Epcot and Animal Kingdom in 1 day?

[TulipMom]

Planning a trip for late August 2020... My kids will be 8 & 9 and now want to add at least a day at Universal and a day at Typhoon Lagoon onto our week in Orlando, which is significantly cutting down on our available WDW park time. This has me considering a Epcot and Animal Kingdom park hop day. We've never previously had less than a full day at either park, but kids are willing to skip character interactions and some of the smaller kid attractions.

Our must-do for Epcot is:
Test Track
Soarin
Mission Space
Lunch at Table Service restaurant in World Showcase
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Walk around world showcase (not stopping at each country, but make a full loop)

If time, we would add: Spaceship Earth, Frozen Ever After, The Seas with Nemo, and more time in World Showcase, but I'm imagining those things won't be able to happen.

Must do for Animal Kingdom:
Na'Vi River
FOP
Expedition Everest (probably will ride at least 3x, but willing to use single rider)
Dinosaur
Kali River Rapids
Dinner at quick service
Kilimanjaro Safaris

If time, would add: Festival of the Lion King

Any thoughts, experiences, suggestions on park hopping these 2 parks?

 

[glocon]

That sounds like a lot for one day. For sure you would have to rope drop. Do either of those parks have emh on that day? Or after hours events? That could help. There’s so much to see and do.... and never enough time!

 

[DWillowBay]

That's a very ambitious plan. I could see doing a 1/2 day at AK (til early afternoon) and then a hop to Typhoon Lagoon for the afternoon/ evening. But to put all those rides into one day, I can't imagine how you'd pull that off. Too much pressure and chaos for a fun day for me.

 

[heather913]

I think you will be incredibly rushed, especially considering the amount of time some of these things take. For example, FOP, at the very least with a FP takes 30 minutes. If you don't get a fast pass, this alone will take 2+ hours. The August heat will make this a very, very long day. Doing both parks in 1 day is doable, but I would reevaluate your "must-do" items.

 

[glocon]

I would get fp for TT and rd soarin’. Then if not able to get same day fp for FoP get in line a few minutes before close to have shortest wait for that ride.

 

[TulipMom]

That's a very ambitious plan. I could see doing a 1/2 day at AK (til early afternoon) and then a hop to Typhoon Lagoon for the afternoon/ evening. But to put all those rides into one day, I can't imagine how you'd pull that off. Too much pressure and chaos for a fun day for me.

Ohhhh.... that's an interesting thought! I haven't done Typhoon Lagoon since I was a teen, and I haven't spent much time really looking into it yet. Our kids are big swimmers and the water park day is the very top on their list of things to do. Even for water park obsessed kids, do you think an afternoon/evening would be enough there?

 

[CaptainJack4077913]

I have never been during late August so I don't know what the crowds will be like, but I'm not sure it's doable. Those are a lot of big ticket attractions and by my loose and fairly conservative math, you'd spend at least 8 hours in line alone, not taking transportation and eating into account. I agree that maybe doing one of the parks and then transferring to typhoon lagoon is the better option, particularly since Ratatouille isn't open and we have no idea what the lines will be except long.

 

[TulipMom]

I think you will be incredibly rushed, especially considering the amount of time some of these things take. For example, FOP, at the very least with a FP takes 30 minutes. If you don't get a fast pass, this alone will take 2+ hours. The August heat will make this a very, very long day. Doing both parks in 1 day is doable, but I would reevaluate your "must-do" items.

Good thoughts about the August heat being a factor! My husband is from Alabama, where I also lived for a while, but our kids are from Michigan and not used to the Florida heat. I should definitely factor that in! Thanks!

 

[DWillowBay]

Ohhhh.... that's an interesting thought! I haven't done Typhoon Lagoon since I was a teen, and I haven't spent much time really looking into it yet. Our kids are big swimmers and the water park day is the very top on their list of things to do. Even for water park obsessed kids, do you think an afternoon/evening would be enough there?

I've done both BB and Typhoon Lagoon in an afternoon/ evening arrangement and we didn't miss a thing.

 

[CaptainJack4077913]

Ohhhh.... that's an interesting thought! I haven't done Typhoon Lagoon since I was a teen, and I haven't spent much time really looking into it yet. Our kids are big swimmers and the water park day is the very top on their list of things to do. Even for water park obsessed kids, do you think an afternoon/evening would be enough there?

We went to Typhoon Lagoon on Christmas Day so the crowds were particularly low, but depending on how much your kids live water parks, I think half a day would be enough. I do highly recommend TL though, this was our first time going after 20+ years of WDW trips and we loved it.

 

[Miffy]

I got exhausted just reading your planned itinerary. My answer is: no. Don't even attempt this. There's no time in there for walking, for example, which both parks have a lot of. Or stopping to enjoy anything. Or just stopping since you'd be walking about 15 miles that day.

Also, you're planning to do both NRJ and FoP at DAK. If your FP+s are in Epcot, would you be trying to get FP+s for DAK after your Epcot ones had been used up? You realize, of course, that you can't get FP+s for both NRJ and FoP at the same time. You would have to score one of them, ride it, use another 2 DAK FP+s and then you'd be able to try for the other Pandora ride.

Your plan isn't impossible. You could do it if you rope-dropped Epcot, didn't do your "if there's time for" attractions, and took a cab to DAK. And if DAK had evening hours that night. And no one was whipped from the heat and all the walking.

DAK and Epcot are the two walkingest parks at WDW. And . . . August. Heat. Humidity.

ETA: Perhaps you don't realize this, but FoP is the hardest-to-get FP+ at WDW and the standby line can be 3+ hours long. If you do attempt this herculean feat of Epcot + DAK in one day, ride FoP as your last ride of the night. The standby wait times posted close to closing are highly exaggerated. But you will still have to wait.

 

[loves to dive]

Can it be done, yes, will it be exhausting, yes. If I were trying to do it, I'd actually do AK in the morning since Epcot tends to stay open later at night, especially in the summer. That is going to put a monkey wrench in your eating plans but since you are going to have PHs it would be possible to do AK, hop over Epcot for lunch, then walk around WS, grab what FPs you could and do the rides, hop back over to AK for supper, grab some FPs and do any rides you missed in the morning, pray Epcot is open later and hop back over there and finish up. That is a lot of hopping and praying for FPs and work for a vacation though. We have done all those must do rides in one day with the exception of Kali (cause Mama don't need to walk around wet all day) and Mission Space (cause Mama don't need to walk around sick all day) and of course Ratatoullie (cause it isn't open yet) and we have eaten at both parks during that day and it was in the summer. It was not planned, it just happened and we have on other trips hopped back and forth between AK and Epcot more than once in a day, again not planned just spur of the moment kind of thing.

 

[TulipMom]

If we attempted this... We would DEFINITELY rope drop. I was planning to save all FP+ for afternoon at AK and FOP would be dependent upon FP+ availability (we have ridden it twice before so do know the time involved!). Would certainly taxi over from Epcot to AK. And Touring Plans says this is technically achievable (in a world where all goes according to plan, which we all know is not likely). But, of course, that doesn't mean it's a good idea. . Also, Remy's new ride is a must for my kids and that is such an unknown variable at this point.

I'm almost didn't post this and I'm so glad I did. Such good info, experiences, wisdom shared here. I'm truly thankful!! I'm almost certain that I'll be reworking my plans to do a split park/TL day and use the day we'd set aside for TL for the other park. I can be a task-oriented person and one of my goals for this trip is to have more time for wandering and enjoying the magic. Trying to do Epcot & AK in 1 day would NOT match that goal - thanks for helping me see that!

 

[figmentfinesse]

I cannot recommend H2O glow enough to you. Tickets are pretty reasonable and there are NO WAITS AT ALL for any slide and the lighting is so fun. It runs from 8-11 and they’ve done it the past two summers so I’m feeling pretty good it will return.

 

[Disneypro1]

Literally impossible to do AK and Epcot in one day. Do not try this.....

 

[sjlogghe]

Could you do AK and HS in one day?? For me, there's not too much at HS that are must-do's anymore. So it'd be dependent on that. I know some people will balk at this, but I usually consider AK and HS my "half day" parks, and usually plan something else for the evening on those days - Disney Springs, relax at the hotel, etc.

 

[ELSA711]

I would split the water park day into half day @ Epcot and keep full day @ AK or vice versa.
That way you can at least pre book 3 FP for both EP and AK

 

[Frantasmic]

We went to WDW Dec 5 - 9. We did EPCOT/AK two half days, but it took two days of that to get all you want do do accomplished. Half day Dec 5 at AK, we did Dinosaur, Navi, Everest (all FP) watched a show and ate at Tusker house. Then at EPCOT did Soarin, Spaceship Earth, and Frozen (all FP). So, we had to do some less popular attractions than you wanted. Fun, but needed planning and good FP selection. Next day was Sunday, Dec 8 when we did the other items on your list at each park, again with FPs.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Planning a trip for late August 2020... My kids will be 8 & 9 and now want to add at least a day at Universal and a day at Typhoon Lagoon onto our week in Orlando, which is significantly cutting down on our available WDW park time. This has me considering a Epcot and Animal Kingdom park hop day. We've never previously had less than a full day at either park, but kids are willing to skip character interactions and some of the smaller kid attractions.

Our must-do for Epcot is:
Test Track
Soarin
Mission Space
Lunch at Table Service restaurant in World Showcase
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
Walk around world showcase (not stopping at each country, but make a full loop)

If time, we would add: Spaceship Earth, Frozen Ever After, The Seas with Nemo, and more time in World Showcase, but I'm imagining those things won't be able to happen.

Must do for Animal Kingdom:
Na'Vi River
FOP
Expedition Everest (probably will ride at least 3x, but willing to use single rider)
Dinosaur
Kali River Rapids
Dinner at quick service
Kilimanjaro Safaris

If time, would add: Festival of the Lion King

Any thoughts, experiences, suggestions on park hopping these 2 parks?

The only way I see this happening is if you were able to use EMH & skipping meals in favor of large, shareable snacks/food booths. I would also reverse the order doing AK first. Still would be a lot to cram in