A One-Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary with Toddlers

As a Florida family, we usually head to Disney World once or twice a year (I know, I know — Disney fans are gasping!). This year was extra special because it was my toddler’s first trip to Magic Kingdom — mostly because he was almost 3, and kids under 3 are still free!

Since we don’t have annual passes or stay on property, we planned a full day at the park. But there was no pressure to do everything! Our Magic Kingdom itinerary focused on what felt right for our family: favorite rides, plenty of snack breaks, lots of Lightning Lanes, and leaving with happy kids.

Our day? 17 attractions, 3 specialty snacks, & 2 full meals in 11 hours at Magic Kingdom with little kids.

Before the Park: Lightning Lane Strategy

The only way I survive Disney with toddlers? Lightning Lanes. I love my kids, but I’m not waiting 45 minutes in line for a ride.

Here are a few more tips based on our day (in mid-May… because time of year does matter!):

• Everyone recommends Winnie the Pooh & Peter Pan first, but the earliest Lightning Lanes were already late afternoon by the time I booked (3 days out because we didn’t stay on property… because we live here). And the wait all day hovered between 30-45 minutes. So we skipped them this trip!
• Disney secret — you can scan into a ride up to 5 minutes early or 15 minutes late (especially helpful with littles!). I still try to scan right on time (or at least on the early end of the time slot!) to unlock the next ride.
• Have 1 person handle scanning tickets. We travelled with my parents (party of 6, 5 tickets). So much easier if I just did it.

Looking for more Lightning Lane tips? Or Disney tips in general? My go-to Disney girl is Dana Stanley of Somewhere Worthwhile. I own all of her Disney Guides, and they are worth every penny. (Even for me, a Florida local who grew up going to Disney.)

Arrival to Magic Kingdom

Park opening was at 9AM, so we drove onto Disney property around 7:50. This gave us time to pack up the stroller, ride the monorail, and be inside Magic Kingdom by 8:30. We paused by the Fire Station on Main Street, U.S.A. for our first sunscreen stop and to wait for “rope drop.”

If you’re doing a full day, I highly recommend arriving on Main Street a bit before official opening! Arriving early also means leisurely castle photos, cooler temps, and (hopefully) more cooperative toddlers for that classic Disney pic. After a bit of music and some fireworks at rope drop (no Mickey & friends for us this time), it was time to head to our first ride!

Morning – Fantasyland

We started our day in Fantasyland and managed to do 7 rides (plus a snack break!) before lunch. Here’s the flow that worked well for us (and you can find my full, timestamped itinerary at the bottom of this post):

• Start with a classic with an (almost always!) short wait. → It’s a Small World.

• Mix rides with a show. → Philharmagic gives the kids a rest in the A/C (and for some reason they love it!).
• Use Lightning Lanes early & scan in ASAP. → We used ours on Mad Tea Party (my earliest possible LL — even though this ride usually has a low wait time, I chose it so we could book our next LL more quickly!), The Barnstormer, & Dumbo.

• Add in a few walk-ons. → Fantasyland has several short waits in the morning (for us — Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and Under the Sea).
• Plan a mid-morning reset. → We stopped at Gaston’s Tavern (near Under the Sea!) for a snack, sunscreen, and potty break before wrapping up our Fantasyland rides in the Storybook Circus area (The Barnstormer and Dumbo).

Midday – Adventureland

After Fantasyland, we headed to Adventureland. My main goal was to grab a Lightning Lane for Pirates of the Caribbean between 12:00–2:15 PM — and one showed up right after we scanned into Barnstormer.

• Ride with a short LL wait. → Jungle Cruise.

• Catch a show. → Enchanted Tiki Room. (About a 10-minute wait for show to start & a great A/C break!)
• Ride your preschooler’s top request.→ Pirates of the Caribbean. The Lightning Lane kept the wait manageable. Some toddlers might find this ride scary, but mine LOVE it!

Afternoon – Frontierland & Parade

You’ll want to post up along the front of the shops in Frontierland for the Festival of Fantasy parade by 2:15–2:30. (I’ll give more parade tips for Magic Kingdom below!) If you still have a little time before then (and we did!), pop into Country Bear Jamboree for a quick, air-conditioned show.

Then, it’s time for a reset before the parade! Here’s what worked well for us:

• Quick potty stop + water refills at Pecos Bill
• Nana ran for Dole Whips from Aloha Isle (the best parade snack!)
• Kids napped/rested in the stroller in the shade
• Fresh sunscreen all around

Why Frontierland for the parade? It’s less crowded than Main Street, offers plenty of shady spots if you arrive early, and since it’s the start of the parade route, you can pack up and move on to your next ride much faster.

Late Afternoon – Tomorrowland

Once you’ve wrapped up Fantasyland, it’s time to shift gears and make your way toward Tomorrowland for the rest of the afternoon.

• Plan around Lightning Lanes → Base your afternoon on what you can grab in Tomorrowland — think Tomorrowland Speedway, Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
• Coffee + Donut Break → Highly recommend Joffrey’s for a caffeine pick-me-up and (giant) donuts. Bonus: it’s the only spot I found in the park with alternative milk options (and considering the long day, a must if you’re lactose intolerant like me!).
• Find a spot to cool down in the A/C. → Take your snack to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. It’s air-conditioned and comes with a little side of entertainment thanks to its “live” music.

After our snack was our final sunscreen of the day!

End to a Wonderful Day – Main Street, U.S.A.

There’s something magical about ending your day with a stroll down Main Street, U.S.A. — the music, the balloons, and the original nostalgia that make it feel like the heart of Magic Kingdom. Here are the highlights:

• Meeting Mickey (finally!) → My littlest is obsessed with Mickey, but wait times were 25+ minutes most of the day. We didn’t want to trek all the way back to the front of the park for a long wait and then retrace our steps. But around 5:30PM, we lucked out with less than a 10-minute wait! It was the perfect, magical ending to our day.

• Quick Dinner at Casey’s Corner → The mini corn dogs? Totally live up to the hype. The vibe is fun, but be warned: those outdoor tables in the sun felt really hot after a full day of sweating in the park.

• One Last Stop: The Emporium → Before heading out, we let the kids each pick one special toy (a great way to end on a happy note). From there, it was straight to the monorail for the ride home.

Final Thoughts: A Long Day at Magic Kingdom

It really was a long, full, magical day at Magic Kingdom. Having my parents along made such a difference (from grabbing ice waters to helping sunscreen the littles!). But if you’re planning a full day at Disney, my two biggest tips are:

1. Break up your day with snacks and rest time in the A/C.
2. Decide your priorities ahead of time.

We were able to ride so many rides and see so much, but what mattered most was knowing our top priorities. Even if we had done less, I’d still have felt good about the day. It was the best day with my favorite people — and as promised, I’m sharing our full Magic Kingdom itinerary below!