland is a great idea!
No matter how long you have in WDW, the visit will be magical!
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