There's no one-size-fits-all plan for the Magic Kingdom. Instead, carefully research the rides and attractions you hope to enjoy and build your plan around those.
While you generally can't avoid crowds and lines, there are a few ways to beat them from time to time. For example, arrive at the park when it opens (get there 30 minutes early to be safe) and the first attraction you choose will have little to no wait. In fact, if you take the first train out of Main Street Station you'll beat most of the walkers to Frontierland, where you can ride "Splash Mountain" first and then make a beeline for "Big Thunder Mountain," where you can get an early Fastpass ticket or wait in the standby line, which will only grow longer as the morning goes on.
If you or your children enjoy "Dumbo" but hate the long waits, head over to Adventureland and ride "Magic Carpets of Aladdin" instead. It's the same ride, with flying carpets instead of elephants.
Fastpass allows you to skip most of the line if you're willing to come back at a later time. You are limited in the number of Fastpass tickets you can hold. Your ticket will have two times stamped on it: the time you can come back to get on the ride, and the time you can get another Fastpass ticket. Some rides will run out of Fastpass tickets as the day goes on.
"Space Mountain," "Splash Mountain," "Jungle Cruise," "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin," "The Haunted Mansion," "Peter Pan's Flight," "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad," "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," "Mickey's Philharmagic" and "Stitch's Great Escape" all feature Fastpass. On most days, its best to save your Fastpass opportunities for "Space Mountain," "Big Thunder Mountain" and "Splash Mountain" as they will generally have the most consistently long lines for walk-on riders throughout the day. "Winnie-the-Pooh" can also demand surprisingly long waits, so grab a Fastpass for that as well if you have a toddler in your group.
Because you'll be on your feet most of the day -- and usually in the heat -- it's a good idea to build some breaks into your day. These can be as simple as finding a shady spot to rest, and there are a few reliable places to get off your feet and relax a few minutes.
Behind the Olde Christmas Shoppe is a small landscaped area with small, stone walls perfect for sitting on. There is a smoking area near this spot, so if you don't like tobacco fumes, sit further away from it. Tom Sawyer Island also has some great spots to sit and rest, especially Aunt Polly's. When the snack counter is closed, it's a pleasant, shady dockside seating area, usually with very few people, and you can even get a glimpse of parades as they pass through Liberty Square.
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority offers a shady, gentle ride throughout Tomorrowland with little to no wait. If you want a longer break, you can often stay on for another loop -- just ask when your reach the end.
There are character greetings throughout the day in different locations around the park. Some character greetings take place sporadically on Main Street U.S.A. Lines for these quickly build when a character appears and are just as quickly cut off as they are only out for short periods of time.
Girls who want to meet to meet princesses have several opportunities. The easiest one is usually Jasmine, who often appears with Aladdin near the "Magic Carpets of Aladdin." The toughest is Ariel, who appears all day long in Ariel's grotto in the back of Fantasyland, but has consistent lines of 60-90 minutes throughout the day. Ariel's grotto features a play area with water spouts so the kids can run around while parents wait in line (there is only one entrance and exit to this area, making it easy to ensure your kids don't run off).
Mickey's Toontown Fair offers the most character greetings in one area. County Bounty has two greeting spots, one for Disney princesses (often Cinderella, Belle and Aurora) and one for Disney Fairies (usually Tinker Bell and two of her pixie friends). These lines can be 60-90 minutes but tend to be shorter after around 8 p.m. Mickey Mouse is available throughout the day in the Judge's Tent behind his house, while Minnie Mouse often does greetings in a gazebo behind her home. The princesses, fairies and Mickey all have air-conditioned quarters and waiting areas. Minnie is not as fortunate, although when it is too hot she will often leave the gazebo to join Mickey in the Judge's Tent.
