How We Successfully Visited 4 Disney Parks in a Single Day

I visited all 4 Walt Disney World parks with my husband on a recent Saturday. Had I not experienced it myself, I would have dismissed the idea of visiting 4 parks in 1 day as too exhausting or not worth it.

But it was fun and surprisingly easy, adding an extra thrill to visiting Disney World and allowing us to hit multiple big-ticket rides.

Here’s how we did it.

Why We Visited 4 Parks in 1 Day

We originally planned to visit Epcot and Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot and eat around the World Showcase. Then, we’d head to Animal Kingdom after lunch and use a Lightning Lane single pass for Avatar Flight of Passage between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

We decided to squeeze Hollywood Studios between Epcot and Animal Kingdom to see “Fantasmic!” at 6:30 p.m. Since Animal Kingdom closed at 8 p.m. that night, we had plenty of time to finish our visits at Magic Kingdom, which closed at 11 p.m. We went into the day with a triple-park plan and decided to see how we felt about making it to the Magic Kingdom after Animal Kingdom.

Here’s how our schedule played out and some of the highlights we enjoyed at each park:

• Epcot from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: We joined the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, rode Soarin’ Around the World on a Lightning Lane multipass, and ate around the World Showcase.
• Hollywood Studios 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.: We hit every “Star Wars” ride and used a Lightning Lane multipass for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway before grabbing a quick dinner and watching “Fantasmic!”
• Animal Kingdom 7:40 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: The only ride we had time for was Avatar Flight of Passage on a Lightning Lane single pass, but we took our time leaving to enjoy the sights of Pandora at night and shop on our way out.
• Magic Kingdom 9:15 p.m. to 11 p.m.: When we arrived, Pirates of the Caribbean only had a 20-minute queue. We used Lightning Lane multipass for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the Haunted Mansion.

How We Visited 4 Parks in 1 Day

Using Park Hopper tickets, Virtual Queue, Lightning Lanes, and driving a rental car, we minimized wait times and maximized attractions, with lines never exceeding 20 minutes. However, keep in mind that our visit to all 4 parks in 1 day was a last-minute decision, and I’d approach it slightly differently if we did it again.

What Worked for Us

Before we dive into some of the strategies that helped facilitate visiting 4 parks in 1 day, none of this would have been possible without purchasing a Park Hopper ticket. Without a Park Hopper ticket or an annual pass, you can only visit 1 Disney World park.

Taking Advantage of Time-Saving Options

The Lightning Lane multipass allowed us to reduce the time spent in lines and thus visit more attractions. I booked reservations after we tapped into Lightning Lanes and booked ahead at future parks before getting there. Booking Lightning Lanes for the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure while we were at Hollywood Studios sealed the deal for visiting all 4 parks!

Similarly, booking the virtual queue was critical. In fact, it was the only way we could ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. We got into the queue when it opened at 7 a.m., and were met with a short line, allowing us to get onto the ride quickly.

How We Structured Our Day Was Critical

A few aspects of how we timed our day worked in our favor. First, we visited on an event day. Hollywood Studios was hosting a Jollywood Nights party the day we visited, so the park closed early to regular guests at 7 p.m., but party guests could only enter as early as 6 p.m.

That gave us the shortest afternoon lines I’d ever seen at Hollywood Studios, as some regular guests without Park Hopper tickets avoided the park that closed early. The event guests didn’t start entering until we were almost ready to leave. We practically walked on to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance with a 20-minute queue and sped through a 5-minute Star Tours line.

Second, we chose to close parks down. Some people swear by the rope drop, but the end of the night is where it’s at. With the rope drop, you’re running with early crowds and might get short lines for a few attractions before it all falls apart.

At the end of the night, the lines only get better the later it gets. However, closing time is a risk because some rides could shut down for the night, especially those prone to breaking down, such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Finally, we decided to visit Magic Kingdom last, because it has the toughest transportation and usually the latest closing hours.

We had to ride a tram from a faraway parking spot, then the monorail from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom. That added about half an hour getting in, but it was shorter than it would have been earlier in the day because there weren’t many guests going in that late, and we didn’t face long transportation lines like in the daytime.

The park closed at 11 p.m., and it was perfect for speeding through short queues. I was fortunate to spot a late-night Lightning Lane multipass for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I doubt we could have gotten one for 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., but 10 p.m. was wide open.

We Drove Ourselves

Disney World transportation is often efficient, but it’s not guaranteed to be fast. With our rental car, we controlled our speed between parks. It also gave us some refresher time with a place to sit down, even if it was only 15 minutes or so. We had ice water waiting for us in our cup holders and swapped gear between parks so we could travel light. For example, we didn’t need to wear hats all day, and we only needed ponchos for riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom, so we stored those in the car rather than carrying them through every park.

What We’d Do Differently

This was the first time we’d done something like this, so we definitely learned some lessons for next time.

First, we’d start our day at Animal Kingdom. It generally opens at 8 a.m., and Avatar Flight of Passage lines tend to be short early in the day. We could have saved money by waiting in a short line for Avatar Flight of Passage instead of paying for a Lightning Lane single pass.

Next, we’d save “Fantasmic!” for a visit with a more relaxed schedule. Getting from Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom before it closed was our only real challenge of the day. “Fantasmic!” was over at 7 p.m., and we barely scooted into Animal Kingdom at 7:40 p.m. to make it before the park closed. Had we skipped the show, we could have been more leisurely about leaving Hollywood Studios and had time to ride the Na’avi River Journey at Animal Kingdom.

Finally, we’d pay for preferred parking, which could have saved us time between parks by skipping the parking lot trams and long walks down the aisles. We’d only have to pay once, as parking fees transfer across parks for the day.

Final Thoughts

Visiting all 4 parks in 1 day at Disney World was a thrilling and fun experience I’d happily repeat. We fell into it but set ourselves up for success with the virtual queue, Lightning Lane multipass, and Lightning Lane single pass. This challenge is easily achievable, and it was a treat to experience so many great attractions in a single day.