Disney World Magical Kingdom Orlando Florida is magical for children and adult alike. What is even more magical is is gleefully strolling through Magical Kingdom at night, under the stars with a fraction of the people and few children, and even fewer lines.
Every couple weeks Disney World Magical Kingdom hosts an After-Hours event that starts when the park closes and goes for 3 hours. We got there in time for the end of day “Happily Ever After” fireworks and light show and watched the fantastic show.
The plethora of families then streamed out past us, and a small fraction of the mostly-adult crowd remained. We meandered through Magic Kingdom in the dark, and walked onto the rides without lines. Plus, as an added bonus, ice cream, popcorn and drinks (non-alcoholic) as well as parking is included with your admission.
Admission is not cheap. It was $129 US per person, which is almost the same as a ticket for the whole day. But it is solid bang for your buck, if you are planning on paying to go to Magic Kingdom anyways.
In the span between 8pm and 11pm we rode every ride we wanted to go on, ate a bazillion Mickey Mouse Bars and Ice Cream Sandwiches and had plumb tuckered ourselves out. It was really, really, really great.
If you can hit an After-Hours event, this is the way to go to Disney World Magical Kingdom. It was truly magically (as well as crowd-less and line-less).
What not to miss at Disney World Magical Kingdom
#1: The Fireworks Show:
The Happily Ever After Firework and Light Show at Disney World Magical Kingdom is wonderful, and I don’t really care that much about fireworks normally. Once you enter the gates, find a place with a good view of the Cinderella Castle, because the castle is the centre of the show. We went up some stairs to a viewing platform near the back of the crowds, which let us get a great view without being smashed into the middle of the masses. Then just enjoy the show, which is a combination of fireworks, a light show, and musical.
#2: The Rides! Our top 3 rides at Disney World Magical Kingdom were:
Space Mountain:
The classic “thrill” ride does not disappoint. The roller coaster through the night skies is actually quite gorgeous, as well as being super fun! A roller coaster in the dark is just thrilling, and being surrounded by star constellations is pretty glorious. Space Mountain was my favourite ride at the park.
It’s a Small World:
This was Jill’s favourite ride at Magical Kingdom. It was all very charming, because Jill had come to Disney World Magical Kingdom Orlando with her parents when she was little, and I am told she made her parents go on It’s a Small World repeatedly because she loved it so much. So it was pretty sweet to be able to recreate that again, as we were there with her parents Paul and Marilyne and we all went on the ride. You just can’t help but enjoy It’s a Small World, no matter your age. It’s sweet, nostalglic, and colourful.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
This rollercoaster goes down into the mines and then out over the mountains outside. It was fabulous at night with the earth’s real stars twinkling above and the cool evening air blasting by. I just love rollercoasters!
#3: The Sleeping Beauty Castle
No visit to Disney World Magical Kingdom is complete without photos of and in front of the Cinderella Castle.
Have a magical time Adulting at Disney World Magical Kingdom Orlando Florida!
This post is part of Beyond the Gaybourhood’s FLORIDA SERIES. For more information on Florida, including information on what to do in Orlando, theme parks, a road trip up the Coastal A1A, St. Augustine, and hiking the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest, read my blog post “Orlando and Beyond: Florida Road Trip”.
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Orlando and Beyond: a Florida Road Trip - Beyond the Gaybourhood
February 18, 2020 at 7:58 am[…] For more information and what not to miss at Disney World Magic Kingdom, read my post “Adulting like a kid at Disney World Magical Kingdom Orlando”. […]