Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the park most people picture when they think of Walt Disney World — the first of its four gates, centered on Cinderella Castle and organized into classic lands like Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland.

It's home to the rides families come back for: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and TRON Lightcycle / Run, plus daily parades and a nighttime fireworks spectacular over the castle. For younger kids especially, it's the quintessential Disney day.

The park is just a few minutes from our Orlando homes, so it's easy to arrive at rope drop, head back for a midday pool break, and return for the evening show.