I Never Thought I’d Skip Magic Kingdom During My Disney World Trip, but Here We Are

Is it just us, or is Magic Kingdom feeling a little less magical these days?

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the MOST VISITED theme park in the world year after year — and for good reason! Disney World’s first theme park is home to tons of incredible attractions, emotion-evoking nostalgia, fun entertainment, tasty eats, and so much more. And yet, the DFB team and I can’t help but feel you’re justified to skip the park right now.

Full disclosure: I’m a Disneyland local who can quite literally say, “We have Magic Kingdom at home,” and not totally be lying. Though I haven’t skipped Magic Kingdom during my Florida vacations in the past because of attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON, the PeopleMover, and Carousel of Progress, both parks have a lot of the same vibe, and I can get a lot of the same here in California. If you’re like me, Magic Kingdom is a must, but it’s not the park you need to spend the most time at.

WITH THAT SAID, chances are you’re not like me, and the idea of skipping Magic Kingdom is an unthinkable act. Yet I’m here to tell you there are several reasons as to why a Magic Kingdom visit should NOT be at the top of your priorities during your next visit.

Rainy day in Magic Kingdom

The first and probably BIGGEST reason? Getting to the park is a real pain! When you’re not staying at a Magic Kingdom area resort that has monorail or boat access up to the park gates, just getting to and from Magic Kingdom involves a whole other layer of park strategizing.

Monorail

If you drive, take a rideshare, or take a shuttle from a non-Disney owned hotel, you’ll be dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) first, which means you’ll have to get in ANOTHER transportation line for either the monorail or ferry to carry you the rest of the way over. At the end of the night, you do it all again, but in reverse. Only, it’s worse at the end of the night because everyone and their mother is leaving.

TTC

Even if you’re staying at a Disney-owned resort that’s not in the Magic Kingdom area, the resort buses get incredibly crowded — especially for the value resorts. There’s a good chance that if you’re towards the back of the bus line, you might be waiting a long time for a bus to board. This is extra awful when you’re exhausted after a long park day, and your feet are screaming at you.

We recommend that if you’re traveling to Magic Kingdom, it might be best to arrive a little AFTER rope drop just to avoid the thick of the morning crowds. At the end of the night, you can get some lost time back by hanging around Main Street, U.S.A. for an extra 30 to 60 minutes after the park closes (while the Main Street shops/snack locations are still open), and wait for the mass exodus to pass before leaving.

Empty Main Street U.S.A.

The best way to avoid crowds is to skip the general admission altogether and purchase an After Hours event ticket, when available, so you can COMPLETELY avoid the worst of the crowds and ride back-to-back rides for 3 extra hours past closing time — while also grabbing complimentary ice cream, bottle sodas, and popcorn from various kiosks all night long. Sure, this is not free, and if you’ve gone to Magic Kingdom a lot, this may seem excessive, but it’s a great way to avoid the crowds.

Fantasyland

Crowding is, ultimately, the major issue here. There is no indication that Magic Kingdom will relinquish the “Most Visited Theme Park” title any time soon, and so that trend will most certainly continue into the foreseeable future. The fact that lots of rides will be in refurbishment flux (such as Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, among other routine maintenance) won’t stop crowds from coming. 

Additionally, there will be TONS of construction at the park for the new Villains Land and the Cars-themed Piston Peak area, replacing the Rivers of America.

The walls create a bottleneck!

So not only will you have to deal with construction and refurbishments during your visit, but it’s unlikely that the crowds will disappear.

Not the prettiest, but necessary!

So to recap, Magic Kingdom naturally has an annoying transportation and crowd problem, but while we could put up with these issues in the past, it’s harder to justify when the offerings and sights are more limited than they used to be.

But don’t worry! We plan on pushing through, and you can count on us to bring you daily Magic Kingdom coverage. Keep it posted right here at DFB for all the latest updates, tips, tricks, reviews, and more!

I Go to Disney World Every Week, and These Are My Must-Dos in Magic Kingdom When It’s Too Dang Hot

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Will you ever skip Magic Kingdom during a Disney World vacation? Have you before? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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