Magic Kingdom Grown-Up Tour
The kids are older, and they're interested in thrills not magic. Or there aren't any kids in tow, and this is your golden opportunity to enjoy me time. Seize the day! The Magic Kingdom is a whole new experience without young children. Maximize the big adventures, take time to dine and shop, and discover your own brand of magic along the way.
Classic Thrills
As you pass beneath the train station and into Town Square, you're entering the Happiest Place on Earth, and it's time to grab the golden ring. If thrill riding tops your list, work that cardio for a power walk northwest from the park hub through Liberty Square to Frontierland, where you can ride Splash Mountain, then go next door to dry off on the bumpy, scenic, runaway train at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The next hot ticket on your must-ride list is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train family coaster in Fantasyland.
For many, just seeing the Johnny Depp look-alike, Audio-Animatronics Captain Jack Sparrow is reason enough to ride Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland, a short stroll from Splash Mountain. Cut back through the park hub and straight to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland for your other big-deal Fastpass+. While you wait, sip an iced cappuccino or smoothie from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies and/or experience the interactive Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which is addictive for competitive types, who will probably want to ride more than once for a chance to raise their space ranger profile.
Play, Dine, Shop
Chill out afterward at Tony's Town Square Restaurant, a great, full-service, late-lunch spot where you can feast on pasta. Burn off the calories shopping on Main Street for a make-your-own Mouse Ears souvenir from The Chapeau or some character bling from Uptown Jewelers.
At Crystal Arts, you can buy a fluted glass bowl and then mosey to the rear of the glass shop to see an Arribas Brothers glassblower craft a piece using 2,100°F furnaces, a heated glass rod, and lots of talent. It takes about 20 minutes for the glassblower to shape a piece of glass and explain each step along the way.
Catch the Spirit(s)
You can skip the 3 pm parade crowds and join 999 grim-grinning ghouls at the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square. Afterward, stroll several paces to the Hall of Presidents and catch the patriotic spirit. Just around the corner in Fantasyland, don your goofy 3-D glasses for Mickey's PhilharMagic, starring the largest cast of Disney animated stars performing in a single show. Cap the evening with the Happily Ever After fireworks, lasers, and projections display, featuring themes from more than a dozen Disney animated films. You'll be glad you stayed for the fairy-tale ending.
