Trip Report: Magic Kingdom

My only previous visit to the Magic Kingdom was in 2001, and after a 14 year absence I finally made it back for a second visit.  Aside from the addition of New Fantasyland, not much had changed since my last visit.  Usually a lack of growth and updates throughout a park does not sit favorably with me, but for some reason I have no problem giving the Magic Kingdom a pass.

As someone who had only visited the park once previously, my apathetic stance on the stagnant condition of the Magic Kingdom is not rooted in nostalgia like most others who defend the park.  I’m willing to overlook the lack of growth for two reasons: 

1) The park already has a large amount of attractions
2) The Magic Kingdom is just plain fun

In a park devoid of major thrills, the clichéd “magic” that seems to permeate throughout every 

attraction leaves everyone with a smile on their face.  I believe this is a direct result of Walt Disney’s vision and Roy Disney’s execution of that vision.  But I digress.  On to the trip report.

Despite being the off-season, the crowd levels were heavier than expected.  With strategic use of the FastPass+ system we were still able to hit nearly every attraction that we wanted to.  We pre-selected FastPasses for Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad all for the morning, and throughout the day we were able to get additional FastPasses for the Jungle Cruise, the Haunted Mansion, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan’s Flight.  The FastPass+ system is far from perfect, but you can skip a lot of lines simply by understanding how the system works.  Most people had no clue how to use it, let alone use it effectively.

Most of the attractions were just as good as I remembered.  The three mountains, the Haunted Mansion, the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and all of the other rides were so much fun.  The Enchanted Tiki Room, the Country Bear Jamboree, and the rest of the shows were still entertaining after all these years.

There were a few attractions that I had not experienced previously either due to time restraints or they had since been added since my last visit, and most of them were good as well.  Mickey’s Philharmagic, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Walt Disney World Railroad, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Stich’s Great Escape!, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and the Carousel of Progress were all new attractions for me and I enjoyed all of them except one (*cough* Stich *cough*).  There are still a few things that I’ve yet to experience, so I guess that means I’ll just have to come back.  Wishes was a decent fireworks show as well.

For our meals we stuck to counter service restaurants mostly as a cost saving measure, but also because we didn’t have reservations 17 years in advance.  For lunch we had the waffle sandwiches from Sleepy Hollow.  I had the sweet and spicy chicken while other members of my family tried the ham, prosciutto, and swiss.  For the quality of the ingredients and the size of the sandwiches, we actually felt like we were getting a good value from ordering these.  Dinner consisted of a trip to Pecos Bill’s.  There’s only one reason to eat here, and that reason is the toppings bar.  Being able to customize an otherwise uninspired burger and fries is certainly a plus.  Both of my meals were accompanied by cups of ice water, which are free upon request in case you didn’t realize it.

The only other food or beverage options that we tried were the Dole Whip and the LeFou’s Brew from Gaston’s Tavern.  Having tried Butterbeer at Universal Studios just the day before, I was interested in seeing how Disney’s specialty drink stacked up against the competition.  While I enjoyed the LeFou’s Brew, it just tasted like frozen apple juice.  I didn’t get any of the toasted marshmallow, passion fruit, and mango flavors that were advertised, but as a sucker for slush type drinks I still liked it quite a bit.  It’s certainly no Butterbeer though.  The Dole Whip is still delicious in case you were wondering. 

All in all it was a great day.  With the mix of rides, shows, and other attractions, it was easy to find something to please everyone in the family.  A little bit of planning went a long way in allowing us to skip a lot of lines and maximize the number of attractions we were able to experience.  I look forward to getting back in the future, and I would certainly recommend visiting the Magic Kingdom if you’ve never been there before.