Welcome to planDisney, Anna Sheila!
It would be an honor to help you answer magic's call and plan your best Walt Disney World Resort day ever.
Valid admission, a
theme park reservation, and a
method of entry (MagicBand, MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, or admission card) are currently required for theme park entry. A theme park ticket, once
linked in My Disney Experience, can be used to make a theme park reservation at any of the four theme parks. I applaud your awareness of the
theme park reservation availability calendar, which currently shows that EPCOT and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park have availability on October 9. It may be helpful to note that it is possible to modify an existing theme park reservation should availability at Magic Kingdom Park open up for that day. Theme park reservation availability changes in real-time as Guests are constantly reimagining their plans. If you end up sticking with a theme park reservation for Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and wish to see Cinderella Castle, I have two suggestions for you.
Suggestion number one is to purchase a ticket with the
Park Hopper option. Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
opens at 8:00 a.m. on October 9. You can start your day escaping the Yeti's clutches at
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, riding a banshee on
Avatar Flight of Passage, and waving to a giraffe on
Kilimanjaro Safaris. Anytime after park hopping hours begin at 2:00 p.m., you can 'hop' over to Magic Kingdom park for a picture in front of Cinderella Castle,
Disney Enchantment, and more! A theme park reservation is only required for the first park you enter with a Park Hopper ticket.
My second suggestion is to enjoy a more distant view of Cinderella Castle from one of the resorts on the
monorail loop (Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, or Disney's Polynesian Village Resort). If you make a
dining reservation at one of these resorts (
Steakhouse 71 is a new favorite), you can park there for up to three hours. Without a dining reservation, you can park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and take the Resort Monorail to your desired destination. In addition to a view of Cinderella Castle, these resorts offer a variety of shopping and dining options. If you time it right, you'll even be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Disney Enchantment over Seven Seas Lagoon.
Any of these options satisfy your must-do of seeing Cinderella Castle during your stay, Anna Sheila. Please reach out to planDisney for further suggestions - we're all EARS!
Choose magic,
Jennifer