Is it possible to do the Magic Kingdom in one day?

[Disneyfirstimers2013]

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4. We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day, and then go to Epcot the second. This is our first trip with our kids (ages 7 & 10). We are then going on a Disney Cruise.

What are the lines like at that time of year? Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in? We can do both days at Magic Kingdom, but I would love to see Epcot too.

Thanks!

 

[ghtx]

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4.

1- We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day,

and then go to Epcot the second. This is our first trip with our kids (ages 7 & 10). We are then going on a Disney Cruise.

2 - What are the lines like at that time of year?

3 - Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in?

We can do both days at Magic Kingdom, but I would love to see Epcot too.

Thanks!

1 - Not possible.
2 - 5 to 6 out of 10: http://www.easywdw.com/may13-v3.jpg
3 - Depends of course on what you "would be interested in." But your more general question ("can we see everything") is a definite no.

 

[LaurenT]

It's possible to see everything, if you get there for open, stay till close and grab food on the run. And if you don't want to meet every single character.
But, that may not be the most enjoyable way to spend the day. I'd recommend that you make a list of the things you really want to do. Find out which ones get the most crowded and do them first. Then use FP and do the rest at a calm pace and whatever gets done, gets done.
Then I'd do Epcot, using the same rule.

 

[ghtx]

It's possible to see everything, if you get there for open, stay till close and grab food on the run. And if you don't want to meet every single character.
But, that may not be the most enjoyable way to spend the day. I'd recommend that you make a list of the things you really want to do. Find out which ones get the most crowded and do them first. Then use FP and do the rest at a calm pace and whatever gets done, gets done.
Then I'd do Epcot, using the same rule.

No, it's not.

If by "everything" you mean "every attraction," then perhaps it's possible if you're lucky and plan well. But that wouldn't really be "everything," since (as you mention) that omits the characters, but also shows, restaurants, gift shops, etc.

 

[dmiller64152]

Touringplans.com has some (free) touring plans that allow you to accomplish a LOT in a day (check this one out: http://touringplans.com/plans/45) ... or buy a membership, select the attractions you most want to see, and they'll optimize your schedule to get the most in.

 

[daizieduck]

I think you can get a FAIR amount done depending on what your family wants to see and do. The New Fantasyland will eat up a lot of time probably though because with it being new, the area is CROWDED and the wait times for the new attractions are long (at least 40-50 min. wait times) if you aren't able to get Fast Passes. I was at MK two weeks ago and in about six hours I was able to walk thru New Fantasyland just to see how it looks, ride the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, take the Walt Disney World Railroad from Frontierland to Fantasyland, ride Small World, watch Mickey's Philharmagic, do Monsters Laugh Floor, ride Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover (two times!), watch Carousel of Progress, ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and walk thru the majority of shops and eat at Casey's.

 

[1971DBday]

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4. We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day, and then go to Epcot the second. This is our first trip with our kids (ages 7 & 10). We are then going on a Disney Cruise.

What are the lines like at that time of year? Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in? We can do both days at Magic Kingdom, but I would love to see Epcot too.

Thanks!

You will definitely not see everything, but you can plan for what you don't want to miss. But be prepared that you still may not get everything done even with lower crowds.

My two oldest were the age of your two for their first trip and we were there for 10 days and they didn't want to leave, nor did we see and do everything. MK in a day can really drain kids, even as old as yours. However, I don't know if you are getting park hoppers, but you may want to think about going to EP in the morning or afternoon the next day and then have the flexibility to either go back to MK or try DHS or AK.

Good luck!

 

[shburks]

I'll play devil's advocate. I absolutely think you can see "all" of the Magic Kingdom in one day unless you literally mean to ride every single ride and see every show. Make a list of the attractions that are most important to your family and use a touring plan and I bet you'll get everything in!

 

[LaurenT]

No, it's not.

If by "everything" you mean "every attraction," then perhaps it's possible if you're lucky and plan well. But that wouldn't really be "everything," since (as you mention) that omits the characters, but also shows, restaurants, gift shops, etc.

Lol, ok. I didn't think the OP was asking if she could eat in every restaurant and shop in every store (or buy a Mickey bar from every stand). And I did say that there wouldn't be time to wait for every character. There aren't any long shows in MK, not like Nemo or FotLK in AK. If she went all out, I think she'd get all the attractions done, but it would be very rushed and I wouldn't want to tour that way.

 

[ghtx]

I'll play devil's advocate. I absolutely think you can see "all" of the Magic Kingdom in one day unless you literally mean to ride every single ride and see every show. Make a list of the attractions that are most important to your family and use a touring plan and I bet you'll get everything in!

What else could ""all" of the Magic Kingdom" mean, other than "every ride and every show"?

The phrase you're looking for is ""some" of the Magic Kingdom".

 

[ghtx]

Lol, ok. I didn't think the OP was asking if she could eat in every restaurant and shop in every store (or buy a Mickey bar from every stand). And I did say that there wouldn't be time to wait for every character. There aren't any long shows in MK, not like Nemo or FotLK in AK. If she went all out, I think she'd get all the attractions done, but it would be very rushed and I wouldn't want to tour that way.

Fair enough. There aren't long shows like Lion King or Nemo, but there are loads and loads of "mini-shows", e.g. Dapper Dans, and those new terrifying clowns by Dumbo. I don't think that you could see all of those in a day (plus all of the attractions).

 

[shburks]

What else could ""all" of the Magic Kingdom" mean, other than "every ride and every show"?

The phrase you're looking for is ""some" of the Magic Kingdom".

Maybe OP will come back and clarify for us! I doubt most people do or want to do EVERY ride and EVERY show. With a 7 and 10 year old, they're going to probably skip the Barnstormer and the Carousel, may skip some things due to sex of children, etc

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

If by "everything" you mean everything that interests you and your family, then you should be able to do them in a single day as long as you have everything planned out, maximize use of FPs, and minimize dining time.

If by "everything" you mean every attraction, show, and character meets, then it would not be possible unless you're Kenny the Pirate who is in the Ultimate Touring Plan Hall of Fame He and his family logged in 82 attractions over 24 hours during leap day, and 75 attractions over 17 hours in June of 2011.

 

[leeg229]

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4. We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day, and then go to Epcot the second. This is our first trip with our kids (ages 7 & 10). We are then going on a Disney Cruise.

What are the lines like at that time of year? Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in? We can do both days at Magic Kingdom, but I would love to see Epcot too.

Thanks!

Everyone seems to be harping on the question of "can you see/do/hear/taste/touch/ EVERYTHING" when that wasn't really the question.

"Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in?"

It depends on what you're interested in. If you don't take any breaks during the day and eat quick meals in the park you can do all of the attractions in the park depending on crowds. If all your family is interested in is characters then you should be able to meet a bunch of them if you plan it right. If you get there for opening and stay til close then, in my opinion, you can get enough done to feel like it was a day well spent and not need to return the next day.

Lines aren't too bad in early May. You've cleared out most of the spring break crowd by now and it's not Star Wars Weekends yet.

EPCOT isn't as kid friendly as MK so the Kids might get a little restless if you do the World Showcase, but if you think they can handle half the day in future world and the other half in world showcase then do it!

 

[ghtx]

Everyone seems to be harping on the question of "can you see/do/hear/taste/touch/ EVERYTHING" when that wasn't really the question.

Actually, that really was the OP's question:

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4. We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day, and then go to Epcot the second. This is our first trip with our kids (ages 7 & 10). We are then going on a Disney Cruise.

 

[leeg229]

OP then refined and specified the question later in his post among other questions:

"Is it possible to get enough done in one day to feel like we have seen everything we would be interested in?"

But it's whatever, lots of useful info has been posted so OP should be able to make a good decision.

 

[deserrai]

If you know what you are doing, you can do most of what you want to in one day at MK. Just prioritize and make sure you do the most important things first. DD18 and I went for a one day trip before she left for boot camp. We managed to do nearly everything we wanted at MK and DHS in one day.

 

[MexiFinn]

We will be visiting the park on May 3-4. We would like to see all of the Magic Kingdom in one full day

Not possible. You need to either plan more days there or else make a list of the most important things and then make sure you do those first.

 

[twopearls]

We went in October. Did three days in MK...one from 8-5, one from 3-10, one from 9-3. Did everything we wanted to do, and it was a long list. There were some rides we didn't do - Stitch, People mover, carousel. Saw both parades, a street party, fireworks, new FL in preview, etc. Those timeframes included all quick service meals. (we did one table service at 5pm before we left the first day). We met a ton of characters (all the princesses), because that was important to my girls. Like, probably spent a total of 2-3 hours just in line for princesses and fairies! If that's not important to you, you'll save time.

Make the list of what you MUST do, and get an early morning plan for those, then move to the B List, etc. Your kids might be old enough to be power park people...always on the go. I have a 13yo and a just-turned 6yo who kept us with us every step of the way and never complained. That helped a lot!!!

 

[eeyoresmom]

It is possible. DD and I did it last April. We did every ride and show at MK on a day that it opened at 7 am. We even did the horse drawn carriage down Main St. We also took a long afternoon break back at the resort. A few attractions were closed for maintenance, but not many, I think 2 or 3.I thought Liberty boat was one, but looking at my old post it wasnt.The keys to us doing this successfully were that it was just DD and I so no little kids/old body issues, we are Disney World vets having been over 40 times (DD has, I have been more), and we arrived for a 7 am opening. We got so much done those first two hours. I posted our exact itinerary the next day while still at DW and a lot of people essentially posted that they didn't believe me Trust me, my life is not so pathetic that this would occur to me. We didn't even plan it. Once we realized how much we had done by 9 am we just set the challenge. You know, we weren't even rushed. We did all the big stuff early in the morning and the shows for after our break in the evening.So yes, it is possible. Oh, I forgot this, but we didn't even use a single fast pass!
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