Today we’re talking Magic Kingdom proposal ideas. According to USA Today, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was the most visited theme park in the world last year and I’d be willing to bet 2019 produces similar results. As we roll through the holiday season, many will be planning to make an extra magical moment with their partner at this very park. In fact, early last year hitched.co.uk analyzed various proposal hashtags on Instagram and found Magic Kingdom was the second most popular place in the world to propose!

While I wouldn’t dare discount the awesomeness of a proposal in some of the most popular Magic Kingdom locations; smack dab in the middle of Main Street USA overlooking Cinderella’s abode, at Cinderella Wishing Well, during a meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest, or at the Tomorrowland Terrace during the Fireworks Dessert Party, those aren’t for everyone. If you’re partner is a Magic Kingdom lover, but not a middle-of-Main-Street-overlooking-the-castle-proposal type, I’ve got some other Magic Kingdom proposal ideas from unique spots around the park for you to consider.

A lot of my ideas involve using rides, ducking into off-the-beaten-path locations, or doing some (within reason) shenanigans with the ring. Some of these ideas might require skipping the traditional drop to one knee, but the alternative logistics would still be ultra special for you and your partner.

As a bonus, because I know I’m not the only Disney Parks junkie with good ideas, I reached out to my 20k+ friends in the Disney Alumni Association to get their ideas for, and stories about, Magic Kingdom proposals and they did not disappoint! I’ve added those bonus ideas with credit to the Cast Member that submitted each.

This post includes an audio version! Listen here, or find this episode directly on my Anchor.fm channel.

DOWN ON MAIN STREET USA

Yes, I know I just dissed on Main Street above BUT, there’s more to this area of the park than meets the eye!

Main Street Side Street
As you’re strolling down Main Street toward the castle, take a right just after Uptown Jewelers. Here you’ll find yourself on a quaint little dead end street, beautifully decorated with flowers and cafe tables. Despite being steps off the main drag, it’s often empty.

Terry from California worked in Children’s Activities at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West Resorts: “One time while at Disneyland I was walking down Main Street and witnessed a proposal with the help of the Dapper Dans! I thought it was a really sweet and unique way to propose at Disney.”
(You can also find the Dapper Dans at Walt Disney World!!!)

IN A STORE

The shopping spots pose just as many opportunities for a proposal as anywhere else in the park. With a little creativity you can use any store’s theming to your advantage. As a bonus, it’ll be more of a shock than some of the more popular locations in the kingdom.

Uptown Jewelers
Imagine perusing the jewelry cases in Uptown Jewelers on Main Street. You both admire the sparkles and point out what catches your eye. Your partner starts to wander away and in that moment, you set a ring box on the counter and ask them, “what do you think of this ring?” This is your moment!!! You can even be sly and quickly let one of the Cast Members know what you’re about to do and slip them your phone to record the moment.

Plaza del Sol Caribe Bazaar
When you exit the Pirates of the Caribbean ride into the bazaar there’s a fun little treasure chest full of gems. Hide the ring/ring box in your hand and plunge it down into the chest, then call your partner over to show them the treasure you found (which is obviously them). Retrieve your hand to present the ring (the booty?) and ask them to be your matey for life! Bonus points if you’re both wearing pirate hats.

Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
What’s a trip to Liberty Square if you don’t step into the Christmas shop?! I think this might be the happiest store in the park. I’m going to share the low hanging fruit idea I have for this shop and you may have already guessed it. Steer your partner over to the “just married” ornaments and let it rip! Another option is to have an ornament personalized with “just engaged” which they can do right in the shop. Call your partner over and have the Cast Member present them the ornament while you take a knee to pop the question.

ON A RIDE

There are so many cool ways to use a ride in your proposal. I LOVE when, unbeknownst to the future spouse, people hold up “will you marry me” signs in ride photos and then their partner sees it on the screen after they exit. I have a huge soft spot for those because my husband proposed to me on a ride at Busch Gardens. Below I’m sharing some other ideas I’ve had stewing in my head for decades (literally), as well as some really cool ideas from my fellow Cast Members.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The two of you are like shooting stars, you’ve come so far from where you used to be. Live your dream of a magic carpet ride with your favorite person. It is, after all, a whole new world above Adventureland. If you can time it right, you might be able to make the Jasmine and Aladdin meet and greet right after!

Swiss Family Treehouse
Nic from Alabama worked at Space Mountain: “I always thought a super cool place to propose would be up In the Swiss Family Treehouse during the fireworks! I’ve gone up there to watch the fireworks before and it’s a super cool view that is also not very crowded. So this is the perfect magical, private space that won’t be as crowded and make the moment more intimate.”

Jungle Cruise
Kelsey from Massachusetts worked at the Jungle Cruise : “We had a couple get engaged at the Jungle Cruise! The guy proposed on the dock right after they got off and my coordinator made a whole announcement over the queue PA and let them ride again! We had Dole Whips and buttons waiting for them when they got off. One of my favorite magic moments to be a part of!”

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Who’s to say that while your standing in the ride queue washing gems you don’t commandeer a little sparkle for your future spouse?!! If you’re a brave soul, take note of when the ride photo occurs and surprise your charming partner by slipping the ring on their hand at the exact right moment to have it captured for eternity. (Tip: My husband did this on a roller coaster and to ensure he didn’t lose the ring, he tied it to his belt loop with some shot line. You could also use a fake ring and then present the real one when you get off the ride.)

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Gentlemen and ladies, this is your chance to be the knight on the white horse! (Game of Thrones set the precedent, ladies can be knights too. Just sayin.) Ride off into the Fantasyland sunset with a proposal on this Disney classic.

Peter Pan’s Flight
Maybe traveling to London and renting a floating pirate ship isn’t in the cards but, dare I say, Peter Pan’s Flight is the next best option. I’ve had a soft spot for this ride since my first visit at age 5 and I always thought this would be such a cool ride to have a proposal moment on. You may have to start your heartfelt musings before boarding your ship, depending on what part of the ride you want to pop the question at. So figure out your timing, think happy thoughts, and aim…second star to the right and straight on til morning! (And as you’ll read below, I wasn’t the only person with this idea)

Amber from Scranton, PA (yes like on The Office) worked as a Character Attendant: “I would suggest, for a well versed Disney fan, to propose on their favorite ride. I can’t take credit for this because it’s how my friends got engaged but, I always thought it was a great way to do it. Before getting on the ride make sure you’re well-versed and know a good spot. For them, they got engaged on Peter Pan’s Flight as the ride vehicle entered the Neverland scene. Picking their favorite ride really personalized it to them and their tastes.”

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
There is no bad spot to ask to be part of your partner’s world here. On the ride or off the ride the experience will be the bubbles. My top pick is pictured below during fireworks, but there are some picturesque spots in the ride queue and who wouldn’t love being proposed to in a clamshell?! No, seriously, that could be a thing. Check this out…

Lindsay from New Jersey worked at American Adventure in Epcot : “My husband and I met on the Disney College Program. When him and I were talking about getting engaged I said I want to be proposed to or get married in WDW. We were at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and here I was thinking he was going to propose while we watched the parade or fireworks. Well that didn’t work out and it was the year that Ariels ride opened up and definitely threw me for a loop. We got in the clamshell and I’m looking all over the ride and I turn to him and he has the ring out. It was nice because it was so intimate and then we got off the ride and the cast members thought something was wrong [because I was crying] but, then they let us ride again and had a surprise meet and greet with Ariel right after we got off the second time!”

Haunted Mansion
Sara from Wisconsin worked at Coral Reef in Epcot: “I worked at Coral Reef where I met the love of my life. He did a two part proposal by giving me a book and ring pop in the staircase room at Haunted Mansion in WDW because that’s where Hatbox Ghost gets lost trying to find his true love. Hatbox Ghost finds his true love in Disneyland, which is where my fiancé proposed to me with my engagement ring!”

Autumn from North Carolina worked in outdoor food and vending at Magic Kingdom: “Not off the beaten path, but I knew that I didn’t want to get engaged in front of Cinderella’s Castle. [As a Cast Member] I saw it too many times. I communicated this, and my now fiancé decided to do it at my favorite attraction. So that’s how I got proposed to in front of the mausoleum at Haunted Mansion and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was private, unique, thoughtful and us.”

WITH A MAGICAL MYSTICAL BACKDROP

Sometimes, when you take a moment to look beyond what’s popular, you find a diamond in the rough and can’t believe no one else saw it too. These locations are “hidden in plain site,” and yours for some epic memory making!

The Castle Mosaic
Wander into the castle throughway and there is an insanely detailed mosaic of the story of Cinderella. It’s an exquisite work of art imagineered by Dorothea Redmond and constructed by a team of artisans led by the mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff. Pick your favorite of the five panels as the backdrop for the next step in your love story.

The Liberty Square Gazebo
Natalie from Oregon worked in Liberty Square Merchandise: “Right behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe there’s a small gazebo that’s pretty private. Usually there’s no one there, plus you can see the castle, so I think it’d be perfect!”

Rapunzel’s Tower
Erin from Idaho worked as a Disney’s Animal Kingdom PhotoPass Photographer: “I think an absolutely beautiful place to propose would be in Fantasyland by the Tangled lanterns and Rapunzel’s Tower. They also have a picture with [one of the] Tangled lanterns you could use to enhance the proposal.”

Bridge
Allison from New York worked at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe: “I love the bridge just to the right side of the castle (when facing the castle) that [leads to] Cheshire Cafe. My favorite side view of the castle is from that bridge! It’s not your typical “in front of castle” proposal but, you still get all the magic of the castle and, on less crowded days, the bridge is pretty empty!”

AT A CHARACTER MEET AND GREET

There’s no way for this to ever be a bad idea! LOL. I’d love to say if it was me I would be fairytale princessy AF but, in real life, I would fall over with joy to have Stitch or Chip and Dale at my proposal. Magic Kingdom has a long list of potential character meet and greets and depending on the time of year, and if you’re attending any of the special holiday events, you could even find yourself rubbing elbows with rare characters. This one might take some epic pre-planning scheduling magic, but what an awesome experience having your partner’s favorite Disney personality witness their proposal!

Shannon from Colorado worked at Sunset Merchandise in Disney’s Hollywood Studios: “My husband actually proposed in the meet and greet with Mickey on Main Street! I found it so perfect! Mickey did a card trick and when he was done my husband was behind me on one knee! It was beautiful because it was quite, private and with my favorite character! The photos also came out wonderful! I wouldn’t change it for the world!”

Kat from Ontario, Canada worked at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot: “I was proposed to at a meet and greet with Gaston. I visited him a lot on my program [and he was my] favorite character to meet. We went to meet him like normal, talked for a minute and Gaston said something along the lines of ‘You’re very brave to bring a beautiful girl like her around a man like me,’ to my fiance. He responded with “you won’t steal her away from me this time,” and got down on one knee!”

HONORABLE MENTION

A LOT of people recommended various locations around Tom Sawyer’s Island including in the mines, in the covered seating area at Aunt Polly’s overlooking the river, on the barrel bridge, and anywhere you find rocking chairs.

The top deck of the Liberty Belle was mentioned a few times as well. You’ll definitely have your choice of views as you cruise the Rivers of America!

TIPS:

If you want to use a ride in your proposal BUT, you also really want to “bend the knee” for your partner, you can have both, and the fun part is, it extends the moment. Use a prop like a ring pop (like Sara above), a “just engaged” button or even a short letter that you present on the ride and then got down on the knee at the exit.

If you really want photos or a video, look for Cast Members (CM’s) that aren’t currently assisting a guest and have your device ready to go. Some of the best Cast Members to look for are custodial CM’s because they don’t have a set location they need to stay at and can wander a minute or two from where you found them. Also, you’ll notice managers in plain clothes walking around. You’ll see they have their name tags on. If you can do it without spoiling anything, let them know what you are about to do.

Also regarding photos, know that photos at night and during fireworks can be difficult for a non pro photographer. Even PhotoPass Photographers can struggle with this due to crowds and other factors. Just beware that if photos are ultra important, that you may want to plan for your proposal to happen during daylight hours.

If it has to be Main Street with a castle view please, for the love of all things, avoid the street car rail and keep an eye out for storm drains. You don’t want the ring to disappear if you happen to drop it!
Don’t be the couple that has to deal with this…

If you’re looking for something more tailored and with a scheduling guarantee, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings offers custom engagement experiences starting at $7500. The personalized service includes a Disney engagement planner, design, and logistics so all you need to do is arrive and pop the question.

There are as many proposal options as your imagination can come up with so do some recon to gather info about your partner’s favorite Disney things, study a park map, stalk some Instagram hashtags an you’ll be well on your way to crafting the most magical proposal your partner could dream of!

For more pixie dust, check out:
Re-Proposal at Disneyland Paris
Walt Disney World Wedding Planning Resources