Visiting the Walt Disney World parks for any amount of time is great way to spend a day. However, if time is of the essence and you only have a day to do a single park, it may seem impossible because there just isn’t enough time to see and do everything. While it’s true that one day at Magic Kingdom, or any of the Disney parks is hardly enough time, it is possible to still see and do a lot in the park if you do it right. Sometimes, a day is all you can squeeze in between other commitments, so with a little planning you can put together a fabulous day at Magic Kingdom. Here are some tips for how to spend one day in Magic Kingdom and see as much as you possibly can.

How to Spend One Day in Magic Kingdom

Preparation is Key

For one day in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, preparation is important because it can be the difference between getting in as much as possible and wasting a lot of time. Prepare yourself beforehand with a good map of the park in hand! Disney has a great app that will allow you to sign up for Fastpass+, as well as a map layout of the park.

Arrive On Time and Ready

For a single day in the park, you need to be at those gates before opening so that you do not waste anytime sitting around. Arrive early and ready to go, meaning everyone has had their breakfast, knows where you are headed first and is ready to move. That first hour in the park is important, especially if you’ve forgotten to set up Fastpass+ for anything, which will be nearly impossible to do by lunchtime.

Keep a Fluid Itinerary

With only one day at Magic Kingdom available to you, it is important to have an itinerary of things that you want to do, but keep things unplanned and fluid. As the day progresses you may find that it is necessary to push things, drop activities and swap out one ride or show for another. Have a good idea of what you want to do and how to fit it all in, but go with the flow of the day to maximize your time – especially around high traffic times of the day.

Rides You Must Do

There are going to be rides that are at the top of your list, and you should absolutely get on those. At the same time there are rides that everyone should get on when at the Magic Kingdom. Try to fit those in too. You definitely want to hit up these Magic Kingdom rides: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. There are so many other rides worth getting on, and those everyone can pick from, but these rides are highly recommended.

Do One Special Meal

For lunch or dinner, try to make a reservation for a special meal at one of the restaurants on the property. Usually I would say these take up a lot of time, but for only one day in Disney, you need to eat well and give yourself a break. Might as well get your multitasking and get your meal and break time in and have a fabulous time with a themed meal.

Sit and Watch a Show

Most of our Disney experiences involve a Broadway show or movie of some sort, so it is important to continue that tradition at Magic Kingdom. Doing so is as easy as taking in a magical show at the most magical place on earth, Disney. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a sight to be seen, better yet, experienced with the entire family. It’s a spectacular show and has running show times throughout the day.

Finish With a Bang

To complete your one day at Magic Kingdom you must see the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show. As soon as the time gets near, you’ll know because they start closing off certain areas like the pass through at the castle, head to Main Street, stake out any spot, and sit back to enjoy. Alternatively you can watch the show from a different view-point, by the carousel behind Cinderella’s castle. If you are lucky you might even catch the young man who will help compose (telling you when to look where) the sequence of fireworks for you during the show; he’s pretty cool. There is still time after the show to get in one ride, but by this time you are probably exhausted so you can just hope onto the carousel for a spin and just sit back to enjoy the view.