Magic kingdom in one day?

[JessN]

Is it possible to do the magic kingdom in one day? We are going at the end of January. Also, we bought 2 day passes, can we add an extra day on that or do I have to buy another 1 day pass? I was hoping to just add it on as we aren't sure what park we will want to do work the 3rd day.

 

[Thumper14]

Not everyone needs to do everything. Plan your day around who is in your party. We are a party of all adults so we are planning just 1 day in MK. We will ride the Mountains and a few classics, no time for character greets and will be walking faster and not pushing strollers.

 

[MickeyMomV]

It all depends what you want to do. As long as you dont expect to do everything you would be fine, although 2 days is always more fun!!

I just realized I have never been on the Jungle Cruise and we are planning out 8 trip. I always forget about it. Just goes to show that no matter how many times you are there there is almost always something new to do.

 

[TXDisney]

It is possible if you don't plan on going on every ride, you'll have to prioritize what rides you really want to go on. Should also be noted that it matters what season and day of the week you're going. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days to do MK, not as crowded. An obviously it's more crowded during thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and summer.

 

[sxeensweet]

Not everyone needs to do everything. Plan your day around who is in your party. We are a party of all adults so we are planning just 1 day in MK. We will ride the Mountains and a few classics, no time for character greets and will be walking faster and not pushing strollers.

Me and DH never do character greets nor do we do everything else either and we still spend 2+ days at MK!! Lol

 

[Roakor]

It also depends on when your going. If your going during a time when there are less crowds then obviously you will be able to do more.

 

[Susan Savia]

Since your going in January, you should be able to do most everything. Some attractions will be down for winter refurbishment and there will be lower crowd levels.

 

[DVCPluto]

Park hours are shorter in January, but crowd levels are low, so you can definitely do a lot. Look at a map of MK online and see what you would like to do in each land. Have an idea of what you'd like to see, but be flexible and you should be fine. Remember to enjoy the sights and sounds and don't rush - much more enjoyable that way.

January is an awesome time! We loved it even though it was a bit chilly. Bring layers!

 

[ginadee]

I have always done MK in one day with just adults and it was always fine. However this last time I went I decided that MK is definitely a 2 day park. If you don't want to miss anything. So next trip its 2 days for me.

 

[BigRedDad]

It all depends on what you are trying to get out of it. Running ride to ride, not taking in sights you can do it. But if you want to experience everything, meet CMs, eat at every restaurant, quick service place, and snack, there is no possible way of accomplishing it.

Only you can decide if you can do what you want to accomplish in a day.

 

[yensid67]

DO NOT TRY TO DO EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY FOR ANY PARK!!!! If you try to do that you will not enjoy your day at all because you have put too much emphasis on just that doing...everything! Like most posts have said I would HIGHLY suggest that your group sit down and decide what attractions, shows and dining is IMPORTANT to each of you and make a plan from that. You may find that you DO NOT have to do all the attractions. Get FP+ dining reservations, etc. made 60 or 30 days out using My Disney Experience on Disney.go.com Try not to OVERPLAN your trip...again you will be disappointed in the end if you have high hopes of doing everything, but only get to do 1/4th of what you THOUGHT you wanted to do.

 

[Arty Cordova]

I would recommend going during the week and getting there at Rope Drop. Best of luck

 

[Britt]

With you going in January it seems possible you might get to do everything on a "must do" list!

We always only do 1 day at MK during our trips, but it's never enough :/ LOL

 

[tigger1968]

Not sure if it's still in there, but the Unofficial Guide used to offer a One Day Do Or Die Touring Plan that guided you through the highlights of the park in one day. A lot of walking, but it worked. Or try their website... www.touringplans.com. It may be of some help to you.

 

[Spencerrr]

I get there at opening and quickly do all the "big" attractions until the park starts to feel up and then go back to the hotel and nap or sit by the pool and go back in the evening when lines are low again. We go on everything we want, sometimes multiple times and don't even spend a full day in the park. The EMH help to if you are on property.

 

[Weather_Lady]

DO NOT TRY TO DO EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY FOR ANY PARK!!!! If you try to do that you will not enjoy your day at all because you have put too much emphasis on just that doing...everything! Like most posts have said I would HIGHLY suggest that your group sit down and decide what attractions, shows and dining is IMPORTANT to each of you and make a plan from that. You may find that you DO NOT have to do all the attractions. Get FP+ dining reservations, etc. made 60 or 30 days out using My Disney Experience on Disney.go.com Try not to OVERPLAN your trip...again you will be disappointed in the end if you have high hopes of doing everything, but only get to do 1/4th of what you THOUGHT you wanted to do.

Depending on when you go, I think you can do everything in both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios in one day. My family has done so, even with a 3-hour nap break in the middle of the day and leaving the park no later than 9:30pm -- however, this was during lower crowd times of year, with rope drop arrivals, pre-reserved FP+ and well-crafted touring plans.

I totally concur with your advice, however -- a "group planning" meeting is a must! When we planned a 3-generation trip back in May, we not only had a meeting to educate everyone about WDW and its attractions (as well as to make sure that their expectations on what we could accomplish were realistic), but I circulated written surveys of dining preferences (giving descriptions of the top-rated restaurants in each location and asking group members to indicate whether it was a "no way," "neutral" or "must do" venue, as well as indicating time preferences, allergies, etc.), and attractions (asking their feelings on spinning attractions, rough attractions, rollercoasters, attractions at a height, tolerance for sit-down shows, etc.). I then used the survey results to plan our touring and make FP+ reservations, to ensure that we got to do everyone's "must-dos" and avoid attractions in which people weren't interested. I also made sure to build plenty of free time and breaks into our schedule for naps, spontaneous changes to the plan, etc. It worked really well!