When during my trip should I attempt 4 parks in 1day?

[maswanson11]

We are planning a 7 park-day, 8 night trip in January. Myself, DH and 3 DD's: 14, 12 and 11.

This is our 3rd trip as a family, our last trip was December 2017.

Our FastPass day is next Tuesday so trying to figure out our days for each park. I have some ADRs made but nothing I can't/won't change.

I am thinking our DDs are finally old enough to try to do 4 parks in 1 day. Should I do this in the middle of the week or the very last day?

My plans right now:

We will Park Hop, these are just the parks we are starting out in. ​

Arrival day: Disney Springs
Sunday: MK
Monday: EP
Tuesday: MK
Wednesday: DHS
Thursday: DHS
Friday: AK
Saturday: ?? Need to be a MK at some point this day
Sunday: Leave early flight

ToyStory Land and Galaxy Edge are both new this trip, that is why I planned two DHS days. But maybe I won't need both days? Have AK at the end of the trip so it should be easier to get FastPass.

Thank you for any help on plans!

 

[hiroMYhero]

We are planning a 7 park-day, 8 night trip in January. Myself, DH and 3 DD's: 14, 12 and 11.

This is our 3rd trip as a family, our last trip was December 2017.

Our FastPass day is next Tuesday so trying to figure out our days for each park. I have some ADRs made but nothing I can't/won't change.

I am thinking our DDs are finally old enough to try to do 4 parks in 1 day. Should I do this in the middle of the week or the very last day?

My plans right now:
We will Park Hop, these are just the parks we are starting out in.

Arrival day: Disney Springs
Sunday: MK
Monday: EP
Tuesday: MK
Wednesday: DHS
Thursday: DHS
Friday: AK
Saturday: ?? Need to be a MK at some point this day
Sunday: Leave early flight

ToyStory Land and Galaxy Edge are both new this trip, that is why I planned two DHS days. But maybe I won't need both days? Have AK at the end of the trip so it should be easier to get FastPass.

Thank you for any help on plans!

Just checking, are you sure you want to add on the Park Hopping upcharge for one day of hopping?

Thursday would be good if you decide to do 4 parks because you will have finished exploring DHS. The FP FAQ ADDENDUM Sticky has FP Park Hopping tips - link is in the first post.

 

[loves to dive]

I/we (sometimes solo) have done it on a number of occasions, each time not on purpose it just happened.

If I were planning it, I'd plan for mid-week since you might need a break from planning then. What has worked for us is hit early morning hours at park 1, it seems that has been AK each time and I think it works because we aren't heavy into rides so we only rode a few rides then hopped over to HS, again not a lot of rides, walked over to Epcot for lunch (this has happened every time during either F&G or F&W so lunch was snacking at booths) walked to FW and rode a ride or two then rode the monorail to MK. Rode a few rides and shopped some at MK then back to resort. I'm sure we ate supper at some time and caught breakfast at our favorite little QS in AK next to the Safari ride. We have really never planned it, and haven't ridden more than one or two rides at each park and never with advance FPs, if we make them it's while we are standing in line for a ride. We are very seat of our pants type people and that works for us.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I think I would base it on which parks have morning EMH and when to buy you that extra hour of lower crowd time to move around more efficiently.

If that doesn’t interest you, I think I would do Saturday. 4 parks in one day and ending it with the MK on your last night sounds really fun.

 

[SgtTibbs]

We've just did that on the last day of our Vacay. It gave everyone a chance to hit a favorite attraction one last time.

 

[YawningDodo]

Both times I did four parks in one day, I based my touring order on which parks were open earliest and latest (including which had EMH, if applicable). So I'd check park hours...but with a whole family in tow I'd think ahead about how long of a day you want that to be. My last 4 park day in 2018 was 17 hours long counting time waiting for rope drop and time walking to the bus at the end, which gave me tons of time to do everything I wanted to...and which was an insane amount of time to be on my feet and was almost certainly the reason I came down with the flu immediately after that trip.

So that's the other side of it: if you want to do a very brief 4 park day where you just ride one or two things at each and keep it to a regular length day, that's one thing. If you want to go nuts and be in the parks as long as any of them are open, I'd really suggest scheduling a rest day afterward.

 

[Sarahslay]

I have only ever done it solo, but I always do it on my first full day because I'm not exhausted yet. I always go on the same days of the week, and it always coincides with AK EMH for some odd reason lol (creature of habit). I start at AK EMH, and on my last trip that was a full 2 hours before any other park opened so I was able to finish there and head to HS where I RD a few rides and then took a boat to Epcot. I was at Epcot before lunch and was able to take it pretty easy, then headed to MK when I was ready, and I was actually in MK by 5pm but could have been there sooner I just decided to slow down a bit. It was easy because I woke up excited the last time I did it and let that excitement carry me through the day, if I had done it later in the trip I would have already started to get tired. I don't explore the parks on those days, I pick several things I want to do and then explore later in the trip when I'm more tired and taking things more slowly.

 

[PSUGuy]

IMHO, never. Did this once years ago, spent more time travelling between parks and waiting in line than it was worth. But, if it's on your Bucket List, have fun!

Bill From PA

 

[trubgerg]

I would say never to protect your sanity and to limit the amount of whining within your group.

But I have thought about it and here's how I'd do it.
- I'd say doing it on the first or last day of a vacation would be too stressful.
- Plan for two parks from morning to early afternoon, then take a break for a few hours and go back for the other two parks for the evening and end with whichever park has the latest closing time.
- Be very open about which attractions you want to experience so you don't get slowed down by wait times or too much walking around.
- Get mentally prepared for a long day and let your group know that any stragglers will be left behind.

 

[okilydokily]

We did it twice, both times on the last day. We just decided to see each park one more time before going home. We didn't get too many rides in, but that was okay. One time we had a car and were staying off site, and it was pretty easy that way. For me, it was not a stressful day, even with a 5 year old. We had no expectations other than to see each park and maybe get a ride or two in. The first time, we each had decided on our souvenirs but they were at different parks, so just decided to throw the other park in there.

 

[gatorlisa]

Each time we have done it, we have done it on a Wednesday, to take advantage of MK evening EMH, since that gives us the most park hours to play with. Our method for 4-parks-1-day is begin at AK, bus to HS, boat to Epcot, monorail to MK. Our first FPs of the day are at HS and we go from there.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Never. I don't see the point.
I can only understand this for someone who has done it all many times and with just one day to spend, and really wants to just get on one or two lower tiered attractions.
Choosing to do this when you have plenty of days to spend at each park, just seems like planning a really inefficient and frustrating way to experience Disney.

 

[kylenne]

Never. I don't see the point.
I can only understand this for someone who has done it all many times and with just one day to spend, and really wants to just get on one or two lower tiered attractions.
Choosing to do this when you have plenty of days to spend at each park, just seems like planning a really inefficient and frustrating way to experience Disney.

It's not always about efficiency. Some people make fun challenges out of doing 4 in 1. Last time when I was solo I did it for the giggles, and got a snack in each park on my last day. It was exhausting but a really fun way to end the trip. A friend of mine once tried to meet as many princesses as she could in one day, and it took her to all 4 parks.

OP I would agree with PP and say that starting with AK is your best bet. When I did it, I went AK -> DHS -> Epcot -> MK. If you want to save your feet, remember you can take the Friendship Boat from DHS to Epcot.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I do it all the time, I guess I'm the odd person out! Maybe I have a short attention span but I tend to be done in a park after a few hours. It's hard for me to look at my schedule for an upcoming trip and say "I'll be in Animal Kingdom all day this day". So, from experiencing it with all of the good & bad, these are my tips. I usually start in AK with EMH. I think the reason this turns into a 4 park day is it's easy to do the majority of what I want & leave quickly. If you skip FOP you can honestly be in & out in 1.5 hours or less (for me this means RD Safari, then ride Everest & Dinosaur, maybe swing by the tigers, and leave). I go to Epcot for breakfast/lunch and to ride a few more things (Mission Space, living with the land, spaceship earth, soarin' or frozen if I can). As for Fastpasses, you can kind of do whatever you want. You could do AK early morning ones if you want to ride FOP. You could do Epcot if you're dead set on riding Soarin' or Frozen. Since they changed the tiers in DHS I'd do AK or Epcot, because once you use your 3 you can book your additional ride & rebook fastpasses which are much better at DHS than booking three there for the late afternoon. That's coming from someone who is fine with skipping TSL, however. When I go to DHS I ride Star Tours, TOT (multiple times if possible), RNRC, and I get a cider at Baseline Tap House. If SDD is your priority, maybe DHS is where you need to book your fastpasses. Just something to think about. Anyway, I then finish up at MK. It's the most annoying park to get in/out of so I think it's only good for a first or last stop, because otherwise you waste a lot of time traveling. It's always a long but super fun day! If you can take a more relaxing mode of transport like the skyliner or boat I say do it, because you'll get to be off your feet for a bit. Have fun!

 

[YawningDodo]

Never. I don't see the point.
I can only understand this for someone who has done it all many times and with just one day to spend, and really wants to just get on one or two lower tiered attractions.
Choosing to do this when you have plenty of days to spend at each park, just seems like planning a really inefficient and frustrating way to experience Disney.

Sure, except for the part where I did FoP, NRJ, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, Frozen Ever After, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and at least half a dozen additional rides all in one Saturday during January 2018's unusually high crowds.

 

[WDWFan4ever]

I'm with the above 2 posters - not that hard to do and we still get good rides. It isn't like you are attempting every ride in each park, right? In January, I would imagine it would be even easier. We have done it on each trip and our boys were about a bit younger than your youngest when we started doing it. We started it one year as a mountain/coaster challenge and realized it wasn't that hard to do so added in Epcot with Test Track and Soarin since we still had time that day. The next year we did those rides plus each kids favorites at each park (TTA, Buzz, Midway Mania, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Space Ship Earth etc...) As advised, take advantage of EMH and we are usually done by dinner time and don't need to use late night hours. When we use FP, we usually do it for whatever park is 2nd or third. We typically hit 4-6 rides in each park and a snack/meal. Last year we did FP for AK since FOP was both boys top ride and started with EMH in Magic Kingdom. MK EMH it is easy to do 7 Dwarfs, Space (usually 2x) and Buzz (2x) before park opens and then hit Big Thunder, Splash, Pirates in the next hour and then off to the next park.

It is even easier if they expand EMH for Galaxy's Edge. We did every ride at HS and were out of the park in time to rope drop a second park (Epcot). Just approach it as a fun thing to do and not a death march

 

[Park Pirate]

We have done this. I think the day should depend upon your reasons for doing it. I could see doing it on the first day, if you are eager to get a taste of all the parks after being in anticipation since your last trip. And/or as a way to get a feel for any changes since you last were there. I could also see it as a last, or second to last day thing, as a way to say goodbye to all the parks. One thing I do not like is when you leave a specific park for the last time and you still have several days left on your vacation. Finally, if it is something that you just want to do to say you have done, it probably does not matter much - although I would pay attention to expected crowd level days. Personally, I tend to want to spend a lot of time in a single park on days when it is least crowded. Once it gets really crowded, it is easier for me to jump somewhere else (even if the somewhere else is also crowded).

I would definitely pay attention to the park hours. I would have AK and MK as the bookends and do Epcot and HS in the middle. Anymore, it seems as if Epcot is the least crowded park, so it is probably best at the busiest time of the day. It also depends how you are traveling. Monorail or car to MK takes a long time, while car to Epcot is most efficient. I also like driving to AK, as it is seems to take buses longer to get there. If the hours lined up (AK open early and MK late), I would probably drive (or bus) to AK, then drive (or bus) to Epcot. Lunch and a few rides at Epcot. Then boat or Skyliner (I have not used this yet) to HS. I would have my Fast Passes set up at HS. I would then bus to MK (seeing if there were any FP available) for the night. After I would either bus to the resort or back to Epcot for the car.

Just my $0.02.

 

[hiroMYhero]

The OP has never returned to this thread and doesn’t appear to have park hopper tickets. FP day should have been this morning.