Help me Map out our Time at Magic Kingdom

[LW_DFREAK]

Okay, only 46 more days until our land/sea vacation! I am getting ready to map out our day at the Magic Kingdom with my two boys ages 5 and 7. Any suggestions about what rides (land) to start off at. We only have one day and probably one night at the Magic Kingdom during our 3 night stay...so I want to make sure I maximize our time. We will probably want to head back to the Poly late afternoon to avoid meltdowns. Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. We want to hit the big rides too...my 7 year old loves roller coasters! Thanks for your help

[busterthebronco]

i always suggest heading straight to fantasyland and dumbo first.
fastpassing abig ride next.
caseys for lunch.
relax at tom sawyers island aftenoon.
parades and firworks at night.
(thunder moutain railroad is cool at night)
dont forget ADRs at LTT, CRT, or CP!

[mdhiggin]

There are less people early in the morning, so you can get more done. Also less people on the rides during the parades and fireworks show. Fast pass is great when you can get it. Get one first thing, because you can only get one every few hours. When you first get to the park, you should go left rather than right towards Tomorrowland. More people naturally go right, and it will be busier. If you're there just before closing, when everyone is trying to leave, the lines are very short for the rides, even the big ones like Space Mountain.

[heidi614]

I know one day will be hard to get everything done, so your smart to plan ahead. I find that stopping to get character autographs takes a lot of time, so keep that in mind. I would consider skipping the afternoon parade, but don't miss the evening!

You can start with the train ride to frontierland and get a FP for splash mountain or thunder mountain railroad, then over to fantasyland, stopping at Peter Pan's Flight for a FP and watch Philharmagic. After Peter, head to either snow white or Pooh for a FP and do dumbo. After head through the castle for Lunch at Casey's and catch the afternoon show at the castle. Nap....Back at MK by 4:00 FP Buzz Lightyear, a must for the boys, watch the Monsters inc. Comedy show then Buzz, head to Toontown to see Mickey's house, and Goofey's Barnstormer roller coaster. Your older son and Hubby could do Space Mountain while you get a spot for the parade at least one hour before. It wouldn't be everything but you would get the highlights! Have Fun

[LW_DFREAK]

Thanks for the tips! Keep 'em coming! The good news is my boys aren't very into the characters, so we won't spend time with autographs. We have also been to MK a few times already so condensing everything into a day and half should work...though, planning it out to get everything in is going to be a challenge. We always went to Fantasy Land first and that is one part I am struggling with since my boys are now more interested in the more thrill type rides. I love the idea of taking the railroad right to TMR - my boys love trains! Great way to start the day off - a double whammy! Maybe even grab a fastpass for later on for Splash Mountain when it warms up a bit. I love planning for Disney!!