We’re in Magic Kingdom a LOT you guys. Like pretty much every single day.
Magic Kingdom
And when you spend that much time in one park, you encounter a variety of scenarios. We’ve seen everything from children throwing tantrums to rides breaking down to our fair share of Main Street, U.S.A. proposals. But every time we go to Magic Kingdom, there are a few unfortunate things that happen!
We Battle Crowds in The Emporium
The Emporium is Magic Kingdom’s biggest gift shop, located right at the front of Main Street, U.S.A. And because of its prime location, it’s frequently PACKED with people doing their shopping. That means we’re usually doing a lot of shimmying and scurrying to get around the crowds.
The Emporium
Avoiding crowds can be extra difficult when you’re trying to get pictures of new Minnie ears and Loungefly backpacks while staying out of everyone’s way. We’ve found that crowds in the store tend to be lower early in the morning when people are rope dropping rides, so if you want to do your shopping without the hoards, try heading there first thing.
We Get Trapped by the Parade
Magic Kingdom is currently the only Disney World park with a daily parade, and because of that, it’s quite popular! The Festival of Fantasy Parade (and the other cavalcades/parade-like offerings in the park) travels from Frontierland, through Liberty Square, in front of Cinderella Castle, and then down Main Street, U.S.A. With that route, it’s taking up nearly half the park…and it can be very hard to get anywhere during that time!
Festival of Fantasy
We’ve come across many a situation where we’ve been trapped by the parade in Adventureland, trying to get across the park to Tomorrowland or Fantasyland. It’s definitely something you’ll need to take into consideration for your park plan! If you wait until the parade is over to move to another part of the park, you’ll be traveling with the masses.
We Get Run Into and Run Over
It’s pretty much unavoidable that we’re going to get run into or run over every time we go to Disney World. With thousands of people crammed into the same park, many of whom are pushing strollers or driving ECVs, it’s difficult for everyone to be aware of their surroundings all the time.
There are those crowds!
We get our ankles bumped by strollers and get sideswiped by ECVs pretty often, and you just have to take it all in stride. The best way to prevent other people from running into you is to be aware of yourself at all times — try not to be on your phone while you’re walking and you’ll be able to bob and weave through the crowds effectively.
We Have to Hunt for a Table
Without fail, it seems like every single table in Magic Kingdom has to be full during the lunch hours! When we visit the park, we’re typically dining at quick service restaurants, and that means we have to find our own table after we pick up our food. If you’re dining between the hours of 11:30AM and 1PM…good luck!
Tables in Magic Kingdom
Casey’s Corner, Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, and The Lunching Pad are particularly difficult, although we’ve run into this issue at every quick service spot some time or another. Remember, if you’re not eating at a restaurant, don’t take up a table there during a meal rush!
Upstairs dining room
So there you have it — some of the problems we face in Magic Kingdom on a daily basis. We’ll keep you in the loop with more tips and tricks for navigating the parks! Stay tuned to DFB.
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“We get run into and run over” while bobbing and weaving through the crowd. I have to ride in a ECV. Private own small ECV. The hardest thing to do is look at the great thing Disney has to offer,because you have “leggs” (that is what I call them) darting this way and that and stopping right in front of you. My speed dial is below turtle and it is still to fast to stop when leggs stop dead in front of you. Try finding a table in an ECV you only have the outside edge and leggs can run and you cannot.So you may see a table but the person next to will see it also and guess who doesn’t get the table. I have read a lot of your stories about ECV in the park. I would like one that says I rented a ECV for the day and this is what happen. Not have extra people with you to go and make way in the crowd or get that table on the fringe, you do the park, rides,getting around,and eating. I think you will see “a whole new world” from that seat.
If not for ECV, I would not be able to enjoy Universal or Disney. I have seen people speeding thru the park, drive off the curb and turn over. My grandson and I just came down in Jan. 24. He walks by my side and often had to walk in front to get me thru crowds. ECV is set on TURTLE, we keep in mind the little ones often run away in excitement, many adults face in cellphones, many just looking around taking in all the wonders, families or groups walking in tandem then stop suddenly, blocking 1/2 the street and those that stop dead center to look at map and try to decide where to go. All these things are taken into consideration by us. Many people overlook and often give dirty looks to the person in the EVC, not knowing what the handicap is. Please consider my day @ MK in an ECV. while my Bud enjoying a couple coaster rides. Do not go in shops, when there is a crowd, cannot get to fast food, nightmare to go in and around turnstiles, in regular line like everyone else for show or ride, many times families walked around and in front me, sometimes in line for more than an hour, almost there, families of 6 to 12 cut the line to catch up with the 1 person standing in line, could not do Pirate scavenger hunt, too congested to maneuver thru crowds to get to destination, same with Duck Tales,@ Epcot. I had painted individual cards for all the Princesses in the parks, and made cards for them to sign for our memory album, lines as many as 40 deep, just asked the handler to give the Princess the card for me. To those in ECV’s and families in park, please show courtesy and respect for each other, after all, we all want to enjoy our special time in the parks
This article is written well and I think is for everyone on foot and using an ECV. Of course we all must be considerate to others whether walking, riding, or pushing a stroller.
Hi Holly, you are right, it is a whole different world in that seat, Bud, wasn’t always there to help me maneuver thru the crowd, and yes same thing happened to me with a table, it was snatched right as I was scooting up to it, there is no way to scoot to an inside table, have no choice but the Fringe, ended up putting my hotdog on top of a trash can so I could put mustard on it. Also got stranded during a parade, so found a little spot to watch it, a lady with a tray of food walked right in front of me and just stood there. she was unable to get across as well. Did she notice she was standing in front of me? I finally said “Excuse me Mame could you please move over a little so I can see the parade? She was not very nice about it. I also wanted to comment that I was very surprised to hear not only men, women as well cursing.