Ambitious 3-4 park hop in ONE day - help needed!

[cwong2k]

My fiancé and I get to be at WDW for one day, and I’m trying to squeeze in as much as possible. Logistically, I’m not sure if this could work and your feedback would be appreciated. We are going June 22 (Thursday), 2023. We live close to Disneyland so we’re trying to prioritize what is unique to WDW. We will have Genie+ and willing to purchase ILL.

Starting at Epcot (rope drop at 9)
-Guardians
-Remy’s
-Frozen
-Spaceship Earth
-Living with the Land/Soarin
-Time to shop and explore park (fiancé)
-If time permits: Test Track, American Show, Mexican Boat Ride

2:00 lunch reservation at Garden Grill

From here I have two options (taking free transportation by Disney):

OPTION 1: Hollywood Studios
-Indiana Jones Show 4:15 PM
-Midway Mania
-If time permits: Tower of Terror

OPTION 2: Animal Kingdom
-Flight of Passage
-Na’vi River Adventure
-Dinosaur

From this point on, we have to go to MK because fiancé wants pictures at the castle.

6:00ish Magic Kingdom
-Castle pictures
-Country Bear
-People Mover
If time permits:
-TRON
-Carousel of Progress
-Haunted Mansion

Night time options:
-Return to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic (show at 9)
-Return to Epcot (closing 9)
-Stay in Magic Kingdom (closing 10)

Is this possible???? Also, fiancé likes shopping and photo taking so I have to factor that in

 

[Redsred3]

I know you want to start at Epcot, but if trying to hit as many parks as possible, I’d start with a park that opens earlier. I think Animal Kingdom does, possibly MK too. And end at the park that stays open the latest.

 

[cwong2k]

I know you want to start at Epcot, but if trying to hit as many parks as possible, I’d start with a park that opens earlier. I think Animal Kingdom does, possibly MK too. And end at the park that stays open the latest.

Unfortunately, we can’t park hop until 2 PM, and Epcot has the most things we want to accomplish

 

[Mikey15]

Hrm. Definitely sounds challenging ("limiting" yourself, maybe?) trying to squeeze 3 in one day, with PH only starting at 2pm. Not to discourage you from trying! I'd just want you to actually enjoy what you're doing.

Rope drop Epcot - great idea! given the unique rides & experiences vs. Cali. You'll probably want to rope drop either Frozen or Remy (and plan which entrance you go to based on that) and G+ the other, while V queuing for Guardians.

2pm Garden Grill - not at all to discourage you from trying it out, but if you are planning on Hopping, I'd look for an earlier reservation to allow you to already be hopping at 2pm. Looks like it starts as early as 11:30, and cancellations do happen a fair bit under the new 2hr ADR rules, so you might find an earlier time even the morning of!

Ending at MK - again, the right call. Looks like MK is open until 10pm (latest of the parks) next Thursday, and fireworks aren't until 9:20pm. You have a lot of time to enjoy MK, depending on when you leave the preceding park.

So which to pick? AK is only open until 7, which is fine for you since you'd be heading to MK anyway. Travel time is a bit longer between AK & MK than Hollywood. FOP, Safari (which you can G+) and Navi are a bit more unique compared to California. You basically still have Tower of Terror there, just with the Guardians reskin. Everest is one of the best coasters at Disney too.

But Hollywood is a little closer / more convenient from Epcot and to MK. You also could in theory knock it off from ~2pm to whenever Indy lets out. The Star Wars stuff won't be really different from what you've already seen (AFAIK), so your list of priorities there won't be that big. You ~could~ do the 4th park hop and fit in some AK things from 5-7 too, but I'm telling you from experience that the travel times between parks really do add a lot (or take a lot out of the time you think you have).

Personally I think I'd lean towards planning 3 parks, plan to leave Epcot and get to AK as early as possible (that's where my heart would be vs. Hollywood anyway), and try and beat the "closing" AK crowd to get to MK ~6ish like you've planned.

 

[mab2012]

I said AK because you said you wanted to prioritize attractions that are unique to WDW, and aren't there ToT and TSMM equivalents in California? (I've never been, so please excuse me if I'm mistaken!)

I think I'd lean towards staying at MK at the end of the night, especially if you want time to wander around shops. I think your plan is *probably* doable, assuming not worse than moderate crowd levels and that you can line-skip at the popular attractions, but even then it's going to be tight. Be prepared to walk fast.

Travelling between parks is not fast. By the time you get out of one park, wait for a bus, transfer, and get into the other park, it typically takes about an hour. Getting from Epcot to HS would be a bit faster, especially if you are willing to walk it (Skyliner can be painfully slow sometimes). So there's that to consider. But leaving from Garden Grill, you'll be a bit closer to the buses at the front of the park than IG at the back, and you're probably going to be pretty run off your feet by the end of the day, so the extra walk to HS might not appeal.

Obviously you can't do everything in a day. You can't even do everything in one park in a day, if you're leaving time for shopping, photos, and food. I think you're doing a good job of being selective about what you want to do - just make sure you have a good touring plan to minimize travel time both within and between parks, and know that you might have to adjust and drop some things if the day doesn't quite go according to plan.

 

[ksinniger]

Just seconding the sentiment that you should not underestimate how long it can take to get from one park to another using Disney buses. Coming from Disneyland, you're no doubt used to easily hopping from one park to another. But it's just not that simple if you're going anywhere but between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Sometimes, you can get lucky and hit the timing perfectly. But I have always relied upon Lyft/Uber (or minnie vans when available) to get from park to park when time was of the essence.

 

[cwong2k]

Thanks guys! You all bring up some excellent points. Couple of questions:
-My fiance is the type of person that doesn't like thrill rides (liking the fantasyland rides at disneyland the best, while disliking Radiator Springs because the ride went up and down at the "racing section), enjoys taking up the "ambience" of the park, and enjoys shopping and being chill.....I'm kind of the opposite (the ride junkie) haha. Would it not be a good idea to attempt to squeeze in 3 parks with this type of guest? Right now, I'm thinking Epcot, AK, and Magic Kingdom, but I'm concerned she won't enjoy the experience. But I'm trying to make it work so we both enjoy the day.

-What kind of activities can we do together that would work well with this type of person? (the shopping, foodie, photo-taking, likes cutesy slow-moving "chill" rides - she said the #1 thing she was looking forward to in this trip was taking a picture with the MK castle haha)

-How "worth it" is Flight of Passage to make the trip out to AK?

 

[Mikey15]

Thanks guys! You all bring up some excellent points. Couple of questions:
-My fiance is the type of person that doesn't like thrill rides (liking the fantasyland rides at disneyland the best, while disliking Radiator Springs because the ride went up and down at the "racing section), enjoys taking up the "ambience" of the park, and enjoys shopping and being chill.....I'm kind of the opposite (the ride junkie) haha. Would it not be a good idea to attempt to squeeze in 3 parks with this type of guest? Right now, I'm thinking Epcot, AK, and Magic Kingdom, but I'm concerned she won't enjoy the experience. But I'm trying to make it work so we both enjoy the day.

-What kind of activities can we do together that would work well with this type of person? (the shopping, foodie, photo-taking, likes cutesy slow-moving "chill" rides - she said the #1 thing she was looking forward to in this trip was taking a picture with the MK castle haha)

-How "worth it" is Flight of Passage to make the trip out to AK?

Here goes... first off! You mentioned Guardians first, so I may have falsely assumed thrill rides were a go. Definitely don't spend ILL$ on it if motion sickness could potentially ruin your one day (that said, virtual queue is pretty straightforward to get for free if you go on at the prescribed times). It's a "smooth" coaster, as far as the track is concerned; it doesn't give you a bunch of up and down "hills" where you feel like you're flying out of your seat. It does, however, spin your "pod" around, including sending you backwards/sideways relative to the track. Some people don't do well with this. Personally I love the ride, and even my wife who's more prone to Motion Sickness than I am toughs it out because she still enjoys it overall.

Second though, to the bigger picture, if your fiancée enjoys the "chill" stuff, the cutesy rides, the shopping, the ambiance, the atmosphere, I would probably not recommend busting *** over to a bunch of different rides. There's more than enough to enjoy at any one of the parks, really, by taking it slow. That being said, it's your trip too, and I can totally understand wanting to try as many things that are different from California as possible, and that's totally valid.

Let me qualify what I'm about to say by saying that Animal Kingdom is one of my favourite parks to go and just exist. The ambiance of Pandora, especially at night, the "living" illuminations on the Tree of Life, again at night, are so cool to just wander around, or sit and watch, and take in slowly. But there is no "night" at Animal Kingdom in June due to the early closure times. The daytime activity is great too... Kilimanjaro Safari is a must-do each time for us to go see the animals. We even enjoy taking the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch to visit the petting zoo section with goats and pigs. The "Maharajah Jungle Trek" is like a compact version of a walk through a nice zoo, complete with unusual sections like a walk-through aviary, or a fruit bat exhibit. Ride-wise, I'd say Dinosaur is actually a no-go if you're trying to avoid thrill rides. I think the animatronics are really neat, but I love thrill rides and even I find the motion of it to be "herky-jerky" and unenjoyable. Expedition Everest is one of my favorite Disney coasters, though I suppose behind Guardians now. You also get a really cool view (IMO) of WDW from the top of the mountain. I've never had a bad time at the Festival of the Lion King show; they do a really good job with that. Flights of Passage is cool, but it's like a "thrill ride" version of Soarin'. You could probably skip it, and just see Pandora, and go on Na'vi River Journey to see the Na'vi animatronic and be just as happy. I don't do that great with 3D glasses + motion simulators, so while I think it's probably the best example of the genre, I don't need to do it every time I'm there.

...

All that is me leading up to say I'd strongly consider just enjoying Epcot and MK. Take in everything that Epcot has that you want to see. Soarin' is fun, while being less intense than FoP. You won't see Figment anywhere else. Guardians, have I mentioned, I love? Test Track is different than normal "thrill rides" in that you get some serious speed without a bunch of up & down motion, and it's honestly one of my favourites too. Even heading to the aquarium ("The Seas with Nemo & Friends") is nice to see some fish, sharks, and even manatees! There's a mini-ride "to" the aquarium (but optional) that retells the story of Finding Nemo... it's nothing to write home about but does tickle the desire for a cutesy, fun, dark ride.
I will caveat this by saying in June 2023 with so much of Epcot still under renovation that there's a little less ambiance to enjoy now than there used to be, but I think you can solidly fill rope drop to mid-afternoon with fun things you'll both enjoy doing.

Then you'd get to do that quintessential Walt Disney World experience of hopping on the monorail and heading to Magic Kingdom. It's the most visited park for a reason, in that, while for you it does have a lot of overlap with Disneyland, it really does have a lot to do. There are more rides than some of the other parks put together, but also there's a lot of the ambience, shopping, and atmosphere it sounds like your fiancée will really enjoy. Some of my favourite all-time Disney days with my wife were slow days at AK or MK that weren't ride-focused and were more about enjoying the park and each other. Space Mountain and Big Thunder are fun, but so is getting a Dole Whip Float and a funnel cake, and heading to Main Street to watch the fireworks. Or just hopping on the Peoplemover to tour around Tomorrowland. I'm really excited to get to ride the train again too (it's been closed for a really long time). My only word of caution is the Carousel of Progress... it's classic Disney to the point of being kitsch, but it doesn't really come with a big enough warning that you will be in that moving theatre with no exit for close to half an hour!

TL;DR, as much as I love AK, why not do two parks well rather than rush in a 3rd?

 

[Skippyboo]

I would try to move Garden Grill to before 2pm so you could be out at the buses to park hop. I would go for AK since most of the HS stuff is also in California parks. Flights of Passage is definitely worth it. I would get the paid LL. The safari ride is good too, the jungle treks are nice. You could single rider Everest while your other half does some shopping/snacking. The big gift shop at AK by the tree of life is pretty nice.

Then end at MK for Happily Ever After.

 

[Narcoossee11]

I think 4 parks is impossible.
No way you should spend time at a sit down restaurant. That meal will be at 90 minutes if not 2 hours.
As others have mentioned WDW is HUGE compared to DLAND. Travel time to another park, at least 60-90 minutes.
WDW is 42 sq miles.

 

[piccolopat]

I would pick option 2 because those attractions are better than what you listed for option 1. I would drop Garden Grill and just di quick service to save time. Use Lyft to get between parks faster.

 

[jeff_h]

I say definitely start at AK (and skip the TS meal unless it's done well before you would leave to make a hop at 2pm) - and I'll be at WDW that day and will have my car so if you two want some assistance during your adventure send me a DM... and in any case good luck and have a good time!

 

[Belle_Ann]

Agree that if that trying to do 3 parks, you don’t have time for a table service like Garden Grill. If you do a 2pm reservation there and use busses to the next park, it will likely be closer to 4:30-5 when you get to the next park. And note Guradians is intense. I’m prone to motion sickness and didn’t feel great for the next few hours afterwards and had to take it easy. It was worth it, but if I was trying to pack things in, it would have slowed me down .

 

[lvdis]

My fiancé and I get to be at WDW for one day, and I’m trying to squeeze in as much as possible. Logistically, I’m not sure if this could work and your feedback would be appreciated. We are going June 22 (Thursday), 2023. We live close to Disneyland so we’re trying to prioritize what is unique to WDW. We will have Genie+ and willing to purchase ILL.

Starting at Epcot (rope drop at 9)
-Guardians
-Remy’s
-Frozen
-Spaceship Earth
-Living with the Land/Soarin
-Time to shop and explore park (fiancé)
-If time permits: Test Track, American Show, Mexican Boat Ride

2:00 lunch reservation at Garden Grill

From here I have two options (taking free transportation by Disney):

OPTION 1: Hollywood Studios
-Indiana Jones Show 4:15 PM
-Midway Mania
-If time permits: Tower of Terror

OPTION 2: Animal Kingdom
-Flight of Passage
-Na’vi River Adventure
-Dinosaur

From this point on, we have to go to MK because fiancé wants pictures at the castle.

6:00ish Magic Kingdom
-Castle pictures
-Country Bear
-People Mover
If time permits:
-TRON
-Carousel of Progress
-Haunted Mansion

Night time options:
-Return to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic (show at 9)
-Return to Epcot (closing 9)
-Stay in Magic Kingdom (closing 10)

Is this possible???? Also, fiancé likes shopping and photo taking so I have to factor that in

@cwong2k How did your day go? I'm curious what you ended up doing and if you used Genie+ or ILL.

 

[cwong2k]

@cwong2k How did your day go? I'm curious what you ended up doing and if you used Genie+ or ILL.

Thanks for asking! You guys were such a big help in this. You all were right about the character dining (took a full 2 hours) but felt totally worth it (its our first picture with Micky!). We maxed out on Genie+ and the two ILL. We also skipped the third and fourth park...my fiancee is type that likes to shop and take pictures, and making her hustle to 3-4 theme parks would've made her miserable and by extension, me miserable. So we settled on Epcot and Magic Kingdom which still ended up being a very busy day. It was HOT June 22...Epcot is by far the hottest park I've ever been too, just the walk from Japan to Garden Grill was brutal with no shade along the way.

Here's basically what we did that day (this is what a day looks like when a ride junkie and a photo junkie compromise on a disney day haha):
-Woke up at 7 and got LL for Remy's at 11
-Rope dropped Frozen Ever After (45 min wait)
-Took photos and videos of the Norwegian area
-Went to Mexico and did the boat ride
-Browsed the Mexican shops
-Looked around China
-Walked towards Remy's while taking photos and videos
-LL for Remy's Ride
-Explored Morocco and took photos
***by now the fiancee is starting to get crabby by the heat/humidity, but we push on***
-GARDEN GRILL (a trip highlight! Food was sooooo good, and meeting the characters so AMAZING)
-LL for Living with the Land Ride
-Take photos at UK and explore UK gift shop
-ILL for Guardians Ride (a VERY good ride...although, I think I still prefer the Disneyland Space Mt, but to be fair to Guardians, Space Mt. is my favorite ride of all time (I'd go to Disneyland and ride that ride ALL day long if I could))
-Take photos w/ the Epcot Ball
-Explore Connections shop
-LL for Spaceship Earth (I've been waiting to revisit this ride for over 20 years!!!)
-Monorail to Magic Kingdom (by now its 4:00 PM)
-Take castle photos (for my fiancee, this was her number one trip goal, to see the Magic Kingdom castle...she was amazed how much BIGGER it was than the disneyland version...."why can't they tear down ours, and build it like Magic Kingdom's" she asked haha)
-LL for Ride the Peter Pan ride (we don't have LL for Peter Pan in Disneyland so this was amazing)
-LL for Haunted Mansion ride (this is a better version than the one at Disneyland)
-Dinner
-LL for Pirates of Carr. (quene is better here)
-Carousel of Progress (This and people mover was the #1 things I wanted to ride....I MISSED THIS SHOW SO MUCH, you can really feel the Disney magic here)
-ILL for Seven Dwarves Mine ride (awesome ride!! Wish it was a bit longer though)
-Fireworks (blows the Disneyland fireworks out of the water!)

Overall, a fun and enjoyable day. If my fiancee was ride junkie like me, we could've ran to the 3-4 parks and did it, but taking in the scenery, food, and merchandise was new for me and enjoyable.

P.S. By the grace of God and His goodness, I'm also happy to report that we ended up having an extra 10 hours to kill at the airport so we made it to Animal Kingdom anyways !! It's a good half day park! (it would've been too hot to explore the nature trails, but perfect for riding the rides and seeing the lion king show)

 

[cwong2k]

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[DL1WDW2]

Great and fun trip report!
Glad the attractions did not have any breakdowns for your day… but getting stuck on Space Mountain right in front of the flashing round circular orb for onehour wait to be evacuated !!! Fun fun fun !

Hope you get to return someday for Universal Studios Orlando .

 

[cwong2k]

Great and fun trip report!
Glad the attractions did not have any breakdowns for your day… but getting stuck on Space Mountain right in front of the flashing round circular orb for onehour wait to be evacuated !!! Fun fun fun !

Hope you get to return someday for Universal Studios Orlando .

Can't even imagine LOL. No ride breakdowns but was got caught in two major rainstorms that day (although the Haunted Mansion ended up being an excellent canopy haha)

 

[mickey+minnie91]

Make sure you hit AK! I am a Disneyland vet as well and MK is just underwhelming compared to Disneyland. I would focus on Epcot and AK with FOP a must do in AK.