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When it comes to visiting Walt Disney World, there are so many things to see and do that it almost seems impossible to see it all! When we visit, we take about a week to see as many of the sites and sounds of all four parks, but what if you only have one day? Is it worth it to attempt to see all four parks in one day?
This challenge is known as the Disney World Challenge — and I’ll tell you, it probably isn’t easy, but I certainly think it is possible!
Pre-requisites
Before you start, you do need to do a little pre-DWC (Disney World Challenge) planning. To make the most out of your time, here are some questions you’ll want to get answers too.
- Pick a day that has either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot with evening Extra Magic Hours.
- Decide what attractions you’re going to absolutely need to ride at each of the parks.
- Are you driving to each of the parks or utilizing Disney Transportation?
- I recommend starting your day with Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.
- Lastly, make sure that you have park hopper tickets or annual passes — standard Magic Your Way tickets without Park Hopper will not allow you to get in to all the parks on the same day.
My Disney World Challenge Road Map
Like I said in the pre-requisites, I think starting with Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the best way to get the challenge started. Here is the order of park visits that I’ll be going with. In this example, my pre-planning has determined that the Magic Kingdom has evening Extra Magic Hours until 1AM. Additionally, I am taking advantage of Disney Transportation for this challenge.
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Epcot
- Magic Kingdom
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I’m going to plan on being there at rope drop, and I have two attractions that are must do on my list: Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. My plan is to head straight over to Kali River Rapids to get in and out as quickly as possible, then, after I ride it, I’m going to take on Expedition Everest in the Single Rider Line. If the park isn’t very busy, I may add on Kilimanjaro Safari to my attraction list.
After Animal Kingdom, I’m off to the busses to head on over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I have some specific attractions that I need to ride — mainly Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. These two attractions, though, are among the longest lines at the park, so it’s extremely important to try and make sure that I get a FastPass for at least one of them. Using my Touring Plans Lines App for my iPhone will tell me the standby wait and whether or not there are any FastPass tickets available, so make sure you have access to it. Depending on the results of your inquiry — and how late in the morning it is — I would make a beeline to TSM to get a FastPass ticket if they are available. If they aren’t, then go get one from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. In my hypothetical example, there is a FP available for TSM, so that’s what I got, then went over to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to utilize the Single Rider line available for it.
After riding the coaster, and before my TSM ride, I take a moment to enjoy lunch at Fairfax Fare, where I enjoy their wonderful Barbecued Pork Sandwich with slaw and a drink. Yummy! After lunch I’m off to Toy Story Mania, then I’m off to the boats to head on over to Epcot!
I know that a lot of people feel like the boats between Hollywood Studios, Boardwalk, and Epcot’s International Gateway entrance are too slow — and maybe they are. But it’s also a way for me to get off my feet and rest a minute, and to confirm what I want to do at Epcot.
At Epcot I have some attractions that I would love to enjoy, and fortunately, almost all of them are not as busy as some of the big rides at Epcot. I’m planning to enjoy at least Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros, Spaceship Earth (at least twice each), and if I can, Soarin’.
After the rides at Epcot, it’ll be time to take the Monorail over to the Magic Kingdom, where I’ll finish my challenge and enjoy some great attractions at the same time!
The Magic Kingdom is where I plan on enjoying my dinner — either Casey’s Corner, Cosmic Rays, or Columbia Harbour House, depending on my mood at the time. After dinner, I believe I’ll have several hours available to enjoy the park, so the first thing I’ll try to do is pick up a FastPass for Peter Pan’s Flight. I’ll also enjoy “it’s a small world“, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse — all great attractions!
Depending on the time, I plan to grab a popcorn and a diet coke, and settle in to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade, and then later on, Wishes. Since the park isn’t closing until 1AM, I believe I’ll have plenty of time to hit up my favorites, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain, as well as get in my Peter Pan FastPass. Additionally, I’ll watch the Carousel of Progress and ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!
All in all, I think I’ve got a realistic shot of making this happen — what do you think? What things have I left off of the list that may snag me up? Please let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!
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