Confessions of a Disney World Addict: Magic Kingdom

The first park I shall begin with is the quintessential Disney park, the Magic Kingdom. For many years this was the ONLY park. Imagine if you can the excitement of walking back into a simpler time and then as you go just a bit further you see this giant castle. There are times I wish I could be a photographer that captures all of the first timers seeing Cinderella's Castle for the very first time. I still get that feeling in the pit of my stomach everytime I see it, no trip to Disney is complete without a pilgrimage to the Magic Kingdom.

What is there to do at the park? Well, this is the park that truly makes me feel like a child again. Take a spin in tea-cups, ride in an elephant named Dumbo, be thrown into the briar patch, or meet and greet Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and many more of the many Disney characters. If I was going to pin point the MUST DO's at the Magic Kingdom I will say that Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain (for those roller-coaster fanatics), the Monster Inc. Laugh Factory and the Electrical Parade. Two late night experiences are the new castle projection show as well as the firework display.

Are there more things to do? YES, you could spend a whole day and night at the Magic Kingdom and NEVER come close to experiencing all there is at just this one park. One thing I should warn all first timers is this YOU CANNOT DO IT ALL so don't try. If you visit the Walt Disney World website DISNEY WORLD there are links that take you to the indivdual parks pages that would help you discover more of the things you would like to see.

Tips for the Magic Kingdom:
1. Comfortable shoes (it might not be a bad idea to pack another in your bag in case of the others getting wet, it has been known to rain in Central Florida)
2. Purchase ponchos off of Disney... (you will save a lot of $$$$ if you go by your hometown discount store agan it does rain n Florida)
3. For the photographers out there: be considerate of others, limit your equipment to at most a couple of lenses (I try to only bring a wide angle lens as well as my 100mm lens) and unless you are planning on getting some wonderful firework shots a monopod works great so leave the tripod at the hotel or at home. Make sure you have enough memory cards and a spare battery or two. I download all of my pics of the day onto my laptop which stays in the resort so I can reuse the memory cards each day BUT I usually go through two cards each park.
4. Eat off hours to avoid the rush at the restraunts, even if you have the dining plan you should make reservations for mid-afternoon (2:00 pm) instead of high noon... same goes for the evening meal except sometimes with that earlier is better than later.
5. If you want to see the 3:00 pm parade then ignore this next tip: Rides have smaller lines during parade times take advantage of them.
6. FAST PASS: go early to the attractions you want to ride and pick up a fast pass for later if the line is huge. Not all of the attractions have Fast Pass...
7. Grab a map as you get into the park (same for all of the parks) they will tell you times and where all of the character meet and greets are.
8. The characters all have to take breaks if the handler says they will be back shortly then they will be back shortly so stay in line...
9. Spend some time at the spitting Tikis in Adventureland (not a lot but some) They are favorite photo subjects of mine.
10. Take a break every once in awhile enjoy a show (Hall of Presidents...) ride the train or just relax on a bench. The Emporium and the other shops on Main Street USA are all air conditioned...

I could go on forever but then I wouldn't have any other post to write... So until next time Keep Calm and Dream Disney!