In this post, the second in our series about the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, we take a look at some of the attractions in the first of the resort’s four theme parks, The Magic Kingdom.
The Magic Kingdom is divided into seven areas:
- Main Street U.S.A.;
- Adventureland;
- Frontierland;
- Liberty Square;
- Fantasyland;
- Mickey’s Toontown Fair;
- Tomorrowland.
Each area has rides, food outlets, shops and other attractions. Make sure that you pick up a map of the park and a leaflet detailing the times of the shows being performed that day at the entrance, as using these will help you to make the most of your day.
Main Street U.S.A.
Once you’ve parked your Orlando hire car in the Magic Kingdom’s car park and had your ticket checked at the main entrance, the first area that you’ll see is Main Street U.S.A. This area of the park is dominated by shops, restaurants and fast food outlets, so although it’s worth exploring, it’s a good idea to leave this until you are on the way out of the park. This will mean that you can make sure that you have time to go on all of the rides that you want to go on and you can stock up with souvenirs on the way back to your hire car, rather than having to carry them around with you all day or collect them later.
The Walt Disney World Railroad‘s first stop is in Main Street U.S.A. and if you take the 20 minute trip on one of its steam-engines, you’ll be able to familiarise yourself with the layout of the park. The trains also stop in Frontierland and in Mickey’s Toontown Fair, so you may want to head to these areas of the park first.
Alternatively, you could jump aboard one of the Main Street Vehicles, which will take you to Cinderella Castle in the Fantasyland area of the park.
Adventureland – Rides and Shows
The two most popular attractions in Adventureland are the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the Jungle Cruise.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride inspired the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and the Orlando version of the ride has recently been updated to include characters from these films. This 10 minute boat ride features audio-animatronics and is great entertainment for both adults and children. There is one small drop in the dark, but it’s not too scary for little ones, and for the rest of the ride you can relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of Captain Jack Sparrow’s world. Jack Sparrow himself can also be found nearby, giving younger visitors a “Pirate Tutorial“.
The Jungle Cruise is one of Disney’s older rides, but is still great fun. It’s a ten minute boat trip in jungle setting and each boat has a guide, who will keep you entertained with truly dreadful jokes throughout the journey. The ride features audio-animatronic animals, including hippos and elephants. This ride can get very busy, but luckily it’s a Fast Pass attraction – this means that you can obtain a Fast Pass ticket from the machine near to the ride’s entrance, come back at the allotted time and bypass the queues.
The other attractions in Adventureland are the Swiss Family Treehouse, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
The Swiss Family Treehouse is based on the Disney movie “Swiss Family Robinson” (1960). You will need to climb 116 steps in order to reach the top, and once you’ve started, you’ll have to continue to the top. There isn’t anything to do inside the treehouse other than to look around, so unless you are visiting the theme park with kids who really want to explore it, you may want to give this attraction a miss.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is a family-friendly ride, which is similar in style to Fantasyland‘s Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, but on this version, the riders fly on “magic carpets” which revolve around a giant lamp. The Enchanted Tiki Room is a 20-minute audio-animatronic show, featuring characters from Disney’s “The Lion King”. Young children may enjoy this, but adults may find it extremely annoying!
Adventureland – Dining and Shopping
The main restaurant in Adventureland is El Pirata Y El Perico, a Mexican-themed restaurant which serves tacos and drinks. There are also two snack bars in this area of the park, Sunshine Tree Terrace and Aloha Isle, where you can buy ice creams and drinks.
There are also a number of shops and stalls in Adventureland, including the Pirate’s Bazaar, where you can buy Pirates of the Caribbean themed souvenirs.
In the next part of this series, we’ll be looking at some of the other areas of the Magic Kingdom.
Image: Tammy Green
Tags: Adventureland, Aloha Isle, Cinderella Castle, Disney Fast Pass, Disney restaurants, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, El Pirata y el Perico, Fantasyland, florida, Frontierland, Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA, Main Street Vehicles, Mickeys Toontown Fair, Orlando, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sunshine Tree Terrace, Swiss Family Treehouse, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Tomorrowland, Walt Disney World Railroad, Walt Disney World Resort
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