• • Categories
    • Adventures
    • Airlines
    • Asia
    • Beaches
    • Booking Travel
    • Car Rentals
    • China
    • Cruises
    • Deals
    • Dining Destinations
    • Disney
    • Disneyland
    • Europe
    • Exotic Destinations
    • Florida
    • General Travel
    • Hawaiian Islands
    • hotels
    • India
    • Maui
    • Mexico
    • New Zealand
    • Orlando
    • Resources
    • Shopping
    • South America
    • The Americas
    • Theme Parks
    • Tours
    • Travel
    • Travel Books
    • Travel Tips
    • Tropical Islands
    • Uncategorized
    • Vacation Deals
    • Vacations
    • Walt Disney World
    • World
    • World Travel

• Archives

  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • July 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007

• Admin

  • Log in

The Magic Kingdom along with the resorts was started in the year 1967 by The Walt Disney Company following the death of Walt Disney. Although the initial idea was to make the park similar to the existing Disneyland in California but Magic Kingdom was built on a larger area. The Magic Kingdom is inspired by Disneyland’s design.

Walt Disney was not fortunate to live long enough to see the park. He died on December 15th, 1966. His brother Roy O. Disney took over the responsibility of creating the park. The completion of the park became his passion and he continued with his brother’s legacy. The name of Disney World was changed to Walt Disney World in order to honor his brother. Roy O. Disney died two months after the opening of the park on December 20th, 1971.

Walt Disney once saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland at Disneyland and he wanted to get rid of this factor that had been ruining the illusion. So in order to improve this, The Magic Kingdom was built over a series of tunnels, called Utilidors. Due to the water table being close to the surface in Florida, it was impossible to build underground. This was why the Utilidors are the first floor of the park and the rest of the park is regarded as the second or third floor.

After the construction of the utilidors, the space has been filled with dirt and sand dredged up from the bottom of Bay Lake when it was drained. The sand from the bottom of the lake has been used to line the lake and build the beaches. The hard clay also fills the area and has been a problem with plants planted around the park. Actually the park is only 14 feet above the sea level but thanks to the Utilidors, which facilitates the cast members to walk from one side to the other side of the park within 10 minutes without being noticed by the Guests.

Although The Magic Kingdom was based on the Disneyland in California but not much has been duplicated. Majority of the things at the Magic Kingdom are superiorly designed from Disneyland. For example the castle is in Magic Kingdom being 189 feet is over 100 feet taller than the one in Walt Disney World. In order to promote the major differences between Disneyland and the new park, Country Bear Jamboree, Liberty Square, Hall of Presidents, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and Mickey Mouse Revue were opened first at the Magic Kingdom.

Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California while the Magic Kingdom is in Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando. Disneyland was opened in the year 1955 while the Magic Kingdom was first opened in the year 1971.Before going to both these theme parks I heard a lot of things people had to say about the two. But after visiting them, these are my findings on the main difference between the two parks.

• Disneyland is a little smaller than The Magic Kingdom. Disneyland is spread over 85 acres of land whereas The Magic Kingdom is on 107 acres.
• The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is much smaller than Cinderella’s Castle at The Magic Kingdom. The sleeping beauty castle is 77 feet tall while Cindrella’s castle is 189 feet tall.
• The Monorail at Disneyland just takes you from Disneyland to Downtown Disney. While at the Magic Kingdom it takes you from the Transportation Ticket Centre to the Epcot passing through The Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The Monorail at Disneyland is smaller in height as compared to the one at Magic Kingdom.
• You will not find Frontierland at Disneyland in its actual place or where you would expect it to be; in fact it is in the area occupied by Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom.
• Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean is located in New Orleans Square while at the Magic Kingdom it is found in Adventureland.
• At both parks, Splash Mountain is located in almost the same place, but at Disneyland that area has an additional piece of land which is called Critter Country.
• The many adventures of Winnie the Pooh version are better at the Magic Kingdom than at Disneyland. At Magic Kingdom it’s longer, the ceilings are higher and the hunny pots bounce with a trigger.
• Downtown Disney at Disneyland, California is smaller than the one in Orlando.
• In Disneyland the buildings on “Main Street” are not as tall as the ones in the Magic Kingdom.
• Many of the rides at Disneyland, especially in Fantasyland, has dummy ride vehicles outside the buildings where you could get yourself photographed in them. This feature is not there at the Magic Kingdom

On the whole both the theme parks offer almost the same attraction, services and features except for in a few cases.

A precise planning is required for a trip to Walt Disney World. It is always advisable to know as much as possible from guidebooks, friends, Disney regulars, websites and message boards in order to plan your visit perfectly and to enjoy the trip to the fullest.A surprise planning for your near and dear ones to visit Walt Disney World can be one of the best gifts ever given to them. Disney trip planning should be done on a regular basis with preparation of check lists, search for discount codes and picking appropriate dates to make priority settings. The planning should also look into the weather criteria and the time of visit to avoid crowds.

Advice that I followed and did click:

Early Booking: In order to get the room of your choice within your budget, it is always advisable to book rooms at the resort or hotel early.

Discount Watch: Keeping a watch on the discounts provided on different websites allows you to pick the best bargain for your money.

Car Services: Booking car services avoid the painstaking search for directions on the Local map. It’s always better to have a driver who has been there frequently and knows the roads better.

Preference for unlimited refill mugs at the Hotel: This facility entitles regular servings of soda, coffee, iced tea and hot chocolate.

Schedule for early entry days: A week long schedule for early entry days allows more fun and attendance in scheduled events such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and also chance are their for you to grab the difficult Cinderella’s breakfast.

Down time planning: If you are planning to stay bit longer then with the earned tickets for some of the night time extras such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Cirque du Soleil you can plan to relax by the pool and also schedule character breakfasts.

Notification of Birthday’s and/or Anniversary: While making your reservations and purchasing of the tickets make the personnel aware of birthdays and/or anniversary. The Cast members surprise you with cup cakes and regular wishes. You might be lucky to get a personal wish from Mickey Mouse and deserts served by Cinderella.

Some advice that didn’t click:

Don’t plan more than two or three character meals for a week-long trip. To make the trip enjoyable to the fullest you might plan for almost every day. Enjoy the attractions at the Park more and also reduced the time consumed in seeing the characters and autographs.

Follow the touring plans in the guide books. Instead of following the guide book for the first few rides it is always advisable to plan a list of rides to be taken on a day. This would allow planning each of the rides in the list and experiencing more rides and attractions.

Relax through the Down time: Instead of trying to plan for more character meals take a break. A number of character meals might make the down days hectic and spoil your visit to the park. Take some time out and relax by the poolside, visit restaurants or take long naps.

They’re rather touchy about calling Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom a zoo. Well for one, it isn’t! Spread across a sprawling 500 acres, this exquisite theme park takes you on a journey like never before. The park is home to some 1700 animals representing 250 different species. A ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari will let you meet many of them, as you cross through the African Savannah. Slow moving jeeps let you experience this wonder from close angles, letting you have a good picture to put on your refrigerator later.

But the true wonder of this park is the mythical Tree of Life, a true work of art. Take the Maharaja Jungle Trek and feel the mysterious deep Asian jungles, teeming with life – bats, komodo dragons, deer, exotic birds and plenty of other wildlife. The Kali River Rapids let you go on a short but exhilarating ride on the river, at the same time also being informative about the evils of deforestation.

While you are venturing through the natural wonders of Asia at Animal Kingdom, take the Expedition Mount Everest. A one of kind roller coaster ride, complete with Yeti’s attacking you mid way and taking you the snow clad peaks of Mount Everest – the highest mountain on Earth.If you get tired and want to sit back and relax, there is always the McNuggets and Rainforest Café to satiate you hunger. You could just walk in and meet Simba and friends or watch Nemo perform in Nemo – The Musical.

Whatever you choose to do at Animal Kingdom, there is one thing you will have in plenty – Fun!

Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom is perhaps one of those rare fun Theme Parks, where you will find magic in store for you – whether you are a child, an adult or just a teenager. Be it Cinderella’s Castle or just dancing with Mickey and Minnie on the road. There really is something for everyone here. While almost everyone just visits the resort and then keeps them as memories in a photo album, here are some interesting facts that not many people know about Magic Kingdom for you to enjoy your most favorite Theme Park even more:

1. Did you know that you can also get a haircut at Magic Kingdom? Harmony Barber Shop will do the needful if you feel that your hair a bit out of place for that perfect picture against Cinderella’s Castle.

2. Have you ever wondered how all the Disney characters just appear out of nowhere in the park, as if by magic? Well a series of very well connected underground tunnels, takes Mickey or Minnie all over the park without letting anyone know!

3. Guests under 16 years of age are not allowed in the under tunnel system because it would bother children to see two Goofy’s passing each other or Mickey without a head or just watching Donald chatting up with Snow White and ruin the magic.

4. Because of the under tunnel system and the underground complex, the entire Magic Kingdom is technically on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd floors. On noticing carefully you will see that how Fantasyland and the castle are higher.

5. Once you’ve taken the The Great Bus Ride, one ends up at the main tunnel entrance underneath the Pinocchio’s Village, right next to Fantasy Fair and Small World in Fantasyland. Next to that exists a sub-tunnel which takes you to the costuming, and locker rooms. The tunnel has the costumes for all the characters and themed areas hanging for the Cast Members. With over 1.2 million pieces of clothing, this is the largest operating wardrobe department in the world. Each Cast Member has 3 costumes – one for wearing at the moment, one on the rack and on in the wash.

6. From the center of the castle, there is an elevator, which operates with a special key, this elevator takes you to famous “secret” apartment inside the castle.

Last Minute Trip Deals- Book now on Cheaptickets!

« go back — keep looking »