Disneyworld – The Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is the most famous Florida theme park and is the one that single-handedly jump-started the Floridian tourism boom. It shares a lot of similarities with the older Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. It is divided into seven “Lands” and most of the themes are the same. The park contained twenty-three attractions on the day it opened, twenty of them copies of attractions at Disneyland.

The big difference is The Magic Kingdom is built on a much bigger expanse of ground and with a much grander budget. For instance, the park is built over a complicated set of tunnels, or “utilidors” (for utility corridors) that allows Disney Cast members to walk about unseen from the crowds. This comes from an occasion at Disneyland when Walt Disney spotted a Frontierland cowboy strolling through Tomorrowland. Walt hated anything that might ruin the fantasies being spun in each land and swore he’d do better at the Magic Kingdom.

So the Magic Kingdom right away was bigger than the original, and much closer to Walt’s original dream.

Today the park map lists forty-eight attractions (though several of these, like the Guest Information Board, probably shouldn't be included in the number) in the seven themed lands. Engineering buffs should take note Disney first built a series of utility corridors, covered them with dirt excavated from the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon, and then built the Magic Kingdom on top of that.

In January, 2005, Disney changed its ticket structure for Walt Disney World, introducing the "Magic Your Way" plan that added more options and increased prices for most selections. You can choose a ticket length from one day to seven, then add a variety of options at additional cost, including the ability to visit multiple parks on each day and the ability to have your unused days not expire within 14 days of the ticket's first use.

Whatever you do, though, buy your tickets before you get to the park. No sense wasting the first couple hours of your first day's visit waiting in line at the ticket booths.

Main Street, U.S.A.

First stop as you enter the park is a bronze statue of Roy O. Disney, (Walt’s brother) sitting with Minnie Mouse near the park's entrance. This ushers you into Main Street.
Main Street is lined with shops selling merchandise and food. The decor is early-20th century small-town America, inspired by Walt Disney's childhood in Marceline, Missouri. City Hall contains the Guest Relations lobby where “cast members” (Disney Workers) provide information and assistance.

The wide ranging shops in this area include a real working barber shop for those who need a trim. The Emporium carries a wide variety of Disney souvenirs such as plush toys, collectible pins, and Mickey-ear hats. Tony’s Town Square and the Plaza Restaurant are sit-down restaurants. Casey's Corner is at the end of Main Street and sells traditional American ball park fare including hot dogs & fries.

Main Street, U.S.A. features tracks for a horse-drawn trolley which runs along its length. The shops are laid out in a fashion to take advantage of the fact that people tend to walk on the right side of the street: along the right of the street (as a guest enters the park) are shops selling cameras and film, hats, and other items more likely to be purchased by someone starting his day at the park; along the other side of the street are shops selling toys and souvenirs and other items more likely to be purchased before departing.

An interesting oddity are the names painted in the windows on Main Street serve as credits for some of the many people, who contributed in some way to the creation of Disneyland and The Magic kingdom. Largely they appear as fictional businesses (gyms, realtors, dentists and the like), and they often refer to a hobby or interest that the person in question had. Ub Iwerks's window, for example, refers to his prowess with cameras.

In the distance beyond the end of Main Street stands Cinderella Castle. Though only 180 feet (55m) tall, it benefits from a technique known as forced perspective. The (fake) second stories of all the buildings along Main Street are shorter than the first stories, and the third stories are even shorter than the second, and the top windows of the castle are much smaller than they appear. The resulting visual effect is that the buildings appear to be larger and taller than they really are.

In front of Cinderella Castle stands the "Partners Statue" of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse holding hands, welcoming all into the fantasies contined inside.

Adventureland

Adventureland represents the mystery of exploring foreign lands. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and the South Pacific. Adventureland is divided into two main sub-areas, one being the Arabian Village and the other one being Caribbean Plaza, which is home to the popular Pirates of the Caribbean.

Attractions
• Jungle Cruise
• The Enchanted Tiki Room
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Swiss Family Treehouse

Frontierland

The wild, wild west of the Magic Kingdom appropriately takes up the westernmost section of the park. Built along the waterway "The Rivers of America," Frontierland's mountain ranges, dance hall, shootin' gallery, fort and rustic log cabins, make it easy to transport yourself back to the time of Davy Crocket.

It offers two of the most popular attractions: the foot-stomping, roof-raising Country Bear Jamboree and Splash Mountain. Frontierland is situated to the north of Adventureland and to the southwest of Liberty Square, with access through both lands.

Attractions
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
• Splash Mountain
• Tom Sawyer Island
• Walt Disney World Railroad
• The Diamond Horseshoe

Liberty Square

Liberty Square was originally designed as an expansion for Disneyland in California. But when the Magic Kingdom was being, they decided to develop an area similar to, but distinct from, New Orleans Square at Disneyland. They settled on a New England, American Revolution-period theme, with many nods to the American Revolutionary War.

A replica of the Liberty Bell is located in the middle of the square, and a New England-themed version of the Haunted Mansion is adjacent to the Rivers of America. The Hall of Presidents, an attraction featuring an audio-animatronic figure of every U.S. president, is also a central feature for this land.

Attractions
• The Hall of Presidents
• The Haunted Mansion
• Liberty Square Riverboat
• Rivers Of America
• Liberty Belle Riverboat

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is themed in a medieval-faire style. The flag draped turrets of Cinderella’s Castle watch over this gaily designed area that is especially popular with younger children. In the words of Walt Disney: "Fantasyland is dedicated to the young at heart and to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."

In the words of Walt Disney: "Fantasyland is dedicated to the young at heart and to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."
Fantasyland has ten main attractions. There are also two character greeting areas; Ariel's Grotto, which features The Little Mermaid, and the Fairytale Garden, in which Belle from Beauty and the Beast reads a classic Disney story. Cinderella Castle itself contains a mosaic depicting the story of Cinderella , and features Cinderella's Royal Table restaurant.

Attractions
• Ariel's Grotto
• Cinderella Castle
• Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• "it's a small world"
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Snow White's Scary Adventures
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Pooh's Playful Spot

Mickey's Toontown Fair

Mickey’s Toontown was actually inspired by the smash Disney hit “Who Framed Roger rabbit.” Roger Rabbit was recognised as a lucrative character. A new land behind Fantasyland was being developed in honour of Mickey Mouse's sixtieth birthday. Roger Rabbit joined Mickey's Birthdayland to form Mickey's Toontown. Mickey's Toontown Fair initially opened as Mickey's Birthdayland in 1988. It became Mickey's Starland in 1990, before it received its current name in 1996.

Its storyline portrays the land as the holiday home for the characters who reside at Mickey's Toontown in California. Here are attractions based on Roger Rabbit, Judge Doom and Baby Herman as well as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald.

Attractions
• The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm
• Mickey's Country House
• Minnie's Country House
• Judge's Tent
• Toontown Hall Of Fame
• Donald's Boat
• Toon Park
• Walt Disney World Railroad

Tomorrowland

Walt Disney was known for his futurist views and showed the American public through his television shows, how the world was moving into the future, and Tomorrowland was the realistic culmination of his views. In his own words: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."

Tomorrowland is themed to be a futuristic bustling spaceport. Some of the most popular Disney park attractions premiered here, such as Space Mountain which opened in 1975 and is now part of every Tomorrowland around the world.

Attractions
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• Space Mountain
• Stitch's Great Escape!
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority
• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
• Galaxy Palace Theater
• Tomorrowland Arcade
• Monsters, Inc.: The Laugh Floor (Under Construction)

MAGIC KINGDOM TIPS

Arrive at the parking lot 45 minutes before scheduled opening to avoid the long, afternoon lines and hit your favorite rides while you’re fresh. Don’t forget to buy your park passes too, either on-line or through your hotel or travel agent, to save more time.

If you haven't seen the 3 PM parade on previous visits, start looking for a viewing spot at 2:30 (many begin finding choice viewing spots even earlier). After a good romp around in the morning and afternoon, it might be a good idea to take a break, even go back to your hotel for a short nap. That way you come back for the nighttime extravaganzas refreshed.

Then you can watch the dazzling SpectroMagic parade and Wishes fireworks show. If you watch the fireworks from Town Square, you can be ready to grab a monorail seat back to the parking lot as soon as it ends. On the other hand, if you want to ride Splash Mountain or Space Mountain again, lines will be short now, and you can see the fireworks from pretty much anywhere in the park.

Walt Disney World Resort
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
407-824-4321