A Daydream of Magic Kingdom

With the latest spring & summer WDW hotel room deal that was released by Disney last week, I know a LOT of people now have a Disney vacation lined up for the first half of this year. My next trip is already booked for November 2022, so while I didn't personally benefit from the deal, I am so happy for all the people who were able to book something and take advantage of this latest discount!

Since my trip is 10 months away, I know I'll be living vicariously through all of the guests who are headed to the parks in the first half of this year. Yesterday, after watching Encanto once again with my daughter, I started thinking of some different ways to help pass the time until the trip. Some of my favorite ways to fill the Disney void are listening to my favorite podcasts, thumbing through my collection of WDW magazines, reading Facebook group posts, keeping up with the latest announcements, indulging in Disney+ documentaries and series, and of course, doing a lot of good old-fashioned daydreaming.  I'm sure you know what I mean—sometimes, to beat the Disney withdrawal blues, you just close your eyes and drift off in a daydream, escaping to your happy place.  

Thinking about this tried-and-true coping mechanism, I woke up this morning with the idea to turn those daydreams into a new series for the blog. In this series, which starts today, I will sketch a lovely "daydream" of a full day in each park—closing my eyes and imagining a park day from beginning to end, and then writing it all down, as if I were really there. Not only will these daydream blog posts help me feel the Disney magic in the next 10 months, but also they can potentially help others (especially first-timers!) gain insights into what the possibilities are for a day at WDW. 

I'm calling the series "A Daydream of....," and the write-ups are meant to be less "planning posts" and more like meditations—short vignettes that you might find yourself imagining at night as you close your eyes and relax into dreamland.  I find this kind of daydreaming is fun especially when I'm a bit too far out from a trip to actually be able to make any reservations or truly plan anything. And it's useful at this stage, too, to let your brain encounter scenarios and think through how changes in your mood, the weather, your personal preferences, and your companions may affect your paths taken in the parks on any given visit. It's a like the old Choose Your Own Adventures books—sometimes, you'll enter Magic Kingdom and turn left; sometimes, you'll enter and turn right; sometimes, you'll go through the castle straight to Fantasyland. There are endless ways and strategies to enjoy Magic Kingdom and each of the parks, and none of them are right or wrong. It just depends on what you're feeling in that moment and on that day! 

Indeed, WDW is so big, and there are so many different ways to approach a visit or a trip. And because of that, it proves useful to approach your itinerary with some creativity and imagination. These daydreams and meditations are an almost effortless, relaxing way to flex those imaginative muscles in helping to creatively plan your vacation. 

So the first in the series will be a meditation on Magic Kingdom, and then I'll do each of the parks. Then I might go back and do them all again, with different scenarios. In each write-up, I'll include some tips and links to help readers learn more about each attraction or option, but mostly these vignettes will just set a scene and help transport you to a magical place. I hope you enjoy them, and I encourage you to daydream of the parks, too! 

A Daydream of Magic Kingdom

We enter the Magic Kingdom gates as soon as it opens, and begin to take in the sights, sounds, and smells. Some photos of the castle are taken, a pink balloon is purchased and ribbon tied, a coffee is in hand... There's music, and the general feel of a jolly bustle. The energy from smiling faces is infectious.

After a while, when we feel our senses have sufficiently been greeted by Main Street USA, we head left, into Adventureland. As you enter, the music transports you to a magical tropical island, or the jungles of Africa, or the markets of ancient Arabia, or a combination of all three. 

Our first stop is the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. We make our way through the attraction, climbing to the top, and take in the views for a moment. There are sounds of birds chirping and water splashing, along with the pleasant plunky marimbas of the Adventureland soundscapes in the background. My brain immediately springs back to the memory of my 9-year-old self, sprawled out on the pink bean bag in my room,  immersed in the novel and feeling myself lost on a deserted island, trying to survive off the tropical land. I remember being fascinated by the wonderful resourcefulness of the castaway family who built their makeshift homes first on the beach, then in the long branches of a sheltering tree, and finally in the black rock island caves. I'm transported doubly, first to my own childhood and then into the world of the book, a castaway myself. The morning breeze ripples through the water wheel and the leaves as I descend the dwelling and peek into the family's bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. 

Once through the treehouse and back from my childhood memories, we hit up Jungle Cruise, having just had a vista into the jungle river from the treehouse. The skipper has a great energy today, feeding off the audience in the boat—eager and excited children who laugh with glee, and knowing adults who egg her on. It's a warm morning, but it's nice to be on the water and feel the mist from the waterfall ever so slightly. 

After Jungle Cruise, we go directly to Pirates of the Caribbean, arguably one of the best attractions in the park and inarguably an absolute classic. The pirate characters within sing, dance, spurn, hide, chase, and fight, and it's all in the delightful setting of a dark ride, with imaginative backdrops that glow and whisper. After Pirates, we emerge from the dark and head to the brighter coziness the Magic Carpet Ride. The breeze feels great and I can't help but hum the words "indescribable feeling" as we spin, feeling like we're lightly gliding in the air. Then, just before lunch: some shopping in the Adventureland gift shops, and a show in the colorful and playful Enchanted Tiki Room. 

To top off the Adventureland morning, we show up for our early lunch reservations at Skipper's Canteen, where we enjoy a cold draft of Kungaloosh! paired with the savory lunch. After lunch, we say goodbye to Adventureland with a Dole Whip float.

It's around 1 pm. With Dole Whip in hand, we wander over to Frontierland. It's getting a little hot, so a ride on Splash Mountain seems ideal right now. The queue wait is long, but fun, and the ride itself is long & satisfying; there's just something about a log flume in general that is equal parts relaxing and thrilling. Add in the beauty of the view and scenery, the music, the craftsmanship, and storytelling elements of Splash Mountain, and you get an attraction that just is hard to beat. 

Source: Virtual Disney World.

Now that we're nice and cooled off, we're feeling a little bit of the adventurous and mischievous spirit of Tom & Huck; we head over to Tom Sawyer's Island and spend time exploring, playing, and relaxing in the old-fashioned fort hide-out. We take family pictures and stroll around, planning our next moves. Around 3 pm, we leave the island, and tackle Big Thunder Mountain for a mid-afternoon thrill. 

After BTM, it's 4 pm & we're a little hungry—dinner's not until 6, so we wander over to Sleepy Hollow and split a chicken & waffle snack with chips, and a Doom Berry mocktail for a refreshing treat. The Doom Berry gets us in the mood for the Haunted Mansion, so we head there and wait in the queue. Once we exit the ride, we take some more pictures, this time at Rapunzel's tower. 

Now around 6:00 pm, we are at the threshold of Fantasyland, with much of the day behind us. Our dinner reservations at the castle (Beast's castle for Be Our Guest? or Cinderella's castle, for Cinderella's Royal Table? I can't decide!) are upon us, so we head over for an amazing meal with atmosphere that makes us feel a part of the fairy tale. 

Upon exiting our meal, it's around 7:30 pm, so we gather around the hub and pick out a spot for watching the 8 o'clock nighttime spectacular fireworks show. It's the new show, Enchantment, which my family hasn't seen yet, so we are excited for new sights & sounds. While we wait, Casey's Corner pianist entertains us, and we people watch as the crowd fills up for the fireworks viewing.

Once Enchantment is over at 8:30, we still have about 1.5 hours left in the park, so we head to back into Fantasyland and get lucky with low wait times for It's a Small World & Winnie the Pooh. Now it's 30 minutes until close, so we head over to Tomorrowland for ice cream, and hop into the queue for Space Mountain. 

After Space Mountain, we walk through Tomorrowland into the hub, taking some nighttime pictures of the glowing castle, and window shopping on Main Street. We talk about the things we didn't get to tackle, knowing we'll have to come back again, but mostly we're just reveling in the memories of the great day! 

Listen to our podcast episode, A Day at Magic Kingdom, for more great thoughts and ideas on this wonderful park!