A Day At Magic Kingdom

It’s hard to top Magic Kingdom, in my opinion. I love Epcot and, as you know, I really enjoyed Hollywood Studios this trip, but Magic Kingdom is just…well, magical.

Outfit details: ears & shirt - Etsy, skort & shoes - Amazon

We decided Magic Kingdom deserved two days this trip, which was honestly such a game changer. Despite this day being the busiest of the trip, we didn’t feel rushed to hit every single ride or try every single snack because we knew we would be back for a second day later in the week.

We arrived at the park around 10 am. We knew we needed to get an earlier start than the past couple of days, and to say our timing was perfect would be an understatement. Moments after we arrived, we got to watch the sweetest proposal in the exact spot I’m standing in the picture below.

We also made a couple of wishes at the wishing well near by.

I started the day with a warm cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern. I had seen these GIANT cinnamon rolls all over TikTok. So, naturally I had to get one (and document it on TikTok). It was seriously the size of my face and absolutely delicious.

After breakfast we decided to go ahead and get one of the longest waits out of the way - Peter Pan’s Flight. It’s wild how busy this ride always is.

I do totally get the hype though. This ride is so, again…magical. It’s also unlike any other ride I’ve ever ridden, which always scores brownie points with me.

Now…this next monumental event in my life, requires a little backstory. I went to Disney for the first time when I was 14 years old. So, I never experienced Disney as a child. As an adult, I had never done any of the meet and greets, not to mention last time we were in Disney they weren’t even doing them due to COVID. So, when I realized that I could meet my favorite princess, Cinderella, this time…let’s just say I did not act 32 years old.

I had no idea what to expect, but I was SO impressed with how in character she was. She was also SO kind. I’ve never identified with my 5-year-old self more. We also got to meet Elena, who was the guest princess hanging with Cinderella that day.

She was also super sweet.

After what was truly a religious experience, we caught a few minutes of the 12 pm parade, before riding It’s a Small World. I know people have strong opinions on this ride, including Megan. She hates it and thinks it’s so creepy. But, I was able to persuade her to ride it with me anyway. I actually really love it! I have read that the dolls stay on all night, even after the music and lights are turned off though…Now THAT is CREEPY.

For lunch, we had a reservation at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Megan’s favorite. However, we were extremely disappointed to find out that Sonny Eclipse is no longer there. The food is still good, but it’s just not the same without Sonny.

After lunch we rode Space Mountain, one of our very favorite rides. It never disappoints. Then we headed over to the Laugh Floor for the Monsters, Inc. show. Megan LOVES Mike Wazowski, and he is surprisingly difficult to come across in the Disney World parks. Lots of Sulley, without Mike. Thankfully, we discovered this cute little show, which is hosted by Mike. Word to the wise, quite a few audience members are called out and put on the big screen during the show…I was regretfully one of them. No, seriously…I was traumatized, but Megan got a good laugh and a video…which I will not be sharing here. Sorry!

After the show, (and once I had recovered), we rode Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. I love this ride so much. It’s so cute!

Now, by this point in the day we wanted a cocktail. However, as you may or may not know, alcohol is very difficult to come by in Magic Kingdom. In fact, you’ll need a reservation. Thankfully I was able to get a last minute reservation for us at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. We had the best waitress, y’all. She truly understood the assignment.

We tried the Canella Bellini Sparkling Peach Cocktail and the Peroni before splitting the Limoncello Sidecar, which we took as a shot, per our waitress’ recommendation since the restaurant doesn’t serve shots. She also recommended taking the monorail over to the Grand Floridian, or one of the nearby resorts with a bar. We didn’t end up doing this, but I’m keeping the idea in my back pocket for a future trip.

After our little “afternooncap”, we grabbed a couple of churros at the Frontierland Churro Cart. These were the best churros I had during our trip. They were nice and soft.

After our snack we headed to Pirates of Caribbean. We both love this ride. Megan especially loves the way it smells. Anyone else out there?

Up next, Megan wanted to ride the Jungle Cruise since she had never ridden it before. But, per usual…the wait was insanely long. So, while we waited for our time we decided to check out the nearby Enchanted Tiki Room. This was a truly terrifying experience. The entire show consists of singing birds descending from the ceiling and creepy faces appearing in the walls. We were truly in awe of just how terrible the Enchanted Tiki Room was. You heard it here. NOT worth your time.

When we finally did get to ride the Jungle Cruise, Megan agreed that it’s really a onetime experience….we don’t get the hype, but people love this ride.

By the time the Jungle Cruise was over, it was getting dark out. So, we headed for The Haunted Mansion. We purposely waited until after dark so it would be extra creepy. I’ve never seen such long lines for this ride…even the lighting lane was long. Totally worth it though. I love The Haunted Mansion.

Since we didn’t technically eat dinner, we were a little hungry after The Haunted Mansion. So, we grabbed some popcorn and Mickey pretzels at Maurice’s Amazing Popping Machine, near Gaston’s Tavern.

Now…this is important…fireworks… It’s no secret that the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom is spectacular. I just had no idea what a big deal it really is. If you want to get a spot near the castle, you’re going to need to be in place by 7 pm (the fireworks started at 8:15 when we were there). Another consideration is what you plan to do after the fireworks. I would always suggest being as close to the outside of the crowd as possible, unless you don’t mind staying put for a hot second after the fireworks. We planned to leave the park after the fireworks. So, we went to the “back”. Not the very back (people were literally packed like sardines all the way to Town Square). We didn’t want to be too far back to enjoy the show. So, we set up camp about midway down Main Street. With the exception of one little boy on his dad’s shoulders, we had a really good view. Note to my future self: no one behind you can see if you put your child on your shoulders. The show was still outstanding though! Definitely worth sticking around for.

And, that concludes our first day at Magic Kingdom. Next up: Epcot!

-D