Tips & Tricks for Fantasyland Attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom

Today we continue our land by land guide series with a doozy – Fantasyland. Fantasyland is so expansive that we ended up splitting the guide into two episodes. In this episode and post, we take a look at all of the Fantasyland attractions and rides. For each attraction we’ve included a tip on how to minimize your wait time (plus some other random tips).

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There are a ton of rides and attractions in Fantasyland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and all of them are worth seeing in their own rights. Still, we have our favorites and our attractions we don’t spend as much time at. We break down Fantasyland attraction by attraction and share a tip for minimizing lines at each!

Current Attractions in Fantasyland

Mad Tea Party: The classic teacups attraction where your kids either scream in fear or spin you around so quickly that you’re the one screaming. Featuring a rodent-like creature peeking out of the teapot in the middle.

Verdict? Joe: Always ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: Mad Tea Party’s entire queue is outside so you can see how long the line is. Don’t wait more than 10-15 minutes for this ride, wait times will always drop at some point in the day! Keep an eye out on your My Disney Experience app but definitely don’t use one of your initial three Fastpass+ reservations on this ride.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Take a hunny based vehicle through the Hundred Acre Wood and visit some scenes from classic Winnie the Pooh stories. Watch out for heffalumps and woozles!

Verdict? Joe: Usually ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: Although the queue has a lot of fun interactive elements for kids to pass the time, you probably want to grab a Fastpass+ reservation for this. We’ve always had a lot of luck using the Fastpass+ refresh technique for this ride. You can also walk onto the ride with no wait at rope drop.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant: The classic aerial carousel ride now operates at double the capacity thanks to the addition of a second carousel. One of the best views of the Magic Kingdom at its highest point.

Verdict? Joe: Always ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: You can grab a Fastpass+ via the refresh Fastpass+ technique pretty much all day, although your kids might want to spend some time in the interactive playground queue.

Barnstormer: A very kiddie-coaster designed to whet the young ones’ appetites for bigger thrills in the future. Quite possibly the shortest roller coaster you’ve ever been on. Very cool ride vehicles, though!

Verdict? Joe: Sometimes ride. Leslie: Never ride.

Tips and tricks: The line for Barnstormer gets long; go in the first hour of park open or use the refresh Fastpass+ technique. It’s really not worth your time unless you’re trying to “train” your children to love thrill rides

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid: A well designed dark ride telling the story of the Little Mermaid.

Verdict? Joe: Always ride. Leslie: Usually ride.

Tips and tricks: You probably don’t need to Fastpass this though you can easily grab one later in the day. The queue is long (distance wise) but often short time wise, anything under 15 minutes is likely a walk on. A great place to avoid the heat in the Magic Kingdom.

Enchanted Tales with Belle: Your kids (if willing) will take part in a live recreation of Beauty and the Beast. Think story time but with very cute photo ops and an animatronic Lumiere.

Verdict? Joe: Usually ride. Leslie: Never ride, though planning on it next time!

Tips and tricks: If you’re interested in the attraction, Enchanted Tales with Belle is definitely worth a Fastpass+ reservation. Be sure to prepare your kids beforehand so they don’t get stage fright! Don’t worry, not everyone has to participate.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: The crown jewel of new Fantasyland. One of the best themed roller coasters we’ve ever been on but the thrills leave something to be desired.

Verdict? Joe: Sometimes ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: Get an advanced Fastpass+ reservation for this one! If Seven Dwarfs is a major priority and you’re staying on site, try to save it for the later part of your trip to ensure better availability. The queue has some fun interactive elements, but in the end it’s just too long. Get the Fastpass. Also, note that rider swap on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train waits inside the actual ride.

Prince Charming Regal Carousel: A classic theme park attraction with some classic Disney theming.

Verdict? Joe: Always ride. Leslie: Never ride.

Tips and tricks: Since you can see the entire queue, be sure to avoid a huge line. Middle of the day is usually your best bet.

Mickey’s Philharmagic: Learn why to never let Donald Duck control magic batons in this 3-D interactive movie.

Verdict? Joe: Sometimes ride. Leslie: Sometimes ride.

Tips and tricks: Don’t use up a Fastpass+ reservation on this! Do sneak in when it’s raining or too hot.

Peter Pan’s Flight: Possibly the Disney dark ride attraction, sail on a magical flying boat to Neverland.

Verdict? Joe: Sometimes ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: If you want to ride Peter Pan, get a Fastpass+ reservation. They go quickly and can be tough to nab via refresh, so make this one of your advanced reservations if you can.

It’s a Small World: You know what this is – either you love it or you hate it! We love it.

Verdict? Joe: Always ride. Leslie: Always ride.

Tips and tricks: Go later in the day for short standby lines. Use the Fastpass+ refresh technique, it’s available almost all day.

What tips and tricks do you have for these attractions? Let us know!

Episode Description

We continue our land by land guide series with Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is so expansive that we decided to break it up into two parts. In our Fantasyland Guide Part I, we take a look at all the rides and attractions. We discuss our favorites and share some tips about how to handle the queues. Spoiler alert: we love Fantasyland!

What are your favorite attractions in Fantasyland? We’d love to hear your experiences and tips, please share them by e-mailing us at disneydeciphered AT gmail DOT com.

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