Travelling to the Magic Kingdom by car for the first time is an experience. You will find that you will be asked to park your car in one of several huge car parks. It is essential that you note the name of the car park and the row number you are parked in. Take a careful note every time you visit the Magic Kingdom for you probably will not be parked in the same car park twice. I do not know of anywhere in the UK that compares with the size of the Magic Kingdom car parking operation. Now that you have parked your car you need to get to the transportation and ticket center. Follow the crowd to the edge of the car park, join one of the neat queues which will form and board the road train which will come to collect you. Once you have reached the Transportation and Ticket Center and, if necessary, purchased your passes, you are still a mile and half from the actual entrance to the Magic Kingdom which lies across the 7 Seas Lagoon! Now you have a choice to make. Will you travel on the monorail or the ferry boat? Both take approximately the same time.

You can also travel to EPCOT on a monorail from here so make sure you join the right queue. (Incidentally, if do wish to spend a half day at EPCOT, park the car at the Magic Kingdom in the morning and take the monorail to EPCOT. Ask if you can sit in front with the driver on the trip to EPCOT because the monorail tours round Future World before arriving at the station. After spending your half day at EPCOT take the monorail back to the Transportation and Ticket Center and cross the 7 Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. At the end of the evening, remember that you left your car in one of the Magic Kingdom car parks.)

On entering the Magic Kingdom, check the times of the parades. (Main street parade and evening parade called "Spectromagic") Take up your places for the main street parade at least one hour in advance.

Frontierland

The home of "Splash Mountain". (A very beautiful ride inside and outside the mountain through the world of Brer Rabbit but watch out for the last drop - it's a LOO LOO!

TIP 1: Make as much use as possible of the "FastPass" tickets. The major attractions such as Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Moutain etc. have these ticket machines located next to their entrances. Just insert your Theme Park Pass and receive a ticket guaranteeing you a time slot to enter the attraction without waiting in the queue (Remember to retrieve your Theme Park Pass before you leave the FassPass machine!!!)
This system can be a wonderful time saver if used efficiently. eg On our last trip to The Magic Kingdom we arrived at the Transportation and Ticket Centre in time for the first boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Theme Park. We made straight for Splash Mountain and collected a ticket for entry one hour later. In that 1 hour period we managed to ride Big Thunder Mountain 3 times (It was a walk on attraction at this early hour of the morning but beginning to form 15 - 20 minute queues by the end of our third ride) We then raced round to Adventure Land and took a trip on the Jungle Cruise (Still a walk-on ride at this point in time) then walked onto Pirates of the Caribbean before returning to Frontierland in time to use our FastPass for Splash Mountain (By this time the queue time at Splash Mountain had grown to 1 hour.) 6 rides in the first hour - can anyone do better ?- let me know.

TIP 2: Hold on tight to your hat. (By the way, if anyone finds a red Mickey Mouse hat which I lost at the top of Splash Mountain in April 1996 please e-mail me!)

After "Splash Mountain" try "Big Thunder Mountain" if the queue is not too big.

TIP 3: Don't wait too long for a trip on the Steam Boat especially if you have been on the one in Disneyland-Paris. By comparison WDW's is rather disappointing.

Tomorrowland

One of Graeme's favourites is the "Grand Prix Raceway". Even if the kids can't reach the gas-pedal, children can still have fun steering these cars round the track. (Don't worry about veering off-course - a central rail corrects any excessive deviation.)

For a relaxing 10 minute ride round Tomorrowland, get on the Tomorrowland Transportation System (the old WEDway PeopleMover) which will take you inside "Space Mountain" for a preview of the Magic Kingdom's wildest ride. Listen out for the Interplanetary Announcements. ("Your party from Saturn has just arrived - please give them a ring")

Our favourite self-service restaurant is also located in Tomorrowland. "Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe" is great fun. Don't forget to help yourself from the salad bar. Throughout your meal an alien entertainer croons and tells terrible jokes as he plays a futuristic electronic keyboard.

Spectromagic Don't miss Spectromagic. This is an evening parade which is operated at popular times of the year. Check the details before going to the park so that you can visit on a weekend or day when it is showing. It really is worth seeing. At Easter it is paraded twice 9:00pm and 11:00pm. The 11:00pm showing is never as busy but small children may not survive long enough to enjoy it. At 10:00pm Tinkerbell flies from the top of Cinderella's Castle so be close by to see her. Tinkerbell's flight signals the start of the "Fantasy in the Sky" Fireworks show - Fabulous!