With the advent of Genie+ changing the way guests visit the Magic Kingdom, I have found myself wondering how much we can experience in a single day at the park! So I came up with an idea: The Magic Kingdom Challenge! The idea behind it is simple: how much can you experience in a single day at the most magical place on earth? Is Genie+ necessary to have a magical day?
I came up with a “tier list” of attractions and other experiences, based off of Walt Disney World’s official attractions list, assigning different point values based upon average wait time, average time it takes to do the attraction, availability of the attraction (for example, some attractions aren’t open/available to guests for the entire day), and other metrics.
The rules are pretty simple. Select a start time & end time. Cross out any attractions that you and any other teams you’re competing against will not complete as part of the challenge. For example, any attractions that are down for refurbishment can be crossed off. Another example would be if members of your party are deathly afraid of heights and refuse to ride Splash Mountain, you may want to cross that one off your list!
Although not officially a rule, you may want to keep track of wait times for each attraction and the order in which you do them, so you can compare strategies at the end of your day! I also included a “Notes” section so you can jot down any weirdness in your day – if an attraction goes down and you’re issued a complimentary Lightning Lane entry, for example.
Playtest Groups & Quick Rundown
On Saturday March 26, 2022, we had two playtest groups participating in the very first Magic Kingdom challenge. One group consisted of two local Annual Passholders, dubbed “Team Cheapos” who did not purchase Genie+. The second group, Team Genie+ were two guests from out of state using multiday tickets who did purchase Genie+. The weather was perfect, high 70s with no rain and barely any humidity!
The agreed upon start time was park open, 9am, and the end time turned out to be 6:30pm (we decided this on the fly as we wanted to see how our days progressed). Team Genie+ made their first Genie+ selection at 7am for Space Mountain, a 5-point attraction, and the two teams made their way to Jungle Cruise, another 5-point attraction, at rope drop, followed immediately by another 5-pointer, Big Thunder. From there, the 2 teams parted ways for the day.
Hustlin’ Through Magic Kingdom
Team Cheapos had a strategy: get as many points as possible. Team Genie+’s strategy was to go on as many rides as possible! Despite the ultimate outcome, both teams had FABULOUSLY FUN days at the Magic Kingdom, and each team got to experience different things at the park. Here is a very quick breakdown of what each team did.
Team Cheapos
Times noted next to each attraction represent time waited in line for the attraction, and do not include the time on the attraction.
- Jungle Cruise – 9-9:12am
- Big Thunder – 9:28-9:40am
- Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade – 9:59am
- Pirates of the Caribbean – 10:03-10:21am
- Swiss Family Treehouse – 10:35-10:40am
- Mickey’s Philharmagic – 10:48-10:55am
- Quick Service Lunch at Gaston’s Tavern – 11:20am
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – 11:24-11:44am
- The Barnstormer – 11:53-12:05pm
- Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station – 12:10pm
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant – 12:14-12:39pm
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – 12:49pm
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – 1:16-1:39pm
- Watch a Cavalcade – 2:02-2:03pm
- Take a picture with Cinderella Castle – 2:05pm
- Watch the Castle Stage Show – 2:15-2:25pm
- Table Service Dinner at Crystal Palace – 2:40pm
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade – 3:30pm
- Take a picture with Mickey at Town Square Theater – 3:35-3:41pm
- Dapper Dans – 3:44pm
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room – 4:01-4:07pm
- Tom Sawyer Island – 4:25-4:30pm
- Country Bear Jamboree – 5:00-5:08pm
- Liberty Square Riverboat – 5:20-5:30pm
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – 5:58-6:10pm
- Take a picture with Princess Tiana & a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall – 6:16-6:25pm
Our total score here was… 72 points!
Team Genie+
Team Genie+ did not make note of times but that’s ok! Let’s see how they spent their day.
- Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Frontierland Shootin’ Gallery
- “it’s a small world”
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Quick Service Breakfast at Gaston’s Tavern
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
- Space Mountain (LL)
- Quick Service Lunch at Cosmic Ray’s
- Mad Tea Party
- Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station
- The Barnstormer
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Peter Pan’s Flight (LL)
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
- Buzz Lightyear (LL)
- Haunted Mansion (LL)
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Table Service Dinner at Skipper Canteen
Team Genie+ total score was… 64!
Final Thoughts
This was a very fun challenge and different way to do the park. Personally I felt challenged to do different things I wouldn’t normally do, in order to rack up more points! I also feel like it requires a certain amount of luck to have everything work out just right. The weather, the crowds, rides not unexpectedly going down… it takes a good combination of things going “right” to score more points! But I also think that’s what makes this challenge fun – there are things here that don’t have long waits and things that don’t require Genie+/Lightning Lane, that still get you experiencing something fun at the Magic Kingdom.
Ready to try the Magic Kingdom Challenge?
Download the PDF of the challenge here! A couple changes have been made. Mad Tea Party was initially a 1 point attraction, but after some discussion it’s been upped to 2 points. We also added in some more 1 point opportunities – getting a pressed penny, making a wish at the wishing well, and taking a picture with a Mickey-shaped treat. Catching the flag retreat ceremony was also added as a 5 point experience!
HAVE FUN! And come back and let me know how many points you scored during your day at the Magic Kingdom!
