The #1 Best Disney Tip I Learned the Hard Way
Did you know that the Magic Kingdom actually turns people away?
Neither did I, until one fateful day.
I have now successfully been to the Magic Kingdom a total of 3 times. The first two times were pre-Bean days and were during the spring break season.
As for the most recent trip (which was about a month ago), boy oh boy I will never forget the most recent trip for as long as I live. Let me paint you a picture…
You have been hyping up Disney World (or in other words the Magic Kingdom, but kids just call the whole thing Disney World) to your 3 year old for almost a year. She can’t stop talking about finally going to “Dis-i-ney Wo-wold” and wants to meet Woody in the worst way.
The day finally arrives and you all pile into the rental car with dreams of magical moments that await you. As you get closer to the gates you get more and more excited and hype it up even more to your already excited 3 year old. And then, your heart sinks to your stomach like a ton of bricks when you see the sign… “Magic Kingdom CLOSED”. What???! They actually turn people away?! My heart is shattered into a million pieces!!! (at least that’s what I was thinking in my head)
We unknowingly made the worst mistake of our lives by attempting to go to the Magic Kingdom on New Year’s Eve. Little did we know, it was the busiest day of the year. On New Years Eve of 2014, the Magic Kingdom CLOSED to new guests at 10:45 AM and didn’t allow anyone else in to the park until 7 hours later at 5:30 PM! And even after that they only allowed a small number in before they closed the park again to new guests for the rest of the night. Whoa. Even if we had gotten in, I definitely would not have enjoyed the 3 hour wait time to ride “Peter Pan’s Magic Flight”.
Luckily, we accepted our fate (after explaining that we wouldn’t be going to Dis-i-ney Wo-wold that day to my surprisingly understanding and mature Bean, who didn’t even shed a tear) and turned around before we got to the gates. We decided to enjoy a day at Islands of Adventure which, it turns out, is not little kid friendly. But us big kids had a blast on the roller coasters while Grandma and Grandpa entertained Bean. And, luckily, we had another day before my brother and his girlfriend had to fly back home. For the next attempt, we had a game plan. And despite what time of year I go back to the Magic Kingdom, I will follow this game plan again because IT. WAS. AWESOME.
Get there right as the park opens and immediately ride the rides that are the most popular, even if that means you end up walking a bit more from attraction to attraction.
It was absolutely wonderful. We pretty much walked straight on to Buzz Lightyear’s ride. By the time we left the park that evening? It had about a 2 hour wait time. We then went straight to Space Mountain after that and waited about 20 minutes. By the time we left? About a 2 hour wait time. The wait times started filling up pretty fast (it was New Year’s Day after all) so if you go on a non-peak day you’ll probably have even better luck with getting on the popular rides quickly.
UPDATE: We tested out our Magic Kingdom theory again in 2017 during Spring Break madness… read about it here: Magic Kingdom Wait Times During Peak Season
After Space Mountain, the popular rides started getting packed very quickly, so we knew we had to turn to the Fast Pass option. With the app, you can select Fast Passes for 3 rides at a time. You don’t have to use the app, they have a few kiosks where you can select them in person, but the kiosks even had a ridiculous line. We used our Fast Passes for Peter Pan’s Flight and the Haunted Mansion. Yep, we took our 3 year old on the Haunted Mansion. And she loved it.
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When all was said and done, I had the best time taking Bean to the Magic Kingdom, and I was sad to leave. Even though she’s still quite young, I have a feeling Bean will always remember the time that Jessie and Woody waved to her. Nope, I did not have the patience to wait in the hour long line for autographs and instead had Bean stand off to the side so that she could ask them to wave to her. She was starstruck.
There’s something about that magical place that still makes me tear up on the way out to this day. I can’t wait to go again. You better believe the next time we go we’ll be getting there before it opens.
Oh man!!! What a tough lesson, but she sure is a big and good girl!!! I love the picture you have, more than the typical photo. Good for you for not wasting that time.
That photo of Bean with Woody and Jessie in the background is probably my favorite from the whole day. She was so in awe of them!
You can also avoid this if you have Hopper Passes. We were there on New Years Eve too. Even if you go to just one other park while you are there, the hopper pass is definitely worth it!
You are correct! Although, I heard, that they were turning away EVERYONE no matter if they had a hopper pass or were staying on Disney Resort grounds. Needless to say, I know that I will never be going to the Magic Kingdom on New Years Eve ever again.
WOW, I did not realize that! But I think you are right – even if they had let you in, it would have been just way too crowded to be enjoyable. We are headed to Disney for the first time as a family of 4 last this summer and we just can't wait!
Glad that I could share this with you before your trip, let me know how it goes for you! Are you guys staying on Disney property or off?
On! Sports!
Oh, how fun! Hope you have the time of your life (which I know you will)!