When it comes to planning a perfect Disney vacation, people typically envision a day in Magic Kingdom. 

Whether you’re walking down Main Street, U.S.A., taking photos in front of Cinderella Castle, or throwing your hands in the air as you coast around the side of Big Thunder Mountain, Magic Kingdom can truly feel like “The Most Magical Place on Earth” — just as advertised! But… what about when Magic Kingdom feels less than magical? It seems that this iconic park is hyped up a lot, but first-time visitors (and even seasoned visitors) can leave feeling rather disappointed sometimes. 

If you’re a first-time Magic Kingdom visitor, or if you’re visiting for the first time in a while, we’re here to give you some tips so that you won’t be left disappointed by the unexpected scenarios this park might throw your way. So, this post is a roundup of a few reasons why Magic Kingdom visitors might leave disappointed — and how to make sure these these things don’t get in the way of YOUR magical day. Of course, there’s no better way to avoid disappointment than proper preparation, and preparing you for your Magic Kingdom day is what we aim to do! Let’s hop right into why Magic Kingdom visitors might leave disappointed.

1. They Spent Their Entire Day In Line And/Or Trying To Figure Out How To Use Genie

Remember our prior comment about how proper preparation is often the best way to avoid disappointment? It really rings true with this one!

Magic Kingdom is filled with iconic attractions — ones that seemingly everyone wants to experience! The park is typically filled with thick crowds and long lines. For many Magic Kingdom attractions, you can spend a while waiting in a standby line. When you take into consideration all the time you spend waiting in line and walking to your next experience, you’ll realize that you might have spent the majority of your day waiting on experiences rather than actually getting to partake in all the experiences you want. 

A great way to navigate this is to simply plan ahead! Using the My Disney Experience app, you can see the park wait times each day. In the weeks leading up to your trip, check the attraction wait times so that you can get a rough idea of the typical wait times for certain attractions. If you’re unwilling to wait, consider budgeting enough for Genie+ during your trip. 

Genie+ can be an excellent tool that allows you to experience all the things you want during your Disney day by allowing you to skip the long lines by using Lightning Lane queues at attractions. By purchasing Genie+, you can book two Lightning Lanes at a time, and once those are redeemed, you can continue booking more! This can be difficult to get the hang of if you’re unfamiliar with the My Disney Experience app, so make sure to familiarize yourself with it before your trip. 

A Step-By-Step Guide to Using Disney Genie+

2. They Feel Like They Had To “Buy” Their Day

This goes along with buying Genie+ in order to not spend the entire day waiting in long lines. While Genie+ can be a great tool, it can be quite pricy to purchase for your whole Disney crew. The price typically ranges from $15 to $30 per person per day, and can be used at all parks once purchased, but the price is uncapped and can be very expensive based on park crowds and demand for the service.

Not to mention, Lightning Lanes can sell out. You could purchase Genie+ and still not be able to experience everything your heart desires.

Of course, there will always be the option to purchase individual Lightning Lanes for attractions, but doing that can be really close in price to purchasing Genie+ — which allows you to utilize Lightning Lane all day rather than for just one attraction.

Further, if you are hoping for quality photos from the PhotoPass photographers, those can also come with a steep price as well. However, on-ride photos are now free with Genie+ purchase. 

Basically, if you don’t want to wait in long lines, and if you want to experience as much as possible, you’re probably going to have to pay more. This can be frustrating, especially when park tickets are already expensive. 

Planning ahead and determining whether or not you will need to purchase Genie+ is the key to avoiding some disappointment when it comes to your Magic Kingdom experience. If you purchase Genie+, we recommend using it at Magic Kingdom and then Park Hopping to another park with high wait times, like Hollywood Studios. This way, you’re experiencing even more with Genie+.

The 5 Most Important Genie+ Tips to Know Before You Go to Disney World

3. There Are No Walk-Up Food Options Other Than Quick Service

We’ll be honest… Magic Kingdom isn’t exactly known for its food. Snacks? Yes. Meals? You might have some issues if you don’t plan ahead. Magic Kingdom is home to quite a few table-service restaurants, however, these can be quite expensive and reservations can be hard to get.

Unless you order quick service, there are no restaurants that you will be guaranteed to get a table the day of. That being said, plan ahead! You can book reservations up to 60 days in advance and we definitely recommend doing so. This will ensure that you will be able to sit down for a meal, and will also allow you to budget ahead for the prices of each sit down.

We’ve Eaten at Every Magic Kingdom Restaurant. These Are the BEST.

4. They Weren’t Prepared For Inclement Weather

Listen, Florida weather truly has a mind of its own. It isn’t out of the ordinary for heavy rain to seemingly come out of nowhere on an otherwise beautiful day. The good news is, these showers tend to only last a couple hours at most. The bad news is, they can create uncomfortable scenarios. No one wants to walk around in wet denim for an entire evening!

Planning ahead by packing ponchos and fast-drying shoes is the way to go. No matter what the forecast says, we recommend always having a poncho or umbrella in your park bag. This way, you won’t be caught off guard, and you won’t spend the rest of the day soaked!

The Times To Visit Disney World With The Best (and Worst) Weather

5. They Got Dehydrated

Unfortunately, it’s not out of the ordinary to see guests passed out around the Disney theme parks due to dehydration — especially in Magic Kingdom. There is only ONE bottle refill station in the entire park — located in Tomorrowland. However, don’t let this stop you from staying hydrated.

You can get free cups of ice water from most quick service locations throughout the parks. We recommend grabbing several and filling your bottle with them. This way, you’ll stay hydrated all day without spending money on bottled water.

23 Tips That Make Your Disney World Trip Easier

6. They Got Hit By A Stroller

We aren’t joking. Okay, maybe we’re joking around a little bit. But seriously — Magic Kingdom is a favorite park for families with children! This means there will likely be a plethora of strollers during your visit.

To make matters worse, many areas of the park weren’t exactly designed to handle heavy flows of traffic — especially when strollers are thrown into the mix. This can make navigating certain areas of the park (like Fantasyland) some seriously slow progress. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done about this other than to try to plan ahead by looking at park reservation forecasts as well as simply being prepared for crowds — and expecting them.

Over 15 SECRET Walkways to Beat the Crowds in Disney World

7. They Couldn’t See The Parades or Fireworks

This goes along with those crowds we mentioned. Unless you want to pay for reserved seating, fireworks and parade viewing areas are first-come, first-served. People wait for HOURS in these viewing spots, and unless you want to spend your time in the park doing the same, it can be beneficial to think of alternatives. 

If seeing the parades and fireworks are important to you, plan ahead and check out the parade routes or another location where you can better see the fireworks. There are great alternative locations to watch both of these things. The parades typically start in Frontierland and pass Liberty Square, so seeking a spot in those areas first can be smart. If you’re using Genie+, you can also get a Lightning Lane to watch the parade from a reserved viewing area! Plus, watching the fireworks from Astro Orbiter or Big Thunder Mountain can make for a magical experience!

Well, there you have it! Most of these disappointing scenarios are much less disappointing when you expect them and plan around them. When you take a little extra time to plan ahead before your trip, you’ll actually find that they didn’t make your trip less magical after all! A change of mindset and a little extra planning is all you really need, sometimes.

Best Places to Watch Fireworks in Magic Kingdom

We post Disney news, updates, and tips every day, so make sure to follow along for more! If you’re planning a Disney trip and are looking for more planning tips, click the link below!

Click here for more Disney planning tips

How has a disappointing situation been remedied during one of your Disney trips? Let us know in the comments!