Disney's Magic Kingdom: Walt's crown jewel
With the Cinderella Castle, the Hall of Presidents and five other adventure lands, an outing to the crown jewel of the Disney entertainment empire, the Magic Kingdom, is one of the most unforgettable experiences in the modern amusement park universe.
The first and one of four major theme parks that now encompass the Walt Disney World Resort in southwest Orlando, the Magic Kingdom, along with EPCOT (Environmental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, easily provide vacationers with weeks of one-of-a-kind entertainment and educational experiences.
With its trademark Cinderella Castle, the Magic Kingdom drew 17 million visitors along in 2008, making it the single most popular theme park in the world. In addition to Main Street USA, which leads to the castle, the major features of the Magic Kingdom include Adventureland; Frontierland; Liberty Square, home of the famed Hall of Presidents; Fantasyland; Tomorrowland, touted as the Home of the Future before EPCOT was built; and Mickey Mouse’s Toontown Fair.
With so much to see and do, a lengthy visit to the official Magic Kingdom web site is an absolute must, as is a thorough perusal of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau site, which tends to serve as unofficial mascot for most of the major theme parks in the Orlando area.
There are often seasonal deals on lodging, food and transportation. It’s also worth consulting an experienced vacation travel agency, which will help you navigate through the maze of offerings available. The convention & visitors bureau will give you recommendations if you call them.
Warning: due to its popularity, the Magic Kingdom is usually well populated, so be prepared for crowds. Weekdays are better than weekends. (January and the week following Labor Day up to a few days before Thanksgiving are considered off peak.) And one-day individual ticket prices now start at $75 ($63 for kids ages 3-9), so consider either a multiple-day ticket or a “Park Hopper” pass that gets you into all four major theme parks.
- by Jim Brown , Orlando Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.
