“May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place … a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn together.” Roy O. Disney on October 25, 1971.
Magic Kingdom was the first theme park to open at Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971. Walt Disney was planning on creating a brand new theme park that was far different than the Disneyland he already created, but after he passed away, the Disney Company decided to play it safe and constructed a nearly identical park to the original magic kingdom. Even though the Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971, dedication day did not take place until October 25 after the opening ceremonies began on October 23.
Here is a quick guide of present day Magic Kingdom. Please visit a previous post about what the Magic Kingdom was like on opening day.
Main Street, U.S.A.:
The opening land of Main Street, U.S.A. is reminiscent of a turn of the 20th century small town. Guests first walk underneath the grand Walt Disney World Railroad station and into Town Square. They then round the corner and get their first glimpse of Cinderella Castle in the distance. This is when the happy tears usually start for me!
Main Street is home to many guest services such as Guest Relations, stroller and locker rentals, baby care centre, and first aid. Aside from the Walt Disney World Railroad, attractions include Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, which is an interactive adventure that actually takes place throughout the entire park but begins on Main Street, and the Town Square Theater. Guests can meet Mickey Mouse or Tinker Bell at the Town Square Theatre and there is FastPass+ available. However, guests must choose either Mickey or Tinker Bell as a single FastPass+ does not including meeting them both.
Main Street includes a working barber shop called Harmony Barber Shop. They offer both adult and children cuts and have the popular First Hair Cut package, priced at $25.
There are many restaurants along Main Street. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant and the Plaza Restaurant are both table service dining locations. The Crystal Palace is a character dining buffet with Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. The Main Street Bakery is the Magic Kingdom’s Starbucks location and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and Casey’s Corner are both quick service locations. Casey’s Corner offers the Mobile Order option.
Main Street is also well known for being the shopping hub of the Magic Kingdom. The Emporium stretches along the entire left-hand side of Main Street and is home to all kinds of merchandise.
Tomorrowland:
To the right of Main Street, U.S.A. is Tomorrowland. The E-ticket attraction here is Space Mountain,which is an indoor dark roller coaster. It offers FastPass+ and has a height requirement of 44 inches / 112 cm. The Tomorrowland Speedway allows guests to drive along a guide rail on an enclosed race car track. It offers FastPass+ and has a height requirement of 32 inches / 81 cm. However, guests must be 54 inches / 137 cm to drive on their own. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is a shooting attraction where guests try to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg. It offers FastPass+. The Astro Orbiter is a classic spinner attraction where guests ride in small rocket ships. Nearby is the entrance for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, an urban mass transit attraction that takes guests all over Tomorrowland. It offers narration of the different attractions found in the land. I know a mass transit attraction does not particularly sound very thrilling, but trust me, this is a must-do attraction at Magic Kingdom! To learn about some of the history of the PeopleMover, read my posts about the history of the attraction or the history of Epcot. Another classic attraction is Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. This rotating theatre show features audio-animatronics talking about what life is like in the different decades of the 20th century. It first debuted at the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair and then was moved to Disneyland. It was then moved to the Magic Kingdom in 1975. Another show is the interactive Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, which offers FastPass+. Guests can text in jokes and listen to their favourite monsters tell them on stage.
There are a number of quick service restaurants in Tomorrowland, many with a bad pun in the name. There is Cosmic Ray’s Galactic Goodies, The Lunching Pad, and Tomorrowland Terrace, all which offer the use of Mobile Order. Tomorrowland Terrace is only open seasonally, as well as the Cool Ship snack cart. Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies serves ice cream and sundaes.
Fantasyland:
Fantasyland is huge in the Magic Kingdom and is even separated into three sections. The Castle Courtyard is where the original part of Fantasyland was and is directly behind Cinderella Castle. This is home to classic attractions such as Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Peter Pan’s Flight, and It’s a Small World. Peter Pan’s Flight and It’s a Small World both offer FastPass+. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a 12 minute 3D movie that features Donald Duck getting swept up in classic Disney animated films and causes all sorts of trouble. This show offers FastPass+. There are two Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations at Walt Disney World and one of them is inside Cinderella Castle in Fantasyland. Guests ages 3 – 12 can be transformed into a princess or a knight. Princess packages range from $65 – $450 and knight packages range from $20 – $80. The other Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is in Disney Springs. Another part of the Castle Courtyard is located almost in Tomorrowland but this area is home to the Mad Tea Party and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Both of these attractions offer FastPass+. Guests can also meet numerous princesses in the Castle Courtyard. Merida can be found in the Fairytale Garden and Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, and Elena can be found in the Princess Fairytale Hall. The Princess Fairytale Hall offers FastPass+. There are a few restaurants in the Castle Courtyard including the extremely popular Cinderella’s Royal Table. This princess character dining is located inside the castle and should be a priority for advanced dining reservations if you wish to dine here. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and payment is required in full at the time of booking. Some quick service restaurants include Pinocchio Village Haus (which offers Mobile Order) and The Friar’s Nook. There are some snack carts as well such as Storybook Treats and Cheshire Café.
Another section of Fantasyland is the Enchanted Forest. In the centre of this area is the popular Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This family roller coaster offers FastPass+ and has a height requirement of 38 inches / 97 cm. Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid is an omnimover attraction that takes guests under the sea in a retelling of the story of Ariel. This attraction offers FastPass+. Guests can also meet Ariel at her Grotto near to the ride and can use FastPass+. Prince Eric’s Village Market is also in the area and serves fresh fruit. Enchanted Tales with Belle is an interactive attraction where guests become part of the Beauty and the Beast story. Nearby is the popular Be Our Guest Restaurant. This is another priority of advanced dining reservations if this is on your must-do list. The restaurant is themed to the Beast’s castle and there are three rooms to dine in: the ballroom, the west wing, and the rose gallery. Be Our Guest is unique in that it is considered a quick service for breakfast and lunch but a table service for dinner. However, all three meals require reservations. Another part of the Enchanted Forest is themed around Belle’s village. Here is the quick service restaurant Gaston’s Tavern.
The last section of Fantasyland is Storybook Circus. Here is the classic spinner attraction Dumbo the Flying Elephant, which offers FastPass+. The kiddie coaster The Barnstormer is nearby and offers FastPass+ as well. It has a height requirement of 35 inches / 89 cm. Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station is a water play area also themed to Dumbo. The Walt Disney World Railroad has a third stop located in Storybook Circus. Pete’s Silly Sideshow is a character meet and greet where Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy are dressed in their circus act attire.
Liberty Square:
Liberty Square is themed after colonial America and features replicas of both the Liberty Tree and the Liberty Bell. One of Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions lives here and that is the Haunted Mansion, which offers FastPass+. The Liberty Belle Riverboat docks here and takes guests around the Rivers of America. The Hall of Presidents is a 22 minute stage show that features all of the American presidents as audio-animatronics. The Muppets Present…Great Moments in American History is a live Muppet show that happens periodically throughout the day. The Muppets appear in the second story windows near the Hall of Presidents. The Muppets rotate shows that tell the stories of the Declaration of Independence and the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. There are a number of delicious restaurants around Liberty Square. The Liberty Tree Tavern is a table service restaurant that offers a Thanksgiving feast all year round. Columbia Harbour House is a quick service restaurant that offers Mobile Order. There is a second floor of seating so make sure to head upstairs if you are having trouble finding a table. There are some snack carts in Liberty Square such as Sleepy Hollow and Liberty Square Market. Another restaurant is the Diamond Horseshoe but it is only open seasonally and can operate as either a quick service or a table service dining location.
Frontierland:
Frontierland is home to two E-ticket attractions that can be found side by side: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a runaway mine train roller coaster that offers FastPass+. It has a height requirement of 40 inches / 102 cm. Splash Mountain is a log flume attraction themed to Song of the South. It also offers FastPass+ and has a height requirement of 40 inches / 102 cm. The Walt Disney World Railroad makes a stop here at the station located behind Splash Mountain. Tom Sawyer Island is located in the middle of the Rivers of America and is considered to be part of Frontierland. Guests board a raft that takes them to the island where they can explore sites inspired by the famed Mark Twain stories. Another attraction is the Country Bear Jamboree. This 16 minute show features audio-animatronic bears and other critters preforming a musical revue. The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade is where guests can fire infrared rifles at targets for an addition charge.
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café is a delicious quick service restaurant that offers Mobile Order. There are also some snack carts such as Golden Oak Outpost and Westward Ho.
Adventureland:
Adventureland is located to the left of Main Street, U.S.A. and is home to a few classic Disney attractions. Pirates of the Caribbean is a very popular attraction that is a slow-moving boat ride. It offers FastPass+. The Jungle Cruise also offers FastPass+ and guests journey through the jungles of Adventureland on a boat with a wisecracking skipper as their guide. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room is another classic and is a 10 minute show featuring audio-animatronic birds singing songs that will be stuck in your head all day. I love it! The Swiss Family Treehouse is a walkthrough treehouse attraction themed to Swiss Family Robinson. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is a spinner attraction that offers FastPass+. Watch out for the camels surrounding the Magic Carpets; they spit! A Pirate’s Adventure ~ Treasure of the Seven Seas is an interactive walking adventure that guests can do at their own pace. They follow a treasure map around Adventureland and complete five quests to earn their reward. The Pirates League offers makeover packages for guests to be transformed into pirates and mermaids. There is even a limited time option of an Uma, daughter of Ursula in Descendants 2, makeover. Prices range from about $20 – $100 and are available for guests ages 3 and up (yes, even adults!).
Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen is a table service restaurant that ties in with the Jungle Cruise. Tortuga Tavern is a quick service restaurant and Aloha Isle is where guests can order the famous Dole Whip (though I recommend the Dole Whip float!). Aloha Isla offers Mobile Order. Sunshine Tree Terrace is a snack cart that offers the citrus swirl.
Check out these other Quick Guides to the Parks:
Ooh, I wonder what Walt had In mind for this new theme park. What would he have done differently? Now you have my curiosity piqued!
I’m so sad I was never able to do my son’s first haircut on Main Street!
This guide is so helpful!
And I also wonder what Walt would’ve done differently with Magic Kingdom.
What a great, quick guide to Walt Disney World. This is great for anyone planning their first trip or looking for quick tips after not having been for a while.