So, you’ve decided to head to Disney World, but you only have one day in Magic Kingdom — what do you do?

Between all of the rides, entertainment options, and snacks, it can be hard to plan out the perfect day in a park that’s full of things to do! Luckily, we’re here to give you an itinerary to help you create your perfect day in Magic Kingdom.

Consider Purchasing Genie+

If there’s any park where Genie+ could be useful, it’s Magic Kingdom. Genie+ is the new way guests can skip the lines at select rides in Disney World. For $15, you can make reservations for return times at certain rides and then experience a shorter wait than waiting in the standby line.

Magic Kingdom has a ton of rides, so if you’re perfect day in the park includes hitting as many of them as possible, we recommend investing in Genie+, it can really help you save some time and optimize your day, allowing you to do as much as possible. We have lots of resources about which rides to book first using Genie+, so make sure to check those out to help you make your decision.

Click here for a step-by-step guide to using Genie+!

Rope-Drop

Another way you can really optimize your time in the park is to get there right when it opens! If you’re staying at a hotel that qualifies for Early Theme Park Entry (the Disney World hotels and some other surrounding hotels), you can gain access to the park 30 minutes before it officially opens, so definitely take advantage of that, as well if you can.

If you go during Early Theme Park Entry, be aware that not all of the rides will be available during that time, so make sure to take that into consideration. During Early Theme Park Entry, head to your absolute must-do ride first (assuming it’s available). The same goes for when you rope-drop a park — head to your absolute must-do right away and get it done and out of the way. The most popular rides fill up fast and have long lines for most of the day, so your best bet is to get there early and get it done.

Rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are some examples of rides that will get long wait times early in the day, so hit up these ones first if they’re important to you and your group.

Click here to see a full list of rides available during Early Theme Park Entry!

Take Advantage of Mobile Order

Do you know that your group is going to want to eat lunch at 1PM? Mobile Order early in the day and schedule for pickup at your desired time! Mobile Order is a feature that lives in the My Disney Experience App and allows you to order your food without having to go to the restaurant and stand in line. You can select return times and then go pick up your food at that time.

Sometimes the service gets bogged down during peak times, like lunchtime which means that you could place your Mobile Order and be given wait times an hour or more into the future. To avoid situations like this, Mobile Order in the morning and select your return time then, this will help to avoid the long waits.

Click here for our secrets and tips for getting the most out of Mobile Order in Disney World!

Don’t Forget the “Filler” Rides

By “filler” rides we mean things that don’t usually get too long of a wait throughout the day, things like Carousel of Progress, Mad Tea Party, or Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. These rides can be great ones to hit when the afternoon comes and all the more popular rides have long wait times.

These “filler” rides are also good ones to head to in between Genie+ selections if you’re using Genie+ during your day in the park. For example, let’s say you have a Lightning Lane reservation in an hour and a half, and need something to do in the meantime — you can head to Carousel of Progress while you wait for your return time to roll around!

Click here to see the best Magic Kingdom attraction, according to YOU!

Pay Attention to Ride Trends

In the days leading up to your trip, it might be a good idea to pay attention to which rides have the longest lines at certain times of day. For example, if you notice that Space Mountain always has a really long line first thing in the morning, but it gets lower as the day goes on, then you can plan your day around that.

Of course, this isn’t fool-proof, but sometimes ride wait times decrease in the early afternoon when everyone heads to grab lunch, or they’ll go down in the evening as people are leaving the park for the day.

Click here for the ULTIMATE guide to the best and worst seats on every Magic Kingdom ride!

Eat An Iconic Disney World Snack

Look, Magic Kingdom isn’t exactly known for its food, but it is home to some iconic Disney snacks! You could grab a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle or the popular Corn Dog Nuggets from Casey’s Corner (don’t forget the plastic cheese 😉).

There’s also the massive cinnamon roll over at Gaston’s Tavern and, of course, you can’t go wrong with a Mickey Premium Bar. Grabbing a snack is a great opportunity to take break and soak up all the scenery.

Click here to see the one snack you must get in every Magic Kingdom land!

Watch the Cavalcades and Parade

Magic Kingdom has several character cavalcades as well as the Festival of Fantasy parade, which can be a great way to spot characters if you don’t want to wait in line to meet them.

You can check the My Disney Experience app for the must up-to-date information about what time you can catch these offerings!

Click here for a times guide for every character cavalcade in Disney World!

Meet Characters

If you’re traveling with kids (or even if you’re not), consider stopping at Princess Fairytale Hall or Town Square Theater to meet some characters. At Princess Fairytale Hall, you’ll be able to meet four princesses, and Town Square Theater is where you’ll meet the big cheese himself — Mickey Mouse along with Minnie!

There are also various characters you can meet around the park like Peter Pan and Merida, so it’s worth taking a look at the My Disney Experience app to see when they will be out meeting and greeting!

Click here to see all of the character meet and greets that have returned to ‘normal’ in Disney World!

Consider Leaving For Food

We mentioned it above, but it’s worth mentioning it again, Magic Kingdom’s food options may not be what you’re looking for. If there’s nothing in the park that tickles your fancy, considering leaving and heading to one of the nearby hotels! You can walk or take the Monorail to the Contemporary and grab a bite to eat at Steakhouse 71 (provided you have a reservation) or go to one of the many quick service locations at the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, or Grand Floridian hotels.

Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you could even head to Disney Springs for more food options, but that might take up too much time.

Click here for 10 Disney World restaurants every first timer should have on their list!

Stay For Fireworks

And to round out your perfect day in Magic Kingdom, stay and watch the Enchantment fireworks show. The show is a mix of fireworks and projections on Cinderella Castle along with projections all up and down Main Street, U.S.A..

These fireworks were introduced as part of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. You can check the My Disney Experience app for the fireworks showtimes, but they typically start between 8PM-9:30PM.

Click here to see every Disney World celebration tip you need in 2022!

And that’s how you can have a practically perfect day in the Magic Kingdom! If you’re planning a trip to Disney World soon, make sure to check out the hardest dates to get a Disney World park pass in 2022, as well as our NEW tips for saving big in Disney World. Make sure to stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney news and information!

Click here to see 10 Not-So-Magical Truths in Disney World!

What does your perfect day in Magic Kingdom consist of? Let us know in the comments!