For our first full day at Disney World, we started with the most classic park; Magic Kingdom. This park is the most similar to Disneyland, so I was excited to see how they compared. It seemed like a good idea to tackle it first, since we would have the most energy the first day, and it is the park with the most attractions.
We managed to get through a large portion of the park, and saw almost everything we had set out to, but I wish I would have remembered to check out the Country Bear Jamboree. I used to love them at Disneyland and since they were removed in 2001, I had hoped to see them again. Even though they are a bit silly, it always made me happy as a child.
Another big thing I missed was The Haunted Mansion. As the day wound down for us, we passed on riding it out of pure exhaustion, since I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk or stand anymore (and needed to reserve some energy to get on the bus back to our resort). I had hoped to check out the Mansion decked out for Halloween and to see if I could notice any big differences from Disneyland’s version.
Speaking of Halloween though, one of my favorite aspects of being at the park during the fall season were the cool Mickey pumpkin decorations throughout the Main Street area.
ATTRACTIONS:
Overall, I found that the rides and lands were quite comparable to Disneyland, but only a few things stood out as “better” to me.
The Castle: I’ve got to say, as charming as Sleeping Beauty’s castle is at Disneyland, Cinderella’s castle at Disney World takes the cake. It is much larger, taller, and more magnificent, which also makes it easier to take nice photos. Because Sleeping Beauty castle is much lower to the ground, it seems like I can never not get a group of random people in my photo. We had an early breakfast reservation early in the park, which I highly recommend because it allowed us into the park before everyone else was. This gave us some extra time to take photos while Main Street and the castle area were still quiet. Another bonus of this castle is that they use the front as a stage throughout the day. There is quite a bit of standing area in front of the castle too, so getting a nice view isn’t overly difficult.
Fantasyland: I consider Fantasyland the most classic and “Disney” or “Magical” land in the park. It carries the most number of rides and characters from actual classic Disney films. This area was recently renovated and expanded. While I can’t compare it to what it was like before, I found the area quite nice.
One of my favorites was Peter Pan’s Flight, which had a detailed and clever queuing area. The wait felt so short because there were so many things to look at or interact with including Tinkerbell flying around the room (and items being sprinkled with her pixie dust!), shadows coming alive, and more magic moments. I wish I could have spent more time in line because of it all!
Fantasyland also houses Journey of the Little Mermaid, the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and the Be Our Guest Restaurant (more on that soon!). What was great about these three in particular were that you could see each of the princesses’s homes near the ride, which made it feel extra detailed. We had a FastPass for The Seven Dwarfs Mine train, which meant we skipped the queue, which I was a bit disappointed about since there are apparently some fun interactive moments while you wait. On the other hand, since this is the newest ride in the park, the wait time was absolutely crazy and never let up. The ride really is fun, especially as you witness sparkling gems and climb the hill to the tune of “Heigh Ho” as you see the dwarfs’ shadows, but it did seem to have an incredibly short ride time. I felt like it was over before it even started, so I think I would be disappointed to wait so long. The animatronics are very well done and the theme is quite enchanting though.
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Snow White's Cottage
Beast's Castle (Beauty and the Beast)
Prince Eric's Castle (The Little Mermaid)
FOOD:
Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich at Be Our Guest Restaurant: So, this Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant is a bit frustrating, simply because it can be reserved so far in advance, and a reservation seems pretty necessary. We booked our vacation in under 90 days, which is how early reservations began, and every time for every meal was taken for the days I was looking at. I had to check often in order to finally manage a reservation for breakfast. I wanted to go here so badly because Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney films, and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to step into that world. This was also something big and different that Disneyland does not have, so I knew I would be disappointed if I didn’t get to see it.
While the breakfast is moderately spendy (about $20 per meal), my mom and I decided to share one plate (I do appreciate that the Disney Parks are open to sharing). You can pre-order your meal after you book your reservation, so all we had to do was scan our Magic Bands when we arrived to confirm and pay. Once you are ready to sit, there are three rooms to choose from; the Ballroom, the Rose Gallery, and the West Wing. The ballroom was crazy busy (and loud) so we settled for the more peaceful Rose Gallery. It was filled with cute framed portraits of the characters, a rose stained glass, and a large music box featuring Belle and the Beast. We got our drinks at a self-serve area and we didn’t have to wait long to get our food (they track the table you choose to sit at through your Magic Bands or a GPS rose tracker).
For our meal we got the open-faced sandwich, which had poached eggs, applewood bacon, brie cheese, and arugula on a toasted Baguette. It came with fruit and each order also comes with a plate of pastries, which would have practically been enough to eat on its own. The food was good, but not necessarily worth the price. We really enjoyed the whole experience though, which made it worth it. Lunch looks to have the most reasonable prices (plus they have a “grey stuff” cupcake!). Dinner is very expensive, but apparently that is the only time you can actually meet the Beast.
After eating, we walked around the castle to get a good look at all the rooms and take a few photos. It’s a must to go into the West Wing because the glowing enchanted rose sits in a corner. Another thing to look for is the snow falling outside the windows of the castle.
My recommendation for a reservation is to really keep checking a few days before your trip. This is when an opening finally became available to me, and it is probably because you are charged if you cancel your reservation less than 24 hours before your meal, so some people give up their reservations at that point if their plans change.
I do think that the experience would have been more enjoyable though if there was something to do besides just eating at the castle. I think to be a bit more inclusive, Disney should have also built a Beauty and the Beast-themed ride so people who don’t want to eat, or can’t get a reservation, can still enjoy the new addition.
Entrance
Gargoyle
The Ballroom
Music Box in the Rose Gallery
Portraits in the Rose Gallery
Our sandwich, with the plate of pastries behind
The classic stained glass image, near the exit of the castle
Citrus Swirl at Sunshine Tree Terrace: I always get the Dole Whip at Disneyland, so I thought its would be fun to try something new at Disney World. The Citrus Swirl is somewhat similar, but is made from a swirl of vanilla soft serve and orange slush. Similar to the Dole Whip, you can also get it as a float. Because of the swirl, it seemed to be a little harder and didn’t get melty quite so fast as the Dole Whip does. It was really so refreshing and creamy. I loved the tartness of the orange and the sweetness of the vanilla put together. It was a great pick-me-up in the Florida heat.
Macaroni & Cheese at The Friar’s Nook: I had the regular flavor, which was topped with toasted panko bread crumbs. At the time, they also had Pot Roast and Bacon Cheeseburger versions, but I believe the flavors do change periodically. The cheese is very rich, which may not be the best option depending on the heat or your mood, but for us, we were starving at that point, so it was a welcome lunch-time treat.
Reuben or Vegetarian Sandwich at The Plaza: We reserved a spot at The Plaza, thinking that we would really need a nice sit-down meal at some point in the afternoon. It was great to sit down in an air-conditioned room and have a more proper meal. My mom ordered the reuben, which was on marble rye (her favorite). I got a vegetarian sandwich, which was on focaccia and had hummus, basil pesto, cucumber, roasted red peppers, tomato, and lettuce. We both had fries, which were surprisingly tasty!
(left) Reuben Sandwich (right) Vegetarian Sandwich
So overall, we had a wonderful time at Magic Kingdom…but it just didn’t steal my heart as much as Disneyland does. I do think a plus that the park has is that it feels like there is more standing room near Main Street to enjoy parades or the nighttime fireworks. Plus, Cinderella castle is such a gorgeous sight to behold!
My final recommendation would be to NOT GO on Stitch’s Great Escape! in Tomorrowland (unless you like sitting in the dark, the smell of burps, and getting your shoulders pushed down on…)
Next up is Animal Kingdom, a place I was so interested in as a kid and couldn't wait to finally see!
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