Guide to Magic Kingdom-Disney World
Introduction
Magic Kingdom was the very first theme park at Disney World in Orlando, opening in 1971. Like other Disney theme parks, Magic Kingdom is made up of various sections with a number of attractions, rides, and dining and shopping opportunities within each section. Kids of all ages will thoroughly enjoy Magic Kingdom, and this is certainly a park where you can plan to spend more than one day.
The children offering their perspectives for this article recently spent five days at Disney World, including two days and one evening at Magic Kingdom. Grant and Kayla are brother and sister from Huntley, Illinois, which is about 50 miles northwest of Chicago. They stayed at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa with their parents and their brothers, Carter and Max.
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The Park
To give you a little information on what the kids experienced at Magic Kingdom, here are a few highlights of the various sections. Note that there are dining options within each section.
Main Street U.S.A.
Main Street U.S.A. starts at the entrance to the park and takes you to Cinderella’s Castle at the center of the park. At Main Street U.S.A., you can hop on board the Walt Disney World Railroad for a 20-minute ride around the park, with stops at Frontierland and Mickey’s Toontown Fair. In addition, there are lots of shops along Main Street U.S.A.
Adventureland
Adventureland features the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Swiss Family Robinson’s Treehouse, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and a Jungle Cruise.
Frontierland
Fantasyland is all about the youngsters. Probably the most famous tots’ ride is “it’s a small world”, which is a boat ride featuring animated doll figures from all over the world. There are lots of rides and shows in this section, each featuring a beloved Disney character, including Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Peter Pan (one of Grant’s and Kayla’s favorite rides), Snow White, Dumbo the Elephant and, of course, Mickey Mouse.
Mickey’s Toontown Fair
This section includes Mickey’s and Minnie’s Country Houses, which you can tour through. At the Toontown Hall of Fame Tent, meet Disney characters and get their autographs. The kids will have fun at Donald’s Boat, a water play area.
Tomorrowland
Space Mountain is the prime feature at Tomorrowland. This indoor roller coaster is a blast through space and reserved for the brave ones. One of Grant’s favorites, driving a racecar at the Indy Speedway, is located here and both Grant and Kayla loved shooting targets on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Other options include flying a spaceship at Astro Orbiter, seeing the Monsters, Inc. interactive show and assuming the role of security guard at Stitch’s Great Escape.