The best way to end 2020 was Disney World. We took our four kids for two days: Hollywood Studios on day one and Magic Kingdom on day two. At Christmastime, with everything decorated, the magic level is just way up there. Here’s what our Magic Kingdom day looked like and the tips we picked up.
What you’ll get from this post
- How Disney was handling cleaning and masks when we went
- Why Magic Kingdom is great for little ones, even a one-year-old
- Step by step: how Rider Switch works
- What was different: pop-up parades, no fireworks, some shows closed
- Our whole family’s favorite ride
How Disney handled safety
A lot of people were wondering what measures Disney was taking. Disney World is super clean in general, and it was even better then. There were people all over wiping down every surface, antibacterial pumps everywhere so you could always clean your hands, and they were very strict about masks, even outdoors. They were doing all they could to keep everyone safe.
Magic Kingdom is great for little kids
I’ve only been to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom, and I love both. But Magic Kingdom has more to do for little ones.
- At least 12 rides with no height requirement. Even our one-year-old could ride, so all six of us rode together, and he loved it.
- Starter roller coasters. Our four-year-old was tall enough for some of the roller coasters, which was awesome.
In the video, I put the wait times for each ride on screen so you can see what it was like that time of year.
Our super tip: Rider Switch
There were no FastPasses when we went, but Rider Switch made our day really efficient. You can look it up on the Disney World website. If you have little kids who can’t ride everything, don’t worry, you’ll still get a chance to ride.
Here’s how it works:
- Go to the ride entrance where you’d normally tap your FastPass, and ask the attendant if they do Rider Switch on that ride.
- They’ll scan your park ticket card or MagicBand, which basically puts you in a reservation system.
- One parent takes the kids who can ride first, while the other parent sits out with the little ones who can’t or don’t want to ride.
- When they come back, the parent who sat out takes those same kids, goes back to the entrance, and scans the cards.
- Instead of waiting in the regular line, you go through the FastPass line, which was basically empty, so you get on almost immediately.
Our kids got to ride almost everything twice. It was the most efficient Disney World day ever. It was epic.
What was different
- Pop-up parades. There were no scheduled parades. They just popped up, to keep crowds from getting too big. The Christmas parades are so beautiful, they’ll make you feel like a kid again.
- No fireworks at the end of the night.
- Some shows were closed.
It was definitely a different time to go, but it still had so much magic and fun, and we’d been dying to go.
Our favorite ride
I think the favorite ride for all of us was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Key takeaways
- Magic Kingdom at Christmas is magical, even with changes.
- It’s the better park for little ones, with at least 12 rides with no height requirement.
- Ask about Rider Switch at each ride so big kids can ride twice.
- Parades may pop up instead of running on a schedule, so keep an eye out.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was our whole family’s favorite.
What viewers say
How beautiful!!!!💕💕💕
@keeperofmyhome on YouTube
Things we mentioned
- Our Hollywood Studios Christmas day: day one of this trip
- How to teach your kindergartener
I love talking about traveling with kids. Come hang out with our crew on YouTube. Subscribe to The Johnson Crew on YouTube.
FAQ
Is Magic Kingdom good for toddlers?
Yes. It has at least 12 rides with no height requirement, so our one-year-old rode with the whole family.
How does Rider Switch work at Disney World?
Ask the attendant at the ride entrance. They scan your card or MagicBand, one parent rides with the kids who can, then the other parent rides with those kids through the short line.
What was the best ride at Magic Kingdom for our family?
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was everyone’s favorite.
Were there parades at Magic Kingdom in 2020?
Yes, but they were pop-up parades instead of scheduled ones, to keep crowds smaller.
More from our crew
- Disney's Hollywood Studios Christmas 2020! Family of 6 Tells All
- What to Pack for Kids at Disney World: What's Inside My Disney Park Bag
- How to Surprise Kids with A Disney World Trip! What's in the box?
Full transcript
The best way to end 2020 was disney world we took our four kids and went to disney world for two days we did hollywood studios the first day and magic kingdom the second and we had a blast the magic level is just like way up there christmas time to see it all decorated it was so awesome from us at magic kingdom are you excited see the castle good morning everybody go now I know a lot of people are concerned about what kind of measures are they taking during this time of copied disney world is super clean just in general
And now it's even better they've got people running around all over the place wiping down every surface all the time it's super clean and they have antibacterial pumps everywhere around the park so you can always be washing your hands and they're very strict about the mask wearing even though you're outside they're definitely doing all they can to keep everyone safe I've only ever been to hollywood studios in magic kingdom and love both of them I will say that magic kingdom does have more to do for the little ones they have at least rides that have no height requirement
So even our one-year-old could get on with us and we could all ride the ride at the same time and that was super fun and he loved them and then our four-year-old was even tall enough to do some of the roller coasters so that was awesome then look at mommy you excited thank you good job buddy you going up and down one super tip for you that we learned about this year is called the rider switch service and you can look this up on the disney world website
But this is a way to make your day really efficient even though they're not doing fast passes right now so if you're going with little kids who can't ride all the rides don't worry you'll still get a chance to ride this thing is awesome so the way it works and I'll try not to be confusing the way I explain it um so what you would do is go to the entrance of the line where you would normally touch your fast pass to and you can ask the attendant if they do ride or switch on that particular ride
And what they'll do is they'll swipe your um your card you know to enter the park or your magic band and it's basically like putting you in a reservation system so one parent can take the kids that can ride the ride they'll take them first while the other parent sits out with the little kids who can't ride or don't want to ride and when they come back off the ride now the other parent who had to sit out can take those same kids again and they go right up to the right entrance
And you swipe your cards and instead of waiting in the line now you get to go through the fastpass line which since we're not doing fast passes right now is basically empty so you almost get on the ride immediately so our kids got to ride almost everything there twice so I feel like we had the most efficient disney world day ever it was epic here we go oh boy he's a crazy boy behind the wheel is he good can I have some oh that's a good share no oh what a little sneak another thing they're doing a little bit differently is they're not having scheduled parades
So you don't really know when they're going to happen they're just like pop-up parades to help keep crowds from getting so big but the parades at christmas time are christmas themed and they're so beautiful they'll definitely make you feel like a kid again hello everyone isn't this lovely it's the perfect time of the year I think the most favorite ride for all of us was big thunder mountain railroad that's too scary catch you buddy excited yes bye where's the elephant housing away and everyone gathered together there are some things that they're doing differently right
Now they're not having the fireworks show at the end of the night some of their shows are closed right now so it's definitely a different time to go there but it still has so much magic and so much fun and we've been dying to go so if you're new to my channel my name is Sarah and I have four kids from the ages of eight to one and mostly we talk about homeschooling and mom life but what I really love to talk about is traveling with kids if you enjoyed this video please give it a thumbs up
And don't forget to hit subscribe and hit that little bell so you don't miss another video thanks for joining me today merry christmas