4 parks in 1 day.....does this plan sound doable?

[MSSANDRA]

I think if you want to do it for the sake of doing it and with the understanding of all that it will be a wild and crazy day, then it could be fun. I think I would use my car, and make sure the boys understand the plan. I think that FP may not be too helpful in the parks later in the day as the return time may well be after you have left that park. I would plan for maybe 2 attractions at the first park or two and then maybe only one for the later parks and if you have time, add another one. You will have to eat on the run, but remember to drink plenty of water. Let us know how it works out.

 

[torinsmom]

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about using the car. We won't have one, but my friends will.

We had a car and still used WDW transportation. I think by the time you walk to the parking lot, walk to your car, get out of the parking lot and drive to another park, you won't save much time and will waste gas in the process. Plus, I sometimes get turned around driving between the parks.

 

[disfan4life1]

Totally doable!! After a 10 hr overnight drive me, DD 14, DD 18, and adult sister slept from 3am-6:30 am then got up, had breakfast, arrived at HS for rope drop, did TSM, ToT, Rockin, movie ride,star wars. By 10 we were headed to AK, did dinosaur and everest, then took off for EPCOT. Then did spaceship earth, Ellen's energy, test track, soarin(fp). Had lunch at sunshine seasons then took monorail to MK. There we did buzz, space mtn, TTA, pooh, snow white, PP, small world, haunted mansion, splash mtn, thunder mtn, pirates. At some point we had dinner. Then walked around toward end of night having ice cream wondering what to do next. It was one of the best times we ever had there. Then we got up early Sunday morning and headed over to universal for the taping of the Ellen Show(our whole reason for going to Orlando) then left bout 4pm for the long 10 hr drive home to be at work on Monday morning. Amazing time. Did the same thing the very next year. And in 19 days we are heading there for another 2 day trip. Ppl think we are crazy to go for just the weekend but now that kids are in college an high school and never have the same times off( except summers--too hot, and Christmas-- too crowded) and they both refuse to miss a day of school, we have to sneak in a trip whenever we can. but we love it and totally look forward to them. And always make it for free dining.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Beware of trying this with people who haven't already experienced all four parks previously. I don't think it would be enjoyable for them.

Yeah, that's what I just woke up thinking about....if they'd been lots of times like we have, or were going to be there more days that would be different, but I don't want to be herding them out of something they are enjoying. I think I will cross Epcot off of my mental list. If they insist on it we can reconsider, but that would only be if we had the time. I would cross MK off, also, but I think they'd at least like to go there for a little while. We'll see on that one. I'd be happy just doing the 2 parks they haven't been to.

How many times are you planning on going on ToT?

That day, probably once or twice. The trip? As many times as I can manage, although it won't be anything like my trip record.

We had a car and still used WDW transportation. I think by the time you walk to the parking lot, walk to your car, get out of the parking lot and drive to another park, you won't save much time and will waste gas in the process.

That was my other thought when I woke up.


Glad to wake up thinking about all this and then come down here and read the suggestions, confirming what I was feeling.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Totally doable!! After a 10 hr overnight drive me, DD 14, DD 18, and adult sister slept from 3am-6:30 am then got up, had breakfast, arrived at HS for rope drop, did TSM, ToT, Rockin, movie ride,star wars. By 10 we were headed to AK, did dinosaur and everest, then took off for EPCOT. Then did spaceship earth, Ellen's energy, test track, soarin(fp). Had lunch at sunshine seasons then took monorail to MK. There we did buzz, space mtn, TTA, pooh, snow white, PP, small world, haunted mansion, splash mtn, thunder mtn, pirates. At some point we had dinner. Then walked around toward end of night having ice cream wondering what to do next. It was one of the best times we ever had there. Then we got up early Sunday morning and headed over to universal for the taping of the Ellen Show(our whole reason for going to Orlando) then left bout 4pm for the long 10 hr drive home to be at work on Monday morning. Amazing time. Did the same thing the very next year. And in 19 days we are heading there for another 2 day trip. Ppl think we are crazy to go for just the weekend but now that kids are in college an high school and never have the same times off( except summers--too hot, and Christmas-- too crowded) and they both refuse to miss a day of school, we have to sneak in a trip whenever we can. but we love it and totally look forward to them. And always make it for free dining.

After reading this I need a nap!

 

[antkim]

I came to theme park page today just to see what people say about doing all 4 in one day!

Here's my situation. We are trying to surprise our boys with a 4 night cruise in Jan. as their Xmas present (which we did a few years ago!). I would love to come in for 2 or 3 nights before so that we can go to the parks (my 13 yr old has not been to the parks in 3 years and is dying to go back!). When adding up the cost of hotel and park passes I have to be honest with myself that 2 nights and 1 day in the park is probably going to be what we can afford this time (3 nights and 2 days in parks is adding A LOT of $$).

SO since we are going in Jan. I know the parks will be a bit less crowded. HS has EMH the morning we will go to the park. So I am thinking we can get there early for TSM, TOT, RRC and ST. Would you head to AK or Epcot next?? I want to end the day in MK since it is open until 10.

At AK we will want to hit EE, TTBAB, Kali (if it is not a cold day), Primeval and MAYBE Dinosaur.

Epcot will be Soarin, Living with Land (these 2 for sure) , Mission Space (green) and maybe Nemo/SE but only if time allows.

MK we would want to get on SM, BTM, Philharmagic, POC, Buzz and Splash (however it will most likely be under refurb like every Jan!

We have been many times so I am not worried if we miss things.

Would you do AK after HS since there is a direct bus or Epcot? We also have no problem taking a cab if needed. We do this often but usually only when lines are long for busses etc!

Thanks for any advice. I should say my kids are 14 and 9...DH is the one that will complain about running so much (although he may not since it is just for a day) but we have 4 relaxing days on the cruise starting the next day!

Kim

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Antkim, your park order sounds good. If you cared about World Showcase I'd say you should go there after HS and go in the back entrance, but since you don't have that on your list it seems to me that it would be a toss-up about which park to go to 2nd.

 

[catho72]

I came to theme park page today just to see what people say about doing all 4 in one day!

Here's my situation. We are trying to surprise our boys with a 4 night cruise in Jan. as their Xmas present (which we did a few years ago!). I would love to come in for 2 or 3 nights before so that we can go to the parks (my 13 yr old has not been to the parks in 3 years and is dying to go back!). When adding up the cost of hotel and park passes I have to be honest with myself that 2 nights and 1 day in the park is probably going to be what we can afford this time (3 nights and 2 days in parks is adding A LOT of $$).

SO since we are going in Jan. I know the parks will be a bit less crowded. HS has EMH the morning we will go to the park. So I am thinking we can get there early for TSM, TOT, RRC and ST. Would you head to AK or Epcot next?? I want to end the day in MK since it is open until 10.

At AK we will want to hit EE, TTBAB, Kali (if it is not a cold day), Primeval and MAYBE Dinosaur.

Epcot will be Soarin, Living with Land (these 2 for sure) , Mission Space (green) and maybe Nemo/SE but only if time allows.

MK we would want to get on SM, BTM, Philharmagic, POC, Buzz and Splash (however it will most likely be under refurb like every Jan!

We have been many times so I am not worried if we miss things.

Would you do AK after HS since there is a direct bus or Epcot? We also have no problem taking a cab if needed. We do this often but usually only when lines are long for busses etc!

Thanks for any advice. I should say my kids are 14 and 9...DH is the one that will complain about running so much (although he may not since it is just for a day) but we have 4 relaxing days on the cruise starting the next day!

Kim

I would head to Epcot first for two reasons: it's located directly behind DHS (you can take a bus or the boat to the IG entrance) and AK tends to clear out mid-afternoon. If you hit AK around 11, you will be arriving with lots of other people, whereas if you arrive around 2 or 3, for many it's a half day park so the rope droppers will be heading out around then clearing the lines for YOU!

Doing 4 parks in one day will be easier in January than it was for us in July......not nearly as crowded or HOT!

Good luck!

 

[bizeemom4]

I'm attempting this on my next solo trip.

I'm starting at HS and doing TSM only. 2x standby, maybe a FP if the return time is b4 11. Breakfast at Writer's Stop if I have to wait for a FP to mature.

Bus to AK around 11 (or sooner if I miss out on a FP). Safari FP, Pangani, FOTLK. ITTBAB if I have time to kill before Lion King. I am keeping everything focused in just that one area to avoid running everywhere.

Bus to CR, Poly or GF then to MK. Crowds will be insane because it's late October and not a party night. I will try to get FP for Buzz then COP, TTA, perhaps Halls of Presidents or the Riverboat to rest for a bit. Sticking with high capacity attractions. Quick service dinner at Captain Cooks around 8, watching Wishes then walking to TTC.

Monorail to Epcot for EMH. Not planning to accomplish much by this time. I am just going to Epcot to finish off my goal. Maybe Spaceship Earth then back to the resort.

I am working all day the next day in my hotel room which will give me plenty of time to rest and recover!

 

[torinsmom]

Totally possible! My family and I did this last June on my 40th birthday, and it was one of my favorite days in WDW. I don't understand those saying it won't be much fun.

We also started at AK for Morning EMH. We did the safari, and I watched ITtbaB while my DH and DSs rode EE single rider line. Then we headed to DHS and rode Star Tours and got FPs for TSM. Then we took the boat to Epcot where we ate at Le Cellier and strolled through World Showcase. We also rode Test Track single rider line. By then it was around 2:30, so we headed back to the resort for a nap! After a two-hour break, we went back to DHS to ride TSM. I know this wouldn't work now that they are enforcing the FP times. Then we headed to MK for Evening EMH. We arrived around 6:30 and stayed until midnight. We had a blast!

I will say it will help if you have a car instead of relying on WDW transportation.

Have a great time!

I think this is more about people who have never been to the WDW parks and how it might be less fun that just focusing on one or two parks. I wouldn't have done this on my first trip, because it would have been sad to leave a park after only riding 2 rides.

 

[antkim]

Thanks for your input guys!

I think we are going to opt to do HS, then AK, then Epcot and finally MK. The reason I am thinking this is because if we HAD to skip a park I think it would be Epcot (although this is my favorite park! My kids love it as well however since this day will be mostly about rides, Epcot would be the park we would probably skip).

I just talked with my DH and told him the plan. I informed him of my plan to go "all out" and how we will not want to hear any complaints (LOL) and he said not to worry..he would have no problem doing it "commando" style for a day especially because we have the 4 night cruise after. He is a big kid at heart and has not been to the parks in a few years either so he will be excited to go on them. AND this will be the first time my son goes on Rockin Roller Coaster. He is a coaster fanatic now..the bigger the better!

I am actually excited to try this!!

 

[Cupcaker]

Thanks for your input guys!

I think we are going to opt to do HS, then AK, then Epcot and finally MK. The reason I am thinking this is because if we HAD to skip a park I think it would be Epcot (although this is my favorite park! My kids love it as well however since this day will be mostly about rides, Epcot would be the park we would probably skip).

I just talked with my DH and told him the plan. I informed him of my plan to go "all out" and how we will not want to hear any complaints (LOL) and he said not to worry..he would have no problem doing it "commando" style for a day especially because we have the 4 night cruise after. He is a big kid at heart and has not been to the parks in a few years either so he will be excited to go on them. AND this will be the first time my son goes on Rockin Roller Coaster. He is a coaster fanatic now..the bigger the better!

I am actually excited to try this!!

I am in a similar situation. We're doing a cruise but plan to do one day in the parks beforehand. Your park line up is what I was thinking of doing. Right now, I only have 2-3 rides in each park. I hope it works out for you and your family has a great time. Let us know how it goes.

 

[juliebug1997]

OP,
I just like your kitties.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

OP,
I just like your kitties.

Thank you. Here's a picture of another one of my cats, the signature kitty's brother. He was asking me to play fetch with him and his bell.....that lasted a good hour before he crashed for a few minutes, woke up, and brought his bell back to me.

 

[Flagondry]

I still agree with this. It's not that our guests didn't enjoy themselves, they did. But they had wished we'd stuck to one park as did we. The problem is that they wanted to stop and look at everything constantly (who can blame them), but there was no time.

I agree. On my first visit we did all four parks, plus the two water parks in two days. Way. Too. Much. for a first visitor. The only park I feel like we really saw at all were HS and MK. I saw a drop of Epcot and AK. If I had a do-over, I would do two, at very most, even if I were trying to see as much as possible. Rushing in and doing two attractions and running out isn't really seeing a park for a first timer.

 

[PDJPrinceCharming]

I wish you good luck as this is something I do a lot. As a matter of a fact i'm doing 6 parks in 1 day on September 20 this year(All 4 WDW Parks plus Universal Studios & IOA) to challenge myself so i'm definitely down for the chance to do something like this. I do this in September every year & the weather usually cooperates. One advantage I usually have is that i'm a solo traveler but last year I was lucky enough to take someone special with me & took on the task with her. I did succeed in the end but it seemed several times like it wouldn't since we got sidetracked at the beginning & had two long table service meals during the day. Here is how it went down last year, in true Christopher Nolan Memento Fashion(i.e. backwards) & timestamped via my Facebook.

9:02 TTA Peoplemover

8:45 Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

8:23 Carousel of Progress

8:04 Arrive at Magic Kingdom

6:33 Chef Mickey's Dinner

5:56 Great Movie Ride

5:02 Star Tours

4:31 Muppets 3D

3:50 Toy Story Midway Mania

3:35 Arrive at Disney Hollywood Studios

2:58 Spaceship Earth

12:45 Le Cellier Lunch

12:05 Captain EO

11:42 Test Track

11:00 Soarin

10:46 Arrive at Epcot

10:00 Dinosaur

9:43 Primeval Whirl

9:31 Expedition Everest

8:59 It's Tough to be a Bug

8:35 Animal Kingdom

8:07 Start 4 Parks in 1 Day Challenge

Bare in mind I am a frequent visitor & know my way around all of the parks. I used only Disney transportation & never used a single fastpass. I just had an early EMH at AK but otherwise it was normal park hours with no evening EMH. This can be done & with a great touring plan this can be accomplished. Have fun & let us all know how it goes.

 

[glenpreece]

It's easy I've done this many times usually on the last day of my trips.

I do AK first, EE then Dinosaur and the Safari and the first LK show if there's an early one.

Now depending on if there's no Fantasmic I head to DHS next do ST, ToT, RnR and then head to Epcot (I don't care for TSMM) at Epcot I go in thru the back, have lunch and hit Soarin', MS, TT and SE.

I then monorail it over to MK for my faves and watch Wishes

Now if there's Fantasmic I'd go from AK to MK do my faves there monorail to Epcot do the rides have dinner in WS then head over to DHS for the rides and show.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

After thinking about it more, I ended up scrapping the idea of going to all 4 parks, going instead to AK and DHS. I would have gone to the 4 parks had my friends been to all the parks, but the mom had never been to AK and DHS and the daughter had, but with a friend who has a young son, so they didn't do the bigger rides.

We hit AK for most of early opening, after they arrived and checked into AS Sports (after getting lost trying to find it that morning driving from friend's S-mom's house in Melbourne). We went to Everest, the Safari, Tough to be a Bug, Lion King and Nemo shows, Primevil Hurl, as I call it, and Dinosaur (which scared the crapola out of our 13yo guest), plus 2-3 more times on Everest. We then headed over to DHS and were there by 2:30. We went to Primetime Cafe, which was a blast because we hadn't told our friends anything about the restaurant. We requested Mark, whom I've had on previous visits and he put us through the paces. Then we did most of everything we'd hoped to do in the park--Indiana Jones, Star Tours, RnR, Tower of Terror (x5 that day), and American Idol (once that afternoon and then back for the finale show). We stayed for part of the extra magic hours, but left probably at midnight, after a bad thunderstorm let up a little.

The day was great fun--tiring, but not too much. Nice that our friends could get the flavor of both parks. They are very "go with the flow" type people, so lots of fun to show around.

On Tuesday we went to Blizzard Beach. Storms rolled in after several hours, but we waited them out and ended up having 2-3 hours at the end of the day to enjoy the almost-empty park. After going back to my room and showering (they'd checked out of their room already) we hit Downtown Disney for dinner at Earl of Sandwich (only our 3rd time there that trip LOL) and some shopping. They left to drive back to the s-mom's house at probably 11. Fun times!

 

[Muffley]

I wish you all the best but this doesn't sound like fun to me...17 hours with all those bus/monorail waits and transfers sounds like torture but different strokes for different folks I suppose


Good luck, wear comfortable shoes, hydrate etc.

 

[scrapper2k]

I did it in Jan 2009. It's one of my fondest Dis memories. The thing is, I would not do it with first timers. Forget taking time to smell the roses, they won't absorb anything.