how to visit disney world in one day

Countdown to Magic

How to Do Disney World in One Day – 1 Day Itinerary Tips

Suppose you find yourself in the Orlando area with only one day to visit Disney World. Can you maximize your time well and get your money’s worth?  Of course you can! Even one day at Walt Disney World is better than none, so in this article, I’m going to show you exactly how to do Disney World in one day.  I’ll also provide a helpful Disney World checklist PDF that you can download or print out that will help you maximize your one day at Disney!

How to Do Disney World in One Day – Park Reservations

Unfortunately, a completely spontaneous trip to Disney World isn’t really possible these days. So the first step of your “one day at Disney plan” is going to be making sure park reservations are available for one day you’ll visiting.  

To enter any of the Disney Parks, both a theme park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date are required for all guests ages 3 and up.  You can check on the Disney World website to make sure reservations are available for the day you want to visit. 

Admission: One Park or Two?

The first decision you’ll have to make for your Disney day is what park you want to visit, and if you want to park hop to a second one.  A one-day admission ticket to any Disney World park is going to be more expensive than buying tickets for multiple days. There just isn’t any way to get around that. The price of that ticket can vary a little bit depending on the day and time of year.  

Just how much are Disney World tickets per person for a one day experience as an adult?  Well, here are average prices for a ticket in January (at the time of publication): Magic Kingdom – $154.00 Epcot – $139.00 Hollywood Studios – $149.00 Animal Kingdom – $134.00 If you’re going to drive yourself, there is also a $25 parking fee. If you want to attempt to visit two parks during your one Disney day, you can buy a Park Hopper option in addition to your regular admission ticket. This will add an average of $60-$70 to the price of each regular admission ticket. A Park Hopper allows you to visit a second park on the same day (subject to park capacity), anytime after 2:00 PM. When considering if you want to visit one park or two, you should also factor in that hopping to a second park will cost you a little bit of time to get there. Walt Disney World has many excellent free transportation options to help guests get around the parks. Depending on which parks you’re traveling between, you can choose to travel by bus, monorail, boat, or the new Skyliner option. 

While Disney’s free transportation options are fun and reliable, they might take up more time than you’d like. If you have your own car, it might be quicker to drive yourself to a second park. Another option is to take a taxi or ride-share service. While this option isn’t free, it can save you some valuable time.

Do You Need A Magic Band?

If you’ve been to Walt Disney World before, you probably have a Magic Band. In most cases, you can link your existing band to the My Disney Experience app . If you don’t have one, it really isn’t necessary to purchase one. You can use the Mobile Magic feature on the My Disney Experience app to gain park admission, check into Lightning Lanes , and utilize mobile food ordering. It might not be as convenient as having a Magic Band, but for just one day it’s probably a better choice. The basic Magic Bands are selling for $15 to $20. That’s not a huge expense by itself, but it’s an unnecessary expense for a one-day visit. For a family of four, that’s a savings of $60, minimum. A better use of your money would be to purchase Genie+ for everyone in your group, which will save you valuable time during your Disney day.

Which Park(s) To Visit?

If this is your first visit to Walt Disney World, I would recommend visiting Magic Kingdom . You’ll be able to see Cinderella’s Castle, maybe catch a parade, ride many of the most iconic rides, and see the incomparable fireworks . Be aware that Magic Kingdom is always going to have slightly higher crowds than the other parks. If this isn’t your first Disney trip, go ahead and prioritize your favorite park! It’s a good idea to check the website calendar to verify park hours on the day you plan to visit. Magic Kingdom is usually open the latest of any of the parks, with a closing time of 11 PM on most nights. 

If you’re thinking of park hopping during your Disney day, a good strategy to maximize your park time might be to visit another park early in the day, then hop to Magic Kingdom and stay until it closes.

My Disney Experience App and Genie+

When you only have one day at Disney, anything you can do to make the most of your time is invaluable. One of the best time management tools you’ll have available is the My Disney Experience App. The app is free to download to your smartphone. With it, you can gain park admission, check wait times on any ride or attraction you’re interested in, and take advantage of mobile food ordering. Download the app before your Disney day, and spend some time getting familiar with all its features. It’s pretty user-friendly, but you can find help online to learn more about it.

Let’s talk for a minute about Genie+ . Yes, this will be another added expense (the price varies a bit, but begins at about $15). But if avoiding long lines at Disney World and riding as many rides as possible is your priority, you’ll need this service (and, as a result, you’ll need to often utilize your smartphone at Disney ).  You can buy Genie+ through the My Disney Experience app the day of your visit. Be sure to purchase it for everyone in your group.

With Genie+, you can book “Lightning Lanes” which will let you avoid waiting in overly long standby lines for popular rides and attractions. It’s very similar to the old FastPass system.  You can make your first Lightning Lane selection at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit. After that, you can book another selection two hours after park opening, or two hours after you check in for your first Lightning Lane (whichever comes first). With a little planning, you can “stack” your Lightning Lane choices to get as many as possible throughout your day. Basically, prioritize the most popular Lightning Lane choices for early in the day, and pay attention to that two-hour rule for when you can book your next one! Set your phone to remind you when it’s time to book the next Lightning Lane if it helps. If you consistently book your choices as soon as you can, you can maximize the number of rides you can experience in one day.

With Genie+ you can also purchase “Individual Lightning Lanes” (ILLs) for some of the newer, most popular rides. Rise of The Resistance in Hollywood Studios and Guardians of the Galaxy-Cosmic Rewind in Epcot are two of the most popular ILLs at this time. The prices will vary, but seem to average around $15 per person.

Planning Ahead – The Night Before

Okay, you’ve bought your tickets (and perhaps park hoppers), chosen what park(s) you want to visit, and downloaded the app to your smartphone. What now? Now it’s time to plan your Disney Day Strategy! The night before, be sure to charge up your phones, and a portable phone charger to take with you. You’ll be using your phone to utilize the My Disney Experience app as well as take lots of photos. Make sure that the tickets for everyone in your group are linked on the app. Go ahead and pack your park bag ahead of time to save time in the morning. Here are some of the basics that you should have with you for a full Disney day:

• refillable water bottles
• non-perishable snacks (trail mix, crackers, protein bars, etc)
• portable charger for your phone(s)
• sunscreen (yes, even in Winter)
•  ibuprofen, or your painkiller of choice
• extra pair of socks (if your feet get wet or you start to get blisters, changing socks will help)
• any childcare items for babies/small children

Set your alarm for 6:30-6:45 AM so you can purchase Genie+ and make your first Lightning Lane selection. Lastly, take some time to look at the park map(s) online. You’ll want to plan your day so that you won’t waste time walking back and forth across the park needlessly.  Try to arrange your ride plans to do as much as possible in one area of the park, then move on to another area.

For example: Let’s say you’re going to Magic Kingdom. You make your first Lightning Lane selection for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 10:00 AM. It’s located in the Fantasyland section, so take a look and see what other rides or attractions might be close by. If you get to the park before opening (and you should make that your goal!), you can possibly ride The Mad Tea Party and Dumbo the Flying Elephant rides (both of these are fun and usually have short wait times early in the day) before your scheduled Lightning Lane.  

The Voyage of the Little Mermaid is also in this section, and you can probably also ride it before moving on. Just remember to pick your next Lightning Lane as soon as you check in for your first one, then plan around that selection. Now you should get a good night’s sleep because you’ll need to start your one day at Walt Disney World bright and early!

Beginning Your Disney Day

One of the first things you’ll want to do is get on the My Disney Experience App and (1) purchase Genie+ for everyone in your party, and (2) select your first Lightning Lane at 7:00 AM. You should plan to arrive at the park approximately 30 to 45 minutes before the official opening. If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort you’ll be allowed in the park 30 minutes before opening anyway, but still plan to be there early. 

If you’re staying on Disney property, you have the option of taking Disney transportation to the park. Be aware though that the buses and monorail are very crowded in the early morning.  It might be a big timesaver to drive yourself or use a ride-share service. Also allow time to go through the security line before being admitted to the park. Disney World has this system streamlined so the line moves very quickly, but mornings are crowded so it could take a little while. Once you’re inside the park, grab a coffee and breakfast snack and start heading toward your first destination. Don’t rush so much that you don’t enjoy the magical scenery all around you!

Use Mobile Food Ordering To Save Time

Another time-saving strategy you should consider is mobile food ordering. This service is available through the My Disney Experience App for many of the quick-service food restaurants. There are many great table service restaurants in all the Disney Parks. Unless you have your heart set on eating at one of them, consider sticking to quick-service meals instead. The table service meals – especially character meals – will take up a larger part of your day. The options for quick-service meals are just as delicious and you’ll still have a variety of choices. When placing a mobile food order on the app, you can select a time window for when you want your food, place your order, then simply notify the restaurant when you’ve arrived so they prepare your meal fresh. Usually, you’ll have your food within minutes of letting them know you’ve arrived. You can still sit down and enjoy a nice meal during the day, but it won’t take up as much of your time as going to a table-service restaurant. 

Disney World Checklist PDF (1 Day Itinerary)

You can download the 1 Day Disney World Checklist in PDF format that I recently created to help you properly plan and enjoy your one day visit to Disney World.

One Day At Disney World – You Can Do It!

Those are our basic tips for how to do Disney World in one day. It will take some planning, but it’s absolutely possible to have a magical time with just one day to spend at Walt Disney World! Does it seem a little overwhelming? No problem! We’ve also created a basic checklist to help keep you on track for your Disney Day.

• If you enjoyed this article, please “like” our Countdown to Magic Facebook page !

Michael has been visiting Disney World since he was a kid. He's also been to Disneyland and sailed on the Disney Dream. Michael is the owner and editor of Countdown to Magic.

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Home » One Day at Disney World: Park Hopping Tips & Itinerary

One Day at Disney World: Park Hopping Tips & Itinerary

By Author Meg Frost

Posted on Published: January 8, 2024

It may sound chaotic, but Disney World is one day is possible! With a few tricks up your sleeve, you can make your day a magical one without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

To help you out, I’ve put together some tips to make the most out of your one-day adventure, plus a suggested itinerary that utilizes early entry, park hopping, lightning lanes, and Genie+.

Tips for tackling 1 day at Disney World

Before you jump into attempting to tackling Disney World in one day, there are a few key tips to consider.

Be prepared to pay more

Let’s cut to the chase: visiting Disney World for one day is not going to be cheap.

First, you’ll need a park ticket with a park hopper upgrade or an annual pass.

Park hopper tickets start at $188, but since ticket prices are date-based, they can run much higher. I’ve seen them as high as $254 for this year.

In addition, I recommend purchasing several individual lightning lanes and Genie+ to help minimize wait times so you can accomplish as much of your desired attractions as possible.

Genie+ can run anywhere from $15-40 per person. The busier the crowds are, the higher the price will be.

The same concept goes for individual lightning lanes. Below are average ranges per Thrill Data , but pricing can change at any time.

• Avatar: Flight of Passage : $11-17
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind : $14-17
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train : $10-12
• Star Wars: Rise of Resistance : $15-25
• TRON Lightcycle Run : $20

Go during low season

If you have control over when you can go, choose a time that isn’t expected to busy. Otherwise you’ll not be able to do much since you’re trying to sample four parks instead of one.

Check out my post about the best and worst times to go to Disney World , which includes a crowd calendar with anticipated crowd levels for the entire year.

Plus, if you sign up for my email list, you’ll get access to a free downloadable, printable calendar that includes the crowd level info, too!

WDW Crowd Calendar

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Purchase individual lightning lanes

Purchasing individual lightning lanes, while an added cost, is a great way to help structure your day for this challenge and guarantee you won’t have to spend too much time in line.

Later in this post, I provide a suggested itinerary in which you’ll want to purchase the following lightning lanes:

• Cosmic Rewind
• Rise of the Resistance

My suggested itinerary also includes Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Flight of Passage , but we’ll position those in a way that you won’t need a lightning lane.

If you decide to tour the parks in a different order, you’ll want to switch up which individual lightning lanes you purchase.

Utilize Genie+

In addition to individual lightning lanes, Genie+ can also help you better manage your time and avoid long waits. If it’s a very slow day, you might be able to skip this added cost. But more often than not, you’ll need it.

Genie+ gives you access to lightning lanes for a larger group of rides, rather than just a single ride like we discussed in the previous section.

Just make sure to purchase the park hopper Genie+ so you can utilize it throughout the entire day.

Use internal transportation options

Rather than deal with parking, traffic, and longer walks to the park entrance, utilize the internal transportation options, such as the buses, Skyliner , and monorail , as much as you can.

If you have a rental car or are a local, then you may want to add a little extra time at the beginning of your day to park at the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC). Then make your way to the Contemporary Resort and use the bus to head to Animal Kingdom.

Alternatively, you can take a ride share to Animal Kingdom if you don’t mind spending the money to save you some time.

You could park at Animal Kingdom and then take a ride share from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom at the end of the day.

However, this will end up costing you more in time and money, as hundreds of other people will be taking an Uber or Lyft from Magic Kingdom back to their hotel, vacation rental, or home, so you’ll have a long wait and there will likely be surge pricing.

Take advantage of early entry and rope drop

Time is your friend when trying to see as much as you can across four massive theme parks.

If you’re a Disney resort guest, start your day off strong by taking advantage of early entry, which is typically 30 minutes ahead of the official park open time.

For example, if the park is set to open at 8 AM, then early entry will be at 7:30 AM. Since park hours change throughout the year, check Disney’s official calendar for park open and close hours for your desired day.

Some parks will let you enter even earlier than that unofficially . It’s not a guarantee that a park will let guests in earlier than scheduled, but it does happen often.

So basically you want to get there an hour ahead of early entry or at minimum, 30 minutes ahead.

This is known as ‘rope drop,’ as you’re there early enough to walk in as soon as they open the gates – even if it’s earlier than scheduled!

The idea is the closer you are to the front of the line, the better an advantage you’ll have knocking off a few attractions in your first hour!

Save time with mobile order

When you’re hungry, use the mobile order feature on the My Disney Experience app to order food ahead of time so you don’t have to wait in line at the restaurant.

Not all restaurants are available, particularly snack carts, but it definitely is a time saver if you don’t mind sticking to mobile order spots!

Make a plan ahead of time

Above all else, make a rough plan ahead of time . You don’t want to be too rigid, but a little bit of structure will help make your day less chaotic and easier to relax while you’re in the moment.

First, decide which nighttime show you want to see, if any at all.

Personally, I like Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios the best, but at the same time, riding TRON at night is superior. Therefore, when I do this challenge, I typically end with Magic Kingdom if I’m aiming to ride TRON after dark.

Once you decide on your last park, pick an order for the remaining three.

I like to stack Epcot and Hollywood Studios next to each other because you can use the Skyliner between the two. And then I also like to stack Magic Kingdom and Epcot together because you can use the monorail between the two.

Once you have the order down, make note of which rides and attractions are your must-dos at each park. This will give you a rough idea of how much time you’ll need at each park. If you’ve got more than 3 rides on your list, make note of your top 3.

Be sure to factor in time to travel between each park. I usually plan an hour, but it’s almost never that much time. I just like to give myself a buffer in case there’s traffic or a delay of some type.

Finally, allow for flexibility. You might not get to everything on your list and chances are slim that you’ll get to do everything in the order you want to do them.

But if you go in with the simple goal of having fun sampling a bit of all four parks, you’re bound to have a great time visiting Disney World in one day!

Itinerary for one day at Disney World

Using all of the tips above, here’s my suggested itinerary for one day at Disney World.

Graphic with steps (pin sized).

For this itinerary, we’re going to use the following order:

Animal Kingdom

• Hollywood Studios
• Magic Kingdom

Let’s assume Animal Kingdom opens at 8 AM and Magic Kingdom closes at 9 PM. Although hours vary throughout the year, these are pretty typical open/close times for each of those parks.

That gives us 13 hours to see all four parks in one day. If you break it up evenly, that gives you roughly 3 hours per park while factoring in time for transportation.

Purchase lightning lanes and Genie+

Genie+ can be purchased at midnight the day of your visit, but hopefully you’ll be sleeping so you have enough energy for the day!

But, as soon as you get up, make your purchase so it’s one less thing to do.

At 7 AM, purchase individual lightning lanes for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

For Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind , aim for a lightning lane between 3 and 4:30 PM.

For TRON Lightcycle Run , aim for a lightning lane between 6 and 7 PM or after 8:30 PM. This assumes Happily Ever After is at 8 PM. If you want a good seat, aim for 6 PM.

If you just care about seeing a few fireworks and want a cool vantage point, you can get closer to 7 PM. Otherwise, try to get a pass for after Happily Ever After starts.

Lastly, for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance , aim for a lightning lane between 11:30 and 1:30 PM.

Then, make your first Genie+ selection for an attraction at Animal Kingdom for as close to park open time as possible.

I recommend Na’vi River Journey for your first Genie+ selection. However, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest , and Festival of the Lion King are also great options.

If you are traveling in a group, have each person with a phone, tablet, or laptop helping to make this happen by assigning a task to each person.

For example, if you’re a group of 4 or more, one person can purchase Genie+ and select the first ride, one person can snag the Cosmic Rewind lightning lane, another person grabs TRON, and so on.

This will increase your chances of getting the time frame you prefer for each ride, as each person can make their assign purchase right at 7 AM.

At Animal Kingdom, my suggested rides and attractions for a short visit are:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Expedition Everest
• BONUS : Na’vi River Journey, Festival of the Lion King

As mentioned earlier in this post, to make this day a success, you want to rope drop your first park.

Plus, if you’re staying at a Disney World property, you also want to take advantage of early entry, which is typically 30 minutes before official park opening.

Arrive at least 30 minutes before early entry for resort guests, but more if you can. This will get you to the beginning of the entrance line, so you can speed walk toward your first attraction: Avatar Flight of Passage.

This is the most popular ride at Animal Kingdom and regularly sees lines of 1-2 hours, even during slow season. During busy season 3-5 hour waits are not unheard of!

You could purchase an individual lightning lane for this ride. However, by taking advantage of early entry and rope drop strategy, you can save yourself a little bit of money.

Trust me – when you’re traveling with family or a group of friends, the cost adds up real quick!

Once you’re done with Flight of Passage, head over to Na’vi River Journey. Ideally you’ll have selected this ride for Genie+ for around 30 minutes after park opening time and you’ll be able to head right to your first lightning lane.

Once you check in to your first Genie+ selection, make your next selection. If you’re traveling in a group, grab Expedition Everest for roughly 1-1.5 hours from now. But if you’re riding solo, grab your first pick at Hollywood Studios.

If you weren’t able to get this ride on Genie+ and there’s at least 20 minute wait, grab a stuffed pancake or lumpia from Pongu Pongu and have a quick breakfast while you wait in the standby line.

Now it’s time to make your way over to Africa to check out Kilimanjaro Safaris. If you didn’t grab breakfast at Pongu Pongu yet, do so now and eat it on the walk over.

Alternatively, if the wait time at Kilimanjaro Safaris is 30 minutes or less, you could also opt to get breakfast at Kusafiri Bakery or Creature Comforts (which is just a Starbucks in disguise).

Aim for something that’s easy to eat on the go, such as the stuffed pancake or a breakfast sandwich.

I often get a stuffed pancake at Pongu Pongu and then a coconut iced coffee at Kusafiri Bakery since they don’t have iced coffee at Pongu Pongu.

After the safari, make your way over to Asia to ride Expedition Everest.

If the lines are long and you don’t mind breaking up your group, make your way to the single rider line.

Don’t get in this line and expect to ride with your friends or family. You will get broken up and may not even make it on the ride at the same time.

So many time I’ve seen people try to game the system and fight with cast members about wanting to ride together even though they are in the single rider line.

Don’t be that person. You’re waisting your time and making a cast member’s day more stressful.

While you’re in line, make your next Genie+ selection at Hollywood Studios, if you haven’t already.

After riding Expedition Everest, double back through Discovery Island to snag a photo or two of the Tree of Life before leaving the park.

BONUS : If you’re ahead of schedule or want to spend more time at this park, I recommend adding on Festival of the Lion King.

Hands down, it’s the best show out of all four parks! Usually this show runs ever hour starting at 10 AM, so keep that in mind if you want to do it.

Park hop to Hollywood Studios

After hitting all the top rides at Animal Kingdom, hop on a park bus to Hollywood Studios.

On the ride over, check the wait times at Hollywood Studios to get a good idea of which rides you may want to snag on Genie+ and which ones have shorter lines.

At Hollywood Studios, my suggested rides and attractions for a short visit are:

• Tower of Terror OR Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (LL) OR Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (single riders line)
• Slinky Dog Dash OR Toy Story Mania
• BONUS : Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Ideally you’ll have a Genie+ selection already set up for around the time you arrive. Keep in mind that Genie+ selections have an hour grace period, so even if you arrive after your window starts, that’s ok!

Once you get in line for your first Genie+ selection, make your next selection for early as possible.

Try to use your selections on rides with wait times that are longer than 30-45 minutes.

If you can’t grab anything during the timeframe you’ll be at Hollywood Studios, pick something at Epcot, such as Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

TIP : The Skyliner takes you to the International Gateway entrance, which is right next to the France pavilion, where the Ratatouille ride is located, making it the best Genie+ selection for your first ride at Epcot.

I also recommend grabbing lunch here, ideally something you can eat quickly or can be taken on the go and eaten in line, such as a ronto wrap from Ronto Roasters in Galaxy’s Edge.

Lastly, given that there are a lot of big ticket items here, it’s likely that you won’t get to everything on your wish list for Hollywood Studios.

If I had to narrow it down, I’d do Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, and if time permitted, a ride or show I haven’t done in a long time that also has a short line.

Take the Skyliner to Epcot

Head to Epcot via the Skyliner. This will give you a little bit of R&R so you can recharge before hitting up your third park!

At Epcot, my suggested top attractions are:

• Guardians of Galaxy : Cosmic Rewind
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Journey of Water
• Living with the Land
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure OR Frozen Ever After

I love Journey of Water for days like this because it’s a self-led attraction, meaning you can spend as little or as much time as you’d like.

Living with the Land is another good attraction because it usually isn’t more than a 10 minute wait and is a classic Epcot attraction.

Aside from attractions, take a moment to snag photos with Spaceship Earth, as well as around the World Showcase.

Lastly, be mindful of Genie+ and lightning lanes. Remember that once you check into a Genie+ selection, or 2 hours have passed since you last selected something, you can select another attraction.

The closer you get to the time you plan to leave for Magic Kingdom, think about switching your Genie+ selections to that park.

End the day at Magic Kingdom

Once you’re ready to leave Epcot, hop on the monorail, which is located between the main park entrance and security.

On your way over, check the wait times at Magic Kingdom on the My Disney Experience app to get a good idea of which rides have long waits and which don’t.

Also review your next Genie+ selection. If it’s not for around the time you get to the park, try refreshing the app to see if an earlier time pops up.

At Magic Kingdom, my top attractions and rides include:

• TRON Lightcycle Run
• Space Mountain
• PeopleMover (especially at sunset or during fireworks)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Happily Ever After fireworks
• Haunted Mansion OR Jungle Cruise OR Pirates of the Caribbean

Once you get to the Magic Kingdom, head up the staircase at the train station to grab a photo of Cinderella Castle. You’ll have a clearer picture of the castle and crowds than if you simply take it while standing on Main Street!

If you’re hungry, head to Adventureland and grab some spring rolls – they’re one of my favorite snacks at this park and are hearty enough for a quick, small dinner. Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square is another of my favorite quick service spots here.

Otherwise, head to your first ride. If it’s a Genie+ selection, be sure to make your next selection in the app while you wait in line.

Then rinse and repeat as you hit up as many rides as possible!

You can get in line for any ride up until the park closes, so I recommend getting in line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train just before park close. Of course, if you prefer a different ride, go for that!

Are you planning to do one day at Disney World?

Visiting Disney World in one day can feel daunting, but the key is to plan ahead, prioritize your top 2-3 must-do attractions at each park, and embrace the magic of the moment. Emphasis on that last part!

With these tips, you’ll be able to create unforgettable memories that’ll make you want to plan your next trip to Disney World ASAP.

Until next time, see you in the parks!

About the author

Meg Frost is the creator of  The Park Pixie , where she covers Disney World, Disney+, and Disney fandom.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami in Florida.

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How to Visit Disney World in One Day

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The Walt Disney World Resort is a sprawling complex filled with theme parks, hotels, water parks — even multiple golf courses. There’s enough within its borders to easily keep you occupied for weeks, especially if you want to experience everything. However, if you only have one day at Disney World, that doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out.

Let’s take a look at the must-dos for visiting Disney in one day, including the top attractions for each theme park and tips to maximize your time.

Walt Disney World in a day

If you’re trying to visit the entirety of Walt Disney World in one day, some advice: Don’t. You’d probably pass out from exhaustion before you make it a quarter of the way through. Instead of trying to do everything there is to do, we recommend focusing your time on the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is likely the park that springs to mind when you think of Walt Disney World. Comprising several themed lands and featuring the massive Cinderella castle at its center, Magic Kingdom has quite a few popular attractions.

Many of these, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion, can also be found in other Disney theme parks. They’re classics and should be enjoyed if you have the time. If you don’t, there are a couple of rides that could be considered “can’t miss” at Magic Kingdom:

Tron Lightcycle / Run.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Tron Lightcycle / Run is Magic Kingdom’s newest high-speed roller coaster experience. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is also a roller coaster but suitable for all ages. Neither of these rides can be found at California's Disneyland, so you’ll want to get them in while you can.

» Learn more: Disney vs. Universal: Which theme park is right for your next trip?

Epcot is another theme park at Walt Disney World that you’ll definitely want to hit if you’re going to Disney for a day. Along with 11 different pavilions highlighting food and cultures from around the world, there are a few key attractions you’ll want to visit:

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Test Track.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Frozen Ever After. 

These are very popular rides, so it may be difficult trying to fit them in just by using the standby queue. If you’re not looking to spend any extra money to skip the queue, consider sticking with just Test Track and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Both are high-speed thrill rides and are near each other.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios tends to focus on film-related attractions, so the best ride you’ll find here is based on a movie. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the only must-do at Hollywood Studios.

» Learn more: How much does a Disney World trip cost for 2 adults?

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is the last on our list and, like Hollywood Studios, has one attraction that you’ll definitely want to jump on. Avatar Flight of Passage is a unique experience that combines a big-screen 3D experience with physical effects. It's unlike anything you’ve ridden before, so it’s well worth schlepping over to Animal Kingdom for a visit.

» Learn more: How to budget for a family trip to Walt Disney World

Tips for one day at Walt Disney World

A day trip to Disney World is a big undertaking, but there are some tricks to help make it easier.

Purchase a VIP tour

The best thing you can do for yourself if you’ve only got one day at Walt Disney World is to purchase a VIP tour . It’s incredibly expensive, starting at $450 per hour for a minimum of seven hours, but it’s going to be the fastest way to get around the parks and onto the rides.

Visitors on VIP tours are able to bypass all standard queues for attractions. They’re also able to skip out on the regular entrances to the theme parks, which can save tons of time.

» Learn more: Is the Disney Park Hopper worth it?

Pay for Lightning Lane access

Lightning Lane access is a paid option available to all visitors, though the method by which you obtain it will vary. Nearly all of the attractions on the list are part of the A La Carte Lightning Lane, which means you’ll pay per person, per ride, to skip the standard queue. Depending on how large your party is, this option can get pricey. However, it’s much cheaper than paying for a VIP tour.

Go early and stay late

As obvious as it may seem, hitting the parks early and staying until close is going to be the cheapest way to experience all four parks in one day. Crowds are always the lowest at park open and close, which means you’ll be able to run to a few different rides without encountering huge lines.

Stay at a Disney resort hotel

Guests of Walt Disney World resorts are entitled to early entry to all four theme parks, which can make a big difference when it comes to maximizing your time. No matter which resort you’re staying at, you’ll be granted access to the parks 30 minutes before they officially open to the public.

» Learn more: Perks of staying at a Disney resort

If you’d like to do Disney in a day

A Walt Disney World vacation is always a tiring experience, but this is compounded when you’re trying to visit Disney in just one day. If you’re interested in visiting the parks but have limited time, make sure you’re maximizing every moment so you can enjoy as much as possible — and take advantage of our tips to ensure it all goes smoothly.

(Top photo courtesy of Walt Disney World)

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One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary – Walt Disney World Strategy

Guests will often ask if you can truly experience Magic Kingdom in one day and the answer is YES! We always recommend more than one day at Magic Kingdom but with our One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary, guests can maximize their time and experience all the highlights of Magic Kingdom in a single day.

Magic Kingdom is everything its name suggests. With attractions, shows, character meet and greets, food, shopping and special events and holidays, there is indeed enough magic around every corner to keep guests of any age busy for days, if not weeks – but what if you only have One Day?!

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Magic Kingdom One Day Itinerary 2022 – First Things First

Before we jump into the best One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary, there are a few things to consider. To start, make sure the My Disney Experience app is downloaded and linked to your park tickets. This can be done long before you arrive in Orlando, even from home, and will save you precious time when using the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary. While you’re at it, take some time to get comfortable with how the app works. The more familiar you are with all the ins-and-outs of the My Disney Experience app, the easier it will be to navigate all aspects of your trip, from dining reservations, checking-in to your Disney resort, wait times within the park and much more.

In addition to downloading and familiarizing yourself with the My Disney Experience app, you’ll want to make sure you have a Park Reservation for each day you plan to visit the park. Park Reservations are now required in addition to park tickets, and can be made through the My Disney Experience app or online. The Park Reservation should be made for the park you plan to visit on that calendar day (or the park you plan to visit first if utilizing a Park Hopper ticket). So, if you’re planning on using the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary, you’ll want to make sure that each person in your party has a Park Reservation for Magic Kingdom, and ideally well in advance of your trip.

Your Pre-Trip Checklist

Before you board the plane or make your way to Magic Kingdom, make sure you have done each of the following:

• Buy Park Tickets . You can get the best deal on tickets and your hotel by booking through our trusted travel partner, Get Away Today. Not only will they monitor additional savings as your trip nears, they have a dedicated Walt Disney World team offering concierge services to guests at no additional cost. Get a free quote here! 
• Download the My Disney Experience app .
• Connect your tickets and family members on the My Disney Experience app.
• Make a Park Reservation . Remember, everyone in your party must have a reservation at Magic Kingdom for the day you intend to use the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
• Check hours for Magic Kingdom for the day you plan to use the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
• Pro Tip : Disney has been known to change park opening times without announcing the change. Knowing ahead of time can be helpful while you plan, but make sure to check you’re My Disney Experience app the night before and/or morning of your visit to make sure you know what time the park officially opens so you know exactly when to start using the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
• Pro Tip : Make sure to pick a day when Magic Kingdom’s park hours are the longest. Be aware that special events can significantly shorten the park hours for day guests, so pick the day that offers the largest amount of time in the parks. Note : if you are staying on-property in one of the official Walt Disney World Resort hotels, you may have Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Hours, which gives you extra time in the park in addition to the posted park hours. Know before you go and add it into your plans.
• Make your dining reservations ahead of time . The restaurants at Walt Disney World fill up fast, especially the reservations slots for some of the more popular restaurants. Sure, there are plenty of places in Magic Kingdom to walk up or Mobile Order , so you won’t go hungry, but some of the sit-down table service and character meals will fill up months in advance. So if any of those meals are a priority to your group, make your dining reservation ahead of time.
• Pro Tip: Dining reservations can be made 60 days in advance! Once you have your park tickets and Park Reservations, count back ward 60 days from the beginning of your vacation and set an alarm.
• Speaking of priorities, make a list . What does your group want to do on their One Day in Magic Kingdom? Characters? Attractions? Food? Knowing the answer to this question will be helpful in choosing the right One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for your trip!
• Learn about Genie . If you have been to Walt Disney World before, Disney Genie and Genie+ are the replacements for the now-retired FastPass system. If this is your first time to Walt Disney World, then FastPass doesn’t mean anything to you, but just know you will need some background on how the Genie system can be helpful for your trip. Be sure to spend some time reading about Genie+ and how it works before you arrive . We have a great guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World, updated often with the Genie+ service updates.
• Be sure to read our guide to the TRON Lightcycle virtual queue for tips on how to ensure you get on this new attraction.

Get to Know Magic Kingdom

Before we get too deep into planning One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary, let’s talk about the park itself. For those that have not been (or have not been in a while), Magic Kingdom is split up into 7 main areas: Main Street USA, the Hub, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. It is important to get to know a little about each land so you know where you might want (or not want) to focus different parts of your One Day in Magic Kingdom.

• Main Street USA : This is the first area you will encounter as you enter the park. After scanning through the entrance gates (and taking your picture in front on the Walt Disney World Railroad Station, of course) you will make your way either right or left under the railroad and into Main Street USA. This area, themed after the town Walt Disney grew up in, is where the majority of the shopping is located. There are also a few quick service restaurants (including the Main Street Bakery (aka Starbucks), Casey’s Corner (a great place for a hot dog or hamburger), the infamous Main Street Confectionary and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. This is also the main drag for some of the park’s parades and cavalcades (mini parades), as well the home of Town Square Theater, where you can take the young ones (or the young at heart) to meet Mickey and Minnie.
• The Hub : The Hub is not an official land, as it is technically part of Main Street USA. However, as the relative center of Magic Kingdom, it can be helpful to reference as a central landmark since the rest of the park’s lands branch off of the Hub. It is also a great place to view parades and cavalcades, watch fireworks at night, and see the Magic Kingdom’s opening show when the park opens each day.
• Adventureland : If you were standing in the Hub and looking at Cinderella Castle, Adventureland would be the land off to your left. This adventure and explorer themed land is one of our favorites. With big-name attractions like Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as kid friendly attractions such as Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and the Enchanted Tiki Room, Adventureland has a little something for everyone. When here, don’t forget to stop by Aloha Isle (or mobile order at the Sunshine Tree Terrace) for a Dole Whip. Adventureland is also home to Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen, which is a must stop for food and bad jokes.
• Frontierland : Frontierland has its own entrance off the Hub, one spoke over from Adventureland — but you can also enter Frontierland from Adventureland through a breezeway near Aladdin’s Magic Carpets or by walking past Pirates. Frontierland is probably one of the most thrilling lands (though Tomorrowland is arguably just as thrilling). Here you’ll find the big-kid attractions Splash Mountain (currently closed for Splash Mountain to be rethemed as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is also a great area to watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade, usually happening mid-day and again around 3pm. ‘Can’t miss’ entertainment also located here is the Country Bear Jamboree, a classic animatronic show.
• Liberty Square : This land, themed as a colonial American backdrop, is in some ways a part of Frontierland (and what you stroll through first if you are heading toward Frontierland off the Hub). The area is nestled around Tom Sawyer’s Island, a park/play type attraction that guests can explore, as well as the Liberty Square Riverboat. Liberty Square is home to several classic iconic eating places, such as Columbia Harbour House and the Liberty Tree Tavern. If you need a place to cool down while getting your learn on, Liberty Square is also home to the Hall of Presidents, — but one of the best parts of Liberty Square is the famous, and only slightly scary, Haunted Mansion attraction.
• Tomorrowland : The other side of the Hub (the opposite direction from Adventureland and Fantasyland) is Tomorrowland, a future-y, space themed neighborhood. Here you will find several attractions, including Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, the Tomorrowland Transit PeopleMover, the Carousel of Progress, the Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Speedway. Tomorrowland is more focused on fun, and you find fewer food options here — though Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café is quite large and is a nice place to grab a quick lunch (or just cool off from the Florida sun).
• Fantasyland : Last but definitely not least is Fantasyland, the largest section of the Magic Kingdom. Within this land is 10 attractions, numerous restaurants and shops, and several of what you might consider iconic Disney photo ops. The big-name attractions here are Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s a Small World, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Barnstormer, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel. This, of course, is also where Cinderella’s Castle lies, as well as the mini-lands within Fantasyland that are individually themed to the land of particular princesses (Belle, Ariel, Merida, Rapunzel) as well as places to meet those princesses (and a few additional ones). Though the largest area of the park, it is also the most crowded and will feel that way most times of the day, even when the Standby lines are at their lowest – but don’t let the crowds scare you. It is well worth exploring, especially if you have little ones.

You can see the Magic Kingdom map for an overview of the park and its different lands, attractions, and dining experiences.

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One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary

Of all the parks in Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom has the largest collection of attractions and entertainment. Magic Kingdom is also the most-visited theme park in the world , which means there are crowds and long lines of guests competing for access to just about everything in the park. (We’ve even stood in line to stand in another line.) As a result, it would be nearly impossible to do everything available in Magic Kingdom in one day, even if the park was completely empty. Instead, it is important to know your group’s priorities, have your One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary handy and stick to a plan.

We suggest one of the following One Day Magic Kingdom Itineraries to make the most of your One Day at the most magical place on earth. Whichever One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary you chose, there are a few Pro Tips that apply to them all:

• Arrive early! The early morning is when crowds are smallest and lines are shortest. Depending on your list, you may be able to knock out your top 5 or 10 priority items before lunch (and maybe long before lunch). During our last visit, we were able to check off our “must-do” items by 11am! “Rope drop” if you can by arriving at least one hour before the park opens to be one of the first in line. This will drastically increase your chances of being able to experience more of the park.
• Shop late. It may be tempting to stop off at one of the shops on Main Street on your way in. However, the shops stay open at least one hour after the advertised park closing time, so it almost always makes more sense to stop on your way out instead.
• Ask Genie. Of any of the Walt Disney World theme parks, Genie+ can be most useful in Magic Kingdom. We’ve included a non-Genie+ Itinerary below, but the other itineraries use Genie+ and we would otherwise suggest using Genie+ for your One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
• Know where everyone else will be. The most popular attractions in Magic Kingdom are Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. This year, Jungle Cruise has also inched its way up the popularity list to arguably also be considered in this elite group. If any of these attractions are on your priority list, move them to the top of the list or plan to do them at the very end of the night.
• Don’t forget the Fireworks! Whatever One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary you use, be sure to check the time for the Firework show that night. One hour before, grab a snack or a soda and find a spot where you can see the front of Cinderella’s castle clearly. Crowds will fill in around you, but at least you have a good vantage point for the best fireworks show you’ve ever seen.

One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Thrill Seekers

This One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary prioritizes the most popular rides/attractions. This is a good One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for the older kids, the young at heart and the thrill seekers (though, to be honest, Magic Kingdom doesn’t have a ton of “thrill” rides).

Note : This itinerary does not include Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Currently, the only way to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train is through the Stand By line or by purchasing Individual Lightning Lane access. Unless you “rope drop” Magic Kingdom and head straight to Seven Dwarves Mine Train (with nearly everyone else that rope drops), you will burn a lot of time waiting in line. The below One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary allows your party to access most of the more exciting/mature rides on your One Day in Magic Kingdom.

If you want to be sure to include Seven Dwarves Mine Train in the mix, we suggest: (a) “rope dropping” and making Seven Dwarves Mine Train your first stop (and otherwise sticking to the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary below), (b) purchasing Individual Lighting Lane access, (c) getting in the Stand By line during the Enchantment Fireworks show or (d) getting in the Stand By line right before park closing (as long as you are in one before the posted closing time, you can stay in line.

• Pro Tip : If you arrive early enough, you could “rope drop” Space Mountain, then grab your Genie+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad instead.
• Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
• Pro Tip : Disney just released that Splash Mountain will be reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure sometime in 2024. Though closing dates have not yet been announced, expect Splash Mountain to be busier than normal as guests take the opportunity to experience the attraction in its current state one last time. If you are feeling the same nostalgia, we would suggest riding Splash Mountain, even if it is a little chilly.
• Ride Jungle Cruise.
• Make your way toward Frontierland. Tom Sawyer’s Island will be on your left and should stay on your left as you make your way to Haunted Mansion.
• Ride Haunted Mansion.
• Pro Tip : The shortest way to get from Haunted Mansion to Space Mountain is probably through Fantasyland. However, by this point in the morning, Fantasyland is already very crowded and likely chaotic. We suggest going back toward Frontierland and cutting through Liberty Square to avoid crowds (and possibly getting run over by a stroller).
• Ride Space Mountain. Grab a Genie+ for Jungle Cruise.
• Ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
• Ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover.
• If you need restrooms, you can stop by the ones located by the Plaza Restaurant on your way. Need a snack? If timing allows, the Main Street Bakery (aka Starbucks) should be calming down from its morning rush by now and will probably only take you about 15-20 minutes to get through the line. If time is not on your side, use you’re My Disney Experience app to Mobile Order a DOLE Whip or a cup of Joffrey’s coffee from Sunshine Tree Terrace in Frontierland before your next ride.
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean.
• Ride Jungle Cruise. Grab a Genie+ for Peter Pan’s Flight.
• Pro Tip : Didn’t make a dining reservation but want to sit in a restaurant? Some sit down restaurants have Walk-Up Lists, or waiting lists you can access through your my Disney Experience app. Though you don’t have to be at the restaurant to be added to the Walk Up List, you will need to be relatively close by.
• Pro Tip : Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade tends to be scheduled for around lunch time (the first of two is usually at noon) and starts near Splash Mountain. This parade draws crowds, so though the route can be a bit congested, it is a great time to take advantage of the crowd draw and head toward Fantasyland (which has been otherwise completely swamped with people and strollers all morning).
• Pro tip: Fantasyland will become crazy again once Park Hoppers arrive around 2:30-3pm. If you find yourself in this window, use your Genie+ for Peter Pan, then head back to the Hub area and get some Ice Cream or find some AC/shade. It usually calms down again around 3:30-4pm, and you can jump right back into the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary.
• Pro Tip : Genie+ is great for Fantasyland because it lets you lets you book entrance in attractions with Standby lines that are just long enough to be annoying. If the Standby is 25-30 min, you can usually get a Genie+ to return within 30 min. If the Standby is 30-45, you can usually snag a Genie+ that will get you in within an hour. That means, rather than standing in line, you can book a return time and do other things.
• Ride Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.
• Use your Genie+. Grab another Genie+ for It’s a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – whichever is soonest.
• Go to Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
• Use your Genie+. Get the Genie+ for It’s a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – whichever is soonest.
• Make your way toward Storybook Circus.
• Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
• Ride the Barnstormer.
• Ride Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
• Ride your last Genie+

Using this One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Thrill Seekers should allow you to experience the majority of the most popular ”big kid” attractions by right around lunch time, and almost all other attractions by late afternoon/early evening. If you have extra time, be sure to check out the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary Time Fillers below, or take the opportunity to get in line for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.

One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Chill Seekers

This One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary prioritizes the slower, more kid-friendly rides and experiences. This would be a good One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for the younger kids or those that like the slower, brighter, cuter side of the Magic Kingdom.

Note : In order to avoid crowds and get the most out of your day, we often suggest crisscrossing the park. However, if the priority for your group is to minimize steps rather than get to the most attractions, we suggest following the crowd and starting in Fantasyland. Most guests will get in line for Seven dwarves Mine Train or Peter Pan’s Flight, giving you the chance to knock out most of the other Fantasyland attractions before the lines hit their max. You can use Genie+ to access Peter Pan later and decide whether it is worth it to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarves Mine Train or hop in the Standby line as the last thing you do before leaving the park.

• Arrive early! Get Genie+ for Peter Pan’s Flight.
• Head for Adventureland. Ride Jungle Cruise.
• Pro tip : You can ride Aladdin’ Magic Carpets if you’d like, but the Standby line for this attraction remains pretty low most times of day. So this is something you can come back to.
• Head to Tomorrowland. Ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
• Pro Tip : You can ride Tomorrowland Speedway and/or do Monsters Inc Laugh Floor if you’d like, but the Standby line for these attractions remain pretty low most times of day. So this is something you can come back to.
• Make your way back toward Fantasyland for your Peter Pan Genie+.
• Ride Peter Pan’s Flight. Get a Genie+ for Splash Mountain.
• Ride the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
• Ride It’s a Small World.
• Head toward Frontierland for Splash Mountain.
• Ride Splash Mountain. Get Genie+ for Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
• Ride Aladdin’s Magic Carpets.
• Pro Tip : If you like a parade, Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade tends to be scheduled for around lunch time (the first of two is usually at noon) and starts near Splash Mountain. If you prefer, wait to get the Genie+ for Dumbo, grab some lunch and find a place along the side of the parade route (which should be marked with ropes by about now). You can eat lunch while you wait for the parade to start.
• After lunch, make your way toward Fantasyland for Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
• Ride Dumbo. Grab a Genie+ for Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.
• Ride Barnstormer.
• Swing by Gaston’s Tavern for a sweet treat. Try the warm cinnamon roll or a mug of LaFou’s Brew!
• Ride Little Mermaid. Grab Genie+ for the Astro Orbiter.
• Ride The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
• Make your way to Tomorrowland. Ride Tomorrowland Speedway.
• Swing by the Restrooms at Star Traders on your way to the Astro Orbiter.
• Ride Astro Orbiter. Grab Genie+ for anything you might have missed.

Using this One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Chill Seekers should allow you to experience the majority of the most popular ”little kid” attractions. If you have extra time, be sure to check out the One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary Time Fillers below, or take the opportunity to get in line for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.

One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary without Genie+

If you are at planning your One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary but do not want to use Genie+, then the priority list becomes very important. With the number of attractions at Magic Kingdom and the inevitable crowds, you’ll want to focus on your priorities and not try to do everything. Make a list of what you would consider “must-do” attractions. If any of the following attractions are on your list, move them to the top. If you have more than one “must-do” on the list, we suggest prioritizing in the order listed.

• Seven Dwarves Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Jungle Cruise
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Haunted Mansion

In other words, if your top “must-do” priorities are Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, It’s a Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight, we would suggest making Peter Pan’s Flight the first priority, then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, then moving on to Pirates and It’s A Small World. If nothing on your priority list is listed above, your best bet is to use you’re my Disney Experience App to watch the Standby line wait times and make a judgement about what makes the most sense.

One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary – Time Fillers

Though we think the One Day Magic Kingdom Itineraries above will keep you quite busy experiencing the greatest number of attractions possible in a single day, there is a lot more than attractions in Magic Kingdom. With parades, performances, Character Meet and Greets and other entertainment around every corner, there is always something to help make your One Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary even more magical. We’ve included a few Pro Tips below, but the My Disney Experience App is the best place to find the most up to date information.

Character Meet and Greets

If you want a picture taken with your favorite Disney Character, there are Character Meeting areas throughout the park (though there is a concentration of them in Fantasyland). Use you’re my Disney Experience App to find the spot where your favorite character is waiting to give you a hug!

• Pro tip : Characters are usually found in the part of the park that is themed to the place that character is “from”. Buzz Lightyear and Stitch are in Tomorrowland, the Princesses are all in Fantasyland, and Mickey and Minnie are right near the park entrance at the Town Square Theatre.

Parades/Cavalcades

There are a few parades and cavalcades (mini-parades) that happen daily. The Festival of Fantasy Parade, a fan favorite, kicks off in Frontierland and then heads toward Main Street USA. This parade usually kicks off twice a day, at noon and around 3pm. For the next few months (through Spring 2023), Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade can also be seen several times a day, with the Fab 5 in their celebratory gear. There is also the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade, with characters like Merida, Officer Judy Hops, Baloo the Bear, and the Incredibles that follows a similar route in the late afternoon/early evening. Again, the My Disney Experience app will have the daily show times for each.

Stage Shows

The front of Cinderella’s Castle turns also into a stage a few times a day. Mickey, Minnie and pals usually put on a small show when the park opens. Currently, there is also Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire, which takes place about every 90 min between late morning and mid-afternoon.

Special Performances

The Dapper Dans, a fun loving and hilarious barbershop quartet, can be heard singing their hearts out on Main Street throughout the day. Likewise, if you are on Main Street USA long enough, you are bound to hear the brassy march of the Main Street Philharmonic, the resident marching band.

Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation

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About Drew Collins

Drew is a former attorney turned talent management professional with a passion for people, writing and photography. He has loved all things Disney since he was a kid — especially Pluto — but it was his first trip to Walt Disney World as an adult that hooked him for good. He is now a Walt Disney World Passholder and Disney Superfan, making as many trips to the Disney parks as he can. When not blissfully wondering by down Main Street USA, sitting by the Uzima Springs pool or contributing to Mickey Visit, Drew likes to take and edit Disney photos for his own photography blog, www.leiuremouse.com.

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Here’s How To Visit All 4 Disney World Theme Parks In 1 Day

A theme park writer shares her “four-park challenge” tips and hacks.

The most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World, covers over 25,000 acres in Central Florida. The house of Mickey Mouse is not only home to the adorable characters of our childhood, but also four different theme parks — Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. For the true Disney connoisseur, the happiest visit can be accomplished by visiting each and every park. However, considering current restrictions mean you can’t park hop until the afternoon, you might be wondering how to do all four Disney World theme parks in one day — and if it’s even possible.

Known as “the four-park challenge,” this popular feat for Disney fans requires the ambitious guest to ride at least one attraction and eat one snack in each park. While the current regulations, which restrict you from park hopping until 2 p.m., make it a little harder to accomplish, I’m a theme park writer who visits Walt Disney World once a month with my family, and I’ve come up with some Disney insider tips and tricks — as well as an itinerary — that helps me hit all four parks during my visits.

Are you up for the challenge? Armed with a little faith, truth, pixie dust (and comfortable shoes), you can visit all four Disney theme parks in one day. But first, you’re going to want to get familiar with some key Disney lingo to help you navigate your magical day.

The Disney Dictionary

• Park Reservations: Walt Disney World requires advanced park reservations for your visit. After purchasing your park tickets, you’ll have to reserve a starting park for each day of your vacation.
• Park Hopping: This is Disney speak for starting at one theme park and then visiting another in the same day. At Walt Disney World, guests can park hop to the next park beginning at 2 p.m. After that, they are free to visit the other parks.
• Disney Genie+: This paid service replaced the former FastPass system. Disney Genie+ allows guests to book time slots for expedited access to select attractions beginning at 7 a.m. on the day of visit for resort guests and every 2 hours or after checking into current selection.
• Lightning Lane: This is the expedited line used to enter the attraction. You can access the Lightning Lane for most attractions via Disney Genie+ but certain high demand attractions are surcharged and available on an a la carte basis.
• Virtual Queue: Disney World’s newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind , can be accessed through a virtual queue for free or by purchasing an a la carte Lighting Lane. Within the Disney mobile app, guests can enter the virtual queue at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.. Disney Deluxe resort guests will have a third opportunity to access the virtual queue at 6 p.m.
• Advanced Dining Reservations: Guests can make advanced dining reservations up to 60 days in advance. Last minute available tables are able to be reserved via a walk-up feature in the Disney app.

Now that we’ve gotten the basics over, let’s dive into how you and your unwavering enthusiasm can successfully complete the four-park challenge. In addition to a list of the must-dos in each park, I’ll be sharing some attractions and food offerings you can skip if you’re crunched on time. After all, Walt Disney World is literally a world and while you won’t cover everything in one day, this schedule offers a nice taste of the very best it has to offer.

How To Do All Four Disney Theme Parks In 1 Day

12 a.m.: Yes, you’re on vacation, but the makings of your magical day begin as soon as the clock strikes midnight. And no, you won’t turn into a pumpkin. This is when guests can purchase the Disney Genie+ service. It is subject to availability, so it is highly recommended to purchase thhis immediately when it becomes available.

7 a.m.: It’s go time, and those without the fastest fingers will be left behind. This is when Disney resort guests can begin booking attractions via Disney Genie+ as well as individual lightning lanes. Keep in mind that the first virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is only available for guests starting at EPCOT.

Morning: Begin your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. After snacking on a breakfast Ronto wrap from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it’s time to knock out some of the most sought-after Disney park attractions. Here, you can use Disney Genie+ service to experience in-demand attractions, like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, while also using traditional standby queues for attractions with shorter ride times.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Must-Do Attractions:

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Must Eats:

• Ronto Roasters’ Ronto wraps
• BaseLine Tap House’s charcuterie board and pretzel
• Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge’s signature cobb salad and grapefruit cake

Things To Skip At Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
• Hollywood & Dine
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

Lunch: The Florida sun is no joke, and since you have a long day ahead of you, it’s wise to take a moment to recharge with a sit-down lunch. Most of the table service options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios leave much to be desired but there are some delicious options for those in the know. Use the app’s walk-up feature to reserve a table at The Brown Derby Lounge or enjoy the casual vibes and standout food and beverage offerings at BaseLine Tap House (get the beer flight). As you’re making your Disney Genie+ reservations, begin considering attractions for the late afternoon and evening at the other theme parks.

1 p.m.: Join the virtual queue for EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

1:30 p.m.: With park hopping opening shortly, use Disney Parks bus transportation to visit your second park of the day, Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

2 p.m.: Start at Jambo from Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here, you can explore the illuminating world of Pandora ­– The World of Avatar, ride the steel roller coaster Expedition Everest using the single rider lane, and snack on globally-inspired bites. After experiencing Avatar Flight on Passage using Lightning Lane, a ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris provides breathtaking views of Disney’s largest theme park and the thousands of live animals that call it home.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Must Do Attractions:

• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Must Eats:

• Nomad Lounge’s gluten free churros
• Satu’li Canteen’s fire-grilled meat bowls and cheeseburger pods
• Eight Spoon Café’s pulled pork mac and cheese

Things To Skip At Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

• Kali River Rapids
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!

4 p.m.: Use Disney Parks bus transportation to visit your third park of the day, EPCOT. Experience Disney World’s newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and classic attractions, like Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land. Instead of reserving a sit-down meal, snack (and drink!) around World Showcase pavilions or take part in one of the park’s food and wine festivals.

EPCOT Must Do Attractions:

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Frozen Ever After
• Spaceship Earth

EPCOT Must Eats:

• La Cava Del Tequila’s avocado margarita
• Spice Road Table’s hummus fries
• Les Halle Boulangerie-Patisserie’s pastries

Things To Skip At EPCOT:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Mission: SPACE

7 p.m.: At the main entrance of EPCOT, hop aboard the highway of the sky, the iconic monorail, to venture to your fourth and final park of the day, Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park. Ride classic attractions, like Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, before enjoying their new nighttime spectacular, Disney Enchantment. Snack on DOLE Whip or enjoy small plates from Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen by snagging a last-minute table through the mobile app’s walk-up function.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom Must Do Attractions:

• Space Mountain
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Haunted Mansion

Disney’s Magic Kingdom Must Eats:

• Aloha Isle’s coconut pineapple swirl DOLE Whip
• Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen’s secret menu Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)
• Sleepy Hollow’s fresh fruit and Nutella waffle sandwich

Things To Skip At Disney’s Magic Kingdom:

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Casey’s Corner
• Be Our Guest

Late: Following fireworks, take the monorail to one of Magic Kingdom’s surrounding resorts along the Seven Seas Lagoon. Throw back a tiki concoction at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Grog Grotto or enjoy a glass of wine from the Beauty and the Beast -themed Enchanted Rose Lounge. You’ve earned it.

Four-Park Challenge Tips:

• Stay hydrated by bringing a reusable water bottle with you. There are free water refilling stations in all theme parks.
• A portable phone charger will be your new best friend. A successful Disney day relies heavily on using the mobile app, which unfortunately is a battery drainer.
• Don’t get caught up in trying to ride every attraction possible. Disney is so much more than just rides — expand your palate with a new-to-you snack or take in a show inside an air-conditioned theater.

This article was originally published on 05.28.22

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I change or modify my reservation?

Magic Kingdom in One Day

A Magic Kingdom itinerary is simply a must if your family only has one day at Disney World . The main reason being the Magic Kingdom Park is by far the most-visited theme park in the world. It’s home to so many classic Disney attractions such as the Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan’s Flight, as well as new favorites such as The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. With more than double the attractions of any other theme park, it’s no surprise so many of our customers ask for our Magic Kingdom touring plan.

The Magic Kingdom Park has something for everyone to do from the young, to the young at heart. In this guide we’ll help you plan your day at Magic Kingdom so you get the most out of your one day visit to Disney World .

Planning Your Day at The Magic Kingdom

Our team members at The Park Prodigy have put together this itinerary for you to get the most out of your day at The Magic Kingdom! It has been updated to avoid long lines and crowds and maximize your time in the parks. This park plan should ideally be used during low or moderate crowds at The Magic Kingdom park, however it has been optimized to also help families planning during heavily crowded days. The projected wait times below are from an 8/10 crowd level day on our Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar! 

For our Magic Kingdom 1 day plan we recommend arriving 30 minutes ahead of park opening. This will allow you to take advantage of lower wait times on some of the most popular attractions.

Our team members at The Park Prodigy have found that there are two very important aspects when creating your Magic Kingdom park plan :

• Arrive Early

It’s important to note that a few notable rides this park plan does not include are Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover, and Enchanted Tales with Belle.

This Magic Kingdom itinerary does NOT include Disney Genie+ selections and does NOT include a midday break, and it is best suited for families with older children and young teens. We recommend at least two days  at the Magic Kingdom to truly take advantage of everything the park has to offer. However we understand that this doesn’t always fit into the plan. Here is our Magic Kingdom must do one day park plan!

Magic Kingdom One Day Itinerary

It’s important to note this free Magic Kingdom touring plan is just one of the many ways you can visit the park. You can take all of the tips for Magic Kingdom in one day and create your very own Magic Kingdom guide.

It’s important to always be mindful of height requirements at Disney World, which can impact how you approach your day. Magic Kingdom park is still one of the best theme parks for toddlers, so you should still be able to plan an amazing day.

More than one Day at Magic Kingdom

If you realize that visiting Magic Kingdom in a day might be too much for your family, you can always check out our 2 day Magic Kingdom itinerary.

Magic Kingdom Attraction Priority List

Magic Kingdom in one Day

The below Disney World Magic Kingdom Kingdom itinerary is broken out by hour you enter the park as well as time. This will allow you to use this Magic Kingdom guide no matter what time the park opens!

Hour 1 – Approx 8:00 AM

• Peter Pan’s Flight – 15 Minutes
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 85 Minutes

Hour 2 – Approx 9:00 AM

• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 30 Minutes

Hour 3 – Approx 10:00 AM

• Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid – 30 Minutes
• Mad Tea Party – 20 Minutes

Hour 4 – Approx 11:00 AM

• Big Thunder Mountain – 60 Minutes

Hour 5 – Approx 12:00 PM

• Lunch Break – 60 Minutes

Hour 6 – Approx 1:00 PM

• Jungle Cruise – 50 Minutes
• Pirates of the Caribbean – 30 Minutes

Hour 7 – Approx 2:00 PM

• It’s a Small World – 30 Minutes
• The Hall of Presidents – 35 Minutes

Hour 8- Approx 3:00 PM

• Mickey’s Philhar of Magic – 30 Minutes
• The Barnstormer – 40 Minutes

Hour 9 – Approx 4:00 PM

• Dumbo The Flying Elephant – 20 Minutes
• Tomorrowland Speedway – 40 Minutes

Hour 10 Approx 5:00 PM

Hour 11 Approx 6:00 PM

• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin – 60 Minutes
• Space Mountain – 75 Minutes

Hour 12 Approx 7:00 PM

• Haunted Mansion – 30 Minutes

Other Notable Rides for Your Magic Kingdom Itinerary

• Splash Mountain
• Astro Orbiter
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• The Magic Carpet of Aladdin
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Tommorrowland Transit Authority People Mover

Who We Recommend

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One Day at Disney World – 15 Tips on How To Do It in 2024

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MY WANDERLUSTY LIFE

#TimeBudgetTravel

How to Do All 4 Disney Parks in 1 Day: A Super Detailed Guide

Last Updated: November 23, 2021 //  by  Ashley Smith 15 Comments

My attempt at visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day has me wondering… If you were a Disney character, who would you be?

Me—hmm, maybe Cinderella? I’m really clumsy on staircases (with the hospital bills to prove it). Or perhaps Princess Aurora because no one loves a good nap more than I do. I’m absolutely the chicken from Moana before I have my morning coffee.

But if I had to choose just one I’d say, without question, I’m Lightning McQueen—the main car from the movie… Cars . Actually, “Lightning McQueen” is a pretty sick nickname so from now on I’ll answer to nothing else. The fact that I actually do drive a red sports car is a complete coincidence.

When I’m not napping, I’m go-go-going. I have only two levels: “asleep” and “fast AF”. This blog is literally about doing as much as humanly possible in any given short amount of time. That’s why when I came up with the plan to visit all 4 Disney parks in 1 day, I thought it was going to be THE FUNNEST and my husband was like, “Uhh, I think I’m coming down with something.”

This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been updated for 2020. However, For more on what it’s like visiting Disney World during the Pandemic , check out my full post in that link!

Can you do all 4 Disney parks in 1 day?

So, can you even do all 4 Disney parks in a single day? Absolutely! All you need is a 1-day Disney Park Hopper pass, comfortable sneakers, and a ton of unbridled Disney enthusiasm. Also, a big ol’ coffee to start your day doesn’t hurt. 

People kept telling me I was nuts. But I kept saying, “Well they sell 1-day Park Hopper passes for a reason, right?” That obviously means they want me to visit all 4 Disney parks in a single day and nothing less. Lightning McQueen doesn’t half-ass her Disney vacations. (More on the Park Hopper pass in a minute.)

At the bottom of this post you’ll find this post in the form of a free printable guide to keep you on track. It covers the basics of how to visit all 4 Disney parks in one day as well as some recommended products and helpful links.

Before we get started, I’d like to point out that, in a perfect world where vacation time and six-figure paychecks are a-plenty, I’d absolutely recommend dedicating at least one day for each Disney park. (While we’re at it, that perfect world would also include members of the Hemsworth family portraying in-park Disney princes and actual flying carpets instead of shuttle buses.)

Walt Disney World is just that—its own world . To say there’s a lot to see and experience here is the understatement of the century. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit if you only have a day or two. You deserve magic in your life too!

It only means you need to be more prepared and smarter with your time . Don’t worry darling, Lightning McQueen is here to help. And you’ve never had a friend like me.

When you arrive in Orlando, be sure to pick up a FREE toll pass for Florida visitors to save lots of money when renting a car. That link shows you how to get one!

What doing all 4 Disney parks in 1 day looked like for me

Our whole day’s plan revolved around our 7:40 pm dinner reservations at the Biergarten restaurant in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion. And if you say it seems like our whole lives revolve around German beer and food, you wouldn’t be mistaken. 

Since we wanted to end our visit to all the Disney parks in 1 day at Epcot, we started with the farthest away park, Magic Kingdom, and worked our way down. However, Magic Kingdom also had the earliest opening time of all the parks. And that should really be the deciding factor on where to start.

Visiting all 4 Disney parks is fun but tough – follow up your day here with a visit to the relaxing and fun Orlando beer spa ! Click that link for all the awesome details.

Visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day: our schedule

7:30 am – 7:46 am: Shuttle bus from All Star Movies Resort ⇢ Magic Kingdom 7:46 am – 8:00 am: Walking to park, getting tickets* 8:00 am – 11:15 am: Magic Kingdom 11:15 am – 11:33 am: Waiting for the shuttle, we just missed it 11: 33 am – 11:50 am: Shuttle from Magic Kingdom ⇢ Animal Kingdom 11:50 am – 2:36 pm: Animal Kingdom (lunch in there somewhere) 2:36 pm – 2:55 pm: Shuttle from Animal Kingdom ⇢ Hollywood Studios 2:55 pm – 5:30 pm: Hollywood Studios 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm: Waited for water taxi, husband napped on a bench 5:45 pm – 6:10 pm: Water taxi from Hollywood Studios ⇢ Epcot Center 6:10 pm – 9:30 pm: Epcot Center (dinner from 7:30 – 9 pm)

*I had to pick up my passes from Guest Relations at the park itself. However I highly recommend saving time by pre-purchasing your park tickets at your resort. More on that in a minute.

How to do all 4 Disney parks in 1 day: 17 Steps

Step 1: believe in yourself.

A very “Disney” way to start, no? People will tell you you’re crazy for trying to visit all 4 Disney parks in 1 day. They’ll tell you it’s exhausting or that it just plain can’t be done.

But with visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day as in life, don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something . You can do anything you put your mind and your magic band to. You’re not alone in this journey. You’ve got a fleet of Disney shuttle buses and water taxis and monorails at your disposal ready and willing to take you where you need to go, to infinity and beyond.

You don’t need to see everything

They’ll tell you you’re going to miss so much. But who cares? No big deal! You don’t need to see everything . I’ve seen everything at Disney World already and take my word that you can go ahead and skip like 1/2 of it.

You’re an adult (*term used loosely*). You don’t need to ride the teacups or see every single parade (so. many. parades.). You don’t need to meet every single Disney character you cross paths with. There were a couple there I couldn’t even name.

They’ll say you need at least a week to experience Walt Disney World, preferably more. Okay, Ritchie Rich. Open your wallet or shut your mouth. My name is not Ashley Moneybags and I bet yours isn’t either. Your name may very well be Ashley Smith though—I think the odds are pretty good on that one.

Step 2: Stay at a Disney resort

There are so many time-saving benefits to staying at a Disney resort you’d think you were a member of a really exclusive club like the Screen Actors Guild or the AARP (What? Not everyone can get in.)

Note: The following paragraphs are going to make me sound like I work for Disney but don’t be fooled. It’s just that I really, really think staying at a Disney resort is the bibbidi bobbidi bomb.

Here are some benefits to staying at a Disney resort:

Special “extra magic hours”.

Guests of Disney resorts are allowed early entry into parks (one hour) and extended time in the park after typical closing times (two hours). The schedule as to which park hosts Extra Magic Hours varies each day but if you plan your day right, you’ve just earned three extra hours in your quest to explore all 4 Disney parks in 1 day. You may be able to ride the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster after all! More on that in a minute.

Free transportation

Not only can you take free shuttle buses, water taxis, and the monorail between the parks at no extra charge, you can also take a free shuttle to all of the parks from all of the Disney resorts .

If you had to drive+park+walk every time you wanted to change parks, your 1-day 4-park Disney quest would be an absolute trash heap. I’m pretty sure Disney park parking lots are where episodes of Snapped are born.

Advance ticket purchasing

Waiting in line at a park to buy your Park Hopper pass for the day is wasted time. And what do we need when we’re attempting to visit all 4 Disney parks in 1 day, soldier? AS MUCH TIME AS WE CAN GET. SIR! Instead, get your ticket(s) at your Disney resort’s concierge desk at any damn time you want, day or night.

Extra FastPass+ privileges

With the FastPass+ you can reserve your spot in line for rides, entertainment, and character meet-and-greets up to 30 days in advance of your visit. If you stay at a Disney resort, that becomes 60 days . That’s a whole ‘nother month to plan your day but then completely forget what the hell you’ve chosen because that’s actually an absurd amount of time to wait in line for Space Mountain.

Gift shop / souvenir magic

If you want to purchase a souvenir (or more accurately, an entire wardrobe) at a Disney World gift shop but don’t want to carry around a ton of bags while you race from park to park, stay at a Disney resort.

Instead of hauling your purchases around with you all day, the gift shops can send your purchases directly to your resort for you to pick up when you finally call it a day. You might not have the strength to carry them back to your room, but let’s play it by ear.

Which Disney resort should I stay at?

And in case you’re like, “Okay, Ashley Moneybags. Disney resorts are disgustingly expensive,” then you haven’t met the Walt Disney World All Star Movies Resort .

This resort has all of the benefits, service, amenities, themes you’re way too old for, and magic of a Disney resort but with the price tag of like a Super 8 (for real, I just checked). I seriously don’t know how they do it but I don’t ask questions.

All Star Movies is located right there between parks and other resorts. It has pools, free parking, dining options, and we even got a Disney gift card for choosing to forego housekeeping during our stay. Getting paid to help our planet… it’s like the Peace Corps but for people who don’t wanna do any more for humanity than sleep in an unmade bed.

Also check out ─ There is more to do in Orlando besides theme parks . So after you complete your Day at Disney, check out the link above for other ways to fill your days!

Step 3: Purchase a 1-day Park Hopper pass

Buying a Disney World Park Hopper Pass is going to be the only way to visit all 4 Disney parks in 1 day. Without spending your entire annual household income (pre-tax) that is.

Despite what it shows in this picture, the price may be something else. Disney World has three different ticket pricing options:

Your 1-day Park Hopper ticket could be (as of October 2017) $162, $170, or $174 depending on which day of the year you visit.

This page will allow you to look ahead to see which days are which prices. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which is cheapest of them all?

Step 4: Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.

So, no, you won’t be able to experience everything Disney World has to offer. (There can only be one Lightning McQueen after all.)

Prioritizing what you want to see and do at each park is going to be key —as is a morning Starbucks run and not giving a damn what you look like all day under that hot Florida sun. (Visiting all four Disney parks in one day means not getting a single decent photo of yourself in front of a castle or a color block wall. Accept this, don’t waste time trying.)

Make a list

Make a list of everything you think you want to see, do, and ride at each park. Then rank them in descending order of importance (and be prepared to toss out a few at the bottom). If you don’t know what there is to see and do at Disney World in the first place, there’s an internet for that . To help with your list, answer these questions:

Which rides do you want to ride?

• The classics: Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest (good god Disney, branch out a little), Tower of Terror, It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, etc.
• The newer ones: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Avatar Flight of Passage, Frozen Ever After (AKA The Ride Formerly Known as Maelstrom), Na’vi River Journey, Star Tours, etc.
• A million others: Test Track, Animal Kingdom Jungle Cruise, Soarin’, Gran Fiesta Tour, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Kilimanjaro Safari, etc.
• Normally I’d say ain’t nobody got time for sitting down for a stage show but attractions like Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Muppet*Vision 3D take place in dark, air-conditioned theaters so we cool.

Pro tip: Check the Disney website to see which rides are closed for refurbishment. Cross those suckers off your list.

How old are you?

• If the answer suggests, “I’ve got hair growing in strange places,” go ahead and omit every single ride you’d be embarrassed to be seen on alone. Like: Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, etc.

What entertainment do you want to see?

• For every show, concert, parade, etc. that you’d want to see, there is a well-defined schedule and these shows happen all the livelong day.
• My favorites: Let the Magic Begin at Magic Kingdom, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and the Jedi Training at Hollywood Studios. I write a whole piece on the Jedi training somewhere down there. ⇣

What or where do you want to eat?

• We prioritized the all-you-can-eat buffet dinner and liters of beer in Epcot Germany’s Biergarten restaurant so we centered our whole day around our reservation time.
• Maybe you want breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest Restaurant or Cinderella’s Table or maybe you’re visiting in the fall and want to make the entire Epcot International Food and Wine Festival your dinner—no judgement. Actually, that’s a fabulous idea.

If a fancy meal doesn’t concern you, there are about a trillion places to eat at Disney World so you can just ignore this point. For all the more popular places, you’ll need a reservation made as in advance as possible.

What are your favorite Disney movies?

• For instance, if you love love love Frozen or the Little Mermaid or Toy Story , you can’t miss those park areas (Epcot’s Norway pavilion, the Magic Kingdom’s newest Fantasyland addition, and Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, respectively).
• Similarly, if you think Dumbo is a big fat stupid loser (OMG YOU HAVE NO SOUL) then you should altogether skip the Storybook Circus Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom.

Get my drift? The great thing about Disney World is that it’s hella organized. If you don’t care for certain movies/characters you can cut out whole chunks of the parks.

Also check out ─ I didn’t just plan my one day at Disney World this way, I actually use the time-saving tactics (and more) from this post in planning all my trips. Check out my post on how to plan a jam-packed itinerary for any destination. It’s got 29 super helpful time-saving tips you probably haven’t thought of–many of which would even help with your 4 parks in 1 day Disney challenge.

Step 5: Draw up a detailed plan of your day

The way to succeed at the Disney 4 parks 1 day challenge is to start organized and stay organized. Be your own Disney drill sergeant, maggot!

For me, I came up with a rough timetable of when I expected to arrive at each park and when I should leave to head to the next one. And don’t just divide twelve hours by four parks.

I knew I’d want more time at Magic Kingdom because it’s just so much bigger than the other three. And since I was actually going to be spending the entire next day at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival I cut time out of the Epcot portion of this program.

If Magic Kingdom has more you want to see than at, say, Animal Kingdom, give yourself more time there. This is not rocket science. However, if it’s actually rocket science you’re looking for, don’t miss Epcot’s Mission: Space .

Some things to consider when planning your day:

Is there any one thing this day is focused around.

Is there somewhere you absolutely have to be at a certain time? Ours was dinner reservations. Yours may be one particular ride and a reserved FastPass+ time for it, a particular character meet-and-greet, or meeting up with a friend, etc.

Maybe you’re dying to see the fireworks display at Cinderella’s castle (freaking Tinkerbell flies from the roof! Disney World, y’all hiring?), the Epcot Forever Nighttime Spectacular , or Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular . If so, you’ll have to order your parks so that you end at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or Hollywood Studios.

Determine the order in which you’ll visit the parks.

Base this order on the question above combined with that particular day’s schedule of Extra Magic Hours. Ideally you’d benefit from starting at the park that opens the earliest and ending in the park that closes the latest. But I don’t need to give you such elementary advice—you’ve got hair in strange places! Yer a grownup!

Determine how long you’ll need at each park.

And base this on the number of things you want to see, do, and ride. And if you think you’ll have to ask for help or not. It’s almost impossible to speak to anyone at Disney World and keep it under a minute.

Hi, can you tell me how to get to… – Well hello there princess. How are you this lovely day? Great, thank you. Can you tell me where… – I love your mouse ears. So festive and purple-y! Thanks. So I need to find… – Sure. I can certainly help you with that! But first, do you know who Ariel’s father is? KINGTRITONOMGCANYOUJUSTTELLMEWHERETOGO! – *gives directions* Thank you! – You’re so very welcome! Take Care! Have a magical day! *…he says to Ashley-shaped dust cloud left where I once stood.*

Stick to your list!

Write down ideal times you’d like to enter and leave each park and STICK TO IT like a vegetarian to a soy diet.

I also gave myself an hour between parks because I had no idea what the shuttle situation was going to be like. Turns out I vastly overestimated how long those trips would take. Disney shuttle buses run every twenty minutes and the longest we waited for one was fifteen.

The trips between parks also average about twenty minutes; the water taxi from Hollywood Studios to Epcot took us twenty-five. I have no idea how long the monorail takes but it’s probably nowhere near as fast as they thought it would have been by now when they built it in 1971.

You might like ─ If you’ve got more limited time in Florida, also check out my list of quick Florida itineraries . From St. Augustine to Sarasota , the beach and more.

Map out your time at each park.

Circle everything you want to see, do, and ride on each park’s map and do them in order. These parks are HUGE and running back and forth across them would be a massive time suck.

Find up-to-date Disney maps here: Magic Kingdom | Animal Kingdom | Hollywood Studios | Epcot Center

Step 6: Download the My Disney Experience mobile app

The My Disney Experience mobile app has many functions but as far as time-saving usage goes, with this app you can see:

• that day’s park hours
• show and parade times
• restaurant hours and menus
• character greeting times and locations
• current wait times for rides and attractions
• and all the times you tried to get a decent photo of yourself even though I told you to scrap that idea, soldier!

Through the app you can also:

• purchase park tickets
• manage your FastPass+
• manage your FatPass (that’s what I call dining reservations at the all-you-can-eat buffets)
• navigate the parks with GPS-enabled maps that offer step-by-step directions
• and find the nearest restroom (for the love of God, thank you Disney!)

Step 7: Utilize the FastPass+

Disney World’s FastPass+ system is basically a way to stand in line for a ride but like, without putting on a bra and leaving your house.

Say your trip to Disney World isn’t for another six weeks but you know you’ll want to ride the new Pandora thing when you get there… go ahead and get in line now. In cyberspace. (Or in reality actually because whoa .)

As I mentioned before, you can make your FastPass+ selections (up to three per day) up to 30 days in advance and up to 60 days in advance if you stay at a Disney resort.

To begin using FastPass+ you’ll need to have already purchased your 1-day Park Hopper ticket so the two can be linked. To begin using FastPass+ earlier than the 30 days in advance, you’ll need to have already booked your room at a Disney resort.

You’ll also need:

• either the MyDisneyExperience.com website or the mobile app
• an idea of what rides you want to ride and when
• and patience, Iago, patience !

How the FastPass+ works

You’ll choose your visit date, a park, a ride or attraction, then the time you want to ride. They give you a 1-hour window during which you can show up to the ride and skip all those poor, unfortunate souls waiting standby.

For everything else you could ever want to know about using Disney World’s FastPass+ system, this page has it all.

Don’t have a FastPass+? Let it gooo, let it go!

Much like rebooting hit TV shows from the ‘90s and having no clue what our spouses’ phone numbers are, FastPass+ is the new normal. What seems counterproductive in theory (if everyone’s skipping to the front of the line, wouldn’t there just be another line, just as long as the original?) actually works because Disney knows a thing or two about logistics.

Turns out, using the FastPass+ system is really the only way to ride your favorite rides while visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day .

On my particular visit in October, standby lines were two hours for the new Avatar rides, 3 hours (I kid you not) for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and anywhere between an hour and two hours for all the other popular rides. If there’s something you just have to ride, all aboard the FastPass+ train, woo-woo!! (That’s a metaphor, not to be confused with the many actual trains to be found at Disney World.)

Without a FastPass+ reservation, don’t even think about riding some of the more popular rides. People were running to get in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train when the rope dropped. RUNNING. It was a stroller stampede, I tell you! Parent pandemonium! An all-out dad dash for the end of the line.

Step 8: Wear comfortable shoes

You saw my Fitbit stats up there, right? Maybe walking 12 miles ain’t no thang to you but I’m a blogger. I work on a couch. Some days I don’t even walk as far as my mailbox. (Mystery of the staircase mishaps solved!)

I don’t care if it’s just a mile of walking, something about theme parks makes your feet hurt! I already told you to give up on your dreams of looking cute at Disney World so just focus on actually being able to walk for the entirety of the day. 

Stick to cushy sneakers and leave the flip-flops at home. Your survival will depend on it.

My legs and feet and back were all still functioning properly as we headed for our very last shuttle of the day and I owe it all to my comfy shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I could still barely walk after 15 hours of Disney parks but that had everything to do with the all-you-can-eat buffet of heavy German food .

…And mouse ears

As a self-proclaimed Disney geek, I also encourage the wearing of mouse ears. This has nothing to do with physical endurance; they’re just cute.

I got a couple of pairs this year from my official ear sponsor, Abuzz Designs (I have an official ear sponsor, all of my career goals have been met), but afterwards had a thought. Because these ears are interchangeable, I should’ve gotten four different sets to change into when I switched parks. Facepalm to the max.

Instead I wore my hollow purple ears on my day visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day and switched to my Food and Wine ears for Epcot the next day. Like a boss.

Step 9: Don’t bring a bag if you don’t have to

Other than at the rides themselves, the longest lines I encountered at all 4 parks were the lines to get my purse checked. My husband skipped right on through the “people without bags” entrance. I got stuck, every time, behind “Mommy” and her purse, her backpack, her diaper bag, and her stroller all needing to be checked for whatever they check for.

At one point the lady starting pulling out gallon-sized bags of sliced apples. But I can assure you, Disney, if it’s weapons you’re worried about, the folks most likely to be packing are the broads with the poisoned apples. Have you learned nothing from working at Disney World???

Disney security was consistently fast and efficient. However, getting stuck in a line full of this shiznit wasted precious time I could’ve spent chasing down a Dole Whip.

Step 10: Know the shuttle schedules

Did you know… the shuttles start running 45 minutes before the parks even open? If the park’s opening time is 8:00 am, the shuttles begin running at 7:15. If it opens at 9 am, the shuttles can pick you up at your Disney resort as early as 8:15.

Visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day requires efficient use of every single minute so don’t be late for your very important date… with destiny.

Step 11: Don’t be fooled by those Magic Hour opening times

Those Extra Magic Hours are nice but they aren’t, in fact, magical. Yes, you can get into the park at 8 am instead of 9, but you can’t get all the way up in it.

At Magic Kingdom and Epcot (the two parks where I’ve experienced this), you can get into the park and are free to explore the main areas: down Main Street USA and up to Cinderella’s castle, or around Epcot’s Future World. However, you can’t get into the true guts of the parks (like Fantasyland or the World Showcase) until standard opening time.

You can still use this time

This blows a little, sure. But you can still use this time wisely. Use this extra hour to do your coffee drinking, your breakfast sandwich eating, your gift-shopping, your last-minute plan amending, and your picture taking.

One nice thing about being the first nerd in the park is that not a lot of people show up before the standard opening time so you can get some pretty great pictures with shockingly few strollers in them.

Step 12: Don’t waste time waiting for LeFou’s Brew

I thought the day had finally come when I could get a breakfast beer at the Magic Kingdom but, alas, I was wrong.

After waiting in line longer than I’d like to admit for a pint of Lefou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern, we came to find out it wasn’t beer after all, but apple freaking juice. “Frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow and topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango foam served in a souvenir stein,” to be exact.

Here’s a souvenir stein to remember that time you felt like an alcoholic at Disney World! ⇠ The place that won’t let you drink beer but has no issue with helping children look like they’re drinking beer. Maybe they’ll start selling candy cigarettes too, Cruella De Vil style.

You’ve been warned.

Step 13: Be prepared to explain some things to your kids

If you’ve brought your kids along with you on your quest to do all 4 Disney parks in one day, be prepared to explain how certain Disney characters can be in two parks at once.

Personally, I think you’d be foolish to attempt visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day with a child in tow because isn’t one exhausted husband enough? Regardless, should you do this , be prepared for questions. Many of the same characters do meet-and-greets at different parks and your. child. will. notice.

Step 14: Don’t miss the Jedi training at Hollywood Studios

If there’s one show you want to make time for during your day, make it the Jedi training experience at Hollywood Studios. It is THE BEST THING AT DISNEY WORLD. It’s heartwarming; it’s hilarious; and it must be absolutely terrifying for these children, right?

Watch random kids (not actors) learn to fight as Jedis. Then watch them almost wet themselves when Darth Vader and Kylo Ren storm out and they realize how seriously being a Jedi is not their calling.

Some kids get super angry and take defeating these villains as serious as a Force choke. Others have no idea WTF is going on. Some are so over-the-top elated at their ability to “use the force” to fight the bad guys. Some kids cry and that’s my favorite.

Step 15: Take the water taxi to Epcot

Aiight, this’ll be the only time Lightning McQueen will ever tell you to slow your roll. The shuttle buses are always your quickest option when moving between parks but at some point your husband is going to need to take a nap. The water taxi, excuse me, the Friend Ship , is the perfect way to do so.

The water taxis run between Epcot and Hollywood Studios (with some resort stops in between). They’re part of Disney’s complimentary transportation network and, let’s be honest, at this point in your attempt at visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day you’re going to be begging for a break. Give yourself this time to chill out on a boat and gather yourself for your 4 th and final park.

Step 16: Don’t forget to hydrate!

I can’t stress this point enough. Just because you’re not peeing every ten minutes doesn’t mean you aren’t losing vital fluids. It’s Florida; it’s hot AF; and you are tramping your tush off. You’re peeing out your pores! In a manner of speaking.

Keep a water bottle with you at all times. That’s what your husband’s cargo shorts are for, don’t you know this? There are water fountains all over all the Disney parks that I’m sure no little kid has put his or her lips on. Use those to refill your bottle constantly and just keep sipping… (I bring my Takeya water bottle everywhere.)

Step 17: Toast to a challenge complete and a job well done!

It is time. You’ve successfully visited all 4 Disney parks in 1 day! You deserve a beer that is actually beer and not fruit foam! When you wish upon a bar, makes no difference where you are.

Actually, that’s not true. If you’re at the Magic Kingdom for closing ceremonies you’re sh*t outta luck. There are a handful of places at MK where you can get a drink, but you can’t leave the restaurant with it. Good-bye fireworks + frozen margarita! So long Tinkerbell + tequila!

But while you’re stuck inebriating indoors at Magic Kingdom, the other three parks have plenty of op-booze-tunities. It may be time for me to go to bed.

This is another chief reason I vote for ending your day at Epcot. You can’t swing a honeypot at Epcot Center without hitting a booth to get hooch.

The 4-Park Challenge ─ There’s a lot of talk going around about a so-called “Disney World 4-park challenge.” Word on the street is that there’s an “official” Disney-sponsored challenge centered around visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day, culminating in them bestowing upon you an official certificate of completion. However, this is pure shenanigans. Such an official challenge does not exist, at least not anymore if it ever did at one point.

Bonus: Don’t plan another park day the very next day. Just don’t.

Maybe you feel great after visiting all the Disney World parks in a 1 day—it’s those shoes, honey!—but don’t get cocky. Attempting another theme park day the following day is masochism in its purest form. It’s like you never want to walk or be able to stand up straight again. You’ll be little more than a dead person in very cute mouse ears.

How to Do All 4 Disney Parks in 1 Day

Visiting all 4 Disney parks in 1 day is absolutely possible! You just need a good plan, great shoes, and these 17 super-detailed steps and tips.

• This printed-out guide
• 1-day Park Hopper pass
• Disney park schedules
• Shuttle bus schedules
• Disney park maps
• Comfortable sneakers
• Magic Band with tickets and FastPasses already linked
• Refillable water bottle
• Fitbit / watch

Instructions

• Believe in yourself! You're not crazy for wanting to do this. You can do it!
• Stay at a Disney resort for all the added time-saving benefits. I recommend the budget All-Star Movies Resort .
• Purchase 1-day Park Hopper pass ahead of time through your resort.
• Make a prioritized list of what you want to see/do/eat/ride at each of the 4 parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios.
• Draw up a detailed plan of what you want your day to look like and stick to it . Determine how long you'll need at each park, which order you'll visit them in, and how you'll navigate each one using park maps.
• Download the My Disney Experience mobile app .
• Organize your FastPass+ schedule .
• Wear comfortable shoes .
• Leave the bag at home if you can to avoid the long bag-checking lines at the entrance.
• Know the shuttle schedules.
• Take advantage of the extra Magic Hours opening and closing times.
• Don't waste time looking for beer at Magic Kingdom - there isn't any.
• Be prepared to explain certain things to your kids (if applicable).
• If you see one show today, make it the Jedi training at Hollywood Studios.
• Take the water taxi to Epcot for a much-deserved break.
• Hydrate , hydrate, hydrate!
• Toast to a challenge complete!

Print this guide and take it with you, but feel free to come back to this post often for all the details, links, tips, and more. See ya real soon!

mywanderlustylife.com/all-4-disney-parks-in-1-day

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Heading to Disney World? Find great places to stay here . But where do I personally recommend?  the Walt Disney World All Star Movies Resort All pictures were taken with my Google Pixel XL . What else have I covered on Disney World? Check out these posts . Like this post? Have questions? Hit me up on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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About Ashley Smith

Ashley is a historian and Oktoberfest expert & tour guide. She has traveled to 33 countries and specializes in quick trips throughout Europe and the Americas that prioritize hiking adventures, museums of all kinds, cultural experiences, and jam-packed itineraries. She hails from Memphis, TN and currently lives in Boston with her husband and two feline sidekicks.

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1-Day Animal Kingdom Itinerary

Our 1-day Animal Kingdom itinerary details step-by-step strategy for minimizing wait times & avoiding crowds at the theme park’s most popular rides & shows, including Avatar Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and more. This Walt Disney World touring plan covers attractions, restaurants, zoo exhibits, and more.

This single day Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) itinerary has been updated again due to the return of more entertainment and meet & greets, as well as increased crowd levels. We’ve also made seasonal tweaks and accounted for changes in popularity and wait times due to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. However, this itinerary assumes you will not be buying those line-skipping services–it instead works around them. If you do plan on spending the extra, consult our 1-Day Animal Kingdom Itinerary with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes .

We visit Animal Kingdom frequently “for the sake of research” (and to watch our otter homies hanging out in their grotto), monitoring wait times, testing various approaches, and fine-tuning our strategy as crowds have increased and decreased during that time. This is the revised Animal Kingdom itinerary for 2024 that we’ve devised as a result.

This post continues our series of Walt Disney World Park Itineraries & Touring Plans designed to answer the frequently asked question, “ what would you do if you only had one day in ____ Disney park? ” Animal Kingdom is an interesting mix of zoological offerings and traditional theme park attractions requiring a balanced approach that juggles the park’s various types of attractions.

It’s possible to experience what we call “animal fatigue” in this park, which is exactly what it sounds like–losing interest in the surplus of animal exhibits and walking trails. To combat this, we recommend scattering these throughout your day, doing a healthy mix of rides and walkthroughs.

Pandora – World of Avatar helps better achieve this balance, and most people will want spend more time in the rest of Animal Kingdom as a result of that land. Consequently, you  can  spend a full day in Animal Kingdom if you pace yourself to avoid the aforementioned animal fatigue.

Nevertheless, Animal Kingdom is the easiest park to accomplish in a partial day; you can either arrive early or stay late at Animal Kingdom and do the entire park with relative ease. See our recent post: Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Strategy . The same general principles apply when arriving during Early Entry–you essentially just reverse the order of attractions.

So long as you can do major attractions outside of the window between 10 am and 3 pm, Animal Kingdom is pretty easy on normal days at Walt Disney World. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t really see much value in buying Genie+ for Animal Kingdom  at all , even on days you’re Park Hopping to or from another park.

This is less about Animal Kingdom not having enough to fill an entire day and more about the aforementioned animal fatigue and poor pacing. The end result is the same; there’s a mass exodus around 3 pm and the park is relatively quiet during the last two hours of the day.

We’ve stressed this in other recent planning resources, but figured it was worth reiterating as there’s a huge difference between early/late wait times and those during the middle of the day. If you want to know which approach is currently best for every park, see our recent Best Time-Saving Strategies at Walt Disney World . That details the best and worst ways to save time in lines, and is really useful if you’re overwhelmed and don’t want to read a dozen others!

Now, on with the 1-day Animal Kingdom itinerary…

Zig When They Zag — There’s going to be a lot of temptation to do Pandora — World of Avatar first thing in the morning, but resist that–unless you’re an on-site guest arriving for Early Entry, in which case, you should absolutely do Pandora first.

Even if you’re not at Animal Kingdom for those extended a.m. hours, consider starting with the Avatar rides if official park opening time is 7:30 a.m. and you’re there for that. It’s still early enough that you can beat the crowds and longest wait times for Avatar Flight of Passage.

However, if you’re rolling up at 8 am on a busy day, head elsewhere. Over 90% of guests (literally) will make a beeline for Pandora in the morning, resulting in the longest lines and wait times of the day at Avatar Flight of Passage in the morning hours. At that point, you’re not going to beat the Pandora crowds, so zig when others zag.

Animal Kingdom’s other headliners all should be near-walk ons for the first hour of the day—you don’t even have to arrive at rope drop for this. Sleeping in and showing up 30 minutes late is fine.

Start Your Adventure at the Outpost –  If you’re arriving “too late” to start in Avatar land, begin with Adventurers Outpost, which is the Minnie & Mickey Mouse meet & greet in Animal Kingdom. It might seem silly to start here, but this is the 4th longest line in Animal Kingdom on average, and very few people think to do it first. Consequently, it’s slower in the morning and wait times are significantly longer between around 10 am and 3 pm.

There’s also a Lightning Lane to Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost, and once users of that paid FastPass system start using that in large numbers–which usually happens around 9 am–the standby line slows to a crawl. That alone can be unpleasant, which is why we strongly recommend knocking this out in the first hour of the morning. You can be in and out quickly, and on your way to the second stop of the day. (If it’s more convenient, you probably can do this second so long as you’re not visiting on a peak season day.)

Two-Week Safari — This is a great option both from a time-savings perspective and for the best possible experience.

The reason we recommend Kilimanjaro Safaris in the morning is because it’s great for animal activity and also for photographing the animals with nice, soft light. From 11 a.m. until around 3 p.m., Kilimanjaro Safaris isn’t nearly as fun, unless you like watching big cats and other creatures sleeping. Late afternoon is also good in terms of light, and has a decent amount of animal activity as everyone on the savanna starts getting hyped for dinner.

Kali River Soaking – This rapids rafting ride is a crowd-pleaser that is worth doing if you haven’t done it before. It’s fun and goes through cool environments (albeit lacking show scenes) with a conservationist message.

The potential for getting soaked is incredibly high, so don’t do it if that’s going to be a problem. Conversely, because you’ll get soaked on Kali River Rapids, it’s less popular when the weather is cooler. Heading into the winter, its popularity is dropping again–but it’s still easiest to knock out Kali River Rapids en route to the next stop.

Peak XV Summit –  After you’ve gone through the wash cycle on Kali River Rapids, it’s time to air dry on one of Walt Disney World’s best roller coasters. Even an hour or more after official park opening time, Expedition Everest should still have a relatively reasonable wait time. If it’s posted time is under 45 minutes (or you’re fine going in the Single Rider line) do it now. Otherwise, save it for closer to sunset.

Expedition Everest offers fantastic thematic details, one of the best queues, and sweeping views of the park (and beyond). You might want to do it again towards the end of the day, when wait times will be nearly non-existent.

See the Awesomest Animals – Everyone knows dinosaurs are the best animals ever. Unfortunately, Dinoland/Dino-rama are unquestionably the most disappointing theme park lands anywhere, ever. The backstory might be good ( debatable ), but unless your preferred way to experience a theme park is “reading,” then the actual land will disappoint you.

However, DINOSAUR is actually a pretty good attraction. Do it, then act like the rest of this blighted area is extinct to you.

Start Seeing Shows  – When it comes to a day at DAK, pacing is paramount (that should be the park’s mantra). At this point, you’ve already done several rides, so it’s time for some shows. Since you’re in the neighborhood, it’s a good time to watching the newly-reimagined “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond!” musical. You should be able to catch the first performance at this point, but if you’re late for it, grab a snack and do the second showing.

In this reimagined stage show, fish tell Nemo’s story in this updated 25-minute show, incorporating live performers, puppets, and screen-based visuals. The refreshed production takes place in the Finding Dory  timeline and features beloved songs and numbers from the original Finding Nemo: The Musical, including “In the Big Blue World” and “Go With the Flow.”

Snack Time  – If you’re getting hungry, it’s a good time for a pit stop at Dino-Bite Snacks. This location serves a variety of, as the name suggests, snacks. Without a doubt, the highlight is their ice cream sandwiches. The options vary by season, but the shared commonality is that they use freshly-baked, house-made cookies. As a result, they’re all excellent.

If you find yourself on the other side of the park, Creature Comforts Coffee Shop and Bakery is Animal Kingdom’s Starbucks location, and they also have some crazy animal cupcakes. They have a rotating lineup of Lion Cub, Zebra, White Chocolate Elephant or Cotton Top Tamarin cupcakes that are each like 3 feet tall (slight exaggeration) .

Otter Odyssey – At this point, you can reasonably slow down and start enjoy walk-through trails and animal-centric attractions while “waiting out” the crowds.

One we’d direct your attention to that’s easily overlooked is Otter Grotto (near the aforementioned Starbucks). It’s just around the corner from Creature Comforts and features some of Animal Kingdom’s most fun and rambunctious critters.

Strategically, there is no good or bad time for any of the various animal trails and exhibits, but you’ll want to space them throughout your day at Animal Kingdom to avoid fatigue of the park’s zoological features.

Lunch – Animal Kingdom really brings it when it comes to dining. For lunch, we recommend slowing down and having a table service meal. Animal Kingdom gets pretty hot midday, and this is a great time to escape that heat with a longer, relaxing meal. Currently, our #1 pick for those wanting an exceptional, fine dining caliber (in a realized setting) meal is Tiffins . The best meal at Animal Kingdom, and one of the best overall at Walt Disney World.

If you don’t want something fancy, opt for the excellent Yak & Yeti instead . You can’t go wrong with either of these for table service dining in Animal Kingdom. If you want a character meal, Tusker House has also returned as a family-style meal, although our experience there was not the best .

Flights of Fancy – Previously known as UP! A Great Bird Adventure, this show is now called Feathered Friends in Flight and has mercifully cut Russel and Dug from Up . It’s still a bird show targeted towards families with small children, but it no longer feels dumbed down to a 3 year old level. No offense to the characters from Up –a movie we love–but this show is much better without them.

Before or after the bird show, explore trails or watch various animals in the park. From fully-fledged attractions like Pangani Forest Exploration Trail to smaller exhibits around the Oasis, Animal Kingdom has a lot to see that’s often overlooked. Slow down and take the time to explore, discovering various animals and details tucked away in quiet corners. Stumbling upon these hidden gems is very rewarding!

Maharajah Jungle Trek – This is another animal trail that you could really do whenever. Regardless of when you choose to do it, we strongly recommend that you don’t skip this one.

Maharajah Jungle Trek is another under-appreciated Animal Kingdom attraction, as this walk-through exhibit has some beautifully imagineered environments. Definitely don’t skip it, but you also don’t necessarily need to do it in this spot.

Festival of the Lion King – Acrobats, singers, and other performers in tribal attire and vibrant costumes, plus parade floats with Lion King characters and other creatures enact scenes inspired by the Lion King in a very lively theatrical show. There’s a lot of stuff going on, in what basically amounts to a lot of audio-visual stimulation. The show just flat out works, and the almost abstract nature allows the audience to just sit back and enjoy the wow-inducing performers.

Festival of the Lion King is an exceptional show–a relaxing, indoor way to break up the day. It’s now entirely back to normal, which means the tumble monkeys and aerial acrobats have returned. For lower crowds and shorter waits, we recommend one of the late afternoon shows.

Winged Encounters – Periodically, there’s a show directly in front of Tree of Life called “Animal Kingdom: Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight.” If you can’t find showtimes for this, ask a Cast Member around the Tree of Life when it’s scheduled to occur.

This is not a major show, but it’s a magical one that is absolutely worth seeing. Try weaving it into your itinerary as you head back towards the front of the park. Also make an effort to see the other birds and critters around the Oasis, which are otherwise easily overlooked.

Insect Interlude – It’s Tough to Be a Bug is a good option to round out the middle of the afternoon here. It’s a fun 3D show housed inside the park’s iconic Tree of Life, which is arguably the coolest thing about the experience.

With that said, you can truly do It’s Tough to Be a Bug whenever. No strategy required for this one, so slot it in whenever is convenient for you.

Two-Week Sunset Safari – We’ve already gone to different corners of the globe, scaled the Earth’s highest mountain (a couple of times), and now, we’re going to do a few weeks worth of safaris. That’s more impressive than going around the world at Epcot in a day!

For this ride aboard Kilimanjaro Safaris, we recommend waiting until late afternoon, getting closer to sunset time. Along with the early morning, the animals are most active in mid to late afternoon, so this experience should be different from the first but equally eventful.

Unwind at Dinner Time – One of the biggest “problems” you’ll have with visiting Animal Kingdom is that there are too many good places to eat. I guess that’s a good problem to have. On the one hand, there’s Satu’li Canteen in Pandora – World of Avatar . This counter service restaurant has inventive, high-quality, and even healthy cuisine that is excellent.

On the other hand, Flame Tree BBQ is a good option if you’re looking for something unhealthy and distinctly carnivorous. One of the things this brings to the table is stunning views of Everest from the seating area. The food is also really good at Flame Tree BBQ , but we think it’s gone downhill in recent years with higher portion sizes.

Travel 4.4 Light Years Away… – The final stop of your day needs to be Pandora – World of Avatar. Right now, we recommend arriving to the land around 90 minutes before park closing. At that point, Na’vi River Journey should have a posted wait time of 55 minutes or less, with an actual wait time usually around 30 minutes. (Adjust your arrival accordingly based on the wait time in My Disney Experience.)

That should be a sufficient buffer to finish the boat ride and make your way to the park’s headliner, Avatar Flight of Passage, with 15-30 minutes left in the day. At this point, the posted wait for Flight of Passage will likely be over an hour (it might even be triple digits!), but the actual wait time will be significantly lower than that. If you don’t arrive within the first 30 minutes Animal Kingdom is open, these will be the shortest waits of the day at both Pandora attractions.

On your way out, be sure to watch the Tree of Life Awakenings , which are brief montages that play on the Animal Kingdom park icon. That should mark the conclusion to a satisfying day at Animal Kingdom. While the park is still relatively relaxed and less stressful of a touring experience than Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios (especially after the 3 pm mass exodus), you should still follow this strategy to avoid the few headaches that do exist at Animal Kingdom.

Even a few years after Pandora – World of Avatar opened, wait times for both Avatar attractions can still be quite long, especially at rope drop, so pack your patience! If you want to experience other attractions besides those we’ve listed, make sure to check out our Animal Kingdom Park & Attractions Guide , which rates and reviews all attractions.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews . To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

What would you include in your ideal day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? If you’ve been back to DAK since Genie+ and Lightning Lanes launched, what was your experience with crowd patterns and wait times? Did you do Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage first, last, or somewhere in between? What did you think of Pandora – World of Avatar? If you haven’t visited Walt Disney World, what do you plan on doing during your day in Animal Kingdom? Any questions? Share your questions and thoughts in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

my wife and I will be visiting Orlando in April for a couple of weeks. She loves animals and this is on our list of things to. Unfortunately, because she had a stroke some years ago, she can’t tolerate rides and I was wondering if there’s enough to do for a day here without having to do rides? She should be fine on one the tour buses or river boats as long as they’re slow and gentle. I’d appreciate any advice from those of you whom have already been.

Hi Peter, yes there is plenty to do aside from rides. Kilimanjaro Safari is amazing, it’s a slow bus tour of the Safari but its a little jerky in places so not sure if it would be OK for your wife. Ask the Cast Members, they are all amazing and helpful. Animal Kingdom has lots of Animal exhibits, walk through attractions and shows so I think you will love it. Have fun!

BEST PLAN EVER!!! I went on a super crowded day and was able to do every activity without genie pass. I just purchased the lightning pass for avatar as I went on new year… which was one of the busiest day in the park. Thanks a ton!!!!

Ellen, All roller coaster and rides and motion-based rides have a motion sickness warning. That’s just common sense and you should know better. The parents that complain about their children being scared or “freaking out” are just bottom line poor parents who blame others for not knowing what their own kids are and are not capable of handling. Try to take accountability for being a parent, please?

As for the itinerary, nicely explained. Thanks!

Has more “smaller” entertainment returned to Animal Kingdom, or is it mainly the large shows at this point that have returned?

Oh, this is helpful for my trip planning, although I’m sorry it happened to you. Can I ask what time of day this happened to you during?

Not getting the Genie+ at AK was a big mistake. Wait times at Avatar and safari far exceeded the posted times and at the safari line, the Genie+ holders kept streaming past us while we literally didn’t move. I had never experienced that on any of the attractions at Magic Kingdom. Wait times at Everest and DINOSAUR were also really long and we would have loved to have been able to skip those lines. We were also really disappointed that at Avatar, there was no mention, until we were literally getting on the “ride” that if you have a fear of heights or inclination to motion sickness that you may want to skip it. My daughter started freaking out after she got strapped in due to a fear of heights)but they quickly closed the door and there was nothing we could do. The simulation was amazingly beautiful but i quickly had to close my eyes as I was getting nauseous.

Oh, this is helpful for my trip planning, although I’m sorry it happened to you. Can I ask what time of day this happened to you during and for what attractions?

I’m pretty sure there is a sign posted at the entrance of the line about motion sickness.

This was my experience as well. I closed my eyes and waited for the Avatar experience to be over. It was also very loud. Vertigo and Nausea prone people, please skip this adventure.

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A magical guide for how to plan a trip to Disney World this year

Editor's Note

If you want to know how to plan a trip to Disney World, you've come to the right place. This guide includes tips for choosing the right Disney World hotel for your budget, deciding which ticket type is right for you, determining which extras are worth splurging on and how to plan a trip that's fun and memorable without too much stress along the way.

With four theme parks, two water parks, more than 25 on-site hotels, over 200 dining locations and more attractions, experiences, shows and shops than we can list here, the best way to build a magical Disney World vacation is with planning, preparation and realistic expectations.

Planning a trip to Disney World should be fun and build excitement for your upcoming trip, and this guide can help.

How to start planning your trip to Disney World

There are a few questions you will want to answer early in the process of planning your Disney World vacation.

• What is your budget? Your budget will determine most other factors of your vacation, including where you stay and how many days you visit. How much it will cost you to go to Disney World really can vary widely based on the choices you make.
• When will you go? You may be at the mercy of work or school schedules, but if you have the flexibility, you can plan your trip when crowds are smaller or the weather is better. The summer can be very hot and rainy, the week between Christmas and New Year's is one of the busiest and weekdays when most kids are in school are often the least busy days.
• Where will you stay? You will typically pay more to stay in one of Disney's on-site hotels, especially at the moderate and deluxe tiers, but you'll also get perks like early theme park entry. Before you choose, you'll want to consider your budget, whether you want a themed room like the Royal Guest Rooms at Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and if you want to be located near a certain Disney park. Pro tip: Renting Disney Vacation Club points can help you stay at a deluxe hotel for a moderate price.
• Which parks will you visit on which days? Depending on the length of your vacation, you may need to prioritize which parks you plan to visit. This will also influence whether you purchase one-park-per-day or Park Hopper tickets that allow you to visit multiple parks daily. If you have little kids, be sure your family will have the stamina for multiple parks per day before shelling out the extra cash to hop.
• Where will you dine? Popular Disney dining reservations are snatched up almost as soon as they become available. You'll want to plan ahead for any character dining or other table service restaurants, so you don't miss out.

It is important to book your hotel, dining and theme park tickets as early as possible for the best rates and availability. Disney also periodically releases special offers on hotels and vacation packages that you can often apply even if you have already made your reservations.

Related: Are the Disney Visa credit cards worth it?

We will dig deeper into each of these topics in this guide. Once you have a rough outline of your vacation based on the questions above, here are important dates to keep in mind so you can make your Disney dream a reality.

How soon can you book a Disney World hotel?

Disney releases hotel availability periodically, so there is no exact date that Disney hotel reservations become available. You can currently book Disney World hotel stays through Dec. 31, 2024.

Disney typically opens reservations for the following year around May or June, so you can expect to see 2025 availability around that time. If your plans change, you can cancel your room-only reservation up to five days in advance of arrival for a full refund. Ticket and hotel vacation packages must be canceled 30 days in advance to receive a full refund.

When can you purchase Disney World tickets?

Disney World tickets follow the same availability calendar as Disney hotel reservations. You can purchase tickets (or vacation packages including a hotel and tickets) through Dec. 31, 2024. Disney typically releases tickets for the following year around May or June, so you can expect to see 2025 availability around that time.

All tickets are date-based, and the price of one-day tickets also varies by park. You can purchase your tickets any time before you visit; the price won't change regardless of how long you wait. Theme park tickets are nonrefundable, but you may be able to change your ticket date if your plans change.

Until Jan. 9, 2024, you must have a Disney ticket and make a theme park reservation to enter a Disney park.

When do Disney World dining reservations become available?

You can begin making dining reservations 60 days prior to your visit. If you are staying in a Disney World hotel, you can make dining reservations 60 days before your check-in day for your entire stay (up to 10 days).

Reservations open on Disney's website or the My Disney Experience app between 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST or you can call 407-939-DINE beginning at 7 a.m. EST, but coveted reservations may already be snatched up by that time. You can cancel most Disney World dining reservations up to two hours before your reservation. Exceptions will be noted in the confirmation email you receive at the time of booking.

If you're not yet sure where to eat, here are our favorite restaurants at Disney World .

FOR NO-COST ASSISTANCE WITH PLANNING AND BOOKING YOUR NEXT DISNEY VACATION, CHECK OUT TPG'S DISNEY BOOKING PARTNER, MOUSE COUNSELORS .

What are the 4 parks at Disney World?

Each of Disney World's four theme parks is uniquely themed and packed with fun. You can learn more about each park, including attractions, shows, parade times and interactive maps to help you find your way around in the My Disney Experience app.

Here's a bit more information about each and some tips for choosing the right ticket type to visit them all.

Magic Kingdom

Open since 1971, Magic Kingdom is Disney World's original theme park. This park is a world of fairy tales and fantasy, where you'll find five themed lands — Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and Liberty Square.

Magic Kingdom is home to some of Disney's most iconic attractions, including Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan's Flight and the Haunted Mansion, but also exciting new rides like Tron: Lightcycle Run and the soon-to-open Tiana's Bayou Adventure .

Epcot opened in 1982 and has changed drastically in the four decades since. Epcot's core message, however, hasn't changed: sparking visitors' imaginations through science, technology, nature and the human experience. The park is sectioned into "neighborhoods" — World Celebration, World Nature, World Discovery and World Showcase, where you can visit pavilions that celebrate the arts, culture and customs of 11 countries around the world.

There are a lot of new things to see at Epcot, including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind , Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana and the all-new fireworks spectacular Luminous – The Symphony of Us .

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a movie-themed park that has lands and attractions inspired by blockbuster films and beloved Disney characters. In Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge , you can pilot the Millennium Falcon and meet familiar (and furry) faces like Kylo Ren, Chewbacca and Rey.

In Toy Story Land, visitors shrink to the size of Woody, Buzz, Jessie (who you can meet here, by the way) and Andy's other toys. The land's Slinky Dog Dash coaster is a family-friendly ride that's perfect for a kid's first roller coaster.

Outside of the lands themed to specific films, much of the park evokes an old-Hollywood glamour that makes you feel like a bona fide movie star. In these areas, you'll find some of the park's most iconic shows and attractions are also some of its longest-running, like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror drop ride, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular .

Disney's Animal Kingdom

More than 2,000 animals — from about 300 species — call Disney's Animal Kingdom "home," but this is not a zoo. However, you can visit many of these animals via walking trails, the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride and even a petting zoo.

In addition to the creatures and landscapes found on Earth, you can visit another planet at Pandora — The World of Avatar or go back in time at DinoLand U.S.A. The animals aren't the only things that are "wild" at Animal Kingdom — Expedition Everest is a thrilling coaster; Avatar Flight of Passage puts you on the back of a banshee as you fly over Pandora; and Dinosaur sends you careening through the Cretaceous Period in an off-road vehicle.

What type of Disney tickets should I buy?

Disney world base tickets.

You can purchase one-day or multi-day Disney World tickets. All tickets are date-based, and the price varies depending on the date of your visit. If you purchase a one-day ticket, the price will also vary based on which park you plan to visit, with Magic Kingdom being the most expensive.

Disney World Park Hopper tickets

A base ticket only gets you into one park per day. If you want to visit multiple parks on the same day, you will need to purchase the Park Hopper option with your ticket (you can also add it on in person after you arrive). You can save money by only visiting one park per day, but it does limit how much you can see and do during your vacation.

A Park Hopper Plus ticket includes two visits to either Disney's golf courses, miniature golf courses or water parks, but this is only worth it if you know you will use it all.

Disney World special event tickets

Some of Disney's after-hours events , like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party , require a separate ticket. The park is only open to guests with special event tickets during these events. If you plan on visiting for one of these parties, you may be able to forgo a general admission ticket that day and utilize your special event ticket, as you can usually get into the park a few hours before the party starts.

Disney World ticket add-ons

There are two major ticket add-ons that you should consider. Both can be worth it but will add to the cost of your vacation.

The first add-on you might want to strongly consider is Disney Genie+ . This skip-the-line service allows you to skip the standby line and enjoy shorter wait times for rides by utilizing Disney's Lightning Lanes.

Currently, you can only purchase it on the day of your visit beginning at 7 a.m. and the price ranges between $15 and $35 per person, per day. A handful of attractions at each park require a separate individual Lightning Lane purchase to skip the line, often for the newest rides, but many rides are available with Genie+. You don't need to purchase Genie+ to buy individual Lightning Lane selections and vice versa. The individual Lightning Lane attraction pricing varies by attraction but typically ranges between $7 and $25 per person per attraction for rides like Tron: Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Another popular add-on is Disney's Memory Maker . Memory Maker gives you unlimited downloads of pictures taken by PhotoPass photographers during your vacation and on-ride photos. You can purchase a one-day Memory Maker for short visits or a multi-day Memory Maker which covers your entire vacation. You can save $25 on a multi-day Memory Maker when you purchase at least three days prior to your visit, so it's best to purchase it when you buy your tickets.

How to get discounted Disney World tickets

Aside from Disney's own discounts, you can sometimes save money on Disney tickets by purchasing them from an authorized third-party reseller. There are a few reputable sources out there for Disney World tickets, but our go-to is Undercover Tourist . Depending on your ticket type, you can usually save between $5 and $100. One of the best ways to save money with Undercover Tourist is when Disney World raises ticket prices , which usually happens at least once per year. Undercover Tourist typically has a limited number of existing ticket stock available at the old prices while supplies last.

Related: We saved every receipt — here's how much it actually costs to go to Disney World

If you are a Florida resident or are an active or retired U.S. military member , there are generous discounted Disney World tickets available directly through Disney's website.

You can also use points to pay for your Disney tickets , and that's a strategy we strongly recommend to keep costs down. For example, with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card , you can earn a welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of having the card. You can use those 75k points as the same as $750 towards travel . And while ticket-only packages from Disney World typically don't code as a travel charge, buying them from Undercover Tourist — or as part of a larger hotel and ticket package directly from Disney — typically does code as a travel charge, so you could save $750 just like that.

Is booking a Disney vacation package a good idea?

If you are staying in one of Disney World's on-site hotels or a certified " Disney World Good Neighbor " hotel, you have the option to bundle your hotel stay and theme park tickets into a Disney vacation package. Normally, these packages are not discounted, but they can be a great value if Disney runs any special vacation package promotions .

Aside from discounts (and the fact that it all likely codes as a travel charge for point-redemption purposes), there's one major reason to book a vacation package: When you purchase your tickets and hotel together, you only have to pay a $200 deposit at the time of booking. Payment in full is due 30 days prior to arrival. If you purchase your tickets separately from your hotel stay, you will have to pay the full amount at the time of purchase.

This is another great example of why you should book through an authorized Disney travel planner who can compare prices for you and keep an eye out for discounts.

When is the best time to visit Disney World?

Do you want the lowest crowds or the best weather? Do you want to attend a Halloween party or see Magic Kingdom's 65-foot-tall Christmas tree ?

The best time to visit Disney World depends on your reason for visiting.

If you want moderate temperatures and less chance of rain, you may want to plan your visit between October and December. If you want shorter waits, your best bets are late January, early May or just after Thanksgiving before the crowds descend upon the parks for winter break. Of course, weekdays typically see lower crowds than weekends and school breaks.

Or, if you are planning a Disney World vacation on a budget, opt for midweek dates in August and September 2024, when prices start at $109 for a one-day ticket.

Read our full guide on the best times to visit Walt Disney World .

What's the best way to get to Disney World?

Getting to Orlando and getting to Disney World after arriving are two different topics, so let's look at each.

What is the closest airport?

The closest airport to Walt Disney World is Orlando International Airport (MCO). Most major airlines fly into MCO, and you can reach Disney World in about 25 to 30 minutes from the airport, depending on traffic. If you are flying Allegiant or Sun Country Airlines, you'll fly into Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB). SFB is smaller than MCO and farther from Disney World. From SFB, it is about a 45-minute drive to Disney World.

What is the best way to get to Disney World from the airport?

Because of its size and proximity to Disney World, MCO has more and better options to help you get between the airport and Disney World.

From Orlando International Airport or Orlando Sanford International Airport, you can rent a car or use a ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft. If you do rent a car from MCO, you can forgo paying tolls through the car rental company (which often comes with an additional fee) and pick up a Visitor Toll Pass to save on tolls during your trip.

Disney no longer charges a parking fee for overnight hotel guests, so if you rent a car, you can park at your hotel and drive to Disney's theme parks without additional fees. Keep in mind that you may not need a car if you don't plan on leaving Disney property after you arrive. Disney has a robust internal transportation system that operates between its on-site hotels and theme parks, water parks and Disney Springs.

You can also use Disney's official airport shuttle, Mears Connect , from MCO.

Mears Connect is a shuttle service that picks you up from MCO and will drop you off at official Disney World hotels and a handful of nearby hotels. Pricing starts at $16 one-way for adults and $13 one-way for children. Mears Connect offers shared shuttles, where you will stop at multiple Disney hotels on the way to your own. You can pay an additional fee for an "express shuttle" that takes you direct to your resort. The easiest way to reserve your ride is online through the Mears Connect website.

What is the best way to get around Disney World?

If you are staying on Walt Disney World property, you can utilize Disney's complimentary transportation for travel between your resort and Disney's theme parks, water parks and Disney Springs. Disney offers transportation by bus, boat, Monorail and Disney Skyliner gondola system. Which transportation options you have access to will depend on which hotel you are staying in.

All Disney hotels offer regularly scheduled bus transportation around the resort. Transportation begins 45 minutes prior to the theme park opening and up to one hour after the theme park closing.

Guests of Disney's Magic Kingdom area resorts — Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa — can use boat or Monorail transportation to travel to the Magic Kingdom. There is also a monorail line that will take you to the Transportation and Ticket Center, where you can transfer to a separate Monorail line that goes to Epcot. These hotels also offer a walking path to Magic Kingdom.

Guests of Disney's Riviera Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort can use the Disney Skyliner gondolas to travel to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot. All Disney World visitors can also use Disney Skyliner to travel between these two parks, regardless of where you are staying. It's a fun and scenic way to get around the resort.

Many Disney World hotels also offer ferry boat transportation to nearby parks. The BoardWalk area hotels, for example, offer boat transportation to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Fort Wilderness, Disney's Wilderness Lodge and others offer boat service to the Magic Kingdom. You can view a full list on Disney's website . You can also walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios from any BoardWalk area hotel.

Whichever transportation option you choose, you can view the schedule, routes and stop locations in the My Disney Experience app or on video monitors at each stop location.

You can also utilize Disney's Minnie Van service for door-to-door (or door-to-front gate, as it were) service between your hotel and Disney's theme parks. You can book these private rides in red-and-white polka-dot vans directly through the Lyft app. Accessible rides and child safety seats are available.

Though not "official" Disney World hotels, Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve hotel guests have access to Disney's complimentary ferry boat service to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. A walking path is also available. These resorts also operate their own shuttles to Disney's theme parks, which pick up approximately every 20 to 25 minutes throughout the day.

Disney Springs hotels operate their own shuttle services, independent of Disney's transportation. If you are staying at one of these hotels, you can inquire about scheduling and pick-up times at the front desk.

What's the best place to stay on a Disney vacation?

There are more than two dozen Disney World hotels to choose from, so your main considerations will be your budget and what type of hotel experience you are after. Whether you want over-the-top Disney theming, an upscale cabin in the woods or a luxury villa with access to a club lounge, you can find it at Disney World.

Disney offers three hotel tiers: Value, Moderate and Deluxe.

Value Disney resorts are the most affordable, with prices ranging between $125 and $300 per night. Value resorts offer quick-service, cafeteria-style dining outlets and large pools but don't have full-service restaurants or pool amenities like waterslides and hot tubs.

On average, Moderate Disney resorts run between $250 and $400 and offer amenities you won't find at Value Disney resorts. Some have full-service restaurants, and the pools are better-themed and equipped with waterslides. Many of them are more centrally located near Disney's theme parks, as well.

Deluxe Disney resorts are the most expensive, ranging between $400 to $700 per night and up for a standard room, but they also have the best locations, amenities and dining. You can expect large, well-furnished guest rooms, pool complexes with hot tubs, waterslides and beach areas, multiple full-service restaurants, spas and more.

Regardless of which hotel you choose, Disney's on-site hotels offer perks to enhance your stay:

• A 30-minute jumpstart on your day with Disney's Early Theme Park Entry benefit
• The ability to purchase individual Lightning Lanes for eligible rides begins at 7 a.m. on the day of your visit (non-resort guests can't do this until the park opens)
• Complimentary hotel and theme park parking
• Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels on select nights (this benefit is also available to guests of Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve hotels, as well as Shades of Green)

Best hotels at Disney World

The best Disney World hotel for you depends on what you are looking for in a hotel stay. If you don't plan on spending much time in your room, you can save a lot of money by staying in a Value resort. If you plan on spending part of your vacation enjoying hotel amenities like the pool and restaurants, you may want to choose a Moderate or Deluxe resort. Or, if you have a large family that won't be comfortable in a standard room, one of Disney's family suites might be your best bet.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Best Disney World resort if you are on a budget: Disney's Pop Century Resort may not be the most glamorous hotel at Disney, but the kitschy 1950s through 1990s theming and the starting price of around $200 per night will surely put a smile on your face. This resort has three pools, a playground and an arcade. Guest rooms are furnished with either one king bed or a queen bed and a space-saving table that folds out into a bed. It is also one of two Value resorts with Skyliner gondola access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Best Disney World resort for large families : Disney's Art of Animation Resort is in Disney's more affordable Value category and has family suites themed to popular Disney films like "Cars," "The Lion King" and "Finding Nemo" that sleep up to six guests. The pool here is the largest at any Disney World resort, and you can take the Disney Skyliner gondolas to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Standard rooms are also available.

Best Disney World resort for swimming : Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts are sister properties near Epcot. The two resorts have rooms that average around $600 per night and share access to Stormalong Bay, the best pool at Disney World . Stormalong Bay is really more than a pool, it is a water park with sand-bottomed pools, a lazy river, an activities pool with a volleyball net and daily pool games and a shipwreck-themed waterslide.

Best Disney World resort for a luxury stay : If the sky is the limit for your Walt Disney World vacation budget, the Copper Creek Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge are some of the finest accommodations you can choose. With two bedrooms, a fireplace, a screened-in porch, a hot tub and lakeside views, these cabins are anything but rustic. The privacy offers you a chance to wind down after a long Disney day, but you are still close enough to take a boat ride to Magic Kingdom and enjoy the amenities and dining in the resort's main lobby.

If you are leaning toward a luxury Disney stay, you may be able to save money by renting Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points. DVC is Disney's version of a timeshare program. DVC members can rent out their points to non-members through sites like David's Vacation Club Rentals , helping you to save hundreds of dollars versus booking directly through Disney. The trade-off is that availability is limited and that the cancellation policies are much less flexible than if you make the reservation direct through Disney.

Read our full guide on the best hotels at Walt Disney World .

Best hotels near Disney World

Disney World also partners with a handful of off-site hotels where you can still take advantage of certain benefits like Early Theme Park Entry and complimentary transportation while also paying less than you would for an official Disney World hotel. These hotels also participate in major hotel points programs, so you can earn or redeem points for your stay.

The Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve hotels all participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program. While not technically Disney hotels, they are located on Disney property between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you are a Marriott Bonvoy elite member , these hotels offer benefits like complimentary upgrades, a welcome amenity and more.

Related: This affordable new Disney Springs hotel includes free hot food and 6 nightly drinks

Disney Springs has seven hotels from brands like Wyndham, Hilton, Holiday Inn and others. All of these are adjacent to the Disney Springs shopping and dining district, and some have room rates that start at close to $100 per night. These can be a great option if you want to save money and don't mind leaving the "Disney bubble" at the end of the day.

Read our full guide to Disney Springs hotels here .

What are the best restaurants at Disney World?

With more than 200 restaurants to choose from, you are going to have to decide which Disney World restaurants you most want to visit. Dining options run the gamut from the predictable burger and fries to an out-of-this-world restaurant in space.

Read our full guide to the best restaurants at Disney World .

Hardest Disney reservations to get (and how to get them)

Many of these restaurants are quick-service or snack stands that don't require advance reservations, but there are a few popular restaurants that book up almost as quickly as reservations become available. If you want to dine with Disney royalty at Cinderella's Royal Table, for example, you'll want to make your reservation as soon as you can. Remember, that is 60 days prior to your visit — if you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you can make reservations for your entire vacation 60 days prior to your check-in day.

Related: 'Be our guest' at these 5 best character dining meals at Walt Disney World

Other reservations that book up quickly include Storybook Dining at Artist Point , Space 220 at Epcot, California Grill, 'Ohana, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Hollywood Studios and Topolino's Terrace, especially for the character breakfast. All of these have great food and atmosphere, making them popular for new and returning guests.

Best quick-service restaurants at Disney that don't require a reservation

Luckily, there are plenty of Disney restaurants with delicious food you can get your hands on without a reservation. Satuli Canteen in Pandora — The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom is consistently ranked as one of the best quick-service restaurants anywhere at Disney. The food is fresh, flavorful and surprisingly inexpensive. You can get a build-your-own bowl with beef, chicken or fish for less than $20.

Other must-try quick-service restaurants include Ronto Roasters at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (the Ronto Breakfast Wrap is the best handheld meal at Disney!), Columbia Harbour House at Magic Kingdom for New England-inspired fare and Regal Eagle Smokehouse at Epcot for all things barbecue.

Using the Disney app to improve your dining experience

The My Disney Experience app is a must for your Disney World vacation for checking wait times, finding your way around and more. When it comes to dining, you can use it to find walk-up dining availability, score last-minute reservations, see what restaurants are nearby, and place mobile orders at select quick-service restaurants.

When you place a mobile order via the app, you choose what time you would like to pick up your order (with the option to modify if plans change). When you arrive at the restaurant, you can click "I'm here. Prepare my order," and you'll receive a notification on your phone when your food is ready.

Should you buy a Disney Dining Plan?

The cost of dining at Disney can add up quickly, and Disney offers two dining plan options that may help you save money. The Disney Dining Plan lets you prepay for a specified number of meals and snacks for your Disney World vacation. You receive a certain number of meal and snack credits for each night of your stay.

The Disney Dining Plan is both convenient and flexible. By prepaying for your meals and snacks, you won't have to pull out your wallet for every meal and snack, and you aren't required to use a set number of credits each day. You can redeem them anytime during your stay in the way that best works for you.

There are two options — the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. The first is a bit less expensive and allows for more flexibility. The second is best if you plan on more sit-down dining and character meals during your vacation.

Whether or not you can save money with a Disney Dining Plan depends on how you utilize the credits. It is possible to break even or come out ahead if you maximize the value of your credits and actually eat all of the food available on the plan. If you don't use all of your credits, you are essentially leaving money on the table, but our guide can help you out with the math.

Read our full guide to the Disney Dining Plan .

How to save time in line at Disney World

Most Walt Disney World attractions offer a standby line. The only exceptions are new attractions, which will often offer a virtual queue for a limited time after opening. When Disney World is busy, though, standby lines for popular attractions can climb as high as two hours. Luckily, Disney has a service called Disney Genie+ that helps you skip the standby line and get on more attractions with shorter waits.

With Disney Genie+, you can skip the standby line and utilize a much shorter "Lightning Lane" for most attractions. You can only purchase this add-on service on the day of your visit, beginning at midnight (though you will likely be safe waiting until you wake up in the morning except on Disney's busiest days).

The cost of Disney Genie+ varies per park and per day. The service starts at $15 per person per day and occasionally reaches a per-person price of $35 per day during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season or in April during spring break. You can purchase Genie+ for one of Disney World's four theme parks or a "multiple park" option valid at all four parks when you purchase through the My Disney Experience app.

Most attractions are included in the Disney Genie+ service, but one or two attractions at each park require a separate Lightning Lane purchase to skip the line. It's not necessary to purchase Genie+ to buy individual Lightning Lane selections and vice versa. The individual Lightning Lane attraction pricing varies by attraction but typically ranges between $7 and $25 per person, per attraction.

Read our full guide to Disney Genie+ .

If you are staying in one of Disney's on-site hotels or in select "Good Neighbor" hotels, as mentioned in the section above, you can also save time in line by utilizing Early Theme Park Entry and/or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. You can get into the parks 30 minutes early with the Early Entry benefit, but you actually want to arrive at the front gates 30-45 minutes before that time. This will give you time to get through security and to the roped-off area where they hold guests, making you one of the first in line to rush to your favorite ride when early entry starts.

Related: Your guide to visiting Disney World with a child on the autism spectrum

If you or someone in your party has a disability that makes it difficult for you to wait in a traditional standby queue, you can also save time by registering for Disney's Disability Access Service (DAS). You need to start the registration process before your visit, and full instructions are available on Disney's website .

How to plan a Disney World trip on a budget

While sensational stories about $2,500 meals at Disney make for good headlines, it is totally possible to visit Disney World on a budget .

Related: Yes, you can visit Disney World on a budget: Here's how I did it

Here are some of the most important things you can do to make your Disney vacation budget manageable:

• Stay at a Disney Value resort like Disney's All-Star Movies Resort or use Marriott points to stay at the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve. Here are the best cards to get those points.
• Utilize Disney's complimentary parking and transportation for on-site guests instead of renting a car.
• Purchase groceries for some meals and snacks, and only buy one or two meals in the parks each day.
• Don't visit the parks every day you are at Disney and stick to one park per day, avoiding park hopping. You can save on tickets by spending a day swimming or visiting Disney Springs.
• Don't forget to periodically check Disney's website for discounts. Even after you book, you may be able to apply a hotel or vacation package discount that can save you even more money.
• Be on the lookout for discounted Disney gift cards to help cover the cost of your trip and/or use points for the tickets.
• Visit during less busy times of the year. Ticket prices are cheapest in August and September, with one-day tickets starting at $109.

Disney World pretrip checklist

Now that you've determined your budget, purchased your tickets, booked your hotel and made a few dining reservations, your trip is nearly planned. There are some other details you'll need to consider to make your trip as magical as it should be. Here's our ultimate Disney World pre-trip checklist:

• Pack accordingly : Depending on when you visit, you could be dealing with heat, humidity, afternoon showers, chilly temperatures or a mix of all of the above. It's important to pack comfortable shoes and clothing no matter when you visit, but you may also want rain gear, sun protection or a warm jacket, depending on the weather. You can read our full Disney World packing guide here .
• Download the My Disney Experience app : This app is an invaluable tool that you will use daily during your visit. You can use it to check everything from wait times to walk-up dining availability. You can also use it to navigate the parks with turn-by-turn walking directions, purchase Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lanes and even open your hotel room door.
• Check the park hours before your visit : You can view the park hours on the Walt Disney World website or the My Disney Experience app. Each park has separate opening and closing times, and parks occasionally close early for special events like Halloween and Christmas parties. When you view the park hours, you'll also be able to see times for any parades or fireworks shows happening each day of your visit and plan for early entry or extended theme park hours for eligible on-site hotel guests.
• Check the height requirements for attractions: If you are traveling to Disney World with young children, you can check the height requirements for attractions on Disney World's website or in the My Disney Experience app. There are also measuring stations at all attractions that have a minimum height requirement, but it's better to know ahead of time to avoid tears if your child isn't quite tall enough.
• Know where to find your favorite characters : Most Disney characters have designated meeting times and locations, which you can find in the My Disney Experience app. Booking a character meal can be a great way to meet multiple characters at once, but you can also meet many characters in the parks. Popular meet-and-greets also offer Genie+ Lightning Lane access, which can cut down on the time you spend waiting to meet Mickey, Moana or Cinderella.
• Decide if you want to purchase PhotoPass photos : You can save money on Disney Memory Maker by purchasing in advance before you visit. It's the easiest way to capture your vacation memories and an add-on we highly recommend. You can view and download your photos in the My Disney Experience app.
• Study up on Genie+: As helpful as Genie+ can be, there is a bit of a learning curve. Study up using our Genie+ guide and Disney's own overview before your visit. It's good to know which attractions participate in Genie+, how to reserve Lightning Lane access and how to make the most of the service.
• Plan for downtime: One of the biggest mistakes people make at Disney World is overscheduling their trip and leaving no time for rest and relaxation. If you are visiting for more than a few days, try and schedule a day away from the parks where you swim, explore the other resorts or just lounge around the hotel. It'll help rejuvenate you for the rest of your trip. For shorter trips, you may want to schedule a slow morning or return to your hotel early one day instead of being at the parks from opening to closing every day of your trip.

Read all of our best Disney World tips here .

Bottom line

There you have it — the ultimate guide to visiting Walt Disney World.

In addition to the planning and preparation you've now mastered, there are two very important things you must do during your Disney World vacation — don't overplan and have fun. It's much better to have a short list of "must-do" rides, restaurants and activities than to have a minute-by-minute itinerary that most certainly will not play out exactly how you planned.

Keeping a loose itinerary leaves room for magic moments like stumbling upon a favorite character, noticing a super-short line for a ride or deciding last-minute to watch a parade you happened upon. You can't do everything in one trip anyway, so do the things you can and save the rest for next time when you are a certified Disney pro.

FOR NO-COST-TO-YOU ASSISTANCE IN PLANNING AND BOOKING YOUR DISNEY VACATION, CHECK OUT TPG'S DISNEY BOOKING PARTNER, MOUSE COUNSELORS .

Related reading:

• The best Disney World hotels for your stay
• The 21 most underrated things at Disney World: What to see, do and eat that many guests miss
• Forgetting to do this 1 thing could ruin your Disney trip
• Disney's take on timeshares: Guide to Disney Vacation Club
• 8 Walt Disney World experiences that don't require a park ticket

Home » Walt Disney World » Planning and Tips » Tickets

1-Day Disney World Tickets | Info & Guide

By Author Ziggy Oskwarek

Posted on Last updated: March 1, 2024

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Sure, you’d love to go to Disney World for a whole week or more. But what if you only have one day to visit? In that case, you need a 1-Day Disney World ticket to visit the parks.

In this post, we will explain everything there is to know about 1-Day Disney World theme park tickets including prices and how you can even get a discount on them in some situations.

We’ll cover all the various 1-Day ticket options (Base ticket, Park Hopper, Park Hopper Plus, and the Water Parks & Sports option, and what is included in each of them. This will help you make an informed decision for your family as to which ticket is best for you.

1-Day tickets to Walt Disney World are actually one of the most popular ticket types, with many people visiting for a convention, or they just don’t have the time or money to go for multiple days. Even though Walt Disney World is huge and deserves at least 2-3 days to visit, we’ll help you make the best use of the one day you do have.

Things have changed at Walt Disney World when it comes to 1-Day Tickets in recent years, and even though Disney World remains one of the most expensive vacations you can take your family on, going for one day makes it more easily digested.

Throughout this article, we will show you ‘WHO’ should buy 1-Day Tickets and ‘WHEN’ buying a 1-Day Ticket might be worth it. We will also examine the very best ways to save money and help you distinguish between the numerous different ticketing options.

Besides 1-Day tickets, we also highly recommend reading some of our other Disney World ticket guides which are very helpful in understanding the various ticket types and everything involved when you buy them.

• Complete Guide to Disney World Tickets
• How to Get the Cheapest Disney World Tickets
• Disney World Annual Passes Guide
• Florida Resident Disney World Tickets

Before we start, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we bring you the latest info on getting cheap Disney World tickets as well as a ton of other Disney vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

Table of Contents

1-Day Disney World Tickets in 202 4 and 2025

For a long time, it was an impossibility to receive any kind of discount on 1-Day Park Tickets. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed for the positive and now you can get 1-Day Tickets at a discount when purchased outside of Disney.

Not only CAN you receive a discount in some cases, but you also have additional options when it comes to purchasing your 1-Day tickets. 

Despite being one of the most popular tickets, especially for visitors passing through or convention guests, 1-Day Tickets were almost always just ‘buy at the gate’ type of tickets. Opportunities for saving money at Disney World were nonexistent and a waste of time, but not anymore.

Even though we recommend visiting for multiple dates, it’s actually possible to save some money if you go the 1-Day route. Now, let’s look at each 1-Day ticket type and see the differences between each of them.

1-Day Base Tickets

The 1-Day Base Ticket is the most affordable and simplest way to visit one of the (4) major Disney World Theme Parks. Simply put, a base ticket allows you to visit one park per day. ( Animal Kingdom , Hollywood Studios , Magic Kingdom , or EPCOT ) 

The biggest change they made recently for 1-Day Base tickets is the new park-specific pricing structure . Now, the park you choose to visit changes the price of the ticket, and the 4 parks are no longer the same cost.

Here are the 2024 1-Day Disney World park ticket prices:

• Magic Kingdom: $124-$189 (plus tax)
• EPCOT: $114-$179 (plus tax)
• Hollywood Studios: $124-$184 (plus tax)
• Animal Kingdom: $109-$164 (plus tax)

In February 2024, Disney released the pricing structure for 2025 tickets. They did raise the prices on 1-Day tickets on the low-end of the spectrum. While the peak dates did NOT increase, the low-end prices raised.

Here are the 2025 1-Day Disney World park ticket prices:

• Magic Kingdom: $139-$189 (plus tax)
• EPCOT: $129-$179 (plus tax)
• Hollywood Studios: $139-$184 (plus tax)
• Animal Kingdom: $119-$164 (plus tax)

As you can see, the Animal Kingdom is the cheapest park for 1-Day tickets and the Magic Kingdom is the most expensive.

Remember though, this new pricing structure is only applicable to 1-Day, 1-Park tickets. For all the other 1-Day tickets or Multi-Day tickets, each of the 4 WDW theme parks cost the same.

1-Day tickets also give you the option to leave and come back into the park as much as you’d like that day. However, once you use your ticket as admission to a park, you cannot visit a DIFFERENT park on that same day, you can only visit the original park.

Should You Buy It?

These are ideal tickets if you’d like to just focus on doing as much as possible in one park. They allow you to fully maximize your ticket without worrying about spending your time ‘park hopping’ to other parks. 

Even if you’d like to take a midday break (like our family often chooses to do), you’ll still be able to re-enter the same park and spend later afternoons and evenings in that same park. 

Often, families that are spending a week or more on their Disney World vacation don’t feel the need to ‘park hop’ as they can already visit each of the main parks at least once on their visit. 

1-Day Disney World tickets can also benefit families that only want to spend a half day or so in the park, and choose to spend the rest of their days by the pool or relaxing back at their hotel resort. That said, the best way to maximize your cost with this ticket is to do a full day at the park you are visiting which means arriving and staying as late as possible.

If you are visiting Disney World for just one day and only want to visit one park during that day, the 1-Day Base ticket is a good choice.

If you are the type of person that wants to maximize every opportunity or is strapped for time and wants to see as much as possible, including multiple parks, and doesn’t mind spending the extra money for a ‘park hopper,’ then this ticket is likely NOT the ticket for you.

1-Day Park Hopper Tickets

For an added cost, a 1-Day Park Hopper allows you to visit multiple parks on the same day. At this moment in time, that means after 2:00 pm each afternoon, you can leave one park and enter another one of the four main parks.

There is one caveat: the park must still have availability, which in our experience is usually not a problem. To check availability, you can check the My Disney Experience app or you can call 407-560-5000.

• In 2024, the 1-Day Park Hopper ticket ranges from $200.22 to $270.51 for Adults.
• In 2025, the 1-Day Park Hopper ticket ranges from $210.87 – $273.71 for Adults.

With a park hopper, you can visit as many parks as you’d like and if timed correctly, you can maximize and fully utilize all your time in a given day.

The only way we’d recommend getting a 1-Day Park Hopper is IF you plan your day smartly. This can be very advantageous if done properly and, for the additional cost, you’ll have the option to see more with a park hopper. 

For instance, if the park you are entering in the morning opens at 8:00 am but closes earlier in the evening, you can visit another one of the parks later in the day to give you additional total time in the parks.

Or maybe there’s a particular park where you REALLY want to see the nighttime entertainment. Maybe it’s a fireworks show, and having the option to enter that park in the evening is certainly a perfect way to end a nice long day in the parks. 

We also recommend a 1-Day Park Hopper ticket to people that want to see as much as possible in the parks in a day. If you want to see some of the highlights of multiple parks, as opposed to just one park, then you’ll need a 1-Day Park Hopper. 

• Just remember: IF you get the park hopper, plan it out smartly. Review park schedules to fully maximize your day to make the added cost worth it. If you don’t use it correctly or you waste unnecessary time, it could be a waste of additional money when you could have had a perfectly enjoyable day at one park.

Our Guide to Park Hopping at Disney World can help you plan out your day and give you the info you need.

1-Day Water Parks & Sports Ticke ts (Not Available for 1-Day)

Unfortunately, there is NO ability to get a 1-Day Water Parks & Sports ticket for only 1-day tickets. For you to purchase this add-on you will need at least a 2-Day ticket.

If you purchase a 2-Day option for the ‘Water Parks and Sports’ Option you will be able to enjoy two additional experiences on TOP of the park days.

These additional experiences include admission to: 

• Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water park
• Admission to ESPN Wide World of Sports (non-event ticket) 
• (1) Round of Miniature Golf at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland before 4:00 pm
• Round of golf at Oak Trail Golf Course (9-Holes Club and Pull Cart NOT included) 
• In 2024: a 2-Day Water Parks & Sports ticket ranges between $319.01 – $437.14 for Adults .
• In 2025: a 2-Day Water Parks & Sports ticket ranges between $338.93 – $441.70 for Adults .

This ticket does NOT include park hopping. That means you must still choose just one park to enter on the day of your choosing. 

The good news however is that your additional experience does NOT need to be used on the same day. For example, you can go to the Magic Kingdom one day, and then visit a water park on a completely different day!

So in reality a 2-Day Water Parks and Sports Ticket can actually be used for 4 full days of experiences. Two days in the parks and another two days at your choice of additional experiences.

The best value for these tickets is using them at the water parks , as they are the most expensive of the available options. It’s not a bad idea to get a 2-Day Water Parks & Sports Ticket if you REALLY want to visit one or both of the Disney Water Parks: Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. 

Using one of the add-on experiences for 9 holes of golf at Oak Trail can be a nice few hours spent for a family member that loves playing golf as well. It’s a nice change of pace and it’s a beautiful walking 9-hole course that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing on! 

Our advice on debating whether to get a 2-Day Water Parks & Sports ticket is: only buy it IF you plan in advance exactly how you are going to use it. And fully maximize your add-on experience to get the most out of your time and your value. This isn’t a great option for a 1-Day ticket since technically there isn’t a 1-day ticket for it.

1-Day Park Hopper Plus Tickets

A 1-Day Park Hopper Plus ticket enables you to get everything in one! You get the park hopping privileges AND you get the water parks & sports option. 

While this is the most expensive ticketing option, if planned correctly, it could present your family and you with multiple days of fun. 

• The cost of 2024 1-Day Park Hopper Plus tickets, ranges between $221.52 – $291.81 for Adults.
• The cost of 2025 1-Day Park Hopper Plus tickets, ranges between $231.11 – $295.01 for Adults.

While it may seem on the surface to be quite a lot, it’s perfectly doable to maximize this ticketing add-on if planned out properly. When deciding when and ‘IF’ to purchase this, decide these two things:

• Do I want to park hop (visit multiple parks in one day) on my day in the park? 
• Do I want to either play golf at Oak Trail Golf Course or visit one of the water parks? 

If the answer to either of these questions is ‘NO’ then don’t buy this ticketing option. You don’t need it and you won’t get the best value when it comes to this ticketing add-on.

Buying 1-Day Disney World Tickets

Buying 1-Day Disney World Tickets was something that you exclusively would have to do directly through Disney, until recently. Now at least there are some options, some of which actually save you money.

But remember: 1-Day tickets will ALWAYS be the most expensive form of Disney tickets per day no matter where you buy them from and it may be worth getting additional days depending on your schedule.

Each subsequent day in the parks will drop in price and be more feasible per day for a family. The price difference per day is substantial when you go from one day to ten days (the most you can buy) in the parks. 

If at all possible, we always recommend families and individuals to try and spend more than one day in the parks as it’ll save you in the long run and likely make your trip more enjoyable. However, we understand this is not always possible and one day is always better than zero days in the parks. 

In the last few years, Disney introduced something called date-based tickets, which basically means that the dates you choose to visit the parks will determine the cost of the tickets. 

Cheapest Discount Disney World Tickets

If you are looking to save money on Disney World theme park tickets, our personal recommendation is Orlando Vacation . They almost always have the best prices on multi-day tickets and can save you $20-$60 per ticket over buying direct from Disney.

1-Day Disney World Ticket Prices

With the date-based ticketing system, ticket prices fluctuate substantially. Here’s a list of the current 1-Day Disney World ticket prices for the different ticketing options in 2024 and 2025 (Including tax):

Base Tickets 2024:

• Adults (10+): $142.71 – $201.28
• Children (3-9): $137.39 – $195.96
• Adults (10+): $126.74 – $190.64
• Children (3-9): $121.41 – $185.31
• Adults (10+): $137.39 – $195.96
• Children (3-9): $116.09 – $185.31
• Adults (10+): $116.09 – $174.66
• Children (3-9): $110.76 – $169.34

Base Tickets 2025:

• Adults (10+): $148.04 – $201.28
• Children (3-9): $142.71 – $195.96
• Adults (10+): $137.39 – $190.64
• Children (3-9): $132.06 – $185.31
• Adults (10+): $148.04 – $195.96
• Children (3-9): $142.71 – $190.64
• Adults (10+): $126.74 – $174.66
• Children (3-9): $121.41 – $169.34

Park Hopper Tickets 2024 :

• Adults (10+): $199.16 – $270.51
• Children (3-9): $193.83 – $265.19

Park Hopper Tickets 2025:

• Adults (10+): $210.87 – $273.71
• Children (3-9): $205.55 – $265.19

Park Hopper Plus Tickets 2024:

• Adults (10+): $221.52 – $291.81
• Children (3-9): $216.20 – $286.49

Park Hopper Plus Tickets 2025

• Adults (10+): $231.11 – $295.01
• Children (3-9): $225.78 – $289.68

Water Park and Sports Option Ticket Prices 2024 and 2025

• Adults (10+): (Option Not Available for 1-Day Tickets)
• Children (3-9): (Option Not Available for 1-Day Tickets)

Do All 4 Walt Disney World Theme Parks Cost the Same for 1 Day?

Yes and no, it depends on what type of 1-Day ticket you buy. 1-Day, 1-Park Tickets have park-specific pricing and each park has a different price range. Animal Kingdom is the least expensive and Magic Kingdom is the most expensive. However, this is ONLY for 1-Day Base tickets.

This is a new change and applies only to 1-Park Base tickets.

When buying any other 1-Day tickets including the Park Hopper, Water Parks & Sports, and Park Hopper Plus options, all the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks cost the exact same amount ( Magic Kingdom , EPCOT , Hollywood Studios , Animal Kingdom ). In these cases ‘what park’ you choose doesn’t matter as far as price.

No matter which 1-Day ticket you choose, the price will depend on the date you choose, and that adjusts for all 4 parks.

How to Get Discounted 1-Day Tickets

The days of significant savings on 1-Day Disney tickets, or better yet, half-off tickets is certainly over! However, at times, discounted 1-Day Tickets are possible through select authorized Disney ticketing outlets (most of them only give discounts on multiple-day tickets).

One of our favorites is Orlando Vacation . They offer comparable prices to Disney but at times you can get even more savings.

Another of our favorites is Undercover Tourist . They sometimes offer a slight discount on 1-Day tickets (think just a few dollars) but a 365-Day refund policy in case you change your mind about the purchase.

Make sure to read our Discount Disney World Tickets Guide for more info on how to get the lowest prices on your tickets.

Buy from the Right Seller

As is ALWAYS the case, make sure you buy your park tickets through Disney or through authorized ticket sellers. There are far too many scams out that can lead you to be easily duped if you don’t know what you’re looking for. 

And Disney World tickets are anything but cheap, so we certainly don’t want to see you wasting your valuable vacation money on fake or unusable tickets. 

Here are some things to look for if buying from someone other than direct from Disney:

• Make sure they are authorized Disney sellers.
• Make sure they aren’t partially used tickets or transferred tickets.
• Sellers will never use the name Disney or any form of it in their business name.
• If the savings seem too good to be true, they are! 
• Avoid buying tickets from reselling sites like eBay and Craigslist.

If all these things check out, then you likely have a good ticket seller. Always of course compare prices from different companies and compare them to buying directly through Disney. If there are any savings at all, it should be very minimal with 1-Day tickets. 

And if you have any doubts, we recommend using one of our two favorite authorized Disney ticket sellers, Orlando Vacation and Undercover Tourist . Either one will save you a decent amount on your park tickets, so why not get the extra savings if you can?

Is It Cheaper to Buy Disney World Tickets at the Gate or Online?

For multi-day tickets, it’s cheaper to buy them online, but with 1-day tickets, the price difference is negligible whether to buy in person at the gate or online. 

However, even though there isn’t a big savings, we always recommend buying online , even on 1-Day tickets, because of a few primary reasons: 

• First – You will still save a few dollars, and every little bit matters for most families. 
• Second – It is very nice to be able to arrive at the parks and not have to deal with going to a ticket counter while just focusing on going directly into the park. And every minute of time saved is another minute you can enjoy in the parks, especially if you are rope dropping the park.
• Third – You need to make your Park Pass Reservations ahead of time, and most of the time that’s not really possible if you buy your tickets that morning.

How Much Does it Cost to Add an Extra Day?

Even though a 1-Day ticket may be good for some people, it is quite often that families want to add an additional day to their trip after they realize that one day simply was just not enough time. 

Adding just one extra day to a 1-day base park ticket is still very costly. While the cost goes down each day, the first three days of a park ticket will still be in excess of $100 per day. 

Once you get to four-day or five-day tickets, you’re looking at only around $30-50 for every additional day. 

And once you get down to adding six through day nine-day tickets, you’ll only spend between $10 and $30 per day.

Ready to Start Planning Your Disney Vacation?

If you feel overwhelmed planning a Disney vacation, use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner such as Show You the World Travel . They are experts on every Disney location and can tell you where to stay, what to do, how to save money, and give you personalized service for your most magical vacation ever!

How Much Does it Cost to Go to Disney World for One Day?

Now that you know how much tickets cost, how much does it cost to go to Disney World for one day when taking into consideration tickets, food, parking, etc?

According to our research and estimation, here are the current prices you can expect to pay to go to Disney World for just one day in 2024 and 2025.

Park Tickets ($134 per person) – Depending on the date on which you choose and the park ticket you purchase, the price can fluctuate from anywhere between about $109 for adults to up to $274 plus tax. It’s just a few dollars less for children between the ages of 3 and 9.

That means for a family of four, this can be anywhere from $500 to over $1000 just on park tickets! That of course doesn’t include food, drinks, shopping, or any other additional experiences. 

For the cheapest option, 1-Day Base tickets cost between $109 – $189 per person, depending on which park you go to.

Food ($50 per person) – This is a low estimate and requires eating at quick service restaurants ($15-$20 per meal) and snacks ($4 – $10 each to save money). If you eat at a table service restaurant, the cost goes up at least $20 or more depending on how fancy you want to get.

Parking ($30 per vehicle) – If you are only going to Walt Disney World for one day, you likely are taking a car to get there. In that case, you need to account for the parking fees at the theme parks.

With all these costs added up, going to Walt Disney World for one day in 2024 will likely cost you between $180 – $250 per person.  That price increases even more if you want to buy merchandise or gifts to bring home.

Depending on when you go and what type of vacationer you are, a reasonable estimate for a family of 4 to Visit Walt Disney World for one day is between $800 – $1000.

For a more detailed breakdown, read our post on “ How Much Does It Cost to Go to Disney World? ”

How Long are 1-Day Disney World Tickets Valid For?

1-Day Disney World Tickets are ONLY valid on the selected start date. They cannot be used on any other days and are only valid for that one day. 

So if you use your ticket to go to the Magic Kingdom on September 1, your ticket is no longer valid on September 2.

If you have any questions on the subject, read our article on Disney World Ticket Expirations .

Making Park Pass Reservations

Implemented once the parks reopened during the pandemic in 2020, the Park Pass Reservation system requires that all Disney Park attendees make a park reservation. Disney will not allow anyone to enter the parks without having a park pass reservation. 

(UPDATE): Theme park reservations are no longer required for date-based tickets. Only those with older tickets or annual passes will likely need to make Park Reservations.

This only applies to the four main theme parks (Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot) and not the water parks.

The Park Pass system is very easy to use and simply requires that you go on My Disney Experience and make a park pass reservation for all guests in your party for the first theme park you plan on entering on that day. If you are park hopping and visiting multiple parks in the course of the day, you only need a reservation for the first. 

Just make sure you have a valid park pass first and that the pass is synced up with your My Disney Experience account before making a park pass reservation. 

• Remember that you MUST use your 1-Day ticket at the park you make a reservation at and on the day you select. 

If you need to change your date, contact Disney Ticketing and they typically will have no issue altering your reservation date. If there’s a price difference for the ‘new date’ you will simply have to pay the price difference.

We go into more detail on this in our Disney World Ticket Refund Guide .

Best Plan for 1 Day at Walt Disney World

When planning out a 1-Day itinerary, the first thing you need to do is decide which park you most desire. It’s at that park you should make your park reservation and spend the majority of your day. Let’s say for the sake of it, it’s Hollywood Studios. I’m a big Star Wars fan and that’s what I would most want to do and see. 

My Ideal Day (Hollywood Studios) – I’d purchase a 1-Day Park Hopper, and I’d make my park reservation at Hollywood Studios. I’d review the schedule for the day and see that they open at 8:00 am. After reviewing the schedule, I’d make a plan of attack for my day. 

Write down my ‘MUST DOS’ and for me, that would be Rise of the Resistance , Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway , Toy Story Midway Mania , Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run , Tower of Terror , Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster , etc.

After I feel content with what I had seen and done, I’d head to my 2nd park for the day and that would be EPCOT. 

When getting to EPCOT, I’d snack my way around the World Showcase while stopping at different rides along the way. I would end my night with the fireworks show at EPCOT at the end of the night.

If this plan seems to be TOO much for you or if you have small children, my Plan B would be something like this:

My Ideal Day Plan B (Magic Kingdom) – I’d purchase a 1-Day Base ticket for Magic Kingdom. I’d have more than enough to do and see at Magic Kingdom to spend my entire day there. From rides to snacks to fireworks, I still wouldn’t have time to do everything.

What better way to spend my entire day at the classic Disney Castle Park, the Magic Kingdom? Plus they have the highest number of rides for small kids at Disney World , perfect for families!

Need More Tickets Help?

If all this ticket info has you confused, and you would like someone to explain all your options for 1-Day tickets or any of the Disney ticket types, we recommend Rene Cittadino and her amazing team of authorized Disney travel planners at Show You the World Travel .

They will help you every step of the way and they are 100% FREE to use. They will also save you a ton of money as they keep actively looking for the best deals for you. Tell them Ziggy sent you! 🙂

You can Request a Free Quote Here .

That wraps up our article on 1-Day Disney World tickets and the best ways to buy them. Hopefully, that gives you some good ideas on if they are worth it for you and how to save some money on your next trip.

Here are a few of our most popular articles about Disney World tickets in case you have more questions:

• Disney World Tickets Guide
• Discounted Disney World Tickets

If you are thinking about going to Walt Disney World in the coming future, here are some other popular articles where you will find all the info and tips you need to plan your trip.

• Disney World Vacation Planning Guide
• Disney World Crowd Calendar
• When are the Best Times to Visit Disney World?

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about purchasing 1-Day Disney World tickets…

• Do you think 1-Day Tickets are worth it?
• Which Disney ticket do you think is the best deal?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.

How to do all 4 Disney World parks in one day

• It is possible to do all four Disney World parks in one day, but it'll take careful planning.
• Your best bet is to either start or end at Magic Kingdom .
• Opt to drive if that's an option for you. Disney World transportation can be unreliable.

You've heard of park hopping at Walt Disney World as a way to experience more than one of the theme parks in one day, but some guests take it to the extreme and try to experience all four parks in one day! This type of challenge is achievable for any guest with a little bit of planning, and some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of the day.

There are a few basic "rules" to follow if you're looking to do all four parks in one day. Just stepping into a park to turn around and leave doesn't count. Riding an attraction or two, seeing a character, or watching a show, then grabbing a snack on the way out does count.

See what parks open early and close late.

The first thing you're going to want to do is see what parks open early and close late. You can do this on Walt Disney World's website, or on the My Disney Experience app. No matter which park opens early or stays open late, your best bet is to either start or end at Magic Kingdom.

The reason behind this is because Magic Kingdom has a parking lot that's not directly attached to the park. You have to take a second mode of transportation to the main entrance in either a monorail or a ferry boat. This can eat up a lot of time and when you're doing all four parks in one day and there's no time to waste.

Make your FastPass+ reservation .

Once you've figured out the order you're going to attempt to go to the parks the next step is to  make your FastPass+ reservations . A big tip is to make these for the second park on your list. If you get to park number one right at opening the wait times for things shouldn't be too long and you can get a lot done in the first two hours of opening.

If you aren't going to do Magic Kingdom first, Animal Kingdom is a good alternative. It tends to warm up quickly at Animal Kingdom and the lines for rides can get long quickly. A few rides that are always easy to get on first thing in the morning at Animal Kingdom are Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and Kilamajaro Safari.

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Everyone usually heads right for Pandora: The World of Avatar first , so the rest of the park tends to be pretty empty. For a snack, if it's open, get the pimento cheese BLT from The Smiling Crocodile in Discovery Island!

After park one, it's off to park two!

Drive if you can.

It's a good idea to drive yourself if that's an option for you. Disney transportation can be unreliable and take a while to get from place to place. Driving yourself will reduce your travel time between parks quite a bit. Your middle two parks should be either Epcot or Hollywood Studios, in whichever order you would like to do them.

Since Hollywood Studios is a little small right now, it might be best as number two so you can have a late lunch at Epcot. At Hollywood Studios, you would be wise to stay away from the newly opened Toy Story Land as the lines in the area are still going to be long. Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-A-Long Celebration are all good ride options. For a snack, head to Trolly Car Cafe, which is the Starbucks location at the park and grab a drink and a carrot cake cookie.

Over at Epcot, you're likely to start running into crowds, especially if you're planning on doing all four parks on a weekend. A few attractions to try to hop on with a minimal wait are Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living With The Land, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. If you're planning a late lunch or early dinner at Epcot, the options are plentiful in World Showcase with quick service and table service restaurants in almost each pavilion. A few of the best options are the United Kingdom pavilion, the Mexico pavilion, and the France pavilion.

Finally, you're ready for the last park and we're going to say it's Magic Kingdom. Go ahead and park in the parking lot, and make your way up to the Ticket and Transportation Center. If the express monorail is still running, hop on that for the fastest way to Magic Kingdom. If it's getting close to Happily Ever After, walk through the shops on the left side of Main Street USA and head for Adventureland.

Pirates of the Caribbean should be pretty quick during the fireworks! A few other attractions that should have a limited wait later into the night are The Peoplemover, Mad Tea Party, and Haunted Mansion. If you're still wanting some snacks, the super popular cheeseburger egg rolls have made their return to Adventureland after being gone for years! You can find them at a cart between The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. If the park is closed already for the day, Casey's Corner should still be open, as everything on Main Street USA is open one hour after Magic Kingdom's official closing.

Be sure to use the My Disney Experience App.

There are a few other tips to maximize your ability to experience all four Walt Disney World parks in one day. Once you use all three of your original FastPasses, be sure to make one more on the My Disney Experience App for another attraction! It can be in the same park you are already touring, or at your next destination. You can keep doing this throughout the day after you use each FastPass. You can bring your own food and drinks into the park, so if you want to save time and money that's a good idea. Doing all four Walt Disney World parks in one day is a challenge, takes a little bit of planning to execute, but is so fun!

For more great stories, head to  INSIDER's homepage .

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Disney World in One Day – How to Enjoy the Best Attractions?

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If you are heading to “The Happiest Place on Earth,” surely you will want to spend several days experiencing everything Walt Disney World has to offer? But what about if time constraints or budget means that spending a few days at Magic Kingdom et al. just isn’t a feasible option? Don’t worry, we have the perfect guide for you as we recently embarked on a challenge to explore Disney World in one day!

Crazy, stupid, exhausting, unrealistic…all words along with a few expletives that were thrown out when considering the thought of exploring Disney World in one day. Most people visiting Disney will spend at least one day in each of the four parks so how on earth could we even contemplate experiencing the best attractions in less than 24 hours. We had read a few articles of some of our fellow travel blogging friends accomplishing this, so we were up for the challenge.

Let’s take a look at exactly what our challenge entailed, how we went about achieving our goals and the final outcome! You may just be inspired to visit Disney World in the future, regardless of how much time you plan to spend in Orlando…I don’t want to give too much away but Disney World in one day can be done.

Disney World Information

Opening times.

Ok, let’s start with a few of the basics. Here are the four parks in question along with their opening and closing times which essentially gave us the window we were working with.

• Magic Kingdom – 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
• Epcot – 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM (World Showcase opens at 11:00 AM)
• Animal Kingdom – 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM
• Hollywood Studios – 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Please note, these hours may vary at different times of the year and these are valid at the time of publication. For the latest hours, check out the following link: Disney World Park Times and Hours.

Admission Prices

If you only have one day to explore Disney World, you will likely want to purchase the “Hopper” pass to have unlimited access to all four parks. Here are the rates (at the time of publication) for the various options available:

1-Day Value Ticket for Magic Kingdom – $107 (Adults 10+) $101 (Children 3-9)

1-Day Value Ticket for Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios – $99 (Adults 10+) $93 (Children 3-9)

1-Day Value Ticket with Park Hopper Option – $162 (Adults 10+) $156 (Children 3-9)

For those of you that have already figured out that exploring Disney World in one day isn’t feasible, check out all of the tickets and pricing options here: Disney World Theme Park Tickets.

Parking and Transportation

Visitors staying away from Disney World will enjoy the benefit of ample parking that costs only $20 per day and provides access to parking lots across the resort. If you are planning on visiting multiple parks throughout the day, we strongly recommend using one of the following public transportation methods:

• Ferry – Water taxis and ferries offers visitors the opportunity to sail to and from Magic Kingdom. The cruise is only about 10 minutes but is definitely an experience you will enjoy, especially as you approach the infamous sight of Cinderella’s Castle.
• Monorail – Two different monorail routes are a great way to get around the Disney World resort. One of the routes will take visitors between the Transportation/Ticket Center and Epcot, while the other route stops between Magic Kingdom and several of the onsite hotels.
• Shuttle Bus – If neither of the other alternatives are available, you can be sure that a shuttle bus will be just minutes away from taking you to your chosen destination throughout Disney World. If you are planning a visit to Animal Kingdom from any of the other parks, a shuttle bus is your only option but the bus drivers will certainly make this an enjoyable trip!

Disney World in One Day

How do you even begin to contemplate exploring everything Disney World has to offer in just one day? The entire Disney World resort covers 40 square miles, essentially the same size as the city of San Francisco! Trying to accomplish as much as possible in just one day requires plenty of planning, research and a strong desire to achieve the goals you set.

We figured that we had about a 12-hour window to explore Disney World so rather than trying to visit all four parks, our challenge was made a little easier when we decided to visit just three. Easy right? Ok, maybe not given the vast size of these parks and having to take into consideration travel time between them etc. More on that aspect later.

Anyone visiting Disney World for the first time will certainly want to visit the iconic theme park, Magic Kingdom . It’s pretty much a given that everyone needs to experience the “magic” at least once so this was at the very top of our list of must-see parks.

As avid world travelers, the World Showcase at Epcot was another area we just had to experience so this was second on our list and the intriguing prospect of taking a Kilimanjaro Safari meant that Animal Kingdom was added to our itinerary.

After figuring out where we wanted to go and organizing times for “must-see” attractions using our Fast Pass privileges, we established the following “tentative” schedule to experience Disney World in one day!

Morning (8:00 AM to 12:00 PM) Magic Kingdom

Afternoon (12:00 PM to 5:00 PM) Epcot

Evening (5:00 PM to 9:00 PM) Animal Kingdom

Could we have added Hollywood Studios to this itinerary? We spent quite a bit of time exploring Epcot so had we opted against experiencing everything there and also not made lunch reservations at the Rose and Crown Pub, we could probably have visited all four!

Let’s not get too carried away though because three Disney World theme parks in one day is more than sufficient…I know many of you will still think we are crazy for even attempting this.

• Magic Kingdom

Rather than giving a full play by play insight into our visit to each of the three parks, I am going to save that for future posts. As I am sure you can imagine, it’s pretty easy to put together a 1000+ word post on each of these parks given the plethora of amazing things to do and experience in each one. However, I will give you a brief synopsis of what we accomplished in each one along with the transition phase to get from one park to the next.

As we mentioned above, our day started bright and early at Magic Kingdom. After parking our vehicle at around 7:20 AM, we headed through security (I will add that this was a breeze at that time!) and boarded the shuttle bus to the entrance.

The ferry and monorail are two other alternative transportation methods but at that time, neither of these were open.

TIP #1 – ARRIVE EARLY AT MAGIC KINGDOM TO BEAT THE CROWDS!

The beauty of arriving at Magic Kingdom “early” is that you can experience the Main Street which in itself is a cool themed area that you can enjoy before entering the main attraction through Cinderella’s Castle. Souvenir shops, restaurants, and even a Starbucks that fits the theme of the “turn of the century” American Main Street!

Moments before 9:00 AM, visitors that woke up bright and early are rewarded with the “welcome” from the one and only Mickey Mouse and a short introduction to some of the other iconic Disney characters ends with visitors having the opportunity to pass under the Arch of Cinderella Castle.

The masses of visitors all start scrambling to experience their favorite rides, so where do you even begin?

TIP #2 – DON’T LET THE ADVERTISED WAIT TIMES STOP YOU…FREQUENTLY EXAGGERATED!

Here are just a few of the rides and attractions that we experienced and again, we will share more details on these later:

• Mad Tea Party
• Princess Fairytale Hall
• Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• The Hall of Presidents
• Jungle Cruise
• Gaston’s Tavern

Needless to say, there is a myriad of entertaining experiences awaiting visitors to Magic Kingdom and we cannot argue against the fact you could easily spend all day here.

However, we were able to walk around the entire park and enjoy a variety of attractions before heading back to the transportation hub on the ferry and then hopping on the monorail to Epcot.

TIP #3 – EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC KINGDOM FERRY AT LEAST ONCE!

Regardless of your chosen method of transportation to arrive at Epcot, the iconic sight of the geodesic sphere will greet you!

Spaceship Earth is one of the many attractions at Epcot and after heading through security, we waited about 25 minutes to take the journey through the dome and enjoy a look at technological advancements over the centuries.

Travel in time and explore the history of communication on a ride that takes you from the Stone Age to the computer age.

We quickly realized that Epcot offered a perfect blend of attractions for young and old alike. As avid world travelers, the World Showcase was undoubtedly our highlight attraction. Whether you have previously visited the countries in person or simply want to learn more about them, exploring the “themed” areas is definitely an inspiring experience.

Ready for a bite to eat? Enjoying lunch at the Rose and Crown Pub that we had previously made reservations for was a cool experience and definitely something that we recommend.

You will quickly realize that Epcot is far larger than Magic Kingdom in terms of size. Looking at the numbers, Epcot covers around 300 acres and Magic Kingdom is only 105 acres. This difference is particularly noticeable on your legs if you walk all around the World Showcase! But it’s well worth the effort.

TIP #4 – ENJOY LUNCH (OR DINNER) AT EPCOT! VARIETY OF WORLD CUISINES TO EXPERIENCE – WE RECOMMEND THE ROSE AND CROWN PUB IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AREA

If you are heading to Animal Kingdom as we did, you can leave Epcot and hop on the shuttle bus that will take you on the short journey to the entrance. Just to reiterate what we mentioned earlier, although the $20 parking pass provides access to all the Disney World parking lots, you will be better suited using the public transportation to get from one park to the next.

• Animal Kingdom

We arrived at Animal Kingdom shortly after 5:00 PM and I will be perfectly honest, we were already pretty exhausted! Perhaps this fatigue clouded our experience and overall judgment of Animal Kingdom or maybe it was because of the poor weather we experienced throughout the evening.

As we began our journey around Animal Kingdom, we started to hear that many of the rides were temporarily closed because of the storms throughout the Orlando area.

Unfortunately, the Kali River Rapids ride was one of these that was closed and we had fast-pass tickets for this but our other highlight experience, the Kilimanjaro Safari was still scheduled.

TIP #5 – BOOK A SUNSET TOUR ON THE KILIMANJARO SAFARI FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCES WITH THE WILDLIFE!

We spent a couple of hours walking around and enjoying the sights and sounds of this theme park before heading to the Safari to experience a variety of African animals roaming around the plains.

The Tree of Life is certainly a focal point inside Animal Kingdom and definitely an impressive sight, especially as darkness falls and it is illuminated and an unmistakable attraction.

Shortly before 9:00 PM, we headed back to the bus depot and took the shuttle to Magic Kingdom where we enjoyed the final few minutes of the firework display.

What a day!! 14 incredible hours and undoubtedly well worth the effort to accomplish our goal of exploring Disney World in one day. Realistically, I think it’s feasible to explore two parks (Magic Kingdom and one other) in the same day, particularly if you don’t have children and you are not necessarily interested in experiencing every ride at Magic Kingdom.

However, for anyone that claims that Disney World is overrated and a tourist trap, we would certainly argue that this is far from the truth. Yes, it’s expensive! Yes, you will spend money! But everything you experience is well worth it because there is a reason why this place is renowned globally as the “Happiest Place on Earth”…do we agree? 100% YES!!

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10 COMMENTS

i am happy to read your article . Full explanation of disney-world. Love your photography

I wish I had had this guide years ago when we visited Disney World for the first time with our children.

The key is to pick the experiences that are most important to you. This is true even if you’re visiting for more than a day, as well. The reality is, there is so much to do at Disney World that it can get really overwhelming if you try to do everything, no matter how long you’re there. We’ve been three times with our kids and we still haven’t experienced everything. This is a great guide for those who only have the option of going for one day. #weekendwanderlust

I love Disney World. Yes $100+ per person is expensive but you pay that much (or more) for a concert or a professional game. Have you looked into doing a Disney Cruise? I have a ton of trip reviews for when we went to Alaska.

I am super impressed! Arrive early and by boat is absolutely the best way to go. I used to love leaving the park just as people were arriving, heading to a water park then hitting up the fireworks at night.

Im tired just reading this! we did Disneyland in one day… that was exhausting enough! When we went to WDW we did two days at MK and one day at Epcot, which ended up being our favorite. Next time need to get to Animal Kingdom!

Great post! This is indeed a great place of happiness for everyone for kids or for adults! So much to do at Disney World yes kinda exhausting but it is more happy memories to earn with the family!

Amazing . Nicely written everything. I really liked it . Way of description is too good. this is the place where we can relax our mind. thanks for sharing this with us.

found this post very interesting gives me a little hope on doing it next year.

I am amazed that you attempted 3 parks and it was interesting to read what you thought about the experience! I wonder how far you walked that day? Most people would only ever attempt a maximum of 2 parks in a day. It’s on my to do list to attempt 4 in one day, but I would never advise doing that unless you have been to the parks many times before.

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom itinerary: one day of awesome Disney World adventures

By: Author Rob Taylor

Posted on Published: December 21, 2021  - Last updated: May 8, 2023

As you know, Walt Disney World is huge and truly is a lot to take in. We have demystified the process of planning a Disney World trip and understanding the layout of the full resort, but it’s now time to dig deeper into the Parks. This is our plan for a one-day Disney’s Animal Kingdom itinerary and includes everything you need to know to have a roaring good time.

Get your Disney World Resort park tickets here ! – Expedia offers a discounted Disney World ticket over an in-person purchase. [affiliate]

What you’ll find in Animal Kingdom

Upon our first visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, all we really knew was that there was some sort of zoo situation that was really remarkable and that there was a section that was the real life Pandora from Avatar . We didn’t know that the whole park was going to feel like and that it was going to be just as magical as the Magic Kingdom.

Check out our Guide to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Within Disney’s Animal Kingdom you’ll find the following lands:  Africa, Asia, Discovery Island and the Tree of Life, DinoLand USA, and Pandora. Each area is very different and offers unique experiences, including surprising character meet & greets and dance party. The park is centered around the Tree of Life, so if at any time you feel lost or confused, just find the tree and you’ll be good to go. By the end of one day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll know the park like the back of your hand and you’ll love it!

Map below is for reference and to show HOW MUCH there is to do at Animal Kingdom

How to Get to Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Everything in Disney World is far away from other parts of the larger resort, and that’s why we have created a one day Animal Kingdom itinerary: get to the park and enjoy the whole day without the stress of going between parks. To get to Disney’s Animal Kingdom you do have a few options though:

• Take the free shuttles provided by Disney World from any resort hotel or t he Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC)
• Use a Lyft or Minnie Van to be dropped off at Animal Kingdom
• Walk – NOPE – even if you’re staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge there is not a walking path to the park

When it comes to getting around Walt Disney World, t here are ferries from Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground , gondolas from the Art of Animation Resort , and monorails that get you from Disney’s Contemporary Resort and many parts of the Walt Disney World Resort to the other far away areas, but when it comes to getting to Animal Kingdom, the most efficient way is the provided shuttle system.   Get familiar with transportation options before you arrive.

Listen to our Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom podcast episode here . Tips for getting between the parks included!

One Day Animal Kingdom Itinerary

We’ll begin by reminding you that you can reserve your Lightning Lane time in advance at the start of your day. We strongly recommend doing this to make sure you get to enjoy your top picks in each park. Either log onto MyDisneyExperience or use the Walt Disney World app ( Android  OR iTunes ) and select your times.  You’ll see that some attractions can be reserved using Genie+ and some are individual LL purchases.

Tip : when selecting times, if you want to hit several top picks in one park in one day, like we’re suggesting, look at each attraction’s available times so that you can select each that you want.

Genie+ and Lightning Lane in Animal Kingdom

I was confused how the new Genie+ and Lightning Lanes work in Walt Disney World, but I understand it now and have a simple explanation:

• The Disney Genie system IS NOT the Genie+. When you tap on Genie it is helping you make a plan for the day, highlighting things you might enjoy.
• Genie+ has a fee of $15/person/day (2021) and allows you to book times for attractions, just like FastPASS used to.
• Individual Lightning Lane is for the most popular attractions and the cost can vary. These passes are limited and often sell out just after 7:00 am each day (when it’s busy)

Example: Expedition Everest is available at 10 am, 11:30 am, and 4:00 pm, Pandora Flight of Passage is only available at 10:50 am. Grab the Flight of Passage Lightning Lane and then grab the 4:00 pm Everest LL. Times can’t overlap, so don’t block yourself from getting access to what you want. These are both Individual LL purchases, but still cannot overlap with Genie+ times if you are doing that program too.

And to be clear, if you have Park Hopper Tickets and you want to visit this park in particular across multiple days, you can always pick a time later in your visit to come back and do the things you’ve missed.  You need to reserve the park you want to start your day in, but then with the Hopper can change parks after 2:00 pm if capacity allows.

Get discounted Disney World Park Hopper tickets here – scroll down for multi-day tickets.

Start your day in Animal Kingdom in Africa

The best place to begin your journey through Disney’s Animal Kingdom is for sure in the Africa area. The village and buildings are incredible, very well representing many parts of Africa. There is live music almost constantly, and the vibe of the area fills you with energy. It’s beautiful in every way.

There are lots of snack options in Africa and even a cocktail bar. The atmosphere will make you want to find a seat and stay there all day, but you have more to do!!

Tip :  if you really want a beer or cocktail any time of day at the Tusker Bar or anywhere else, always scope out to see if there is a queue/line somewhere else. To keep crowds minimal and traffic moving, Disney World is very crafty in distributing guests and YOU DON’T WANT to be the guy who is seen as cutting in line (I totally did it on accident).

Another wonderful sight to watch for are the artisans working in the streets. From traditional beadwork to carving, every day there are cast members working creating heritage pieces by hand.

Lightning Lane at Kilimanjaro Safari (Genie+)

Unless you arrive at the very start of the day before anybody else has lined up, you can expect a solid wait to take part in the Kilimanjaro Safari . We recommend arranging a Lightning Lane in advance for the safari if you’re able to. The queue is primarily shaded, so it’s not bad to wait through, but you can better use your down time enjoying one of the many shows or street performances.

The attraction isn’t on a track or rail, but is a genuine safari vehicle driving you through the jungle and onto the savanna. The wildlife has free range of the attraction (except for the predators) so it’s always a surprise what you’ll see and where.

We recommend doing the Kilimanjaro Safari as early in the day as possible as it’ll be cooler and the animals will be more active. This is actually a tip from our oldest, Oliver. He also suggests sitting in the middle of the safari jeep so you can see out each side of the jeep equally well.

We really enjoyed the Kilimanjaro Safari and hope as the boys grow older we’ll be able to do a real safari. As of right now (2021) most African countries have severer anti-LGBT laws, but we hope that someday we will be lucky enough to take them there for a real Serengeti experience and perhaps even climb the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro .

Enjoy Festival of the Lion King

The Festival of The Lion King in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom is a must. The costumes and the dancing are amazing and taking a break from the heat in the air-conditioned theater is much-needed even early in the day. Kids will love how much involvement there is because audience participation is important, and adults will love the nostalgia of The Lion King’s songs. It is very different from the Broadway show (which we got to see in New York ) but some of the costumes do reflect that same Broadway Style.

Tip : on busy days, the show can fill up. If you’re using Genie+ the Festival of the Lion King can be reserved as a Lightning Lane choice.

Character Dining at Tusker House

When we first arrived at Disney World we didn’t have any plans to set aside time for character dining. And then we started researching and we discovered that Tusker House in Animal Kingdom is where Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse hang out between safaris. It was amazing and the kids loved it. Also, the food at Tusker House was some of the best we’ve had in Disney World. The flavors are very eclectic and if you aren’t adventurous there is plenty of regular food that appeals to Americans who never try anything new. (Yes, I said that with a snarky tone.)

Note : character dining is a premium price and for a family of four, you’re looking at a $200+ bill, but if it’s something you’ve saved up for and is important to you for the Disney World experience, Tusker House is our top recommendation for it.

Tip :  Our friends at  Diapers on a Plane suggest getting familiar with the Disney Dining Plan as a way to have room in the budget for different experiences, as there are savings to be had if you’re smart about dining.

Animal Kingdom afternoon in Asia

The Asian portion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is full of shows and entertainment. Between the performance spectacles on the lagoon to the Feathered Friends in Flight show , there is a ton to keep you occupied. There are also two fantastic attractions in the Asia section: Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest.

Tip :  be sure to watch for Hidden Mickeys as you roam the park, especially in the Asia area. Finding Hidden Mickeys is a great free thing to do all over Disney World !

Add Kali River Rapids to the hottest part of the afternoon in your Animal Kingdom itinerary so that you can cool off and get dry again before heading into someplace that’s air conditioned. After than, wander through the jungle following the Maharajah Jungle Trek path and get a snack. The vegetation and structures of the Asia area make it gorgeous and a bit more quiet than Africa, so it’s nice and relaxing.

Tip :  enjoy the Maharajah Jungle Trek at your leisure, as it’s a great walk-through activity very near Kali River Rapids.

Lightning Lane at Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest may be the single most interesting roller coaster we’ve ever been on. It’s a MUST for an Animal Kingdom itinerary. Without giving away all the thrill and surprise here’s the story:

You embark on a journey up Mount Everest having heard about the legend of the yeti (abominable snowman). As you launch up the slopes, your expedition goes awry and that’s all I can say.

We recommend Expedition Everest for anybody who is tall enough to ride. The thrill is built by the elements of speed, surprising turns of events, and the setting. Really, it’s a remarkable experience and one of our favorites in any Disney park.

Note : this attraction is sometimes available for Individual Lightning Lane purchase and sometimes it’s included with the Genie+ fee for the day. It depends on how busy the park is predicted to be.

Shows in Animal Kingdom’s Asia area

I feel like this is the entertainment hub of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From Bollywood dancers to the Feather ed Friends in Flight show, you’ll find lots of options at any time of day. A former highlight of the shows in Disney’s Animal Kingdom was Rivers of Light . This is an evening show and is reminiscent of  World of Color in California Adventure or  Fantasmic! in Disneyland . A series of boats, awesome music and high quality projections on walls of water make this a unique and fun night time event.

Today (2021) Disney’s Kite Tails happens during the daytime. This strange but cool show parades enormous Jungle Book character kites over the water as they’re pulled by SeaDoos. It’s fun and unique, but isn’t the best show Disney has put together. Top marks though for creativity!

Finding Nemo: the Musical – Big Blue and Beyond in 2022

Everybody told us that the Celebration of the Lion King would be our favorite show in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Nope! Finding Nemo: the musical was it. Located between Asia and DinoLand USA, the theater was quite large and the stage could be seen well from anywhere, including seats far to the side or back. It is nice and cool on a hot afternoon and great for taking a load off your feet.

The performance itself was also awesome! Broadway quality sets, costumes and performers made for an unforgettable experience that needs to be on everybody’s Animal Kingdom itinerary. There aren’t any crazy loud moments or big surprises, so it’s great for kids of every age, including very small kids.

Bravo to the cast and crew of Finding Nemo: the musical , you created an experience our whole family wanted to have again and again . We are looking forward to the updated Big Blue and Beyond in 2022!

Animal Kingdom dining at Yak & Yeti

Asian fusion means so many different things when you’re talking about food. Yak & Yeti in the Asia area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom does it well. With hints of Nepalese, Thai, Indian and more, the family style dining at Yak & Yeti is fun and delicious. Again, Disney World is knocking theme park cuisine out of the park with unique, high quality dining options.

Tip : make a reservation as soon as you know that you’ll be in Animal Kingdom for a day. It’s a good sized place, but it fills up fast!

Down time in DinoLand USA – NOW CLOSED, will update after replacements

DinoLand USA was wonderful, but it’s gone now. That’s okay though because it’s being replaced with potentially two amazing features: a Moana and a Zootopia themed area. As this develops and makes ready to open in 2025 or 2026, we’ll update this part of the article.

Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life and Discovery Island

You’ll see the Tree of Life, the symbol of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, from many points in the park. It’s a fascinating sculpture celebrating more than 300 species of creatures from around the globe. It’s incredible. A family photo in front of the Tree of Life is the perfect beginning to your day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Tip : take advantage of the Disney PhotoPASS cast members to get good family photos. They’ll take pics with their own camera as well as your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Also, if you’re interested, It’s Tough to be a Bug is an awesome show that happens under the Tree of Life. It’s great with small kids, but I have to say, as an adult I love it. You don’t have to ask me twice to watch it.

There are many animal exhibits around the Tree of Life on Discovery Island, but there’s much more to our Animal Kingdom itinerary than staying right near the park entrance. In fact, we recommend blazing past this area and coming back later when you have some downtime.

End your day in Animal Kingdom in Pandora, the World of Avatar

You can’t go wrong any time of day with spending time in Pandora. The Hallelujah Mountains (floating islands in the sky) are absolutely incredible. They are downright breathtaking and unbelievable. I would compare how awesome Pandora is to visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edg e, but on a smaller scale. Spending time in Pandora is easy, as there are lots of great spots to sit and chill, as well as to catch some entertainment. The Na’vi drum performance is really cool, as is the Avatar robots, the Pandora Rangers, that make the rounds.

There are two big attractions in Pandora as well, and both need to be on your Animal Kingdom itinerary. Avatar Flight of Passage and the Na’vi River Journey are both excellent. There may be a longer wait for Flight of Passage, but it’s worth it.

Seriously, one day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom can include so many fun, memorable experiences that you’ll be blown away… especially in the World of Avatar.

Pandora at night is a top recommendation from us as well as half of the people who gave us tips for Animal Kingdom. It’s beautiful, all lit up and mysterious. The sounds of unseen, unknown creatures all around elevate the mood and make for a truly unique atmosphere.

Tip : if you don’t have one and are thinking about getting a new smartphone, the Pixel 3 from Google has the most incredible Night Sight feature that makes photographing Pandora and the rest of Animal Kingdom at night super easy with quality images.

Lightning Lane for Pandora Flight of Passage

I’ll be honest: I tricked Oliver (our oldest) into going on the Pandora Flight of Passage. I didn’t fully disclose what it was and very much played it down as something not that exciting… and then it became his favorite ride ever. We’ve spent a ton of time at Universal Orlando where a majority of the attractions are combined actual motion and simulation, which is how Pandora Flight of Passage works, but this is a step above any of the others.

From feeling the Banshee breathing beneath your legs to the jaw-dropping visuals, it’s one of the most impressive and enjoyable attractions any of us has ever ridden. If you forget to register for a FastPASS for Flight of Passage, you may want to spend time waiting in line. It’s a must for any Disney’s Animal Kingdom itinerary.

Tip :  if you have a child that’s not tall enough to ride, let the cast member at the entrance know and they’ll advise how you can do a hand-off and what to expect with wait times to make it happen.

Na’vi River Journey for every age

Disney has a way of creating beautiful experiences in nearly everything they do. The Na’vi River Journey ride in Pandora is the perfect example of this. It’s not a thrill ride like the Kali River Rapids, but it’s relaxing and brings the world of Avatar completely to life right in front of you. The technology of the attraction makes certain aspects of the Na’vi River a bit too realistic… You’ll see.

Because the Na’vi River ride is very slow, it is ideal for every age. The queue is mostly covered with fans and misters, so if you don’t have a Lightning Lane for it and have to wait, it still shouldn’t be too bad.

Note: the Na’vi River Journey is one that you can reserve the Lightning Lane through the Genie+ option, not an individual purchase.

Snacks and dining in Pandora

When we polled the audience and asked what their best tips or can’t-miss things for an Animal Kingdom itinerary are, several people called out Satu’li Canteen as the restaurant to hit up. With some of the healthiest dining choices in Disney World, the Satu’li Canteen offers Pandora inspired bows, including vegetarian options.

Tip :  Leah of Five for the Road recommends the family platter to cover the whole crew at meal time.  Follow Five for the Road on Instagram here!

And then there’s me. I’m going to recommend stopping at Pongu Pongu right outside the Canteen for a Mo’ara Margarita. I’m pretty sure this is an actual drink from Pandora because the fruit flavor paired with boba makes for one of the tastiest, most refreshing adult beverages in Disney World.

For sure, if you can’t get into Yak & Yeti for dinner, dining in Pandora is a great option to put on your Animal Kingdom itinerary.

Where to stay near Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Since this is our favorite of the theme parks at Disney World, we’d recommend staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge . It is directly next to the park and is the easiest for access. You cannot walk to the park and still must enter through the main theme park gate, but you’re as close as you can possibly be.  The real highlight of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge is booking a Savannah View room and having giraffes out off your balcony. It’s amazing!

Book Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge here !

Another option that’s located very near to the Animal Kingdom theme park are Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas. A part of the larger resort of Animal Kingdom Loge, the Villas are typically booked through the Disney Vacation Club (DVC), but can sometimes be booked like a regular resort room. This is NOT directly on any walking path, but offers transportation and more comfortable/larger accommodations. 

Book Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas here !

Other Disney Resort Hotels options that are close include the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club. A little further away, but not a huge difference, are Disney’s Contemporary Resort or the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground . We love both of these properties, especially when we’re at Disney World with kids!

Can you tell how much we enjoyed Disney’s Animal Kingdom?! We loved the overall feel of each region, the creativity of working in wildlife and imagination into every design element, and the overall unique nature of the park. This Animal Kingdom itinerary should help you have an ideal day in our favorite park at Walt Disney World.

Want to pin this for planning your own Disney World vacation? Go for it!!!

Saturday 9th of May 2020

So any helpful tips! I love your checklist too. We haven't been to Pandora at night yet so will definitely check that out on our next trip. We always prefer getting a sharing dish or large meal to share between us!

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Your Ultimate One-Day Plan for Resort Hopping in Disney World

By Jordan-Paige Sudduth 2 Comments

There’s so much to love about Disney resorts, right?

Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort

Staying at a Disney hotel gives you special perks like Early Theme Park Entr y and Extended Evening Hours , not to mention the theming can also be an extra dose of magic. However, Disney resort stays are EXPENSIVE and can rack up the cost of your vacation quickly. Resort hopping is a great way to visit each resort and see their offerings without paying to stay there, but how can you see all of them during your trip and still experience all you want to in the park? Here’s Your Ultimate One-Day Plan for Resort Hopping in Disney World.

As a quick reminder, while visiting these hotels you CAN eat at their restaurants (be sure to grab reservations for the ones that require them!), walk around and see what additional activities are offered, but you CANNOT go swimming in the pools (we know, big bummer) or see inside any rooms. Seeing all you want to in one day will take some planning, so let’s get to it!

Have Your List Ready

Before your day begins, make a list of all the Disney World hotels you want to visit. We recommend ranking them in order of the ones you want to see the most to which ones you’d like to see if there’s time.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Look on Disney World Maps Ahead of Time

Group the resorts you want to visit based on which area of the resort you will be in. If you want to visit all the Magic Kingdom resorts, do them all one after the other so you’re not going back and forth! Starting at the resort you want to see the most and moving outwards from there is what we recommend.

Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Buses aren’t the only way to get around to each resort. You can see three hotels on the Magic Kingdom Resort Monorail, and the Disney Skyliner can take you to multiple resorts as well. Both methods of transportation are usually faster than Disney buses, but some resorts can only be reached by car or bus. This is why planning is so important!

Where to Park

We recommend parking in Disney Springs (since it’s free) and heading to your first Disney resort by bus OR making a dining reservation at your #1 hotel and parking there before using Disney transportation to hop to the others. Keep in mind that you generally CANNOT park at a Disney resort without having a hotel or dining reservation at that resort. 

We love that Disney Springs parking is free!

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World . We have reviews, pictures and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2022 at checkout for 25% off !

Know What You Want To See & Once Again, Look At Maps

Know what you want to see in each resort! Is it the Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation? Maybe it’s the lobby of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, or Chef Mickey’s at The Contemporary Resort. Whatever it may be, make sure you know where you want to go when you arrive at a resort. Keep in mind as well that some resorts have internal bus systems, so take a look at the map to know what stop is closest to what you want to see.

Big Blue Pool

Factor in Meals

If you’ve got specific restaurants or treats you want to try, plan to hit those around the times you normally want to eat so you’re accomplishing multiple things in one trip! Or, as we mentioned earlier, you can make a dining reservation at your first hotel , park there, and then continue on your merry way.

‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Keep an Eye on Those Bus Times!

Disney Springs is open quite late, but the buses from each resort don’t always run as late as it’s open. So keep an eye on the bus times so you’re not stranded at a hotel longer than you were planning and can make it back to your car with ease. If you parked at a hotel, keep an eye on what time the modes of transportation back to the hotel run as well.

Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station

However, if you do find yourself somewhere with no transportation running, don’t panic! Uber and Lyft both pick up and drop off guests all around Disney World , so just call for a ride on your phone to get yourself back to your car.

Rideshare pick-up zone

Need help deciding what hotels you should visit? We’ve made plenty of videos and posts ranking all the Disney World hotels and their restaurants to help you decide. Disney hotels are pretty amazing, so if you’ve got extra time during your vacation, we highly recommend some resort hopping. And as always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney hotel news.

These 31 things you can ONLY get at Disney World hotels!

Want more details about disney world’s hotels, ranking of all of disney world’s hotels, a full list of changes announced for disney world’s hotels, the best disney world hotels for 2023, the worst disney world hotels for 2023, 13 critical things you’re forgetting about when booking a disney world hotel, 8 gadgets you need for your disney world hotel room, the surprising things you won’t find in your disney world hotel room, the secret way to stay in disney world’s hotels for less, what items from amazon can you have delivered to your resort hotel we’ve got the details, join the dfb newsletter to get all the latest disney world hotel news right in your inbox click here to subscribe.

Which hotel is number 1 on your list to visit? Let us know below!

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October 17, 2022 at 7:22 pm

Hey AJ Et Al. I am wondering, if money, time, and potentially appetite are no object, then what would be your ideal 3 meal day. Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner?

Mine: Breakfast at Trail’s End Buffeteria Lunch at Morimoto’s Dinner at Shula’s Steakhouse

Admittedly I have many Disney Restaurants to eat at still

October 20, 2022 at 7:24 am

Hi Harold! Apologies for the late response, but I wanted to ask the whole team for their opinions and here are the winners:

Breakfast: ‘Ohana was the clear winner here, but shoutouts were given to Gason’s Cinnamon Rolls and California Grill (if it ever returns.)

Lunch: We were a little torn here, but the ones that came out on top were Skipper Canteen, Space 220, Brown Derby and just eating around the world at Epcot.

Dinner: California Grill won overall. We like that you can reserve your spot around the time fireworks go off and it has a great view! Honorable mentions here were also Homecomin’ and Raglan Road. 🙂

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The Ultimate Guide to Magic Kingdom, According to Disney Experts

Here's everything you need to know to plan the perfect day in Magic Kingdom, including the best rides, restaurants, and more.

Jacqueline Dole is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Maine. A lifelong New Englander, her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure , Food & Wine, TimeOut, Insider, Thrillist, Eater, and more. With a background as a pastry chef, she’s always on the lookout for the next best snack. She is a theme park enthusiast and expert, and embroidered hotel robes, amazing pools, and hot dogs are some of her favorite things.

Planning Your Visit

• Getting to Magic Kingdom
• Best Rides and Attractions
• Entertainment

Best Restaurants

• Magic Kingdom Itinerary

Tips for a Magical Day at Magic Kingdom

Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure

When the Magic Kingdom opened its gates on Oct. 1, 1971, it became an iconic place to not only see favorite Disney characters but to experience innovative attractions and visit lands carefully crafted to transport guests to another time or place. No trip to Walt Disney World would be complete without a visit to the Magic Kingdom. The most popular park at the Florida resort is also the most-visited theme park in the entire world, with more than 17 million visitors in 2022, according to the Global Attractions Attendance Report .

With this popularity comes crowds, so knowing how to best navigate the park is vital to ensure a great experience. “Walt Disney World is complicated in a way that's different from almost any other vacation destination. There are far more people who want to ride Disney's best rides and eat at Disney's best restaurants than there is ride and restaurant capacity for them. You'll need to make reservations for the popular rides and restaurants or risk not getting to them,” says Len Testa, co-author of " The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World ."

Ready to plan your trip? Here's everything you need to know to plan a perfect day at Magic Kingdom.

Meet the Expert

Len Testa is the co-author of "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World." 

Samantha Davis-Friedman is a theme park journalist and contributing writer of “Walt Disney World Hacks, Second Edition.”

Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World

“The two things to consider when visiting Walt Disney World are crowds and weather,” says Testa. “Walt Disney World's crowds are typically lowest when public schools are in session. The best weather is generally between November and March, with daytime highs between 75 and 80 degrees.” 

Tickets can be purchased as either single or multi-day passes, and you can add the Park Hopper option to visit multiple parks a day. Single-day ticket prices are dynamic and vary depending on the day and park you’re looking to visit, ranging between $134 to $189 for 2024. While park hours vary throughout the year, currently Magic Kingdom is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

Guests staying at Disney hotels (and select other hotels) can take advantage of Early Entry to enter the park 30 minutes before it officially opens. Guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort or other select hotels can enjoy Extended Evening Hours after the park closes on select nights.

Getting to Magic Kingdom 

Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure

Guests cannot park outside of the gates of the Magic Kingdom and must park across the Seven Seas Lagoon at The Transportation and Ticket Center, otherwise known as the TTC. From there, guests can take a ferry or monorail to arrive at the park gates. “My motto is 'take the one that’s there' – sometimes that’s the monorail and sometimes it's the ferry. Either way, it’s nice to start the day without a wait (if possible) since there will certainly be plenty of waiting to come," says Samantha Davis-Friedman, theme park journalist and contributing writer of “Walt Disney World Hacks, Second Edition” .

Only Walt Disney World Resort buses and "Minnie Vans" (Lyft’s exclusive Walt Disney World car service offering select perks), can drop visitors off directly outside of the park. Third-party shuttles typically drop riders at the TTC. 

Standard parking is $30 per day, preferred parking varies seasonally between $45 and $55 per day, and oversized vehicle parking is $35 per day. If you’re park-hopping, good news: Guests only need to pay one fee for a parking pass that is good all day at all four theme parks. 

Guests staying at select Magic Kingdom area resorts can also take the monorail or a boat from their hotel.

Best Rides and Attractions 

Younger guests shouldn’t miss out on the rides in Fantasyland, like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan’s Flight. Thrill-seeking visitors should make a point to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and Tron Lightcycle Run . For fans of classic Disney, no trip is complete without a stop at The Enchanted Tiki Room, a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, and a spin through Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, which originally debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion are perennial favorites among guests of all ages. And Tiana's Bayou Adventure is bound to be an instant hit when it opens this summer.

The best way to optimize time within the parks is to utilize Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes , an update on the previously complimentary FastPass system. These benefits come at an additional cost, but time in the parks is valuable and sometimes, it’s best to spend extra money to avoid lost time in line. The cost varies by park and date, generally ranging between $16 to $35 per day. 

Testa recommends purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes (ILL) for sought-after attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Related: 58 Disney World Rides and Attractions, Ranked From Worst to Best

Entertainment 

Let the Magic Begin and Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire are stage shows that run several times throughout the day and feature Mickey and his pals, Tiana and friends from "The Princess and the Frog," and more. 

The Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade is an abbreviated parade that runs through the park and features characters from "Encanto," "Coco," and more. The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade features incredible floats, a long list of characters, and a great soundtrack. 

Happily Ever After is the park's current nighttime spectacular featuring projections, lasers, special effects, and of course, fireworks. While finding a spot in front of the castle is key if you want to catch the projections, the show is still extremely enjoyable when viewed from other, often less crowded, spots. My favorites are Tomorrowland and Fantasyland (and it's a bonus if you are onboard the PeopleMover or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train while fireworks are exploding in the sky above you).

Walt Disney World

Visitors looking to maximize their time in the parks should opt to order from quick-serve locations, preferably with mobile orders. Sleepy Hollow is a great stop for breakfast, offering an extremely popular fresh fruit waffle sandwich. Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe is a reliable stop for burgers and chicken strips. It’s also home to Sonny Eclipse, a beloved animatronic performing lounge tunes all about his home planet Zork in the dining room. Casey’s Corner offers hot dogs, corn dog nuggets, and french fries. If you’re looking for non-fried choices, Columbia Harbor House serves New England-inspired seafood dishes.

Guests who want to get up close with their favorite friends can make a reservation for a character meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table to dine with princesses or The Crystal Palace for a meal with Pooh and friends. Other standout table-service restaurants are Be Our Guest, Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen, and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, thanks to a recent menu overhaul that makes it a fantastic place to enjoy a glass of wine on the patio, especially while a parade passes by.

Snack fiends, be prepared: there are a lot of can’t-miss Disney World foods , including pineapple upside-down cake topped with Dole Whip from Aloha Isle, cheeseburger spring rolls at The Spring Roll Cart, and the pepper jack pretzel from Cheshire Cafe.

Related: 30 Best Disney World Restaurants

Magic Kingdom Itinerary 

Be ready to book your first Genie+ selection and join the virtual queue for Tron Lightycle Run at 7 a.m. If you miss the 7 a.m. window, there is another chance to join the Tron virtual queue at 1 p.m. from inside the park. If you’re staying on property, be ready to enter the park when Early Entry begins. Otherwise, be prepared to rope drop as soon as the park opens. Head to the most popular rides first to take advantage of the shortest lines you’ll likely see all day. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, Jungle Cruise, and Space Mountain develop some of the highest wait times as the day goes on. From there, tackle the park by land, and don’t forget to take your time and enjoy. Continue to utilize Genie+ to book return times for attractions — or if you’ve opted to pass on the additional purchase, keep an eye on wait times in the app to head to the shortest lines. Try to spot a parade along the way, and end your day with Happily Ever After.

• “Be at the park, admission in hand, 60 minutes before the official opening. On most days, Disney will let you into the park and allow you to line up for your first ride well before the park opens. This is a tremendous advantage over those who can't get up and out the door that early. You'll be well on your way to your second (or third) ride before most people have gone through the turnstiles,” says Testa.
• Be prepared for the weather. “No matter what time of year you go to Magic Kingdom, it will likely rain — and it’s always A LOT of rain. Because I have been caught unprepared for rain at Walt Disney World (more than once), I now carry a pair of inexpensive, lightweight flip-flops in my backpack. That way, I can quickly swap out my sneakers and socks to keep them dry (this works well on water rides too!),” says Davis-Friedman.
• If you plan on spending a lot of time at Magic Kingdom, consider splurging to stay at a neighboring hotel. Guests can walk directly to the park from Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This convenience will save you a lot of time and hassle if you plan on staying until the park closes.
• For those looking to avoid the post-fireworks crowds, consider watching them from the neighboring resorts. Diners at The California Grill located on the top floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort have access to a viewing deck that pipes in the show’s sound, as does the beach at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. 
• Some of the best parts of a day in Magic Kingdom aren’t just the moments of soaring through Big Thunder Mountain or passing by hitchhiking ghosts inside The Haunted Mansion; they’re the magical moments in between, like having a spontaneous dance party with The Country Bears or spotting the names of several key Imagineers on the windows along Main Street U.S.A. 

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Stories and tips to get the most of your Disney Rewards

How to make the most of your day at walt disney world ® resort.

February 25, 2021

Get your carriage ready! If Walt Disney World ® Resort is within driving distance of your home, you can visit the Most Magical Place on Earth, enjoy a full day and head home to your own palace before the clock strikes midnight. Whether you want to explore your favorite Disney park or feel ambitious enough to choose the Park Hopper® option, we’ve collected some tips and tricks to maximize your time—along with some ways to save by using the Disney® Visa® Credit Card for dining and shopping perks. 1 2 3 Now, get ready for handy tips on how to make the most of a single-day visit to Walt Disney World ® Resort.

Note: Some images shown throughout this blog do not represent current operational guidelines or health and safety measures such as face covering and physical distancing requirements.

Purchase your tickets in advance.

Check out the official site and choose which park or parks you’d like to see so you can book your tickets ahead of time online . First, you’ll purchase your park admission; next, you’ll make your park reservation via the Disney Park Pass system.

Plan your route around top attractions.

Every park has maps online and available in person, so you can chart the shortest routes to attractions, dining destinations and much more. As a bonus, check the map to see which attractions have single rider lines, where you may be able to save time by riding as a party of one if you wish. The more you plan your day, the more time you can save along the way for surprises, discoveries and, of course, spontaneous fun!

Use the My Disney Experience App to avoid unexpected delays.

Once you plan your day, the My Disney Experience app is your multi-purpose tool to help you keep your plans on course and go with the flow if anything changes.* You can see attraction wait times, organize your reservations and activities in one place, and get updates of any changes throughout the parks in real time. You can even mobile-order quick service food and snacks in advance, and the app accepts Disney Rewards Dollars loaded to a Disney Rewards Redemption Card. 4

Find food along your route, and don’t forget restaurant reservations.

Whether you’re early enough for breakfast, staying long enough for dinner or just need a sugar rush (or two), you’ll want to fuel up throughout the day. Be sure to make restaurant reservations for meals along your route, and check out the Guide to Cardmember Dining Perks at Walt Disney World ® Resort to see which locations offer 10% off most days when you use your Disney Visa Card. 1 2

Take advantage of convenient Cardmember photo opportunities.

If you’re visiting EPCOT ® or Disney’s Hollywood Studios ®, stop by one of the private Cardmember locations to get your complimentary Magic Shot, digitally enhanced with Characters appearing right next to you. It’s a special, convenient way to get a sweet photo you can download and treasure forever. 1 5

Save time shopping by getting your souvenirs at shopDisney.com.

If you want to look for gifts (even ones for yourself), you can free up time in your day trip by heading to shopDisney.com and exploring the Walt Disney World ® Resort page for Parks-inspired souvenirs, apparel, toys and collectibles. Cardmembers can save 10% on select purchases, too! 6

A quick vacation at Walt Disney World ® Resort can really be the best day ever! Use these ideas as thought starters on how to make the most of your time, and don’t forget to make the most of your Disney Visa Card to save on shopping and dining as well. Enjoy!

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NEW CARDMEMBERS CAN

EARN A $300

STATEMENT CREDIT

after spending $1000 on purchases in the first 3 mos. from account opening. 7

Member FDIC

You can visit Disney World, Universal for under $100 a day: Summer ticket deals

C entral Florida can swelter in the summer, with high temperatures and what feels like even higher humidity. But it’s still a popular time to visit the region’s theme parks . 

This year, those who brave the heat can be rewarded with ticket deals at destinations like Walt Disney World , Universal Orlando Resort and LEGOLAND Florida , all starting at under $100 a day. SeaWorld Orlando tickets drop as low as $60 on select dates.

Here’s what travelers planning summer theme park vacations should know. 

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How much is a ticket to Disney World?

Disney World tickets vary by date and park. For one-day, one-park admission for guests ages 10 and up, starting prices range from $109 at Disney's Animal Kingdom to $124 at Magic Kingdom.

However, the resort is offering two ticket deals for spring and summer.

• The 4-Day, 4-Park Magic Ticket costs $396, which works out to $99 a day. It includes one day at each of Disney World’s four theme parks, without park-hopping or repeating parks. Visits must start between April 2 and Sept. 22 and end within seven days of the start date.
• The 3-Day, 3-Park Magic Ticket costs $267, which works out to $89 a day. It includes one day each at EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, without park-hopping or repeating parks. Admission to Magic Kingdom is not included. Visits must start between April 2 and Sept. 24 and end within five days of the start date.

Your next Disney trip could cost more, depending on when and where you visit

How much does it cost to get into Orlando’s Universal Studios?

One-day, one-park admission to either Universal Studios Florida or Universal Islands of Adventure starts at $119 for guests ages 10 and up.

Universal Orlando Resort is offering a 2-Park Play 4 Days Promotional Ticket starting at $306.99, however, which works out to just under $77 a day. Guests can visit both parks each day. Visits don’t have to be consecutive, but they must all fall within seven days of the start date. The deal is available through the mid-December on the resort’s website.

How can I save money at SeaWorld Orlando?

Non-discounted SeaWorld Orlando tickets cost $139.99. However the park's website offers various deals throughout the year.

In March, there was a $60 throwback ticket in honor of SeaWorld’s 60th anniversary, March 21. Prices don't typically drop that low, but the best deals are usually online.

Who gets in free at LEGOLAND Florida?

Admission is free for guests under the age of 2 at LEGOLAND Florida . 

After that, one-day theme park tickets start at $74 online or $119 at the front gate, according to the resort’s website. Admission to neighboring LEGOLAND Water Park or Peppa Pig Theme Park costs extra. There’s also a convenience fee for online purchases.

Through Aug. 29, travelers can get specially priced $29 kids tickets with the purchase of a full-priced multi-park ticket starting at $94. Up to four kids’ tickets, for children ages 2 to 12, can be purchased in one transaction.

Travelers should note LEGOLAND Florida is in Winter Haven, about 50 miles from Orlando.

Is Busch Gardens the most expensive?

No, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is not the most expensive theme park in Central Florida. Its website lists non-discounted tickets at $139.99, tying in price with sister park SeaWorld Orlando. Also, like SeaWorld, Busch Gardens’ website regularly offers discounts bringing starting prices below $100. Offers and prices vary by date.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is more than 80 miles from Orlando, but the park operates a free shuttle to and from Orlando for ticketed guests.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: You can visit Disney World, Universal for under $100 a day: Summer ticket deals

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People are horrified after mom shares how much one day at Disney World cost her family

It turns out that a trip to the happiest place on earth doesn't come cheap.

Kit Roberts

People have been left horrified after reading how much one mom spent on a single day's trip to Disneyland.

Summer Reign Herring shared just how much her trip cost in a video on TikTok .

You might want to sit down before continuing with this one, fair warning.

Herring complained to her 1.7 million followers on TikTok about the cost of just one day for a family at the iconic resort .

The mom reviewed her receipts from the park, including everything from accommodation to food and lightsabers.

Things kicked off with the mom introducing the video, saying: “So here’s how much we spend at Disney ."

In addition to her commentary, the text overlay on the screen keeps track of the costs, beginning with $130 on headbands and $870 on tickets and lightning lane.

So what about food?

She shared: "A mediocre breakfast at Hollywood and Vine cost us $223."

The mom continued: "Then he headed over to Toy Story Land and even with Lightning Lane was still only got to ride one ride."

No trip would be complete without ice cream and popcorn. These came in at a whopping $23 for ice cream and $16 for popcorn.

That had better be the most amazing popcorn ever created by human hands.

Then for a special treat she shared: "Then over at Galaxy's Edge, three lightsabers cost us a whopping $800."

She added: "They also no longer hold them for you until the end of the day plus, different airlines have different restrictions when flying home so we opted to ship them to us for an additional cost.”

Summer then explained that some rides had '120-minute wait signs', saying: "So we only got to ride one ride in this section of the park as well."

But, they're still not done.

"We tried out the infamous blue and green milk," she says, which came in at $27 before an $80 lunch and some funnel cakes for dessert for $44.

If you want pictures, a photo pass was an extra $170, which she claimed had 'cell-phone quality pictures'.

As a sweet treat, a lollipop and candy floss cost $25, which makes you wonder if the candy floss was made with gold leaf.

She continued: "And finally we had dinner at Planet Hollywood ," which cost $311.

So what was the final bill? She said: "Factoring in our nightly hotel rate of $997 brings our total to $3,758 for today."

Told you you'd need to sit down.

People took to the comments to share their thoughts.

One wrote: “Rename this to ‘How to do Disney with zero research and pay as much as possibl[e]’.”

Another posted: “Would have been better off getting a VIP host and going on all the rides.”

A third said: “You spent $250 PER lightsaber???? I can't feel bad if you’re willing to do that.”

Topics:  News , US News , Disney , Disneyland , Disney World

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

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Hello, I bought 3 day 3 parks ticket which has a valid period of 5 days. Depending on where I read I get different information. On parts of Disneys official channels it says I do NOT need any park reservation, but on other parts it says both res and ticket ”

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How To Visit Disney World In 2 Days

Posted on Published: 05/07/2024

Although I am a Disney fan and have visited the parks many times over the past few years, I still find visiting to be a bit overwhelming. With four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, and countless hotels, there’s so much to see and do.

Even with a longer vacation, it can be challenging to plan a trip that includes all of your must-dos. If you only have two days to visit, it will be even more difficult. But, even if you only have two days to visit Walt Disney World, you’ll need to be more thoughtful in your planning.

This post offers our best tips for how to visit Walt Disney World in two days.

Disclosure: I’ve been on some complimentary and discounted trips to Walt Disney World, but have also paid my own way. This post contains affiliate links and a purchase/click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no cost to you.

When booking your Walt Disney World vacation, consider purchasing through our affiliate Get Away Today . They offer great prices on tickets and can book many hotels.

Set Your Expectations

If you want to visit Disney World over two days, it’s important to set your expectations properly. There is no way that you can see and do everything. These are large, busy parks, with many rides, shows, shops, and restaurants.

Understand that while you won’t be able to see everything that the parks offer, you can still have a great time over these two days. You aren’t meant to see everything at Disney in one visit, regardless of how long you have.

Get the Right Tickets

When you purchase Walt Disney World tickets , you’ll see that there are a variety of options to choose from. In addition to the number of days, you’ll also be able to choose to add on the park hopper option and the two water parks.

For your two-day visit, you’ll need to decide if you want to see all four theme parks, or would prefer to prioritize two parks. Before making this decision, you can look at the attractions offered at each park and decide which ones are best for your vacation. While my family loves EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (if we have to choose two parks), you may prefer to visit the Magic Kingdom if you are first-time guests or you have little children.

If you do want to visit all four theme parks over the two days, you will need to be very thoughtful in your visit. You’ll also need to get a park hopper ticket. That’s the only way that you’ll be able to visit more than one park per day. The park hopper is added to every day of your multi-day ticket.

Know that you won’t be able to see everything in the parks, and set expectations with your family. Young kids may be confused about why they must leave a park (especially the Magic Kingdom) if they haven’t seen everything.

Plan Two Full Days

For this short trip, it’s a good idea to plan for two long days. While you will be tired, it’s the best option for seeing and doing as much as possible.

We recommend starting at rope drop which is the Disney way of saying right at the park opening. The rope that the cast members hold blocking the entrance is past security, the turnstiles, and the park entrance, so you want to arrive before the posted opening time in the early morning.

It’s also a good idea to check the park calendar. Sometimes there are special events, like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, which can cause the park to close earlier. Guests need a separate ticket to these events.

Consider Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane, and Virtual Queues

Genie+ is an add-on that can be purchased separately. While it’s completely optional, Genie+ can be a great way to save time, because you’ll be given a time window to return to an attraction and go through the lightning lane.

At Walt Disney World, Genie+ can be added at midnight on the day of your visit. Pricing varies based on demand, and Genie+ can and does sell out. Once you have Genie+ on your ticket, you can reserve your first lightning lane at 7 am.

Lightning lanes are available at popular attractions at each park. However, the most popular attractions utilize the individual lightning lane system, which is separate from Genie+. The individual lightning lane is a separate cost and is available to purchase individually.

Currently, the individual lightning lane is available for several attractions. These include:

• TRON (the Magic Kingdom)
• Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train (the Magic Kingdom)
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT)
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
• Avatar: Flight of Passage (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)

You may also want to take advantage of the free Disney Genie system. The Disney Genie (without the +) is a free system that can also be helpful when trying to maximize your time. With the Disney Genie, you’ll input all of your preferred experiences and the system will help determine the best times to visit those experiences.

The virtual queue system is another free way to maximize your time. This is currently available for two attractions, TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

With Virtual Queue, you’ll go online at a specific time and request a virtual queue position. Then, you can return to the attraction when your boarding group is called. While you aren’t guaranteed short wait times, you likely won’t see long lines.

Currently, virtual queues open at 7 am and again at 1 pm. You must be in the park where the ride is located to access the 1 pm virtual queue. You can’t choose your return window, you’ll just be assigned a boarding group number.

Regardless of which of these options you choose, it’s important to make a plan. Look at the lists of attractions, and talk with your family in advance to determine what you’ll want to do for your two-day trip to Walt Disney World.

Utilize Mobile Ordering and Quick Service Dining

Walt Disney World offers so many great restaurants, including some fantastic character dining experiences. However, for a two-day trip, you may consider skipping these.

Of course, if your child has a favorite character, or if you want to experience one of these restaurants, then you absolutely should do that. However, you can save time and money by choosing instead to eat at quick-service restaurants.

The Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app offers mobile ordering, which you should use. With mobile ordering, you will skip the ordering queue and instead order and pay on the app. You’ll get a return time, and can just go to the mobile order area and pick up your food.

Must-Visit Rides

Everyone’s list of must-visit rides and attractions is going to vary, but we have some of the most popular rides (and our favorite attractions):

The Magic Kingdom

• it’s a small world
• Space Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• The Haunted Mansion
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Frozen Ever After
• Test Track (temporarily closing in summer 2024)
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• The Rock N Roller Coaster (currently closed for refurbishment)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Expedition Everest
• Flight of Passage
• Kali River Rapids

Stay Nearby

For your two-day Walt Disney World experience, it can be beneficial to stay on the property. Not only will you be nearby, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of early entry.

Guests of on-property hotels (as well as a few other, nearby hotels ), can enter the parks 30 minutes before other guests. This can give you a big advantage in riding a few attractions before the lines get longer.

Have you visited Walt Disney World over two days?

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