We’re doing something different than the usual blog fare and doing a detailed report of my recent visit to Walt Disney World on the first weekend of December, 2022. This is Part 2 of my trip report of the Magic Kingdom. See here for Part 1. As a reminder, my friend and I had as good of a morning at the park as one could possibly hope for.
We visited Magic Kingdom on a Christmas Party day, where the park closes at 6 p.m. for guests who have not purchased the expensive-but-super-popular Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. As I mentioned in the last post, because of the shorter hours, and lack of fireworks for the general public, crowd levels are typically much lower on these days.
As a preview, we DID splurge for the Christmas Party, and therefore decided to take an afternoon break for lunch. But, if we had stayed in the park until the 6 p.m. close – even without the Christmas Party – we would have had a great day. If you don’t get all jazzed up for firework shows, then you really should consider visiting the Magic Kingdom on a Party day.
OK… Where were we?
We ended up hanging out at the Wilderness Lodge, having taken the Red Flag boat from right in front of the park to and from the hotel. Our very successful morning at Magic Kingdom went thusly:
- 7DMT (7 min. wait)
- Peter Pan (16 min. wait)
- Winnie the Pooh (5 min. wait)
- Buzz (3 min. wait)
- Space Mountain (25 min. wait)
- Jingle Cruise – LL (5 min. wait)
- Haunted Mansion – LL (9 min. wait)
- Splash Mountain (9 min wait)
- BTMRR – LL (6 min. wait)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (16 min. wait)
- it’s a small world – LL (6 min. wait)
That’s 11 rides in 4 hours. It’s hard to do much better than that. After bison burgers and beers at Geyser Point Bar and Grill, we had to make a Lightning Lane reservation. During busier times we wouldn’t have waited a couple hours to make our next reservation, but the return times were so immediate, that we chose to wait to avoid returns while we were at lunch. And so, at 1:16 p.m., we got a LL for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin for 1:50 p.m.
And after some relaxation, we arrived back at the Magic Kingdom Entrance at 2:33 p.m.
The Afternoon at Magic Kingdom
It was already time for our Lightning Lane at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and so we went directly there. I’m pretty sure I got the highest score in the history of the ride’s existence, but I can’t find the picture. You’ll just have to trust me. While in line, we got Lightning Lane reservations for Pirates of the Caribbean for an immediate 2:50 p.m. return.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: 2:42 p.m. arrival – 9 minute wait (LL) – 2:57 p.m. back in front = 15 minute total attraction time.
We decided to do a little meandering on Main Street U.S.A., during which the Festival of Fantasy Parade was happening. From 3:00 p.m. until 3:28 p.m., we explored the shops, watched a few floats…
(I think Rapunzel wants to hit me.)
(Jiminy Cricket loves me though.)
And we did a little “research” for this blog by examining bricks up close. I bet you can’t wait for that “Bricks of the Magic Kingdom” post… You’re welcome in advance.
We hadn’t been in a rush to get to Pirates at the beginning of our LL return window because we knew that only were going to try for one additional reservation, and there was plenty availability. But with our window closing, we made our way over to Adventureland to ride the classic ride a second time. We arrived at Castillo Del Morro at 3:35 p.m., and waited 7 minutes to board.
Our boat was backed up well into the “burning town” scene, and so our ride was several minutes longer than normal. We were back in front of Pirates at 3:56 p.m. for a total attraction time of 21 minutes.
There were still a few things that we wanted to do before the party started: Hall of Presidents, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and Splash Mountain with Lightning Lane. The first two are good afternoon guest-eaters, where you’ll normally wait only for the next show to begin. The latter, Splash Mountain, we wanted one last ride on this classic – aiming for sunset, if possible.
We headed to Hall of Presidents and somehow managed to stay awake throughout the whole show! Christmas came early.
Hall of Presidents: 4:05 p.m. arrival – 10 minute wait – 4:38 p.m. back in front = 33 minute total attraction time.
With the park closing to regular guests in just over 80 minutes, and having ridden almost everything we wanted to already, we got a bit leisurely with our time. We picked up our Party wristbands in Fantasyland. At 4:47 p.m., we got a Lightning Lane for Splash Mountain with a return time of 5:00 p.m. And then we moseyed our way over to Frontierland. We had decided that after our big lunch, and with Christmas Party snacks in our future, that dinner wasn’t necessary. Probably our only misstep on the day – given that we ran out of gas a bit early. But, when I saw Aloha Isle, I found a way to justify a Dole Whip break as a suitable alternative to a full dinner.
At 5:13 p.m., we went for our last Zip-a-dee-Hu-rrah on Splash Mountain. No more half-working animatronics and stale Florida-water smell after January 2023. Very sad. After a short 5 minute wait with LL access, we were back out front with a tear in our eye at 5:33 p.m. That’s a 20 minute total attraction time.
We ended the non-party portion of our Magic Kingdom day with Mickey’s PhilharMagic. We arrived at 5:48 p.m., waited 11 minutes for the next show, and were done with the attraction at 6:15 p.m. A total attraction time of 27 minutes.
Summary of the Afternoon
- Buzz – LL (9 min. wait)
- Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Pirates – LL (7 min. wait)
- Hall of Presidents (10 min. wait)
- Splash – LL (5 min. wait)
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic (11 min. wait)
That’s 6 additional attractions in 3 hours and 45 minutes at a very leisurely pace. Before the party, that ends up being 17 attractions in 7 hours and 45 minutes of park time. And there was an additional 2 1/2 hours that were available to us where we could have done more. Seriously folks, if you get nothing else from this trip report, hear this: go to Magic Kingdom on a party day.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
At this point, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party hasn’t officially started, but rides are open, and complimentary snacks are being handed out. But unless you have a Party wristband on, you will be pointed toward the park exit. So, there are still a lot of people milling about taking in the twilight scenery, but by 7:00 p.m., it will thin out a bit.
Rides and Snacks
We chose to head to Haunted Mansion, since we were nearby, having exited Mickey’s PhilharMagic. And then we entered the Very Merry and Kinda Scary queue at 6:20 p.m., and waited 20 minutes to get in our Doom Buggy.
We were back outside at 6:51 p.m.
Haunted Mansion: 6:20 p.m. arrival – 20 minute wait – 6:51 p.m. back outside = 31 minute total attraction time.
We were passing Columbia Harbour House, and so we ducked in to grab the complimentary treats there. At this location, they were serving hot chocolate (just fine), and a frosted gingerbread cookie (amazing!). At this point, without dinner and with a lack of sleep, we were in need of something more than a sugar rush. But we plowed ahead.
On the way to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is so great in the dark, we decided to detour over to Tortuga Tavern for some more empty calories. I love some of the fun festive touches around Magic Kingdom when the Party stars – like the Candy Cane Jolly Roger above. The Tortuga Tavern was serving a grocery-store-quality iced sugar cookie, along with some egg nog. At both snack locations, right at the start of the Christmas Party, the wait to get the snacks was only a couple minutes.
We completed our time on the west / left side of the park with a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We arrived at 7:16 p.m., had a 4 minute wait (15 minute posted), and was back out front at 7:25 p.m. That was a 9 minute total attraction time. Not too shabby.
We made our way back to the Hub, stopping to snap this festive photo of the Castle.
Tomorrowland
Despite the moderate crowds at the headliners, we decided to hit up a couple under-the-radar options: Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover and Astro Orbiter. The Peoplemover is always a nice relaxing respite from the bustle of Magic Kingdom, and is doubly wonderful at night. We got in the short line at 7:40 p.m., waited 5 minutes (5 min. posted), and were back at ground level at 7:57 p.m.
Seeing a non-existent line for Astro Orbiter made us want to take the opportunity to ride. I skip this ride almost every single visit because the loading-via-elevator setup is brutally slow. But because there was no one in line (Disney showed a 25 minute wait, by the way), we jumped in line at 7:58 p.m. After a stuffy elevator ride with a few other party-goers, we were seated in our (separate, thank you) rockets in just 4 minutes. That’s about the minimum you can expect to ever wait for Astro Orbiter. We were safely back on earth at 8:08 p.m., for a total attraction time of 10 minutes.
Shows
There was still one more course to go for our progressive dinner of sugar – snickerdoodles and hot chocolate at Cosmic Ray’s. And we headed there before finding a spot on Main Street, U.S.A. for the parade.
While the Christmas Party has a capacity that is far less than that of the Magic Kingdom overall, party nights can certainly feel crowded. This is less true at the attractions, which have in most cases much smaller lines than normal. But on Main Street, and in the Hub, and where special characters are met, you can convince yourself that it’s a busy normal day at the park.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
As for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, it is a can’t miss, must see, Disney-at-its-best show. (Although the “Once upon a Christmastime at Christmas…” song lyric is repeated so much, you’ll swear that you’re backed up in a boat in the last room on it’s a small world.)
Even though the parade route starts in Frontierland, where you can walk up fairly last minute and get a front-row view, we chose to watch on Main Street. This takes more effort / time, but it’s worth it. There is a Dickensian vibe to having Main Street as a back drop for the parade with the snow falling in front of the shops, and the giant Christmas tree looming in Town Square. OK – that’s probably taking it too far. But there’s no denying that it’s the most magical location to watch the parade. Once upon a Christmastime at Christmas…
We sat down in front of the Confectionary at 8:17 p.m. The parade starts at 8:30 p.m. in Frontierland, and takes around 15 minutes to get to where we were sitting.
Once upon a Christmastime at Christmas…
Once upon a Christmastime at Christmas…
The Once Upon a Christmastime at Christmas was over at around Christmastime at Christmas. We walked to the Hub to find a spot to sit for the stage show and fireworks.
Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration
We didn’t necessarily prioritize the Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration castle stage show. But it is a very convenient pre-show of sorts if you want a good spot for the fireworks. The Christmas firework display relies heavily on projections on the castle. So you want to be close to Cinderella Castle, but not too close. At some point, the Castle begins to actually block the fireworks.
We found what I think is a sweet spot near these guys on the right side of the Hub. This is within the central garden plaza, that is – INSIDE the surrounding street roundabout.
Here’s what the view is from this location. We watched the 9:25 p.m. show. It’s a fun 20 minute show with Disney characters and live singers and dancers, set to modern and classic Christmas songs. I think it’s worth seeing.
Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks
Our plan was to watch the fireworks, and then hit Space Mountain (with its Christmas party overlay) and then 7DMT before the end of the party. However, given our early wake-up the next day, and the level of exhaustion we already were experiencing, we decided to tap out after the firework show. Cue the “you’re old” jokes…
The show started a bit late (10:07 p.m.), and ended at 10:20 p.m.
There’s nothing worse than looking at people’s firework photos. I mean, do they ever actually come close to capturing the actual experience? But, given the cool projections on the castle, I’ll share a couple:
I think this is the best nighttime spectacular at the parks. It’s an amazing show- and served as a great finale for our very long, very fulfilling day at Magic Kingdom. We were at the exit at 10:25 p.m., found a bus waiting to take us back to All-Star Music, and were in our room at 10:53 p.m.
As my friend said, it was a day “for the ages” at Magic Kingdom. It really was that good.
We’ll get back to architecture-related posts next. Merry Christmas!
