Disney World's Magic Kingdom

In October 1971, Roy Disney issued the following sentiment: "May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place... a magical kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn - together." It makes sense, then, that the Magic Kingdom was the first of the Disney parks in Orlando, built just after Walt Disney's death. Cinderella's Castle makes a great introduction to the magic of Disney World Orlando.

Once guests pass through the Main Street "opening credits," as the Disneyworld imagineers call them, Tomorrowland appears to the right. This part of the Magic Kingdom was designed to look like the future, as 1920s science fiction writers imagined it. Space Mountain, a fast-moving indoor rollercoaster, is by far the most popular attraction at Disney, as a whole. Kids will love Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin that puts you right in the middle of an arcade game. Parents will marvel at one of the oldest Disney rides, the Carousel of Progress. Kids will also enjoy the neighboring Mickey's Toon Town fair, where they can climb through cartoon replica houses and ride Goofy's barnstormer mini-rollercoaster.

Following the Magic Kingdom around, guests will enter Fantasyland. Your Disney vacation wouldn't be complete without a stop at Cinderella's castle! Inside her castle there are the family coat of arms and mosaic murals. The second floor houses Cinderella's Royal Table restaurant but you'll need a reservation to get a seat. The Cinderella Suite is also on one of the upper floors of the 180 feet tall castle and is one of the most coveted prizes Disney has to offer. However, for the other guests, Fantasyland has many low-impact rides, suitable for young children. "It's a Small World" is a popular ride here, as is the Mad Tea Party and Cinderella's Golden Carousel. The Pinnochio Haus is a great place to grab double cheeseburgers and "Figaro" fries on the cheap!

The next Magic Kingdom land you'll find yourself in is Liberty Square, home to the Hall of Presidents, the Liberty Square Riverboat and the extremely popular, and spooky, Haunted Mansion. The exterior of the Haunted Mansion was completed in 1963, but the imagineers couldn't decide what to do with the interior until 1971, when it finally opened! Inside this Gothic 18th Century Hudson River Valley manor, you'll find 999 spectacular ghosts! The mansion is more "cool" than seriously terrifying, but you may not want to bring very young children all the same.

In Frontierland, you'll find Splash Mountain, one of the best rides Disney has to offer! This is not your typical log flume ride. Once inside, you'll move through the story of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear with over 100 animatronics and you'll experience a series of unexpected twists before taking the final 52 foot plunge into the thorny briar patch below. In this part of the Magic Kingdom, you may want to grab a turkey leg, stop in to the shooting gallery or watch the Country Bear Jamboree, where animatronic bears sing their country hearts out!

You'll cross a wooden plank bridge and find yourself suddenly in Adventureland, a fun and diverse section of Magic Kingdom. Here you'll find the Pirates of the Caribbean ride with incredible detail built into each animatronic pirate - including facial expressions, hairy legs and all. Sing along, narrowly miss flying bullets, pass through jails and experience the marketplace with Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa. On the Jungle Cruise, you'll tour four continents and see Cambodian tigers, headhunters, hippos, elephants, ancient temples and giant butterflies from your swampboat.

If you'd like to stay at one of the Disney resorts closest to the Magic Kingdom, then try the Contemporary. It is the oldest resort in Disney World Orlando, dating back to 1971, but is currently under renovation to make it state-of-the-art yet again. One of the most notable and convenient features of this particular resort is that it has the Disney monorail line running right through the building! So instead of navigating to a Disney train station or hopping on a shuttle bus, guests can just walk downstairs and get right on the fast-track to any of the Disney parks! Also notable are the towering Mary Blair mosaics, Contemporary artwork and delicious restaurants like the Concourse Steakhouse or Chef Mickey's character breakfast.

There are many memorable Disney restaurants in the Magic Kingdom. If you're looking for a character breakfast, then you can check out nearby Disney resorts like the Polynesian's Ohana Character Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch or the Contemporary's Chef Mickey Character Breakfast. Within the Kingdom itself, you can find Disney princesses and friends at one of three character meals at Cinderella's Round Table. The Crystal Palace character meal buffet features Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. Minnie's "Liberate Your Appetite" at the Liberty Tree Tavern has a colonial Minnie, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto parading through.

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