6. It’s the best park to take teenagers

Image: Disney

This is a strangely common misconception. Time and time again, parents seem to assume that a visit to Walt Disney World, even with teenagers, just isn’t complete without a full day at the Magic Kingdom. If given a choice to pick one of Walt Disney World’s four parks, parents of teens seem to automatically assume Magic Kingdom is the top choice.

It cannot be emphasized enough, but unless your teens enjoy Disney nostalgia, do not expect them to like the Magic Kingdom as much as you or small children.

It’s not that Magic Kingdom doesn’t have anything for teens. All of the parks “mountains” are teen-friendly, as are Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion (to a point—teens with no Disney parks experience may still find them lame). Gaston provides some uniquely-teen-friendly entertainment for his part, and many teens especially enjoy the caves on Tom Sawyer Island (especially Injun Joe’s creepy muuuuuuuuurder cave). It’s just that, overall, Magic Kingdom feels inescapably like a park for little kids. It’s hard not to turn teens off to it before you even get started.

If all of your children are in the teenage years, give preference to spending time at Walt Disney World’s other three parks. Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, and even Epcot will hold much more appeal to teen visitors than Magic Kingdom. If your family include small children or Disney superfans, make the most of your Magic Kingdom visit, but just don’t be surprised if your teens have “meh” feelings about the experience.

7. The castle can be dismantled in the event of a hurricane

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This is actually a commonly-debunked theory, but it still makes the rounds on social media from time to time. It has its roots in two misconceptions.

First off, hurricanes rarely reach Walt Disney World. Hurricane Irma was a freak occurrence—a hurricane so massive that it actually had the strength to do a bit of damage in Orlando. Most of the time, Orlando is so far inland that hurricanes fizzle out long before reaching it.

Cinderella Castle is not made of giant stone bricks. The entire castle is basically constructed of fiberglass, steel, and concrete. Rather than relying on a wacky system that would require crews to dangerously disassemble the castle spires, the structure was built strong enough to withstand 110 – 125 mph winds. The spires cannot be removed, and indeed, it’s good that they can’t. Buildings in Florida have to be built to a certain hurricane-resistance, and Cinderella Castle was built to withstand exceptionally powerful winds. While the park did sustain some damage to Tom Sawyer Island and the Jungle Cruise when Hurricane Irma rolled in, the castle remained unscathed.

8. You have to pay for Fastpass

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Many of the misconceptions about Disney’s Magic Kingdom come from facts crossed with Disneyland. At Disneyland, Fastpass access if free just like at Walt Disney World, only with a catch—it’s only free if you use Fastpass machines within the parks. To access Fastpass from a smartphone at Disneyland, you have to pay $15 a day for a service called MaxPass.

Not only is Fastpass totally free throughout Walt Disney World—you also can book and modify Fastpasses for free via the My Disney Experience app. You can even make reservations up 30-60 days before your visit, depending on if you’re staying at a Walt Disney World resort. All Fastpass information is stored in your MagicBand, making the process pretty seamless so long as you know your time windows.