All Things Travel Podcast
Listen in each week with Creating Magic Vacations Travel Advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie.
He is your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. She is a Disney-loving, Maryland mom of 3 and a specialist in family travel.
Whether they're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories…it’s always All Things Travel.
All Things Travel Podcast
Mastering Magic Kingdom: Expert Tips for Touring with Kids and Adults
Planning a trip to Magic Kingdom can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to make it easy! 🎢✨ In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie share their ultimate touring strategies for Magic Kingdom—whether you’re visiting with kids, teens, or as an adults-only group. From rope-dropping the best rides to choosing dining spots, this guide has everything you need to make your day magical.
Key Topics Covered:
👶 Touring Magic Kingdom with Kids:
- Why rope-dropping Fantasyland is a game-changer
- The perfect morning itinerary: Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo, It’s a Small World, and more
- Snack breaks at Gaston’s Tavern or Casey’s Corner
- Best Lightning Lane picks for families: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Winnie the Pooh
🎢 Exploring Magic Kingdom with Adults:
- Afternoon arrival tips to avoid crowds
- Top rides for adults: Tron, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion
- Dining suggestions: Skipper Canteen for adventurous eaters or Liberty Tree Tavern for hearty meals
- Pro tips: Monorail bar crawl and Capture the Moment photo sessions
🎯 General Tips for All Visitors:
- How to plan your Lightning Lanes for maximum efficiency
- Where to take breaks in the park: secret spots for quiet relaxation
- Must-know strategies for handling busy days
📅 Plan Your Perfect Disney Day:
Get all the insider advice you need to create a seamless and unforgettable experience for your group—no matter who you’re traveling with!
Call to Action:
Planning your next Disney adventure? Ryan and Julie can help create a custom touring plan that works for your family or group. Contact us today at AllThingsTravelPodcast.com to get started!
#MagicKingdomTips #DisneyPlanning #AllThingsTravelPodcast #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyWithKids #AdultsAtDisney
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Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. Planning a Walt Disney World vacation can seem overwhelming, complicated, or confusing. The next few episodes we are going to walk you through how to tour each park with kids or as adults only. Today we get started with Magic Kingdom and our best strategies to tour the park and make the most of your Disney day.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts, Ryan. And Julie. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three, and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:One of my favorite parts of planning a Walt Disney World vacation is writing the touring plans. And that's kind of how I even got into being a travel advisor because I just loved, you piecing together your dining reservations and the rides you're going to go on and at the time your fast passes. And making all that work to have a successful trip.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Julie, real quick, you use the term touring plans, Give somebody a one sentence definition of a touring plan.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:a touring plan is just, your plan for how you're going to tour the park. Where you're going to go first, where you're going to go next, when you're taking a break, where you're having lunch, those type of things. So, it's like your daily itinerary. and then, And writing an itinerary like that, a touring plan for Magic Kingdom has got to be my favorite part to do because there is so much to do there and it's so much fun. There are so many different strategies I use for families and I'm sure Ryan has different ideas for an adults only
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:I would throw older teenagers and adults in there too. I think you're going to focus on the smaller kiddos and I'm going to take the other folks that tends to be our MO in talking about travel, right?
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:that's why we work well together.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:You talk about strollers and I'm like, Oh, I didn't think about that. you'll text me, you'll be like, does this company have car seats? And I'm like, why would I know that?
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:So true.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Well, hey, before we get into talking about Magic Kingdom and some plans to visit that park, I want to remind you, if you did not listen to last week's episode, Julie and I did a deep dive with a process that we've created to map out your travel plans as a family or a travel group over time. So you can really maximize your budget, your planning, and. Always having something on the books to look forward to. Alright, Julie, let's get into it. Magic Kingdom, it's the biggie when it comes to visiting Disney. You have arrived when you come to Magic Kingdom.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:It is the most magical, that's for sure. Okay, so we're going to break this down so it makes sense for what I'm going to talk about and what Brian's going to talk about and carry that same strategy over to the next couple of parks. We're going to talk about when to arrive to the park, where you're going to go first, how to spend, Your morning and then how to spend, the rest of your day, your afternoon and evening. you should pre book for your lightning lanes. Our dining recommendations, and our best tips.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Let's do
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:when I say Magic Kingdom with families, I am thinking, elementary age kids, or even kids that are not in school yet. Like four and under, or up to about ten ish, So when you arrive to Magic Kingdom, kids tend to do best in the morning. you have to get to Magic Kingdom at Rope Drop. Always arrive for early entry, which is 30 minutes prior to park opening. if you're staying at a monorail resort, you can leave about 45 minutes prior to park opening, If you're staying at any other resort, Leave one hour before park opening give yourself plenty of time The reason you want to get there before early entry even starts is because with Magic Kingdom, especially They will let you on to Main Street about an hour before park opening so you can kind of make your way To the rope for rope drop before they even start letting you through and really help you maximize your time with little kids Well, with everyone, the only lands open during early entry in Magic Kingdom are Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. If you've got little kids, walk straight to Fantasyland. go straight towards the castle, a little to the right, for early entry. Then you're going to veer left into Fantasyland. I tell everyone, go straight to Peter Pan's Flight. I love the queue, so I like to walk through the actual queue. It is so cute. You walk through the kids bedrooms, then you go to Neverland. It's also a tier one ride for lightning lanes, so I don't love using my tier one lightning lane on Peter Pan's flight. I rather rope drop it. It's also a ride that even though it's not very exciting, the wait times get to like 85 ish minutes later in the day, and you really like, as much as I love the queue, I don't want to be in it for 85 minutes. So I'm either riding it with a lightning lane or doing it first thing in the morning. So, right after I get off Peter Pan's flight, cross the street to It's a Small World. Go right through that queue, because it usually doesn't even have anyone in the line yet, and you can get on and off. Then I'm heading over to Under the Sea, The Journey of the Little Mermaid, and then to Dumbo. you can get all those things done in about 45 minutes, which is a huge start to your day. After you get those done, it's a great time to get a snack, head over to Gaston's Tavern, get a cinnamon roll. There's a couple other spots nearby that serve breakfast foods like Fryer's Nook. That's a great option, too.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:both those are really good ideas.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Or if you're like me, a Mickey pretzel with cheese right at the cart outside Dumbo.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You would choose a pretzel with cheese over a Gaston cinnamon roll?
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:I would for two reasons. Number one,
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:no, no, no, no. What? What? No, there are not two reasons to make that choice.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Well, number one, I'm already right next door to it. Because I'm at Dumbo and I'm probably going on Dumbo four times.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:okay,
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:And number two, I love Mickey pretzels. I know. I'm a savory person instead of sweets.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:alright, to each their own. I'm sure there may have, been one or two things of my opinion, that you don't agree with. So, I will give you this one.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Okay, so after your snack, and after you've done a good bit of rides, you're gonna head over to Enchanted Tales with Belle. Even if you have little boys or kids who are not into princesses, this is such a fun experience. It's like a little interactive play, and you get to meet Belle. But it doesn't open until 10. 30 most mornings, and it doesn't have a lightning link. So you want to be there. around opening time. After all that you're getting towards the afternoon. If you're on a monorail resort, think about heading back for the middle of the day. If not grab lunch and see a show. Um, like the Enchanted Tiki Room or Mickey's Fill Our Magic. Or maybe go over, do the People Mover, meet some characters, and start making my way towards Frontierland to grab a spot for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. okay. So after the parade, hopefully you have a lightning lane for Tiana's, buy you adventure. You can do that. And then make your way over to Adventure Land, because everything else in Frontier Land is getting ready for the big refurbishment that's coming.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:it's going to look a lot different here for a while.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Yeah, and that's okay. So make your way to Adventureland. And there's actually a lot in Adventureland for little
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Yeah, yeah.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:You've got the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride, which is basically Dumbo with a camel spitting at you it fun. Little element of surprise. You've got the Jungle Cruise. the Enchanted Tiki Room. the Pirates of the Caribbean. I just think it's a fun place for kids to be. And there's Dole Whips.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:there are dole whips.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:So, it's a good place. That's where I spend a lot of time with my kids after Fantasyland. back to getting ready for the trip. seven days in advance you can book your Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes. This is what I tell my clients to do. For Magic Kingdom, your Tier 1 ride should be Tiana's Bayou Adventure. For Magic Kingdom, your Tier 1 ride should be Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Your tier two rides should be the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh. And Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger Spin. I also love, Peter Pan and It's a Small World on Lightning Lanes. if you're gonna rope drop, you can do those easily during rope drop. Winnie the Pooh, that line gets really long, so I don't like it. Even though it has an interactive cue, I don't like waiting in that line. It doesn't move fast. Same with Buzz Lightyear. That line gets long and it does not move.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:I will clarify one thing that you said, Julie. You said it's seven days, and that's it's seven days for folks that are staying on property, three days out for folks who are staying off property.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Good clarification. so dining. The next most important thing about going to Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is not really like the best place for food, but this is what I recommend.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:feel like Magic Kingdom is the most theme park y game. With food, although there is a variety. it's not the embarrassment of riches that some of the other parks are.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:agree. And I think that's okay because they make up for it in everything else. Okay, so for quick service, I say Columbia Harbor House because there's a lot of options. I like the waffles at Sleepy Hollow and Casey's Corner because hot dogs. All the kids like hot dogs. It's so easy, tons of seating, and it's pretty inexpensive. For table service, I'm just going to start with Cinderella's Royal Table because it is like the quintessential Disney experience. Right Ryan?
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:I went there and I'm glad that I went there.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:it's an amazing experience. If you have little kids, it's absolutely worth being a part of your day. I prefer breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table over lunch or dinner. My kids are more awake. I prefer the food at breakfast and it's a little less expensive.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:And I would also add to this, if your kiddos are doing Bippity Boppity Boutique, please do it first thing in the morning and then do Cinderella's right after. Don't try to get those perfect pictures in the castle after you've been walking around the park for three hours, because that Bippity Boppity Boutique isn't going to look the best at that point.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Yeah, you're right. the other table service restaurants I usually recommend to clients are Liberty Tree Tavern. It's a pretty traditional type meal, but I like it because it's kind of something for everyone. Crystal Palace. I love their breakfast and there's Winnie the Pooh characters they do a great job interacting. And the Plaza Restaurant. The Plaza is not super popular, but I like their food. It's sandwiches, soups, salads, kind of like a lighter meal. All right. And some pro tips. These are kind of overall for the theme parks. So bring a stroller. If your kids are seven and under, bring a stroller. You don't use it at home. You will use it in the parks. Get a cheap one off Facebook marketplace, whatever, but bring a stroller. Go to the baby care centers. They have. Pretty much anything you need to take care of your kids, extra diapers, snacks, things like that, and a quiet little location. Bring earmuffs for your kids because rides are loud. Use Ride or Swap for big rides so both the adults can go on it. And take breaks. That break might be at the resort, or it might be just sitting down and having a snack, or it might be going to a show. take a moment and get away from the stimulation.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:So let me ask you a question, Julie. Taking a break in the parks. I agree. Popping into Mickey's PhilharMagic or an inside show is great. If I want to find an outside to take a break, is there a place you recommend? Because I have one in mind and I bet we have the same one in mind.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:I have two. the first is that little side street. What's it called? Center Street? it's right off of Main Street,
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:that's a great one.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:And the second is the path between Tron and Fantasyland.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:that's not what I was going to say.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:and a third if it's open. The railroad.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Okay the railroad is a great break. my favorite place for a break is behind the Christmas shop in Liberty Square as you go around the corner of the Christmas shop. There's a nice little seating area It's got some shade. It's usually quieter. That is a great place to just relax for a second.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:I agree. And if you're there during the Christmas season, Santa is back
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:That's right. They have that little gazebo back there. forgot all about that. All right, Julie. I'm excited to share this week's Where in the World is All Things Travel while we, transition from traveling with families to traveling with adults. this Where in the World blew me away when I looked at the stats. I looked at new locations. Cairo, Egypt. Is that not awesome? I think this might be our first African location. Super excited. I've been to Cairo. It's an amazing place like no other when it comes to traveling. Of course, I've got to go to the pyramids with my listener and I want them to show me their Cairo and learn all about it. I want to send a little thank you gift all the way to Cairo, Egypt for being a listener to All Things Travel. please reach out to Julie or I. You can do that on allthingstravelpodcast. com. Just click on contact us, give me your information, and I'd love to say hello and send you a little thank you. all right. Julie, the next part, we're going to talk about what if you have older kids or adults going to magic kingdom? Now I will say. For the Disney purists, the people who love everything classic Disney, a lot of what you said still rings true. do what's right for your group first and foremost. when I thought about this first question, when to arrive, I have kind of two thoughts When it comes to adult groups you can either rope drop just like julie said That's what I tend to do. Even when I go with my friends who are adults if you are not a rope drop group or you want to take advantage of times with less families Go in the afternoon and then plan on staying till close because what did julie say? After lunch, we're going to go back to the resort, have a rest, you show up at that time, and as people are leaving, you're coming into, the benefit with less capacity when it comes to the parks. Where to go first, rope drop I would head straight to Tron It is a long line all through the day and it's a very short ride So let's maximize those first couple minutes and get that ride done and have that experience Or I would say if you want to do classic Disney just like Julie said go to Peter Pan and enjoy that cues. I don't recommend doing seven Dwarfs mind train, to be honest. It is, too unpredictable. I've been in the line more often when it breaks down at the beginning of the day than not. if you are going in the afternoon, I would go straight to Tiana's or I would go to Tomorrowland and then hit some of those popular rides more in the evening that other people have done first thing in the morning.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:and by goes straight to Tiana's Ryan means book your lightning lane for the early afternoon
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:I'm going to talk about lightning lanes here in a second. The advantage of the afternoon show up is You have more availability with later times because most people are going to be looking at times first thing in the morning. All right, so how to spend the afternoon and evening. if you rope drop, maybe it's a good time to take a break. for adults a cool thing to do would be a crawl. So maybe we take the monorail over to Polynesian and we go to Trader Sam's get a tropical drink. Or maybe we head over to the contemporary and hit up the lounge at Steakhouse 71. Again, just to get out of the heat, have some relaxation time, grab a bite to eat, grab a drink. Or I would say if you are going in the afternoon, start your day by having a later lunch reservation. I would suggest Skipper Canteen because I think it's a great spot for anybody, but especially for adults. and then I would, do rides up to and through the fireworks. That's how I would handle that day.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:I love the suggestion of Skip or Can't Teen. especially if you're like a Disney adult, there's so many little like,
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:it's yeah.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:may know.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:And one of the things I like about Skipper Canteen is their food is really good. It's very interesting and you can do a lot of table sharing. there's a lot of appetizers that you can have amongst the table. You can get our favorite beer, the conga loosh beer there at skipper canteens. I think it's a great choice. So what I would do is I would go into the park for a couple hours, maybe get there at one o'clock in the afternoon, do a couple hours and try to get done what I can get done. Have a late lunch at three then hit the parks and know that I'm going to get a nice snack or a quick service meal later in the evening. What to pre book on Lightning Lane? I think right now with Big Thunder Railroad being down, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is definitely a good one. Then Haunted Mansion. for me, is a classic, especially for adults. my teenagers love it too. And then, I would say, get a Virtual Q for Tron, even if you rope drop it. Maybe do it both ways. And then I would also say Space Mountain. Now, I'm gonna go back then and I'm gonna get Jungle Cruise because that's obviously a classic and I'm gonna pair that with a Dole Whip because why the heck not.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:So, question Ryan, because we said earlier that we don't like to rope drop 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Would you buy a Lightning Lane or do you have a different strategy
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:depends on the group. I mean, if it's a must do, I would. If it's not, to be honest, I just wouldn't. there's enough other rides in Magic Kingdom that I think unless it's a must, I wouldn't do it. I would rather do Tiana's and Tron than, Seven Dwarfs. That's my opinion. but I also think you're going to be able to get Seven Dwarfs later on at night, around parade time. without much weight.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Yeah, I agree. for clients when they want to go on 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, or for my family, which it's rare that we go on it right now, I always recommend that if you have five park days, you go to Magic Kingdom two times. Maybe that second time you're at Magic Kingdom, you're not there all day, you're splitting it with another park. But I say that you rope drop Peter Pan and Fantasyland one day, and then you can try to rope drop seven dwarfs the next time. if you're at the Deluxe Resort, do it during extended evening hours.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:I would pre book Tron, with a virtual queue and even look to do both, maybe with the standby line and the virtual queue. and enjoy it because it's just the l have to really strategize
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Yeah, and I didn't mention that when I was talking about families, but I will say that my husband and I, we do always pre purchase that individual lightning lane, just for the two of us, and just swap on and off because we really like the ride. Mm hmm.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Absolutely. So dining sug to sound a lot like julie house, sleepy hollows, gr a really good classic sto in their PECO spills. I k change over time, but to choice when it comes to quick service with table service. for me. It's going to be skipper canteen or Liberty tree. obviously adults want to see characters too, but you have a little bit more availability By going to those non character spots, especially if you're eating at Popular Times. some pro tips when it comes to Magic Kingdom. Avoid little kid areas until the afternoon. If it were me and I was going with teens or adults, I wouldn't touch Fantasyland until later in the afternoon when folks have left. I threw this one in here, Julie. I would schedule a capture the moment photo session because I've done this twice and absolutely love this option you come away with so many great pictures and it's not a long time commitment. it's only a 20 minute session. So I would say overall, it's probably about 45 minutes from the time you check in and everything. you come away with so many great pictures of your trip, totally worth it. And then I would say go at your pace, take breaks and go in with a plan. And I would say, go in with a plan that's opposite than families. If I go first thing in the morning, I'm going to not go to fantasy land. I'm going to start in tomorrow land. If I go in the afternoon, I know I'm going to be avoiding, some of those families. So then I can go to fantasy land and then I'm going to stay later when most folks leave, before or after the fireworks. Well, what do we think, Julie, have we given some good tips here for magic kingdom?
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:I think so. And I feel like if I was listening, I'd be like pen to paper trying to take notes. But the great thing is when you are one of our clients and your Walt Disney World vacation is coming up, you are going to get all of these tips sent customized to you, and even more tips that we didn't share on here.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:Our job is to help you map out the day that makes the most sense for your group based on what you're wanting to see and what's important to you.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:Because remember, we've done it so many times. We know the best strategies. Even if you say, I really want to do this ride, so I'm going to do a lightning lane. We are here to tell you that, maybe you really want to do that ride, but don't pre book it it's easy to get the day of.
ryan_1_01-12-2025_192018:You want to plan a trip to an amazing destination like Magic Kingdom, but you don't know how to get started? As your travel advisor, we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away so you can focus on the fun and create those memories. You can reach out to us by going to allthingstravelpodcast. com and either leaving us a comment or clicking on plan your trip. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel when we discuss how to do Disney at EBCOT. Then Haunted Mansion. I would say, even if you rope drop, what, what are you looking at me for? I keep thinking you're judging me.
julie_1_01-12-2025_192018:No, I always forget about Haunted Mansion.
