Disney World has four amazing parks. Usually when we go, we end up visiting Magic Kingdom because it has so many favorites, everyone in our group loves it, and you can spend the entire there basking in it's glory. The other parks though are amazing in their own rights, and we wanted to at least visit the things we knew and loved (or suspected we would love), and since we were only there for one day, we decided to go for it! Our first stop was Animal Kingdom where they have the new thrill ride: Avatar Flight of Passage. My daughter has already been to see it and ride, with a group of friends (on a different day). None of the rest of us had seen it, so that was our first stop.
We'd heard the lines were atrocious because everyone wants to experience this... it is fairly new so we took out our tickets and logged in online to try and secure a Fast Pass. They were all gone, for the entire day!! Yee-ikes. We got there just after the park opened so we thought our chances were still good. The scenery on the way was amazing.
The line, however, was not. A 3-hour wait. We hemmed and hawed for a bit, trying to decide what to do. We really did want to see it, and my daughter's testimony encouraged us waiting. She told us it was amazing and definitely worth the wait. If we waited, however, it would shorten our time at the other parks. Remember, we had a 4-park-in-1-day agenda.
We snapped a few photos, and decided to move on... it really was a difficult decision to make.
Rest assured, we will return. How could we not? Just the entry into this ride is enough to make you want to come back. If they've done such a fabulous job up to this point, how much more incredible is the ride itself going to be? Honestly, we're excited to see...and in the words of someone famous (not Disney related), we'll be baaack. ;)
Animal Kingdom is by far the largest of the four Disney World parks. With 580 acres, it is easily a place where we could have happily spent the whole day. From wild animal safaris, to live music, to great shows, an area just for kids, and more...our choices were vast, and oh so good. In keeping with our agenda though, we decided to visit a couple of areas we knew and loved, and then to move on.
Again, the scenery along the way was breathtaking. Nobody creates a mood like Disney, part of the reason they are so very well loved.
It really seems like you are visiting another area of the world when you walk through certain parts of the park, and that is true right down to the smallest details.
When we pass this open area monkey house, we always stop because the it's fun to see the antics those little guys are going to be up to for the day. I'm always amazed at how high they go. We saw a couple as high as you could possibly get, and they were perfectly comfortable and fine. The pair we came across here, doing their gymnastics, did not disappoint. They were having a blast, and we were too, just watching them. This is always a must-see on my list.
Though there were other things we would have loved to see/do, we opted for just one more thing before we left: Expedition Everest. This is the steel roller coaster that takes you up a mountain, stops you at the top, and then rolls you down backwards. Thrills are always our favorite, and this one is smooth, fast and fun.
Our next stop was Disney's Hollywood Studios. Honestly, I haven't been for years, since the grown boys were little...since my now 18-year-old daughter was in a stroller! I remember seeing and absolutely loving the Fantasmic Show (still a favorite for me, this many years later), and I was happy to see it was still there! We didn't stay to attend though, we had one thing on our minds...those thrill rides. Hollywood Studios has two of them...and after all these years, I still remembered the path right to them.
We stopped for a couple of photo opps along the way, but kept moving towards our intended destination...
The Tower of Terror. I have been on it many times over the years (we used to visit often when the grown boys were young), but the two kiddos I had with me that day, my 18-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, had not ridden. Ever. One look and my girl was all in. She's a thrill-seeker like her mama was at her age. ;) My boy though, not so much, which surprised me. He's usually gung ho for these kinds of things, but this one was different. This is a 199 ft. elevator drop, in the dark, in a building that (intentionally) looks like it has seen better days.
The walk through the hotel is laced with (fake) cobwebs in a setting that makes it look like the hotel was abandoned in it's heyday...long, long ago.
What could have happened, to have this hotel that was once so obviously glorious, in such a state of disarray? A walk into the dark room, a scary bit of The Twilight Zone on the Movie screen, and then an excerpt letting you know 5 people mysteriously disappeared from this very hotel's elevator (yeah, the one we were now sitting on), led to a very apprehensive 10-year-old by my side. He's so thin too, that when the ride was dropping he would fly up out of his seat a little bit. The terrified look on his face had me cracking up. I really couldn't help it, I'm awful like that... and when we got off, he emphatically said, 'Never Again!' My daughter and I loved it, lol, and we had something to tease him about (just a little bit). ;)
Our next move was just a hop, skip and jump away to visit the Rock 'N' Roll Roller Coaster, featuring the rock music of Aerosmith. Again, I'd been on this ride before and knew how fun it was going to be. The two kiddos with me had not. My son loves roller coasters, but he's never been on one that went upside down.
I'm not sure what triggered him to start asking if the ride flipped (ahem), but all of the sudden he was consumed with the thought, and trying to still act cool hahahahhahahahaa. Oh, how I love that kid. :)
At one point, his 3rd time to say something like, 'Just tell me if it goes upside down' he was standing directly in front of this sign. I snapped a picture to be a smarty pants and show him later, and his sister got the joke. ;) An announcement came on at that point discussing the sharp turns, and upside-down maneuvers. The joke then, was on me. I showed him the picture (above) and he laughed too. I knew he'd love the ride though, and he did. One of the smoothest, fastest, fun rides around this one was loved by all three of us. It made the trip to Hollywood Studios so very worthwhile. And while there was more we wanted to explore (I especially wanted to see how things had changed over the years), we still had 2 more parks to visit, so we headed out and were on our way to destination #3.
On our way out, we did stop for a line-up of Storm Troopers out taking a stroll. You definitely don't see that everyday. Though completely unrelated to Star Wars, it reminded me of an old parade that Hollywood Studios used to host (Mulan); one I read they no longer do. Maybe we were in the same spot? I can't say for sure, but I do remember that parade was absolutely awesome! Back on topic: Seeing these guys casually walking by was pretty cool too. ;)
The beauty of visiting all four parks (or even more than one, if you don't want to overwhelm yourself with too many things to do in one day) is that they are all just a few minutes drive from one another. The parking pass you pay for at the first park is good all day at any of the 4. Our next step...Epcot!
Epcot is the best place to go for a day of relaxing strolls, education, culture and delightful dining. That is not what we had in mind for our vacation this time, and while I really wanted to see the (new-to-me) Frozen attractions/rides we didn't stay long enough to do so. It was getting ready to pour down rain, so the kids just wanted to go on the 'the big ball ride,' more eloquently named "Spaceship Earth," and then head on over to Magic Kingdom.
You can see the sky is getting cloudy and dark. It was only a matter of time before the rain fell, and it looked like it was going to be a doozy.
Fortunately, we did have our Fast Passes programmed for this ride, so we were in and on board in no time at all. This is a slow cart ride up a track, in the dark, that takes you all around the 'Earth.' There is an interactive piece at the end that lets you choose your ending. It was kind of cute, taking your picture and putting your face into the story. I don't remember it doing that before, but it's been a long time since I've been on it, so maybe that's not new?
The Flip Side:
To be fair, despite the pros of visiting all four parks in one day, there are also some cons. We couldn't really carve out the time to watch a parade and I missed that... I really like the parades. In fact, anything that required a big chunk of time we had to skip (character breakfast, shows, long-line rides, etc.). Also, the Fast Pass only works at one park, and we'd used ours at Epcot, so at Magic Kingdom we had to wait or skip out on the fun. Had I known we could only use it at one park per day, we'd have scheduled our passes to be used at Magic Kingdom since the majority of our time was spent there. Now we know. Also, you don't get to thoroughly give your attention to the park you're in at the time. If you are there all day, you can mosey around and take your sweet time. Each of the four locations has so many wonderful things to see, that it might seem like you're shortchanging yourself to visit more than one park, if going at a slower pace is what you're used to doing.
Would we do 4 parks in one day again? My 18-year-old says absolutely, "yes!" She loved picking and choosing what she wanted to do at each park. Setting the check list and then ticking them off one by one suited her really well. Me? I'm not adverse to it, but I'm not against all day at a park either. Certainly there is enough entertainment at any of the four location choices, to be able to enjoy a rich, full day just staying put. I guess when it comes down to it, I'll gladly take Disney any way you want to dish it out. :)
You have a heap more energy and stamina than I could muster. Glad you all had a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThat is the craziest day I can imagine. One at a time is all I can manage.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go and visit nice parks
ReplyDeleteWow, you sure went at it. haha poking fun at him for the elevator had to be done. No way would I stand in a line for 3 hours, that is nuts. Sitting there and sweating to death with a bunch of other tourists, no way again. Be fun to go though, not sure I'd do four in one day, but could do it.
ReplyDeleteI do not think I could do all 4 parks in one day. Too much walking and I would love to just spend time at one park and see everything. Glad you had a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteNo. Last time I went to Disney, we did multiple parks. I got Disneyed out, and it will be a long time before I go back.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had your energy! One at a time is enough for me. No way I'm standing in line for 3 hours for anything!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to all of these parks. But maybe on different days. How cool that you were able to go all in one day!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing Disney trip.
ReplyDeleteWow! I am not sure I could visit four parks in one day! Good for you and it sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. I know what you mean about the parades, they are so fun to watch...especially those crazy kids in the marching bands. ;)
ReplyDeleteI would sure love to visit all the parks they look like so much fun.
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com
I have always dreamed of someday going to Disney World. Visiting all 4 parks is quite the accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI could not do all four in one day!I would be exhausted lol!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been there for several years and would love to return.
ReplyDelete4 in one day would leave me so exhausted! However, I am not a huge fan of Epcot or Animal Kingdom, so if we did try all 4, we could easily zip through those two parks and spend a little more time at the other two.
ReplyDeleteYou did amazing for one day!!! It would be fun to spend a few days, but if you have only one day, and have the energy and patience, go for it!
ReplyDeleteI am ready for a nap justing thinking about visiting all 4 parks in one day. I think each park deserves a day if you have the time.
ReplyDeleteOh wow they have such cool visuals. I've never been there.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a fantastic adventure your family had!
ReplyDeleteI understand the difference with the kids. My son does this too. And my daughter is the daredevil :)
Love the photos!
I hope I can get to visit some day
H
ReplyDeleteAn amazing adventure, all in one day!
ReplyDeleteWe just got back from Disney yesterday - we only did Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom this trip. The castle is stunning when lit at Christmas - loved the firework show
ReplyDeleteI am amazed that you were able to fit all of that into one day but it sounds like a whirlwind of fun!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you all had a great time... I do think 4 parks in one day is a lot though.
ReplyDeleteHave never been to disney world but on my want to list. But I cannot dream of seeing 4 parks in one day. I think one would almost wear me out :-)
ReplyDeleteExcellent experience. I wish your good luck any any future adventure.
ReplyDeleteI love Disney ! haven't been there in a few years. We are hoping to go back soon
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could visit all in one day. I would like to take a week and enjoy myself!
ReplyDeleteNice review thoughts. For older kids...maybe, but too many parks for the little ones can be stressful for all. My so works at Universal and he sees folks rushing the kids through so they can Get everything in and sometimes he just wants to say "slow down, enjoy".
ReplyDeleteAll 4 parks in one day is so much! I like to spread out the adventure and appreciate everything.
ReplyDeleteWe loved being able to focus on one park each day for four days straight.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are my Disney hero! I don't think I'd want to do all 4 parks in one day. We usually do 2 parks in a day, and we still miss a lot due to travel time between parks. We haven't been back in a few years and I really miss it.
ReplyDeleteThe 4 parks in one day would exhaust me. Lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure my sisters would love this. They love Disney. I just wish they'd come up with some new movies - ideas.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun place to visit. I would love to vacation there one day.
ReplyDeleteway too much small children .we might try in a few years
ReplyDeleteBeen going to Disney since the day they opened. I have done all four parks in one day.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do this! So much fun! Love these pictures. they are great.
ReplyDeleteOh, I give you a lot of credit! I don't I could do ONE park in FOUR days! (Great pix, thanks!!)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many parks, it is definitely hard to choose which one(s) to visit! I would love to take my kids here someday!
ReplyDeleteJust thinking of 4 parks in one day makes me tired lol
ReplyDelete