The not so magical, Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is the literal definition of a theme park. The castle, the familiar and iconic rides, Mickey Mouse - no wonder it's the world’s most visited theme park. But, is it as good as they describe? Is Magic Kingdom, magical?
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[@coasterbot]

If you enjoyed this video, consider subscribing! There's way more of these to come :)

[@5MadMovieMakers]

Magic Kingdom is now just Kingdom

[@coasterbot]

There's a much better park at Walt Disney World that ends in Kingdom

[@CobbleBompster]

@@coasterbot Animal Kingdom was incredible, my personal favorite

[@Aerolandaircraft]

@@coasterbot my dad's not an enthusiast or anything (until a few months ago) yet he did tell us of the time he visited Animal Kingdom and it apparently was amazing.

[@ChouhouinNeko]

@@CobbleBompster think they pointing out how woke and engaged in politics disney has become. heck there is talk about them selling off parts of the company now

[@technoandrew]

I really like this style of coverage merging the vlog content with retrospective comments. I look forward to the other parks in this series! I'm not much of a Disney guy, but have enjoyed my visits to Disneyland Paris. So hard to say how I'd find the Florida park. It's not high up on my list though.

[@coasterbot]

Thanks, I'm a fan of the style too! I enjoyed visiting the main DLP park more than Magic Kingdom, it's just a nicer vibe

[@SunnylandProds]

16:41 You bring a unique perspective with you, and with it some very valid points. I think the biggest problem with Magic Kingdom is exactly what you mentioned. It’s barely changed over the years, the biggest changes being New Fantasyland and Tron. And as a result, other parks, including other Disney Parks, do what Magic Kingdom does a lot better. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend checking out Disneyland, it’s a completely different experience. They’ve got so much more crammed into the space that they have, and they have things like the Indiana Jones Adventure, Galaxy’s Edge and Runaway Railway. I look forward to seeing your videos about the other parks!

[@coasterbot]

I do want to visit Disneyland now, I've heard better things about it generally. Yeah there's more videos to come from our trip, including more negative and positive thoughts about the parks across Orlando

[@user-jz7ny1qc6j]

"Fake and disingenuous" is basically the definition of Disney as a company nowadays

[@coasterbot]

Sadly

[@AMagicProduction]

lol I’m interested in hearing your review of the other 3 parks at Walt Disney World… the ones that don’t rely heavily on nostalgia and “look this ride was here when I was a kid, it was my favorite” from your parents

[@MattMcIrvin]

Of the others, I think Animal Kingdom is the best overall experience. It used to get a lot of flak because there just wasn't much there when it first opened, but now it's a complete package.

[@VolguusZildrohar]

If you do want a good turkey leg I strongly suggest visiting Silver Dollar City. The big open grills are out there so you can watch them cook and the food is genuinely good, not a preheated leg with fake smoke flavor smeared over it, like certain parks I've visited.

[@coasterbot]

I'd love to visit Silver Dollar City, I've heard good things about the food at that park generally!

[@PauwerFurry]

SDC regular here, the food in the park is genuinely some of the best food I’ve ever eaten anywhere, let alone just at a theme park. You MUST have their Cinnamon Bread if you visit, it will absolutely make your trip.

[@CobbleBompster]

Silver Dollar City is my home park, and it’s a must visit for anyone.

[@HoodedOlive]

Worlds of Fun is my home park but I’ve always gone to SDC and it’s food is great

[@ChouhouinNeko]

the question i have is it actually a turkey leg or is it emu like all the other parks?

[@natanprzybylko7227]

Got the opportunity to march down Main Street USA a couple weeks ago with the parade, definitely puts the magic in magic kingdom

[@ZoniesCoasters]

The edibles hit while I was riding Arial and then the rest of my night at magic kingdom was incredible. Absolutely loved the back row night ride I got on seven dwarfs where all four of us were working together to rock the car

[@coasterbot]

That sounds like one hell of a trip

[@ScottBravenboer]

Busch Gardens is only a 40 minute drive... 💁‍♂

[@coasterbot]

Iron Gwazi is incredible 😍

[@svis6888]

I prefer Disney

[@DisneyMarkUK]

Fab vlog as always guys. I LOVE the MK, my partner can’t stand the place as it’s just too busy. We’ve tried all ways to make it less busy such as private events, extra magic hours, private tours etc and apart from that it’s always packed. Fun fact (or not) You never see adults in this park with a smile on their face while walking around. I do love it though and alway stay at The Contemporary just so I can walk to it. Magic Kingdom isn’t for everyone though, especially now as it’s always packed. Cheers again.

[@thee_jpp]

Magic Kingdom relies on nostalgia. If you didn't go as a kid and/or if you didn't grow up dreaming of being there, it won't be great. But as someone who went every few years as a kid and ALWAYS looked forward to getting back, it will forever hold a special place in my heart. Genie Plus is a huge downgrade though. The old paper fastpass system will forever be the best system

[@coasterbot]

It really does and I've only visited a handful of times.

[@marvinrichardson1618]

I miss the good old days when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s and you could just show up and decide what you wanted to ride on spur of the moment and ride it without making some grand plan. It takes all the spontaneity out of it. It just isn't fun anymore.

[@ehayes4000]

Thanks for the video! My coworkers and sister think I should go to Disneyworld since I've never been, but the ride wait times and the pressure to make it a perfect moment, have me convinced I'll be disillusioned as happened during your vacation. I may be wrong, however the cost of getting there, plus the Disney hotels and tickets to the different parks for my sister and I, would be at least $2,500 and we could go on a lot of smaller trips for that much.

[@rikparren5157]

personally, I LOVED enchantment, saw it 9 times on my trip last year and man, that was something. goosebumbs and tears every time! I did watch the show dozens of times from home first and when I actually stood there, it felt so magical, perfect soundtrack, amazing fireworks. I just loved every bit of it.

[@HaydenAllred008]

How long were you there to see it nine times?!

[@rikparren5157]

@@HaydenAllred008 2 weeks, 14 days to be exact. the other 5 times I did watch harmonious, wich was incredible to

[@coasterbot]

That is dedication!

[@camikelly2356]

Good video, Harry! I really enjoyed watching it! I’m in the same boat as you on many things. First, when I went to Magic Kingdom with my middle school chorus in 2009, I knew absolutely nothing about it. On that same note, it was cold when I went. Second, Disney parks feel pretty much the same. And third, I prefer thrills. That’s why I like Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld more. Can’t wait to see more of these!

[@mrWendybird]

I've had fond memories visiting Magic Kingdom the few times I had gone in my life, some of my favorite theme park attractions are there, and it has a few I wish and have yet to experience at least once, quality be damned. It's a historically significant park, for the industry, the Disney Company, and Florida... but _Christ_ there is so much potential being squandered there, all for the sake of shoehorning Disney IPs. And merchandise sales.

[@jonny-b4954]

I think by far it's biggest issue is simply how busy it is. It's a solid park and I'm nostalgic from being a kid and growing up in Orlando my entire life. But as locals, I can hardly tolerate the crowds nowadays. I dislike the digital nature of queuing nowadays too. Your entire day gets pre planned into "oh hey, it's 1:30" and it takes away the fun of exploring the park naturally. Face in your phone half the day. Oh, and tip, stay away from the official photographers. Best to just ask someone around you to take your photo. Those aren't even park employees usually and just sub-contracting company there to hustle for a commission and upsell you on stuff.

[@coasterbot]

I couldn't agree more with this statement

[@philrabe910]

You're so funny! We moved to Tampa from Southern California in '63 and we were READY for WDW in '71. I've been back in CA for decades and trips to FL are rare. Seven Dwarves took FOREVER. And to finally ride it, we stayed on property to get the early opening perk. Only to find that there were other much more exclusive early Earlier openings so when we got to 7D's way before general public opening there was already a 90 minute queue. I was expecting to feel a LOT from these magically swinging ride cars. meh. And all that time for such a brief bit IN THE MINE?

[@RedPandaStan]

The reason magic kingdom feels like a bad knock off is because, well, it is. I recently visited disneyland and wow, every single version of every duplicate attraction is better in some minor to significant way. Even California Adventure, which started off horrible when it opened, feels like a better, albeit a bit more sparse, version of hollywood studios. For a park that claims to be detail oriented, it is astonishing how many details are left out of the Florida version. The only thing you could make an argument for is that the food and dining is better in Disney World, and for the most part I'd agree with you.

[@coasterbot]

I've been hearing this a lot from other people!

[@ONFGAMING]

what an incredible vlog. brilliant style. i subscribed.

[@coasterbot]

Thank you, you're very kind

[@WoolybackBoy]

Universal for the win

[@edvaira6891]

Agreed! Love the other WDW parks, but Universal is much better than Tragic Kingdom

[@melvinschrab505]

agreed

[@svis6888]

I prefer Disney

[@svis6888]

@@edvaira6891 I prefer Mk though

[@melvinschrab505]

@@svis6888 That's totally ok!

[@NEVAstopGAMER]

Im looking forward to seeing what you think of Universal's IoA. Its one of my favorite parks. Just hearing the calm port of entry music gets me excited.

[@coasterbot]

IoA is a great park!

[@petermc7098]

Hello There, a great Video and hopefully they introduce a virtual queue, I am sorry to hear about your very mixed experience and I hope you managed to still have a good trip throughout. Hopefully they'll improve the experience. Cheers Peter :) p.s. I can't believe it only had two rollercoasters. p.p.s. it was interesting to hear about the virtual fastrack system and how busy it is. p.p.p.s. Tron is now open and I think Splash Mountain is working now open.

[@SunnylandProds]

7:57 Festival of Fantasy is so good!!

[@Rcassociatedb4]

Hey man I loved this video. We live right across I-4 from Disney and love and couldn’t agree more with what you said. Enchantment is a sad joke of a fire works show! I can’t wait to see more videos of your vacation soon.

[@coasterbot]

Hey thanks for the kind comment. You're obviously much more used to these shows than me, but yeah, it was a disappointment. There will be more videos coming out over the next few months (because I'm slow at making videos).

[@Wolky324]

Make a vid of you guys going to universal

[@coasterbot]

We will, I'll be making two videos, one about Universal Studios Florida and the other about Islands of Adventure

[@EvanNeedsTherapy]

I live about two hours from orlando and have my entire life. This in tandem with my upper middle class family meant I was lucky enough to visit the parks 1-2 times a year with a few exceptions. While magic kingdom was always my favorite growing up, I think due to the sheer ride count, it never felt like we ran out of things to do, as I've become much more fascinated and interested with the technical side of theme parks, I've liked magic kingdom less and less. The newest ride is still the mine train to my knowledge which feels fairly old to me by now, and it's fun but even with a fast pass the wait is atrocious, not to mention I have a story getting stuck right before the climax of what looked like a drop, stuck in this echoey tunnel while the power for the ride was off, with a little kid periodically yelling "TURKEY!" at the top of his lungs every 30 seconds or so because his family would laugh and found it adorable. I did not. Anyway, it feels like all of the rides at magic kingdom get popularity purely from nostalgia. I say this with parents in their late forties who remember going to the parks when they were young. Rides like peter pan are so popular because they've hardly changed if at all, and are nostalgic to them, despite feeling like a shitty dark ride to me. New ride technology and some revolutionary old stuff like tower of terror mechanisms just blow my mind when I'm on the ride. I don't feel impressed when I'm on peter pan and adjacent rides. I see a tiny set that had more physical art than technology applied, which is cool and all, I love art, but not what I'm looking for in a ride I've waited upwards of an hour to go on just to have a limited time to view art.

[@trfanon]

*15:44 * unless your going to a six flags park

[@KenBulldog]

Looks like you flew halfway around the world for something you can see and do in disneyland paris😂 i hope the other parks are more to your liking, because the other parks dont have a version in europe. I’m hoping to do a florida trip once, magic kingdom is making me doubt it

[@MattMcIrvin]

Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris seems to be intended as the European version of Hollywood Studios or DCA... but by all accounts it's an inferior one.

[@coasterbot]

Fortunately some of the other stuff did make the trip worth it ha ha 🤣

[@EdsStuff76]

Also not a Disney guy but I am a California guy. Disneyland doesn't try to be what Disneyworld does and that helps.

[@brianparker7644]

Bravo...Harry. A couple more like this please. The Industry needs, and Disney chiefly, a good swift...well, you know.

[@coasterbot]

There'll be more of these style videos over the next few months. I agree, Disney need to step it up

[@edvaira6891]

I’m a native Southern Californian and, sorry, but Magic Kingdom is my Least favorite Florida park because it is such a PALE shadow of our original park (which has almost twice as many attractions and, while cramped, is a Much more complete park (we have much better food, too!)

[@Aviationfan2009]

The sound of the scooter. A classic

[@HAMillerage]

I have dreamed of travelling to the US to visit Disney world since I was a small child, but the older I get the more I worry it will not hit the expectation I have set for it for reasons you've mentioned in your review! It's so excruciatingly expensive to not hit the mark and feel ripped off.

[@griffinnovie4921]

Go to Islands of Adventure instead!

[@2nerdsinhell]

Magic Kingdom is still without a doubt one of the most immaculate theme parks in the world and I honestly don’t think you would be disappointed if you visited.

[@me-myself-i787]

As the other commenter mentioned, Islands of Adventure is great, but I would also highly recommend Europa-Park. It's definitely the best theme park in Europe. It's cheaper than Disney and PortAdventura, but more expensive than Merlin and EnergyLandia. The queues are generally less than an hour, and the rides are mostly great. The alpine bobsled is terrible from what I've heard, and Poseidon is uncomfortable, but Pirates in Batavia, Silver Star, Blue Fire Megacoaster, Wodan - Timburcoaster and Volitarium are all great. Definitely stay for multiple days!

[@WorkerBeeSupply]

Consider Disneyland! It’s beautiful and there are so many attractions!

[@SunnylandProds]

14:36 Enchantment is what would happen if you asked an AI (or Bob Chapek) to come up with a Disney Nighttime spectacular. It suuuuuuuucks. I’m very glad we’re getting Happily Ever After back in April.

[@SunnylandProds]

You’ve gotta come back and ride Tron!

[@coasterbot]

We will in the future!

[@edbrown2998]

I think it can only be up from here. It's my least favourite of the Orlando parks for sure... totally agree with what you say about it being kinda boring, it's all been done elsewhere now, and better. I didn't even think that much of Space Mountain - as you say it's very janky, and I don't have all the nostalgia of going on it as a kid (although I did go on the Black Hole at Alton Towers, which was way better). I'll go there again this September to ride Tron, but I'll likely park-hop somewhere else afterwards ;)

[@Greg_J_R]

you should visit Cedar Point

[@mcrclaire]

Yes! Death to Tomorrowland Speedway!

[@coasterbot]

😍

[@crytocc]

Just a heads-up, there seems to be something wrong with the subtitles - a lot of missing and mistimed subtitles, and some script notes seem to have been left in.

[@coasterbot]

Thanks, I quickly threw them up there. I'll make sure they're fixed

[@JensGuido]

Nice video, though I am a Disney Park fan, I totally get what you mean when saying Magic Kingdom is not that magical...but I`ve got one question left: what is your favourite theme park in the world? Let me know, I am very courious.

[@coasterbot]

I think Disney World has world class experiences scattered across all four parks, but none of the parks themselves provide a perfect individual experience. Some theme parks in Europe provide much better individual coherent experiences, but the rides aren't as grand. My current favourite theme park as of recently is the Efteling, the largest theme park in the Netherlands. It's based on fairytales!

[@TheDutchRevolution]

@@coasterbot As someone who goes to the Efteling on a regular basis, I still prefer it waaaayyy over Disneyland (Paris). I felt the same as you.

[@ryandewerff]

I’ve been going to WDW since I was a literal baby, and still to this day am a passholder. The biggest problem with MK is that it just… feels so dated. Before Tron, the last thing to open was Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in 2014. To me it’s definitely the weakest of the 4 parks at WDW, even with Epcot in the middling state that it’s in. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are leaps and bounds better, at least currently.

[@coasterbot]

I agree, it's definitely the weakest of the four parks.

[@jonathanadams7219]

*Recommends Universal Orlando for many of its rides, like Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Maurer Death Machine), Revenge Of The Mummy (Premier LIM), Escape From Gringotts (Intamin Tire Launch), Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, Transformers: The Ride 3D, The Simpsons Ride, Men In Black: Alien Attack, The Incredible Hulk Coaster (B&M Tire Launch), Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure (Intamin Multilaunch Family Coaster), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dr. Doom's Fear Fall (S&S Space Shot), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (KUKA Robocoaster G2), VelociCoaster (Modern Intamin Blitz), etc.*

[@danielward4868]

I went there in 2019 and splash mountain was the best ride in the park

[@davidfrischknecht8261]

I refuse to give Disney any of my money, so I will not be visiting any of their parks. I'll save my money and go to Knoebels or Morey's Piers instead.

[@grahamlogan917]

This is the best review of magic kingdom! Don't you just love stroller parking...

[@svis6888]

he said it's bad so is it a good review...

[@coasterbot]

That's deep

[@svis6888]

@@coasterbot just like the Mariana trench

[@chloe_louise123]

I personally think that Disneyland Paris is way better than Disney World. Magic Kingdom is overcrowded and you have to pay and STILL optimise your day (like waking up at 06:59 for Genie+ lol). They sunk huge money into making DLP full of details and it shows. Meanwhile in Magic Kingdom they do things like... two Dumbo rides. At least at DLP you can go off season and enjoy a quieter park, with many of the same rides as Magic Kindgom, and stay at an onsite hotel which is less expensive than Disney World and has better benefits.

[@coasterbot]

I've heard great things about DLP recently, it seems to be on the up!

[@chloe_louise123]

@COASTER BOT it still is suffering from over investing in IP at the moment, like with how they made the Rock n Rollercoaster Iron Man themed instead but didn't do a very good job. And the paid fastpass system is not great after they were free for a very long time. However, with some of the 90s Disney charm (like the whole Discoveryland theming) remaining, it is definitely worth visiting. Especially because Parc Asterix is also within close proximity :)

[@pizzapuntthomas]

Very nice video, I liked hearing your opinions, but please fix the subtitles.

[@coasterbot]

Thanks for the kind words. I'll fix the subtitles, they were a temporary solution!

[@motrydooto1698]

sad that you have to get back to ride tron lol

[@coasterbot]

:(

[@NiallDoran.glasgow]

I was gonna go back but about a grand for a week and its Very Very VERY dated and more a cash grab with having to pay for rides in an very confusing yeah thunder and space mountain great coasters but the rest its shown its age now and as you have pointed out Fake and its lost its magic years ago! im doing Disney after dark in may but its more a filler for my holiday than a must do tbh Disney in the 90s was amazing but nothing as really changed apart from the price !

[@marcussheen]

Cripes! I'm not a fan either to be fair, it's my least favourite of the castle parks I've visited and lacks charm and is too busy to enjoy, but I've always felt like bit of a pariah by having that opinion

[@officevol]

Hi

[@svis6888]

Hey Harry, what would you fix at Magic Kingdom ? Outside of price of course, what would make you think it's worth 170$ ?

[@coasterbot]

Great question, it's much easier to criticise than fix. I think the answer is at Disneyland. New rides and areas need to come to Magic Kingdom. At Disneyland Resort, there's only two parks new rides can go to, DCA or Disneyland. Magic Kingdom has four parks to spread things out over. If Galaxy's Edge and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway came to Magic Kingdom, it would be a great start. I think the other aspect is modernisation. Things feel old, they don't feel new and magic. There's a balance between evolution and nostalgia and I don't think Magic Kingdom strikes anywhere near that

[@svis6888]

@@coasterbot Ah okay so the main complain is that nothing really changed in Magic Kingdom, yes indeed EPCOT is getting a overhaul and runaway railway is at Hollywood studio, so a MK overhaul would be good

[@coasterbot]

The quality of Magic Kingdom isn't up to the quality of other rides/areas across the same resort. It needs new things but has the most rides of any WDW parks, so at the same time the other parks need the rides more. It's a lose lose because WDW has too many theme parks

[@svis6888]

@@coasterbot Hopefully the new areas for MK are good...

[@MattMcIrvin]

@@coasterbot It does seem like they spread themselves too thin! The non-MK parks at WDW are all a bit short on rides, but they've been gradually getting them, so that is less true than it used to be. Fans constantly talk about how they'd like to see Disney World get a fifth park. I think this is a terrible idea. They need to keep improving the ones they have, and especially adding more of the B- and C-ticket type rides, albeit with some nice theming. A proper "land" at a theme park this big and expensive should have more than one or two rides in it even if those rides are big deals. Magic Kingdom is really the only WDW park where that is the case, which is part of the reason I still think it's best one there on balance.

[@Jadentheman]

Yeah Disney has been declining

[@coasterbot]

100%

[@luckyjoppes]

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was the biggest disppointment of my life. Waited 3 hours for this piece of garbage. Btw: Thank you for your review. Finally a coaster enthusiast that doesn´t praise Magic Kingdom to the skies just because it´s Disney. MK is just the most visited theme park bc it´s MK.. altough every other theme park in Disney World (+ Universal) has a lot more to offer.

[@me-myself-i787]

Except Epcot, obviously.

[@svis6888]

@@me-myself-i787 why

[@josiahsimmons9866]

69,4** subscribers, please tell me you're getting a screenshot at the ultimate funny number?

[@coasterbot]

I did not sadly 😞

[@rodakscreens]

The inherent problem with Magic Kingdom is that they've spent the last half decade annihilating the distinct character of the existing lands, specifically Tomorrowland. It is, without a doubt, the most homogenous and boring Disney park in the world.

[@27ozyboy]

100% agree with you. The rides are abs rubbish at disney and theming is a meh. Bring on BG tampa any day. Even sea world orlando was highly impressive.

[@mrezgoluckyjr]

I grew up going to Disneyland and when I finally visited Magic Kingdom, it honestly felt like a Disneyland rip off haha a lot of the attractions just didn't have that magic of the original park I vastly preferred the Disneyland versions. I think the other parks at Disney World are more interesting, but if you want that classic Disney nostalgia, I would stick with the original park!

[@coasterbot]

I can imagine that

[@pqfamilyadventures]

Harmonious at Epcot is a way better show

[@coasterbot]

It definitely is better!

[@lord_of_redstone8582]

phantasialand better. Just joking

[@coasterbot]

It's more unique and feels less corporate, that's for sure

[@carlyemms]

Phantasialand is better, it truly transports you and feels magical. Disney is a brand and that is what permeates the experience.

[@me-myself-i787]

​@@carlyemms Only problem with PhantasiaLand from what I've heard is the size. It can get quite crowded and the queues can get quite long because PhantasiaLand has lots of quality, drawing in guests, but not a lot of quantity. That's why I think Europa-Park is probably better.

[@carlyemms]

@@me-myself-i787 I’ve never had an issue with queues there and I’ve always gone on weekends. Operations are outstanding so you keep moving and even larger queues soon go down. It doesn’t feel small as there is so much to do. Disney is always packed full every time I see a video of it.

[@sandraweilbrenner67]

Oh Jesus, whine much . Next time go to universal or sea world. Disney is overrated.juat stick with Alton Towers or Thorpe Park , or Dreighton Manor or Chessington.

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

Love the honesty Harry and Zoe, yes it’s all show and no actual substance and the crowds are ridiculous. Then the dam app tops off the miserable experience. We’ve been 10 times since 2010 and can confirm I was good… once 🫣🧱👍🏽

[@coasterbot]

Yikes!