How We Did Almost Everything at Magic Kingdom in One Day

I am 28 (just a few months shy of 29) and I just experienced Disney for the first time. I am being pretty vague; I experienced Disney World for the first time.  Actually, Ashley and I went to Disneyland in California about 2 years ago; I was in awe. The entire time we were there though, Ashley would say “in Florida” or “at Disney World” and everything she described was something that was bigger and better than what I was seeing. In all honesty, I was impressed by what I saw and I would have been happy knowing I at least did “Disney” something in my life. Little did I know that less than 2 years later, I would be encountering all of the things Ashley had deemed amazing at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

If I’m being honest, I was nervous to finally see Disney World for the first time. I was afraid that I had built it up in my head so big that I was going to be disappointed in the reality of it. Boy, was I wrong!

We flew out of Pittsburgh in the early hours of Thursday morning and arrived in Orlando by 9:30am, allowing us to get head start on the day. We spent the morning and early afternoon hours at the Fantasia Pool at our hotel, Disney’s All Star Movies Resort. This is one of the more inexpensive resorts at Disney, but is still really nice for the money and allowed us to utilize all of the benefits of staying at a Disney property– early access to Fast Passes, Disney transportation, free Magic Bands, etc.

Friday morning, our alarms went off at 6:30a.m. and I was wide awake. The night before we had gotten back late from Disney Springs, formerly Downtown Disney, where we did some shopping and ate an amazing dinner at STK Orlando, but nothing could keep me from the images I had swirling around in my mind of what was to come at Magic Kingdom that day.

Just a few hours later, Ashley and I found ourselves standing outside the gate at 9:00am on the dot, Gucci and Louis Vuitton Mickey ears placed perfectly on our heads (read all about our pre-trip purchases here). My heart was racing in anticipation of what was awaiting me just behind the gate.

I am not exaggerating when I say that the moment that we stepped foot on Main Street, USA and I caught a glimpse of the iconic Cinderella’s castle, it took my breath away.  A golf ball-sized lump grew in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes as I took in the very thing I had been dreaming of for years. I was here, finally.

Honesty, Aurora’s castle (in Disneyland) was great, beautiful in fact. Cinderella’s castle was breathtaking. Everything was double the size from what I had been to before. We stopped for a few quick photos in front of the castle and continued on to a smaller castle nestled in the back of Fantasyland, Beauty and the Beast’s castle, where we had breakfast reservations for 9:10AM at the Be Our Guest restaurant.

After breakfast, we spent some time there in Fantasyland, taking a ride on the iconic teacups (Mad Tea Party) and stopping for a Wonderland Slushie with a candy straw in the 94-degree weather at the Chesire Cat Café. Then, we set off to our first Fast Pass of the day, “Space Mountain.” Space Mountain is easily one of the best roller coasters Disney World has to offer, but of course, there are many others at the top too!

Our next Fast Pass wasn’t for a couple hours after Space Mountain so we utilized the Disney Parks app to check wait times so that we could visit attractions and ride rides when the wait times were on the low end. 

Some of the rides and attractions we visited that morning were: It’s a Small World, where we both threw a penny into the water and made a wish, a tradition Ashley taught me; The Voyage of the Little Mermaid; The Laugh Floor, Ashley’s all-time Magic Kingdom favorite show; Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel, and the Tomorrowland People Mover.

It was hot and we were in major caffeine withdrawal, so we hit up the Starbuck’s on Main Street mid-afternoon for some coffee and chill time. We found an umbrella table, charged up our phones (we brought a Mophie of course), and spent some time talking with a beautiful view of the castle.

We used our second Fast Pass at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, a ride and interactive game in one. After that, we went and watched Mickey’s Philhar Magic, then rode The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and then headed to Big Thunder Mountain to use our final Fast Pass before dinner.

We couldn’t help but take a picture with the castle every time we passed by. It was the perfect sunny day and there was barely a cloud in the sky. We recommend rocking a messy bun or braid when you visit Disney. It just helped keep our hair out of the way on rides and even though it was April, temps most definitely felt like July– staying in the mid-90s throughout our entire stay at Disney.

We ate dinner that evening at the Crystal Palace on Main Street, right outside of Cinderella’s Castle. Throughout our yummy buffet dinner, we were greeted by the residents of Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh Bear was obviously our favorite. If you have small children, dining at character breakfast and dinners are the most surefire way to get photos and autographs. If you have bloggers, well, these meals work well for fun blog photos too. 😉

We took a quick boat ride on Pirates of the Caribbean, using up the half hour we had before the fireworks show. Then, we headed toward the castle and squeezed into an open spot smack dab in the middle of Main Street to get ready for an amazing view of the show, but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience. Songs that I grew up with and voices of characters I quickly recognized filled the park. Veteran Disney go-ers and newbies alike waited in anticipation for the words “And they all lived happily ever after…” cueing the beginning of the most amazing firework display ever. As the lights glowed, Tinker Bell’s magic turned Cinderella’s castle into every Disney Princess’s Castle to the song “Happily Ever After.” Moana, the Lion King, Nemo, Ariel and her gang, and so many others flashed across the castle as children and adults alike were singing every classic Disney song while fire filled the sky.

“You’ll be in my Heart” played and the Disney character’s on screen hugged and smiled followed by the intense battle song of Captain Jack Sparrow. Fireworks that filled the sky like fireflies cued the moment where Tinker Bell herself flew down from the very top of the castle and waved hello to those below, setting off the most intense and bright firework display I have ever seen in my life! (Imagine 4th of July, New Year’s Eve, and your very favorite birthday party all wrapped in one – then multiply it by a thousand. I am not exaggerating; those who have been to Disney will tell you that the feeling you get the first time is the feeling you get every time.) I videoed the display and at the end of the video you hear Ashley say, “Lets see if I got it!” and she did. She captured the prettiest firework photo ever (above) on her phone! It’s always kind of her goal at the end of the evening.

After the fireworks, the bus lines would be long, so we made a few more stops before we left. We rode the Magic Carpets of Adventureland (where we got sprayed in the face by a camel due to Ashley’s wild carpet-driving) and also took a relaxing ride on Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress before exiting the park that evening.

All I can say is that Disney really is the “Happiest Place on Earth” and I am so thankful that I got to experience it with my best friend. <3

xo,
Er (& Ash)