Mouse Extra

The Magic Kingdom is a place of wide-eyed wonder and excitement for 4 -5 year youngsters. There is nothing like capturing a child’s first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle as they ride the monorail from the TTC to Main Street.  And more than any other park, the Magic Kingdom exemplifies what Walt Disney World is to most visitors. This especially rings true for young kids. Today’s article will touch upon the highlights of this park for the Pre K crowd.

Two attractions that set the Magic Kingdom apart from every other non-Disney park are the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Both take a light hearted look at fairly dark topics; rampaging pirates and spirits from beyond the grave. Many kids are able to take these rides in stride, grasping the fun tone of them. Our son loved Pirates. He easily handled the skeletons, explosions and creepy plunge into the dark. The Haunted Mansion, however, was a different story. He was terrified from the get-go. We were greeted by the eerie butler to the mansion who instructed us to drag our corpses to the dead center of the room and observe the stretching walls. While waiting in this door-less chamber and watching the walls “stretch”, the butler approached our terrified son to reassure him that, he in fact, was just a cast member and this was all a joke. We had hoped the ride portion would improve things but he covered his face the entire time. So be warned, you may need to make a hasty retreat. Fortunately, the cast members are prepared to leave character and console the younger generation if need be.

Another attraction that many young kids may find frightening is Snow White, which features the creepy witch more than Snow White or the dwarves. Our kids were OK with it, but did not find it as enjoyable as the other Fantasyland offerings such as Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan. This is also a good age for Mickey’s Philarmagic as these kids tend to keep their 3-D glasses on. Then there is the famous Dumbo, one of Fantasyland’s signature rides. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, our kids were just as happy to ride Aladdin. The lines are generally shorter and many kids today are more familiar with Aladdin than Dumbo.

Like Fantaslyand, Tommorrowland has plenty to do for the Pre-K crowd. Astro-orbiter was a big hit as was the relaxing Tommorrowland Transit Authority (which will always be the Wedway People Mover to us). The best ride in the land for this age is probably Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Not only is the character very popular, but the video game style of the ride has additional appeal. This is also a good area for lunch as my kids loved Sonny Eclipse, an animatronic alien lounge singer with a long running gig at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe.

And we’d be remiss not to mention the Mountains, the hallmarks of the Magic Kingdom’s thrill rides. Most 5 year olds and many 4 year olds meet the height requirement of Big Thunder, Splash and Space Mountain, the question is should they ride them? I would certainly say yes to Big Thunder which is the tamest of the three. Although our child loved Splash Mountain, many children might have a problem with the height of the ride or show some trepidation as they watch others take the watery plunge. We decided not to try Space Mountain for two reasons. The ride is completely in the dark and was designed to seat one person per row, which can be a bad combo for the Pre-K age.

Other events at the park also can make your day very special. For our son, the pirate tutorial with its dead-on Jack Sparrow impersonator was a huge hit. Toontown is also a cool place for younger kids who might be interested in seeing where Mickey and Minnie live. Goofy’s Barnstormer, a kiddie coaster, is a good test ride for kids who have never tried a thrill ride since it is the shortest ride in the park. Oddly, characters don’t seem to appear for meet-and-greets as much as you would think. We found it easier to mingle with characters at the other parks. We also found Wishes to be slightly inferior to Fantasmic and Illuminations as the day ending event. Still, it is a good show and a nice way to end a magical day.

Today’s touring tip is by Mike and Brooke, contributing writers to Mouse Extra.

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