With four different theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios), two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), numerous hotels and various shopping and dining opportunities, Walt Disney World is an ideal place to spend your vacation, regardless of season or age.
We chose to go to two of the four parks: Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There are several types of tickets and you can combine them as you like, for example go to several parks in one day (Park Hooper) or choose 2 days, 2 different parks (2-Day Ticket with 1 Park Per Day). Prices vary depending on the season, number of days and number of parks chosen. We chose the option with 2 days where we can visit 2 different parks and it cost 510€/2 people.
Magic Kingdom is the most famous and visited theme park in the world. It opened its doors 50 years ago on October 1, 1971 and has been attracting tens of thousands of tourists every day since then.
The park is divided into 6 themed areas with attractions for all ages: Main Street USA, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Frontierland.
The Magic Kingdom has several “must see” attractions such as Splash Mountain, Space Mountain or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Of course you have to be patient and wait a good few minutes (or even an hour) to be able to enter. In addition to the attractions themselves, you should not miss the Disney parades and the “Happily Ever After” fireworks show.
At the main entrance is the Main Street USA area which houses the Town Square Theater and Town Hall, restaurants and souvenir shops. The street ends at the iconic Cinderella Castle where the fireworks show takes place.
Adventureland is reached from Main Street by crossing a wooden bridge. Adventureland is a mix of desert, jungle and tropical island. Two of the most popular attractions here are Pirates of the Caribbean (set off with Captain Jack and the pirate crew in search of treasure) and Jungle Cruise (a boat ride through the foliage and waterfalls of the Amazon, then pass through an abandoned camp of on the banks of the Congo River, float among elephants and hippos, all while your guide navigates the most dangerous waters in the world).
Fantasyland is the area that is based on the most famous Disney cartoons. Cinderella’s Castle is the gateway to Fairyland, separating Fantasyland from the rest of the park.
The most famous attractions in this area are: Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid (presents the love story between The Little Mermaid and Prince Eric. The special effects and animations accurately recreate each scene and character as if you were part of the story), Peter Pan’s Flight (fly with Peter Pan over London to Never Land and as you progress find out if he manages to defeat Captain Hook), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (navigate with the seven dwarfs inside the diamond mine, climbing the old mountain and then chasing down the steep slopes to its foot) or The Many adventures of Winnie the Pooh (set off with Winnie the Pooh and his friends on an unforgettable journey. Before the adventure you can paint with honey or explore the rabbit garden).
The Frontierland area is especially visited for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain was opened in 1980 and is a roller coaster that offers a 3-minute ride through the desert landscape of Monument Valle. If you have heart problems or fear of heights, it is not advisable to enter. Such warnings are also at Splash Mountain, another roller coaster that travels through the scenes of the animated film Song of the South (if you don’t want to get wet, you can wear a raincoat, and at the entrance there are resealable bags for your cell phone or other objects you want to protect from water).
Liberty Square is less “attractive” compared to the other areas of the park. There are only three attractions here: The Haunted Mansion (take a tour of the mansion that houses ghosts and try to find the exit avoiding the supernatural inhabitants of the haunted house), The Hall of Presidents (learn the history of America and the dramatic story of the founding of the nation, you can listen to John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the last president-elect, Joe Biden, and at the end all the presidents of the US are presented in chronological order. The show lasts 25 minutes and runs throughout the day) and Liberty Bell (a historic 17-minute ride on the Rivers of America).
The last area in the Magic Kingdom is Tomorrowland – designed to depict the vision of the future. Here is one of the park’s most popular attractions: Space Mountain. It opened in 1975 and remains just as popular to this day, so there’s always a long wait. Be prepared to fly in the dark, past shooting stars, comets and meteors while listening to cosmic sounds. Not recommended for people with heart, back or neck problems.
The day at Magic Kingdom ends with the “Happily Ever After” fireworks, lasers and projections show, which we didn’t get to see, but we did see Epcot‘s “Epcot Forever” show the next day.
(Magic Kingdom – August 2021)
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