The Top 10 Magic Kingdom Attractions

The Magic Kingdom is Walt Disney World’s crown jewel, the original theme park that started this vast entertainment empire in the heart of Central Florida.

It has been the state’s leading attraction ever since it opened its gates on October 1, 1971, and it continues to be the gold standard for everything Disney does, a magnificent source of family fun and excitement, crowned by the shimmering edifice of Cinderella Castle.

But what if you’ve never been here before (or haven’t been for a while)? How do you know which way to turn and what attractions to prioritise over all the others?

After all, the park covers 107 acres and offers more than 40 attractions. Even with several days here, you’d struggle to see everything that the Magic Kingdom has in store for its guests.

When you consider most people have just ONE day to take it all in, that’s really stretching the bounds of holiday credibility. You simply aren’t going to “do it all” in that timeframe.

So, if you’re new to all this but you still want to make sure you hit all the high points of the park, what attractions should you put at the top of your Must-Do list?

Here, with no further ado, is our Top 10 of the essential Magic Kingdom rides and shows. If you manage to experience all these timeless classics, you can safely say you have “done” the best the park has to offer.

10. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

If there is one attraction in the whole Disney pantheon that has Walt’s fingerprints all over it, it is this classic that dates to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Originally built specifically for the General Electric pavilion at the Fair, it highlighted the technological advances of electricity through the 20th century in a revolving theatre that was the showstopper of its day. It was moved to Disneyland after the New York expo in 1965 and stayed there until 1973, when it was packed up again and moved, lock, stock and animatronic barrel, to Orlando, where it has remained in action ever since. Hokey and dated, it remains a true Walt original and is worth seeing simply for the nostalgia.

9. It's a Small World

No visit to the Magic Kingdom is complete without a trip on this cute boat ride through the “small world” of animatronic dolls. It is as quaint and kitschy as it comes, but it is also a true classic, with a theme song that is either enchanting or insidious, depending on your viewpoint. It debuted at Disneyland in 1966 and was one of the opening-day attractions at Walt Disney World, which means it is celebrating its 57th birthday this year.

8. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Disney tends not to go in for roller-coasters as such, but it did offer a totally captivating take on the idea with this Frontierland head-turner, which opened at Disneyland in 1979 and was added to the Magic Kingdom a year later, slightly larger than the Anaheim version. It is a mine train ride that promises “the wildest ride in the wilderness,” and delivers a good, fun experience for all the family, neither too scary for children nor too tame for grown-ups.

7. The Jungle Cruise:

This was one of the original rides when Disneyland opened in 1955 and has been added to every Magic Kingdom Park ever since, albeit with several updates. It is a wonderfully wry and joke-filled journey through the major rivers of the world, with each boat having its own “Skipper” who narrates the carefully scripted story as you go. The humour is Dad-joke level, but there is something totally timeless about the idea of cruising along the great rivers in just 10 minutes, surrounded by animatronic animals.

6. Peter Pan’s Flight

Fantasyland is the spiritual heart of the Magic Kingdom, and this ride into the world of Peter Pan captures that magic and imagination perfectly. Another attraction that dates to the opening of Disneyland, it was enhanced and highlighted with animatronic figures for Orlando and serves as the perfect “dark” ride for young children with its “up, up and away” vibe.

5. Space Mountain

Disney was looking to put some real excitement into the park when they unveiled this colossus of a ride in 1975. A hugely advanced (for its time) indoor roller-coaster, Space Mountain featured a computer-controlled track and a dark, journey-through-space ambience that has been a hit with riders ever since. It has been updated with new technology in both 1989 and 2009 and, while it hits a top speed of just 27mph, it seems much faster thanks to its dark, twisting track.

4. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Updating the coaster theme in 2014, Disney was reacting to guest demand for something a bit more dynamic and exciting in the heart of Fantasyland, while still staying family friendly. The park needed to close the old 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride to make way for it, but its nearly unrivalled popularity since then has proved they made the right decision, as this fast-paced journey into the world of the Seven Dwarfs using ride cars that tilt and turn usually draws one of the longest queues in the park (hence it’s a good one to head to early in the day).

3. TRON Lightcycle/Run:

Amid all the traditional rides is this brand new (in April this year) high-tech coaster that takes riders into the world of the TRON films. With a brilliant lighting scheme, dazzling graphics and a few unique touches, this is a thrilling 60mph whizz through the computer-generated realm of TRON with lots of repeat appeal thanks to its motorbike style seat design.

2. The Haunted Mansion

It’s hard to distinguish between our top two, as both are sheer Disney animatronic genius that stand out from the crowd. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion opened in 1969 and Orlando’s version in 1971, with a slightly longer track that added several new scenes (and was added to in 2007). It operates on an omni mover vehicle system (called Doom Buggies) that is in continuous motion and takes riders into a ghost-filled realm that shouldn’t be too daunting for children nor too twee for adults. The visual gags, lighting effects and haunting music add up to a true classic experience.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean

For a ride to inspire a major film franchise, it must be pretty good. And so, Pirates of the Caribbean has proved ever since it opened in 1967 in Disneyland - the last attraction that Walt worked on before his death in 1966. This is an absolute animatronic fiesta, a boat ride through pirate-infested waters that features a pirate ship laying siege to a Caribbean Island, and lots of ensuing high jinks. This is an attraction that bears multiple rides to see all the clever detail involved, which includes the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow in 2006. Even the queue area is a work of art, and we simply can’t visit the park without doing this ride!

Special mention should go to the log-flume attraction we formerly knew as Splash Mountain, but which is currently undergoing a complete transformation to re-emerge next year as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This would easily be in our Top 10, but we await the final version of the reworked ride with great anticipation.

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