All 4 Parks in one day, can it be done?

[jformica]

Can all 4 parks be done in a day? We are heavily considering as we will have a short stay. There's 5 of us.

 

[juscet]

Why would you want to try. You will not enjoy anything if you are trying to get all 4 parks in.

 

[RandeB]

Why would you want to try. You will not enjoy anything if you are trying to get all 4 parks in.

Well, we usually do at least 2 parks in a day, after so many trips, the need to see 'everything' at each park, especially later in the vacation, just isn't there.

 

[DoomBuggy73]

We usually save it for the last day and it's only our faves....but, yes, we do it every trip. Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Splash, and Space Mtns, then POTC @ MK; Test Track @ Epcot; Rock N Roller Coaster and Star Tours @ the Studios and Everest @ AK. We also go to Downtown Disney afterward. Eat your Wheaties and sleep when you get home...it's a marathon!!

 

[lbrad]

I have a hard time doing 2 parks in one day!
I must be getting old
Good luck :wave:

 

[Keri]

We did it! We started at EMH Epcot Friday night. We went on a few rides after midnight. Went back to hotel, woke up and went to AK for a few morning hours. Went back to hotel and went to the pool. Early afternoon we went to MK, then dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, then HS after that to close the night. It was technically all in one day and we weren't rushed! It was also the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So anything is possible.

 

[Andrew54]

The ADR's is what usually keep's us from getting around as quickly. I believe the day we did it we started at tusker house for breakfast, CR in EPCOT for lunch and dinner was Hoop De Doo.

 

[dreamfinder]

As several posted have mentioned, it really depends on what you mean by "done". You can definitely hit up all 4 parks in one day, I think I did it once by mid afternoon. That included at least 1 or 2 rides in each park including several E tickets, as well as several characters in each and a whole bunch of photopass pictures.

 

[rlaeromech]

Can!

Including both fireworks shows at MK and EP

Not every ride, but every major attraction, all 4 4d movies. Of course this was before Soarin and Everest.

 

[Disneykidder]

How old are your children? Keep that in mind as kids sometimes complain...lol. Take snacks and water so that eliminates your stopping time. Are you planning a table service? That will be tricky, too.
I do have to ask this, though. You said you are only there for a few days, right? Why not just do 2 parks in one day? You will see a lot more and won't feel so rushed and harried. Just my opinion. Good luck.

 

[slappy magoo]

Trying to "do" all 4 parks in one day during Thanksgiving Weekend, about the most you'll accomplish is bragging rights that you did it. But if you're going to try to do it, at least make it as pleasant as possible by using Disney transportation as much as possible. Pick a morning that has early EMH at MK. Your plan is staying at Wilderness Lodge? Take the ferry. Get there and do as much as you can. Once the park starts getting full, or you've done what you want to do, leave via monorail to Epcot. Hit whatever you intend to hit there, and then ferry to the Studios. Bus to AK from the Studios. if you're exhausted by then, bus back to WL. Otherwise, bus back to MK or any other park you didn't spend enough time in (which will be pretty much all of them). If you do end your day in MK, bus back to WL, and consider the boat rides and monorails part of the "attractions" you've done that day, as opposed to all that extra time in your car.

The only downside to this plan is that there's a good chance AK won't be open too late, since it will be getting dark pretty early by then. But maybe you'll get lucky, and it will be a day with early EMH in MK, and late EMH at AK. The plus side includes a: You won't have to drive back to your resort after an exhausting day, and b: you won't have to risk having to park pretty far in a theme park lot, eating up a lot of time just getting to and from the main gate; c: you never know if/when Disney's security team will decide that it's a day they really need to enforce parking rules. Your plan to park at GF, monorail to MK, then Monorail back to GF*, drive to AK lot, then drive to Boardwalk for Epcot and the Studios? Technically, not really allowed, though who knows if Security will call you on it (it is a discussion for another thread, and has been, many many times). You're only supposed to park in the lot of a resort that you're not staying in, if you're there to dine or enjoy the amenities of that resort. And you're officially given a three hour window to do it. Just because you probably won't be given a ticket or towed for parking where you ought not to, doesn't mean you definitely won't, and won't THAT cut down on your plan to tour all four parks in a day? :lol:

* - if you insist on parking at GF, monorail TO MK, but you'll probably save time taking one of their water launches BACK to GF, since the monorail will first go to the Contemporary, the Poly and the TTC before going back to GF.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I am going to give this a big NO... only because it can be done, physically visiting four parks in one day, but to catch all of the rides, shows, parades... you certainly would not be fully enjoying yourself. Plus, you would need some pretty low crowd days...

 

[Jayhawkie]

Since you are spending more than one night on Disney property why not visit each of the four parks in the mornings. That way you still have the rest of the day to rest, explore other resorts, or just play. Have you been to WDW before and know what you want to do? IMO. I think you are wasting your money to cram it in all in one day. We spend some time at our resorts, but I can relax when I get home. No matter what you decide to do just have fun and go with it!!:animwink:

 

[Eldon_Brasche]

This does not sound the least bit relaxing to me.:hurl:
Challenging - yes, relaxing - no.
To each his own.:shrug:

 

[dhoywdw20x]

YES it can be done ... I've done it. Heres what happened:

11:00 - Left for Animal Kingdom
There I did Everest, twice and Dinosaur.

1:00 - Transfer to Epcot
I did Mission: SPACE, Test Track, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Malestrom and American Advernture.

5:00 - Walk to Hollywood Studios
I did Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, RNRC, Great Movie Ride, Fantasmic

9:15 - Bus to Magic Kingdom
Caught tail end of Spectromagic, Wishes (10:00), Splash Mountain, Thunder Mtn, Pirates, Spectro again, Space Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan

 

[rstaut]

It sounds like an exciting challenge, but doesn't sound like fun at all! Two, maybe three would be my max!

 

[rpk4444]

Of course it can be done. The question is would you enjoy yourselves trying to accomplish it?

I've done it. I had a car. I can't imagine it relying on Disney transportation.
We started at AK did Everest and the safari and got out. Then went to Epcot had lunch in Mexico. Rode Test Track and the Ball. Jumped over to MK for Pirates, HM, Small World, & Laugh Floor. A quick dinner at Casey's then off to the Studio for Extra Magic where we rode RnR & ToT at least three times each.
It was tiring. Slept in till 10 the next day but, I can now say that I did all four in one day.

 

[fosse76]

Of course it can be done. The question is would you enjoy yourselves trying to accomplish it?

It also depends on crowd levels and what exactly one is trying to accomplish. I went to MK, Epcot and DHS in one day after having arrived in the early afternoon. I originally had no intention on visiting those three parks, but as I made my way through the parks I was skipping rides/attractions I just simply wasn't in the mood to do. Since MK was the first park I went to, DAK had closed by the time I decided to head over to Epcot. And afterward I only headed to DHS because I wasn't tired yet, Epcot had just closed and DHS had EMH until miidnight. I definitely enjoyed myself and didn't feel rushed, but I skipped a few attractions to do it. And that was only three! (Though I probably would have hit all 4 had I been there all day).

 

[jformica]

Just wanted to address a common theme in the replies. First thanks to all of you, I got some excellent advice from each of you. As far as the common theme goes (what are we trying to accomplish by doing it) it's both a time and financial issue. Like I said, we will be doing a land/sea deal and will only have 4 days at the resort. We've gone to the parks so many times there's only a couple things (give or take) each park has that we "Must do" when we are at disney. So, I'm trying to save $400-500 by getting a 1 day park hopper for the 5 of us instead of getting a 2 or 3 day pass. The most logical approach (one of you suggested) would be to do one park each morning as that would give us plenty of time to relax. That is absolutely correct but will cost if you know what I mean. I think after a relaxing 3 night Disney cruise we will be ready to put in a full day of 4 park hopping! We've narrowed down our selections to 4 rides/shows at each park. I'm optomistic we can do it!

 

[sbkline]

So, just curious, what do you plan to do with the other 3 days at the resort, since you aren't doing the parks? Just relax around the pool and do other recreation around the resort? Downtown Disney? Resort hop? Go off property? All of the above?

And I can't remember if you already said or not, but which resort are you staying at?

 

[jformica]

We plan on enjoying all that you've mentioned. Laying around the pool at our resort (either WL or AKL), bike riding, horseback riding, boat rentals, water tubing, fishing excursion, downtown disney.