Attractions at Magic Kingdom Part 1

Since there are so many more attractions at Magic Kingdom than at any of the other parks, I will split my post about the attractions there into two parts. This part will deal with attractions in Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland and Liberty Square.

Main Street, U.S.A.

Walt Disney World Railroad - As in Disneyland, this train can be used as transportation around the park (with stops in Frontierland and Storybook Circus) or as an attraction. Like in Disneyland, using it as transportation can save a little bit of walking if you are close to a train station but it generally won't save any time. As an attraction, the Disney World version isn't quite as interesting as the Disneyland version because it is missing the Grand Canyon and dinosaur dioramas.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - This is a game where you collect trading cards and use them to interact with "magic" windows around the Magic Kingdom. As a concept it's pretty awesome, the storyline is well done and the cards themselves make a great free souvenir, but there were some logistical difficulties.

The worst problem was that when I went to collect my Halloween card I was wearing a different Magic Band to the one I had started the game; apparently the game is linked to the specific Magic Band. I was told I needed to start a new game on the new Magic Band to collect any cards, which I was okay with. What I wasn't told was that doing so would delete the game on my original Magic Band and lose all of my progress (an hour or two worth of playing). Since we weren't playing enough to finish the first level anyway it wasn't a huge deal but if I had been hoping to make progress on the game I would have been devastated. I also felt like the Cast Members involved didn't care at all.

In addition, some magic windows weren't very good at recognising the spell cards, so I had to keep trying until the fight failed and it sent me to another window with better cameras. It got a little frustrating after a while. Overall I felt like Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was better suited to locals and other regular visitors rather than to people like me who only visit every few years.

Adventureland

Swiss Family Treehouse - Unlike Disneyland, Magic Kingdom still has the original attraction themed to Swiss Family Robinson. There are some interesting contraptions to look at but it's not a high priority for me.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - This is a Dumbo style ride. I'd never ridden it before because the waits were always long and I didn't think it was worth the wait. Now that the ride has been around for a while the waits are shorter and since we were in the area within the first area of opening we were able to ride with about a 5 minute wait. It was fun but I wouldn't ride it again without kids. You may get a little bit wet.

Enchanted Tiki Room - This wasn't a high priority for me, especially since I'd seen it at Disneyland, but I had some time to fill in so I saw it. If nothing else, it's a nice place to sit down in the air-conditioning.

Jungle Cruise - This is pretty similar to the Disneyland version of the ride. Like I said in my Disneyland blog entry, the focus here is on the corny jokes. It's a Disney classic but not a high priority for me.

A Pirate's Adventure - This is an interactive game somewhat similar to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. You sign up for a mission and are given a map to follow. At each location you tap your magic band (or a special "talisman" if you don't have a magic band) to hear a message and be directed to the next location. At most spots there is also a special effect like cannons firing or chests opening. Even though this seemed to have a younger target audience than Sorcerers, I actually enjoyed it more, I think because there were less technical difficulties getting in the way.

Frontierland

Splash Mountain - This is probably my favourite Disney ride. I can take or leave the final drop, but I love the music and the animatronics. The Disney World version is definitely better than the Disneyland version, especially the Laughing Place sequence. The wait with FastPass Plus was very short.

Tom Sawyer Island - This island is interesting to walk around although I didn't find it to be quite as fun as the Disneyland version. It also isn't the best place to be in hot weather. I would definitely come here with kids but I don't think it's a high priority for adults.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - This is high up on my list of Disney rollercoasters, although as I said in my Disneyland post I find it more jerky now than I used to. I rode this twice and both times had a FastPass Plus for it immediately following Splash Mountain - because Splash is such a long ride it was easy to time things so that by the time I got off Splash the window for Big Thunder had started.

Liberty Square

Liberty Square Riverboat - This boat ride gives you unique views of Tom Sawyer Island and the areas around the Rivers of America, but it takes a long time to load and unload and there's not much respite from the weather onboard. Also, you have to stand directly under a speaker in order to hear the narration. I probably wouldn't bother going on this again unless the weather was nice.

The Hall of Presidents - The best thing about this attraction is that the seats are comfortable and the theatre is air-conditioned. I like the way the animatronics move subtly when someone else is talking, but as a non-American I find the whole thing fairly boring. The show runs about every half hour but doesn't seem to be on a set schedule - it's best to ask a CM when the next performance will be. There are a few things to look at in the lobby while you wait, but again I imagine they would be more interesting to an American.

Haunted Mansion - This ride has had some updates since I was last in Disney World and I like the changes but I think I preferred the Disneyland version. One of the updates was a new interactive queue but like most interactive queues the interactive elements make up a small proportion of the actual wait. The wait was shorter with FPP, but the merge point is before the stretching room pre-show, so there is still a bit of a wait after that.