A Magical Three Days at WDW's Magic Kingdom

I'd feel lucky to have one day at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and a two-day visit there is nearly ideal. But to spend three days at Magic Kingdom? That was luxurious.

We arrived at our Disney hotel late on Thanksgiving Day, and some 12 hours later we were walking down Main Street toward Cinderella's Castle. We knew the park would be crowded on a holiday weekend, so our expectations were low. In fact, we rode hardly any of the "big" rides, concentrating on the high-occupancy attractions like the Tiki Room and Carousel of Progress. Nevertheless, we fit in about 20 or 21 rides and attractions, starting with the carousel right outside of the castle (where we got a surprise visit from Cinderella's stepsisters!). I also got to fulfill a lifelong Disney dream of eating in the restaurant right next to Small World, sitting at a table overlooking the boat launch. (Lucky break, as a group was leaving just as we arrived.) Atticus loved waving to the people below.

Dream fulfilled! Lunch overlooking It's a Small World.

On our second day at Magic Kingdom, Atticus rode his first roller coaster (Barnstormer) followed by his second (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) a bit later. He wasn't a huge fan of roller coasters, but by the end of the trip he agreed that rides with hills can be "scary fun." He's not too enthusiastic to repeat the experience though. Edith felt similarly on our Disney trip two years ago, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that she liked them during this trip. But not so much that she's asking to ride them!

I've long thought that two days at Magic Kingdom was enough, but adding the third day made each day there leisurely. By the end of the second day, we hadn't even been on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or repeated very many of our favorite rides. Plus we often arrived after rope drop and left before closing without feeling guilty (solely my guilt, since the vast majority of our days were 12+ hours, with some closer to 14 hours).

I love closing out a Disney trip with one last full day at Magic Kingdom, and this was no exception. We repeated all of our favorites -- the carousel, Peter Pan, Small World, Splash Mountain and Enchanted Tales with Belle. Paul and Atticus headed back to the hotel around 10 p.m.-- Atticus was exhausted, and Paul was happy to catch the end of the Big Ten championship football game that night. (Ohio State won.) Edith and I stayed til 11 p.m., riding Small World and Peter Pan one last time and catching the day's last ride on the carousel. (Edith managed to ride the exact same horse three times that day and named her Julia.) Then we took our time walking down Main Street back to the hotel buses. We got back at midnight, and Edith fell asleep standing up on the bus ride home. No regrets!

Edith and "Julia"