How to Ride all the Rides in Magic Kingdom with no Fast Passes
With shorter hours and no fast passes in Walt Disney World right now, it is a lot harder to hit all the rides you want to hit all in one day. If all you care about is getting to ride the most rides in Magic Kingdom and don’t mind going open to close this guide is for you! This guide will help you to plan your day at Magic Kingdom to optimize your time and get the most (rides) out of your day!
Disclaimer: This does not guarantee that you’ll get to all the rides in one day (that’s dependent on wait times), but this will help you to optimize your time and what I believe the best order to ride the rides in.
Show up Early!
Staying on property is great because transportation is included BUT…. Disney Transportation buses did not start picking people up until 30 minutes before park opening. The parks have been opening at least 30 minutes before “opening time”, which means the bus won’t drop you off until the gates are already open! This was not acceptable for my husband and I who wanted to be the first people in the park. Pro Tip: Use Uber or Lyft to get to the park earlier. We requested an Uber an hour and a half before opening time to get to Magic Kingdom. We were so early that we had to wait in line before they opened up the Monorail and boat to take you to Magic Kingdom (but we still weren’t first in line for this). Once we got to the park, it was 30 minutes till opening time but there were already plenty of people inside the park. The only way to be one of the first people in the park would be to stay at a resort within walking distance like the Contemporary.
Head to Frontierland First!
You will see everyone rushing to Fantasyland for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Rope Drop, but my tip is to take a left and head towards Frontierland! Along the way you will pass Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. If Pirates is open, ride that first! You will be in and out before the park even opens. Note: not all rides are open before park hours, some wont open until the park opening time but its random which open ahead of time. If Pirates isn’t open, ride Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad first (whichever is open first). Your wait wont be too long and a guarantee these waits will increase throughout the day. Splash Mountain wait times get really long mid day when it gets hot! Less people ride this first thing in the morning because its cooler and they don’t want to get wet.
After riding both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, you’ll walk through Adventureland where you should ride Jungle Cruise. You can also ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin if the wait isn’t long (if its more than 20 minutes, I’d skip it).
Next Hit Tomorrowland
Yes I know this is all the way on the other side of the park, but you’ll want to hit the next big ride which is Space Mountain. Space Mountain is my absolute favorite and by riding it in the morning, I normally am able to ride it again later in the day! (Last time I went to Magic Kingdom I rode everything I wanted to, and rode Space Mountain 4 times!)
At this point in my park day, the order I go to rides is dependent on the wait times. I try to go to rides in the same land, but sometimes I end up walking back and forth between lands to wait the least amount of time. I track wait times using the Disney World app (keep in mind, the wait times are not always accurate and can be longer or shorter than posted).
Check the waits for the rest of Tomorrowland and plan accordingly. I try not to wait more than 30 minutes for any ride (unless impossible). Normally I would go to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin next, then PeopleMover, and Astro Orbiter. I don’t normally ride Astro Orbiter in Disneyland, but I recommend riding once in Disney World because it’s higher up and gives you great views of the park while riding. You must ride the Carousel of Progress while in Magic Kingdom (but don’t wait longer than 15 minutes for this, the wait tends to get longer as it gets hot out, you can always come back later in the day if there is a long wait). If the wait for the Tommorowland Speedway is 15 minutes or less then I’d go on it. If it’s more than that I’d skip it (but it’s not my favorite), I know kids love driving these cars (you can always come back to this line later too).
Lunch Time
I like to do a grab and go option for Lunch to maximize my time. My favorites include Sleepy Hollow or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. (Due to COVID and limited staff, not all dining options were open when I went).
Use Mobile Ordering on the Disney app to order your food! You can use the app to select all food and drink items you want and then book the time that you want to pick up the food. If you already know where and when you want to eat in the morning, book your food orders in advance (even if its for many hours later). Mobile order times might not be available if you wait too late. There have been times where I wanted a certain food item right away and there was no time slot available for hours. (The larger counter service food places will have regular lines available, but they highly encourage mobile ordering).
Time for Fantasyland
After hitting Space Mountain and other popular rides in Tomorrowland, I head to Fantasyland and I normally go to Peter Pan’s Flight first since this is a popular ride (I try not to wait more than 40 minutes for this). Next I go to other rides that are popular in Fantasyland (skip Mine Train till the end of the day). “It’s a Small World”, Barnstormer, and Mad Tea Party can have long waits depending on the time of the day, so I try to go to those next (I try not to wait more than 30 minutes for these).
The Prince Charming Regal Carousel always seems to have about an hour wait, I skip this (but if this is a must, keep track of wait times and hopefully get a shorter wait time than the average). Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh tend to have shorter wait times (I try not to wait longer than 20 minutes for any of these). The last time I was there I waited less than 5 minutes for the Little Mermaid, about 10 minutes for Dumbo, and about 15 minutes for Winnie the Pooh. These 3 can be saved for later too right before getting in line for Mine Train before closing.
Liberty Square
I head to Liberty Square after going to most of the rides because Haunted Mansion is continuously running and can hold a lot of people, therefore I try not to wait longer than 20 minutes for this one. The Liberty Square River Boat departs on the hour and at the half hour, I would head there about 10 minutes before a departure time to get on this one. If you decide to go to the Hall of Presidents (a Magic Kingdom staple) just know it is a 22 minute show!
Head back to any rides that you didn’t get to yet
Now you most likely skipped some rides that aren’t as important to you because of long wait times. At this point head back to any you missed. Normally for me this includes Carousel of Progress, Tommorowland Speedway, and some Fantasyland rides.
Dinner Time!
Make sure you made a dinner reservation ahead of time in the Disney World app! You can book 60 days in advance (and don’t need a ticket to do so). My favorite dinner spots in Magic Kingdom are Be Our Guest and Crystal Palace. Pro Tip! You can often book a dinner reservation for right before park open or after park close to really maximize your time in the park! Dinner reservations book up quickly (especially for Be Our Guest), so book early!
Did you forget to make a dining reservation or are booking last minute? You can use Touring Plans Free Reservation Finder. Click on “Basic Access”, sign up for a basic account and then you can put in up to two requests for specific restaurants. Touring plans will then text/email you if/when a reservation becomes available (you will have to book right away to get it though). If you have no luck with that, you can keep checking the app because reservations normally come available 24 hours prior (since reservations must be cancelled by then to avoid any fees).
Ride your favorite rides again!
Now that you’ve conquered all the rides in Magic Kingdom (except for Mine Train which we saved for last), go ride your favorites again! Keep track of wait times and try not to wait longer than you need to so you can still make the most of your day! I was able to ride all the rides, with Space Mountain 4 times, Splash Mountain twice and Haunted Mansion Twice!
Save Mine Train for Last!
Most people go to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first. Unless you are literally the first people in the park, you will still most likely have an hour wait. I got into the park 30 minutes before opening and there was an hour wait (30 minutes of waiting during park hours). During the day, the wait averages an hour to an hour and a half wait, not worth it with limited hours!
My best advice to save the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for last! Try to get in the line just minutes before closing. As long as you are in line before closing time, you will be able to ride the ride. This means your time spent waiting in line will not cut into your ride time! I’ve noticed the line goes a lot faster after hours because they are trying to get people through.
Take your Time Leaving the Park
You can take your time leaving the park, if you are waiting in line for a ride before park close you will be in the park technically “after hours”. The Main Street stores stay open for a full after closing time, and if you book a dinning reservation for right before park close they will not rush you out, and you’ll get more time in the park. There will be less people in the park after closing time and this is a great opportunity to get your photos in front of the castle with little to no people in the background! Many Disney Photographers will still be taking photos for you as well!
I reserved Crystal Place for 10 minutes before park close and we ended up staying in the park a whole hour and a half after closing while we ate the 3 course meal. We were then able to get so many great photos in the park with no one around, including photos on an empty Main Street!
Hope this helps! Please let me know if you used this guide and how it went! Or let me know if you have a different order you ride in!
