How to Do 19 Rides and Attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Just 9 Hours Without Exhausting Yourself

If you are reading this blog post, I am guessing that you are thinking about taking a magical trip to Disney World or Disneyland. Congratulations. I am also betting that you might be worrying about how you can ensure that you get the biggest bang for your buck. After all, Disney park tickets have gotten expensive. The best advice I can give you is to do some advance planning. The larger the group you will be traveling with, the more advanced planning you should do. In this post, I will share two amazing apps I used recently that made my Disney day more magical.

Right now, you might be saying you hate planning because it takes away the joy of spontaneity. I understand, but going to Disney World is not the same now as it was when I first went to the Magic Kingdom with my family in the 1970s.  When we went in the 70s, you just ran around, jumped on lines for the rides and stopped to eat at the nearest restaurant when you were hungry. Well, as much as you might still want to do that, I need to warn you that you will spend hours unnecessarily waiting in lines if you don't plan ahead.  

The parks have gotten much more crowded and I know this from experience. When I first got my annual pass, I would run over to the park on a whim, no planning ahead. The lines for the most popular rides were often 2, 3 or even 4 hours long, so I would skip those rides and do other things.   After a few of these spontaneous visits, I realized I really wanted to ride the most popular rides in the park without having to wait 2 hours in line. That's when I decided to find a way to plan that didn't take away the joy that comes with going to the park on a whim. 

I discovered two websites and planning apps that improved my experiences in the parks and brought back more of the magic.  The first planning tool I want to share with you is the My Disney Experience app and website. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/mobile-apps/

Disney uses this app to help you manage your visit. After you create an account and buy your tickets, you can use the app to track ride wait times, make FastPass+ reservations for rides, character meet and greets, see your ride photos and even make dinner reservations. I will share more about how I used this app while I was in the park to get the most out of my recent visit.

The second planning tool is the Touring Plans website and their Lines app. https://touringplans.com/  The Touring Plan website and app were developed by a group of data analysts to track crowds and line wait times in the Disney theme parks. Based on statistics, they estimate what the daily experience will be at any Disney park and help you to plan the most efficient and enjoyable day.

Now, let me show you how I used these two websites and apps to do 19 rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom in just 9 hours on a Saturday.

• On the Wednesday before my visit, I checked the different parks' opening and closing hours using My Disney Experience. I usually avoid visiting a Disney park if it has extra magic hours scheduled. Folks staying at Disney resorts will often pick that park for the day since they are the ones who can come for extra hours. I picked the Magic Kingdom for my visit and planned to arrive around 9:30 after my morning online teaching was finished. 

• Using the My Disney Experience, I checked to see if there were any FastPass+ available for Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight or Jungle Cruise. These rides typically have the longest lines. Unfortunately, none of these rides had FastPass+ available.

• Next, I went into the Lines app by Touring Plans and selected "create a new plan". I set the date, my start time at 9:30 and my end time at 6:30.  I set my walking speed at a relaxed pace and balanced walking distance with wait times. 

• Then I selected my wish list of favorite rides, attractions, and preferred lunch and dinner break locations. Here are the rides and attractions I selected:
1. Seven Dwarves Mine Train
2. Big Thunder Mountain
3. Buzz Lightyear
4. Carousel of Progress
5. Cinderella Castle (photos)
6. Country Bears
7. Dapper Dans
8. Festival Parade
9. Hall of Presidents
10. Haunted Mansion
11. Jungle Cruise
12. Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
13. Liberty Square Riverboat
14. Mickey's Faire Castle Show
15. Move It! Street Party Parade
16. People Mover
17. Mickey's Philharmonic
18. Pirates of the Caribbean
19. Space Mountain
20. It's a Small World

• On the day of my visit, while sitting in a parking lot tram, I checked My Disney Experience app for FastPass+. Sometimes people will cancel their passes. I was lucky and found one for the Haunted Mansion. I added this to my Lines app, optimized and refreshed the plan. Then happily headed off to Tomorrowland. 

• Throughout the day, I checked the My Disney Experience app for FastPass+ availability. I was delighted to get passes for Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Big Thunder Mountain.

• Unfortunately, Pirates of the Carribean broke down and did not operate at all that day. I removed it from my Lines app plan, optimized and refreshed the plan. Then I continued to implement the revised Touring plan. 

• I took a 20-minute break for lunch and 25 minutes for dinner. I used My Disney Experience app to mobile order my food, so I didn't have to wait in long lines at the restaurant. Never during the day did I feel rushed or too tired.

At the end of the day, I was so happy that I was able to ride the most popular rides at times when their lines were the shortest. By checking FastPass+ availability throughout the day, I was able to get passes that shortened my wait time even more. And, while not part of my original plan, I was able to meet up with friends who were running in the Disney marathon. We spent a little time hanging out in front of the castle until it was time for my Seven Dwarves FastPass+.

Now, I can't promise that you will have the exact same experience as me, but I bet that with a little planning you will be able to ride the rides you want and still have time to become immersed in the magic that Walt Disney and his Imagineers created for all of us. 

Please share your favorite Disney planning apps, YouTube channels, and/or blogs in the comments below.  Hopefully, by sharing what we know with each other we are all able to have a little more magic in our lives. Thanks, friends.

I hope this blog post was helpful and that you give these two apps a try when planning your next Disney vacation. 

Cows, Sand Cranes, Horseshoes and Alligators: Florida Camping

Life in Florida during the winter months is pretty amazing. While the rest of the country is suffering from below zero temperatures, those of us in Florida are complaining that it is too cold to swim in the pool when it is 60 degrees. What can I say; I've gotten a little spoiled down here. My days usually begin later than when I worked full-time, say around 9am with a cup of coffee and my morning prayers. The view through my front windshield (let's call it the living room) is of the neighbor's cows. Their gentle mooing creates a comforting background to my morning routine. Since I've been trying to eat more healthy foods, I cook my breakfasts (eggs, veggies, and meat in some form).

After breakfast, I work on some Young Living essential oil tasks, do some housekeeping chores or maintenance jobs on the RV. My afternoon companions are a couple of sand cranes who live in the pond to the right of my RV. They like to stop by each day and yell at me. My neighbors tell me that the former occupants of my site used to feed them. Oh well, this year they have to learn to eat natural foods, just like me. Now, I have to confess, I don't work every day. Being so close to Disney World means that at least 3x a week, I head up to the parks to play. As a Florida resident, I was able to buy an annual pass. I will share more Disney stories in another blog post.

As the day winds down, I make a good healthy dinner and listen to the sound of horseshoes hitting the posts and the men cheering each other on to victory as I eat. The horseshoe field and the shuffleboard courts are to the left of my RV and down the hill. It is fun to listen to others playing the games they love and enjoying each others' company. After dinner, I join some of the other residents for dominoes, card games, Pokeno or cribbage depending on the night. Having grown up in a family that loves to play games, I adore this. As a single woman, over the years I missed being able to play cards and other games with family and friends.

So, now I bet you are wondering about the alligators. Yes, with several ponds (lakes) in the RV park (campground) we do have a few alligators who like to wander back and forth between the different lakes. As a matter of fact, the park has set up chairs so that the residents can sit by the water, at a safe distance, and watch them. It was reassuring to hear, that this past summer, the three largest alligators were relocated when they got a little too curious about some of the local pets.  Well, that's it for now. It's time for me to head out to win big money - yup I think tonight's jackpot might be $4.50.

DAR celebrates Constitution Week: Sept. 17-23, 2017

Did you know September 17th was Constitution Day in the United States of America and there was a Constitution Week? I hate to admit this, but I didn't. I learned about Constitution Day and Constitution Week from the members of the Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter of the DAR in Fort Walton, Florida. Constitution Day commemorates the day the delegates of the Constitutional Committee met for the last time in 1797 to sign the document they were working on together. This document was the Constitution of the United States of America. DAR members honored the day by participating in the National DAR's Bells Across America in collaboration with other DAR members around the country. The chapter met at the Veterans Tribute Tower for the bell ringing at 3:00pm.

The ceremony included 5 minutes of bell ringing and a program on Constitution Day. Susie and I tried to get there so we could participate, but unfortunately we got stuck on a bridge due to an accident that happened earlier in the day. Traffic was stopped for about 45 minutes. So, instead of being 30 minutes early, we arrived about 15 minutes late. Luckily, many of the DAR members and their families were still around talking so we were able to meet many of them. It is my hope that in October I will be able to transfer my membership from the Erasmus Perry Chapter in Maryland to this group in Fort Walton, Florida.


The Veterans Tribute Tower and bell are located at the Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This bell tower was installed in 2015 to honor American veterans and those who continue to serve in the military. It was an honor to remember the Constitution upon which our government was founded and to remember those who are dedicated to protecting the things for which the Constitution stands. It was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

For me personally, it was also nice to be able to spend so much time with my sister. It's been almost ten years since we had such a nice long time to just hang out together. Next week, my parents will join us and the fun will just multiply!