For the last few weeks, since we completed our central Florida theme park annual pass purchase trifecta (WDW, Seaworld/Busch, USF), we've been planning to do the 7 park thing. Imagine my surprise last Friday morning when I saw the atricle in the paper!!! No peep in the 4.5 years I've been here, and two days before we're planning on going, the paper runs that story. Of course there's a conspiracy in our midst, so we decided to do the only thing we could think of! We decided to attempt all eight major central florida parks in one day!
(BTW the original atricle is at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/attractions/orl-cal7parks16081602aug16.story )
Here's a report on how it went. I realize that since we don't work for the Sentinel that our credibility is slightly less, but you'll just have to trust us that it happened (with time to rest, no less).
The only requirement there was for a visit was to ride at least one attraction or see one show. No requirement for a thrill ride, especially since the lines can kill you, but we decided to make the ride types as 'varied' as possible so as to cover the whole gambit of rides. We ruled out shows quickly since they usually last 20-30 minutes.. too long
So here's how it happened:
7:50 AM
My wife Carolyn and I arrived at our friend Steve's (wdwguy here on the forums) hour near the intersection of I-4 and US27. After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to Tampa and Busch Gardens.
9:00 AM
We get to the gates of Busch just in time for rope drop. Our objective: Kumba. No sooner do we pass Rhino Rally then we encounter a park host with a large rope blocking our way. The back of the park, where Kumba is, doesn't open till 9:30. UUUGH! Ok, regroup. We ride on Rhino, but the water portion is down. Hmmm. Doesn't count. Over to Montu. There's a car stuck on the hill as we approach. Uh oh. Things aren't looking too well, but we get in line anyway. Luck is with us, the ride soon starts again and we wait for about four cars before we get on. Afterwards we get a picture and head out at 9:55.
11:35AM
We arrive at Animal Kingdom, the earliest closer at 5PM, minus Steve, who we dropped off at his house to get his car. He needs to meet a friend later on up near Universal. Better not hold us up, I say Ten minutes later he shows up and we head to Dinoland. We jump in a 15 minute CTX (Dinosaur) queue. We don't move for 5 minutes. We leave the 101 attraction and the now 35 minute queue and head to Triceratop Spin. Not much thrills but adds a new ride type to the mix. Again we get some pictures of our excursion (one in front of the park and one in front of the ride), and head out at 12:20.
12:55PM
At the gate of MGM Studios. Someone mentions R&R. I panic. We can't afford the time. We head over there anyway. The queue is 20 minutes but looks longer, so we grab a 1:40 Fastpass and go to have lunch on the other side of the park, with a possibility to ride Star Tours if it's not too bad. After lunch, the ST queue is at 15 minutes, so we decide to do R&R anyway. Fastpass works well and we enjoy a great ride. It's now 2:05 when we leave. I'm panicing. We're not going to make it. Three of eight in 5 hours? Not a good pace. I remind myself of the closing times: USF: 7PM, SeaWorld: 9, MK: 8:30, Epcot: 9. Steve's and his friend are to meet at 5. Ok, let's get USF now and by then it should be 5.
2:55PM
A last-second decision to do Universal first leads us through the heat of the day to Kongfrontation. This ride is closing in a few weeks, so we decide to pay a final tribute. At the ride entrance the queue says 15 minutes. On a whim and some past stories of 'instant rides' we pay a visit to Universal Express. Wham! 3PM Express passes! We walk RIGHT on the ride, no wait whatsoever. Things are looking up. We even stop to get some sunscreen ( a bit late) and a drink on the way out. 20 minutes, in and out.
3:20PM
After a short, HOT walk to IOA, we briefly analyze the options. Universal went well, so we could splurge and do Spidey, or we could hustle and perhaps get SeaWorld in before the 5PM meeting. We decide to hustle, and walk past a closed Hulk to the Storm Force. Sure, not a marquee, but since I love these types of rides, it counts in my book. We're out by 3:40. Things are looking up.
4:20PM
Dang that walk from IOA to the garage is LONG when your're tired and hot so we blast the AC on the way to SeaWorld. We discuss Kracken, but decide to mix things up again and ride the tower. Luck is again on our side as we walk right on. The only bad news is that there are threatening clouds over Epcot. Oh well, we're on the final stretch, we can handle it.
4:45PM
We split up. Steve goes to his meeting, and we head home to let the dog out, shower, and rest up.
6:30PM
We meet at Epcot's monorail station and enjoy a front of cab ride to the TTC. The rain has come and gone, but the pilot doesn't seem all that interested in the eight park jaunt. Hmm, guess not everyone is into parks like we are.
6:50PM
We head to Sleepy Hollow at the MK and have a quick snack of chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, then look to see the line at Pooh. 45 minutes won't work, so to get a dark ride in, we do Snow White. A quick trip through the Emporium doesn't reveal any stand out must-haves, so we head back to the Epcot, the final park.
7:55PM
We made it! Only one more ride. A personal favorite of ours is Spaceship Earth, so we pay homage to the wonders of Epcot by enjoying a trip through the history of communications. As we exit the ride, we wonder what the possibilities would be if this were a late closing day. Two, maybe three more parks would be possible. We enjoy dinner at the Lotus Blossom at China, then head out as the loud bang indicates Illuminations is starting. We want to beat the exit crowds, but Steve decides to stay and watch. What a fanatic
So there it is. As for proof, we have pictures of every park entrance and at the start of each ride. If you're skeptical, you'll just have to catch the pictures (in a few days) or try it yourself
One thing that really helped was the ability to grab a show and a break during the jaunt. It helped to refuel the batteries. I'm pretty tired right now, but happy we did it. It will probably be the last time, but you can never say never
(BTW the original atricle is at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/attractions/orl-cal7parks16081602aug16.story )
Here's a report on how it went. I realize that since we don't work for the Sentinel that our credibility is slightly less, but you'll just have to trust us that it happened (with time to rest, no less).
The only requirement there was for a visit was to ride at least one attraction or see one show. No requirement for a thrill ride, especially since the lines can kill you, but we decided to make the ride types as 'varied' as possible so as to cover the whole gambit of rides. We ruled out shows quickly since they usually last 20-30 minutes.. too long
So here's how it happened:
7:50 AM
My wife Carolyn and I arrived at our friend Steve's (wdwguy here on the forums) hour near the intersection of I-4 and US27. After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to Tampa and Busch Gardens.
9:00 AM
We get to the gates of Busch just in time for rope drop. Our objective: Kumba. No sooner do we pass Rhino Rally then we encounter a park host with a large rope blocking our way. The back of the park, where Kumba is, doesn't open till 9:30. UUUGH! Ok, regroup. We ride on Rhino, but the water portion is down. Hmmm. Doesn't count. Over to Montu. There's a car stuck on the hill as we approach. Uh oh. Things aren't looking too well, but we get in line anyway. Luck is with us, the ride soon starts again and we wait for about four cars before we get on. Afterwards we get a picture and head out at 9:55.
11:35AM
We arrive at Animal Kingdom, the earliest closer at 5PM, minus Steve, who we dropped off at his house to get his car. He needs to meet a friend later on up near Universal. Better not hold us up, I say
Ten minutes later he shows up and we head to Dinoland. We jump in a 15 minute CTX (Dinosaur) queue. We don't move for 5 minutes. We leave the 101 attraction and the now 35 minute queue and head to Triceratop Spin. Not much thrills but adds a new ride type to the mix. Again we get some pictures of our excursion (one in front of the park and one in front of the ride), and head out at 12:20.12:55PM
At the gate of MGM Studios. Someone mentions R&R. I panic. We can't afford the time. We head over there anyway. The queue is 20 minutes but looks longer, so we grab a 1:40 Fastpass and go to have lunch on the other side of the park, with a possibility to ride Star Tours if it's not too bad. After lunch, the ST queue is at 15 minutes, so we decide to do R&R anyway. Fastpass works well and we enjoy a great ride. It's now 2:05 when we leave. I'm panicing. We're not going to make it. Three of eight in 5 hours? Not a good pace. I remind myself of the closing times: USF: 7PM, SeaWorld: 9, MK: 8:30, Epcot: 9. Steve's and his friend are to meet at 5. Ok, let's get USF now and by then it should be 5.
2:55PM
A last-second decision to do Universal first leads us through the heat of the day to Kongfrontation. This ride is closing in a few weeks, so we decide to pay a final tribute. At the ride entrance the queue says 15 minutes. On a whim and some past stories of 'instant rides' we pay a visit to Universal Express. Wham! 3PM Express passes! We walk RIGHT on the ride, no wait whatsoever. Things are looking up. We even stop to get some sunscreen ( a bit late) and a drink on the way out. 20 minutes, in and out.
3:20PM
After a short, HOT walk to IOA, we briefly analyze the options. Universal went well, so we could splurge and do Spidey, or we could hustle and perhaps get SeaWorld in before the 5PM meeting. We decide to hustle, and walk past a closed Hulk to the Storm Force. Sure, not a marquee, but since I love these types of rides, it counts in my book. We're out by 3:40. Things are looking up.
4:20PM
Dang that walk from IOA to the garage is LONG when your're tired and hot so we blast the AC on the way to SeaWorld. We discuss Kracken, but decide to mix things up again and ride the tower. Luck is again on our side as we walk right on. The only bad news is that there are threatening clouds over Epcot. Oh well, we're on the final stretch, we can handle it.
4:45PM
We split up. Steve goes to his meeting, and we head home to let the dog out, shower, and rest up.
6:30PM
We meet at Epcot's monorail station and enjoy a front of cab ride to the TTC. The rain has come and gone, but the pilot doesn't seem all that interested in the eight park jaunt. Hmm, guess not everyone is into parks like we are.
6:50PM
We head to Sleepy Hollow at the MK and have a quick snack of chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, then look to see the line at Pooh. 45 minutes won't work, so to get a dark ride in, we do Snow White. A quick trip through the Emporium doesn't reveal any stand out must-haves, so we head back to the Epcot, the final park.
7:55PM
We made it! Only one more ride. A personal favorite of ours is Spaceship Earth, so we pay homage to the wonders of Epcot by enjoying a trip through the history of communications. As we exit the ride, we wonder what the possibilities would be if this were a late closing day. Two, maybe three more parks would be possible. We enjoy dinner at the Lotus Blossom at China, then head out as the loud bang indicates Illuminations is starting. We want to beat the exit crowds, but Steve decides to stay and watch. What a fanatic
So there it is. As for proof, we have pictures of every park entrance and at the start of each ride. If you're skeptical, you'll just have to catch the pictures (in a few days) or try it yourself
One thing that really helped was the ability to grab a show and a break during the jaunt. It helped to refuel the batteries. I'm pretty tired right now, but happy we did it. It will probably be the last time, but you can never say never
:hammer: 