Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Blue Loop. Today we are looking at strategies to tackle all four Walt Disney World parks in just one day!
SET REALISTIC GOALS
Can you visit every attraction and see every show in all four Walt Disney World parks in just one day? Um, no. Could you do it in a week? Still no. Could you do it in a month? OK, yes, probably in a month. But who can spend that much time at Disney at one go!
So let’s go back to the unrealistic premise of visiting all four parks in just one day and see what realistic goals we could set to achieve this:
GOAL NUMBER ONE
Take advantage of Extra Magic Hours
Check the park schedules to see which park is opening early and which park is opening late. Compare these times to the regular operating hours of the other parks on your day of choice to maximize your chances of visiting all four parks.
You may need to start a little earlier and be willing to put in a grueling day, and probably stay out past your usual bedtime. But you’re on vacation so… who needs sleep?
GOAL NUMBER TWO
Reduce traveling times
If possible, in line with Goal Number One, try to move from park to park in a circular pattern. If you start with The Magic Kingdom, then travel clockwise on the Resort Monorail line to the Transportation and Ticket Center, switch to the Epcot Monorail line and ride it to Epcot. Your next park will then be Disney’s Hollywood Studios which you can reach by boat from Epcot. Lastly, you will have to take a bus to arrive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Of course, if you have a car, it may be quicker to drive between the parks. But keep in mind that traffic, far-away parking spaces, and tram delays could reduce your time in the parks.
Of course, you may need to go counter-clockwise if park times dictate that, but obviously you will want to avoid randomly bouncing from park to park like a ball in a pinball machine as this will eat away at your goal of visiting all four parks in just one day!
GOAL NUMBER THREE
Choose in advance what you will do in each park
Vacation Proverb: He who looks at everything experiences nothing. The Moral? Keep your head down and get’er done!
Assuming you can start your day at 9 am and have to end your day at 10 pm (possibly later) that would mean you will have approximately just three hours in each park with one hour (at least) being eaten up by travel.
So advance planning is a must! Ask yourself – What is the best thing about each park? Here are my suggestions:
The Magic Kingdom – Children’s Attractions/Shopping
Epcot – World Showcase
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Thrill Rides
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Kilimanjaro Safaris and Maharajah Jungle Trek
Your tastes may be different, so check out the attractions in each park and see what each park does best, in your opinion, and focus on only that during your visit to the park in question.
GOAL NUMBER FOUR
Don’t rush!
As mentioned in Goal Number Three, you will have only about three hours in each park. But to see what you want you can vary the amount of time spent in each park. This way, you won’t have to be like the White Rabbit, rushing from ride to attraction to park!
For example, following my suggestions in Goal Number Three, you may want to spend four hours in The Magic Kingdom (especially if you have children), the full three-hour allotment in Epcot, only two hours in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (as there are really only three main thrill rides available) and again the full three-hour allotment for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Leaving DAK until last is also wise for if you are running out of time, as there is arguably less to see and do in this park.
GOAL NUMBER FIVE
Blow off the next day!
Relax! Don’t plan anything for the morning of the next day. Get up a little later, sleep-in…
… and then have a nice brunch. Chill at the Resort and hit the pool in the early afternoon. Plan a nice dinner at a themed restaurant (maybe a character affair) to make up for the rushed food options you had to endure during your park marathon.
I think if you follow these five realistic goals, you will be able to visit all four parks in just one day, and survive to tell about it! Of course, I use the term ‘survive’ loosely.
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For more strategies to tackle four parks in just one day, check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Blue | 4 Parks 1 Day Loop:
- 1st Stop – Frontierland Station | 4 Parks, 1 Day: Challenge Accepted
- 2nd Stop – The Delightful Life | 4 Parks One Day: Capturing the Essence of Each Park
- 3rd Stop – Home is Where the Mouse Is | Completing the 4 Parks, 1 Day Challenge
- 4th Stop – Cool Nouns by Lee Beatens | (you are here)
- 5th Stop – My Dreams of Disney | Navigating All 4 Parks in One Day
Great tips, Lee! I especially liked the picture of you sleeping (I mean, Anna sleeping)! :)
I only wish I looked that good in the morning, minus the drool! Thanks for commenting, Mike!
Awesome tips! I definitely would recommend a car if possible, but even then you’re absolutely right – I think it’s easy to underestimate how much time it will take to get from one place to another!
Yeah, I can’t imagine pulling this off during a peak time. Bus lines would be terrible! Thanks for commenting!
I totally agree that setting realistic goals is a key to completing the challenge! Being flexible helps too!
Yup, go with the flow, not against it. Thanks for commenting!
Love that you have a recovery day built in. I may not do the challenge but I would happily join anyone for brunch the next day.
That sounds like a good part of the challenge to me too! Lol!