Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Red. Enjoy the ride as we share the best ways to end your Disney vacation.
It seems a lot of us who take repeat trips to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort find ourselves developing certain habits when we visit. For instance, we’ve talked before about the first thing we must do upon arrival (after checking into our Resort hotel). For my family—before we moved to the area and could visit whenever we wanted—we never really felt like we were at Disney until we saw Cinderella Castle. So we’d drag our stuff to our room, and then grab the first bus to Magic Kingdom!
We also developed a routine to end our trip as well. Of course, we always hoped and planned to return again to Walt Disney World, but that next trip was always at least an entire year away. At the end of our visits, we wanted to soak up as much of the magic as possible, because it would have to carry us for another 364 days.
So we’d park hop to the extreme! We always bought park hopper passes, because we like the flexibility of being able to come and go at any of theme parks (water parks are an additional fee). Throughout the week, we’d hit only one or two parks in a day. The last day of the trip, though, we’d hit three—and try for all four—in one day!
Yes, hitting all four parks in one day CAN be done! Here’s how:
- ) First, travel when crowd levels are low! This will greatly reduce standby wait times and help you to actually accomplish your goal.
- ) Check the park times schedule or ask your travel agent or concierge which park has Extra Magic Hours (EMH). Hopefully, you’ll time it just right, where one park has morning EMH and another has evening EMH. That way, you can get an early start and extra time at the end of the day.
- ) Plot your route carefully. Not all modes of transportation go between parks. Let’s say Animal Kingdom has EMH in the morning and Disney’s Hollywood Studios has EMH in the evening. You could arrive at Animal Kingdom at 8:00 AM, take the bus to Magic Kingdom, ride the monorail to Epcot, and finish with a boat ride to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you could stay until 12:30AM. I just checked a parks schedule, and it looks like Saturdays throughout September will feature morning EMH at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and evening EMH at Magic Kingdom (2 hours). Keep this in mind: buses go between all parks except Magic Kingdom and Epcot, because those two are connected by monorail.
- ) Plot your day carefully. Right now, you can still only schedule FastPass+ for one park at a time. I’d recommend booking those for whichever park has your most favorite attractions OR the park with the hardest-to-get FastPasses (Toy Story Mania, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Soarin’, Test Track). Once those reserved passes have been used, you can utilize the FastPass kiosks in the parks to acquire other ride times.
- ) Rest and drink lots of water when you can. You’ll need energy and hydration to keep pace. And don’t forget to enjoy one last delicious Disney breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- ) Have fun! If you don’t hit all four, it’s ok. You’ve had an adventurous day, and now you have a goal to strive for next time!
Some attractions we always tried to hit one final time were Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion (nowadays we’d include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train if we can get FastPasses) at Magic Kingdom; Soarin’ and Test Track at Epcot; and Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, and Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Hopefully, we’d arrive to Hollywood Studios in time for the FROZEN fireworks too! I think out of all our Walt Disney World vacations, we only hit 4-in-1 once. They ought to sell a special pin for that!
TODAY’S TAKEAWAY:
Study methods of human transportation, beginning as far back in time as possible. How did prehistoric man travel? When was the wheel invented? When was it first used to move people? Detail the progression of vehicular transport over the centuries, from saddled beasts of burden to reined, horse-powered buggies to what we drive today and beyond!
Then, build a model car. Purchase a kit from your local hobby or craft store. (The skill level of this project will depend on the skill level of the model you buy.) Your kit should include directions, but you can decorate it however you desire.
SCHOOL SUBJECT: History, Art
SKILL LEVEL: All
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is THE DISNEY POINT.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Magical Mouse School House – Park Hopping
2nd Stop ~ The Disney Point – Riding the Monorail
3rd Stop ~ Frontierland Station – Character Breakfasts
4th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts – Shopping & Taking Photos
Final Stop ~ Superheroes and Teacups – Strolling Down Main Street, USA
©2014 Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, your Disney homeschool resource!
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Think outside the textbook with this veteran homeschooling author & editor, and learn while you play!
We used to always get park hopper passes, but for our last few trips we’ve opted not to. I can’t really say I miss having the option. We still have 2 days left on some old park hopper passes, though – we’ll probably use them in February.
We are just not the type to stick to a strict schedule, so we always got the hoppers. Can’t wait till you visit again 🙂
We always SAY we are going to do this but we never actually do it. I will one day. If you could only do one attraction in each of the four parks, what would you choose?
It’s fun–exhausting, but fun! Hmm, one per park…MK Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Epcot Soarin’, DHS Toy Story Mania, and AK Expedition Everest. How bout you?
Tough question. I’d go: MK – Space Mountain, Epcot – Soarin’, DHS – Tower of Terror and AK Safari!
All good ones!
Wow, I’ve never tried to do more than two parks in one day. I think I might try it WITHOUT children. Have you done this many times?
Oh yes! And with kids each time 🙂 I don’t think we attempted it until our youngest was at least 5, though. Prior to that, we’d hit maybe one or two parks to squeeze in that last bit of magic.
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4 parks in one day sounds like quite the adventure! I think I’d like to attempt it someday. Were you able to do several attractions at each park when you did all 4?
It is! We did at least one attraction/show per park. It depends on the crowds and the weather, but we at least try to hit a favorite thing one last time.
How fun! My girls and I were down there for something else and had passes so we attempted the 4-parks-1-day thing, but only made it to two! 🙂 As they get bigger, we’ll definitely be trying again 🙂
It makes for a long day, but it’s fun! I wouldn’t even attempt it during a busy time of year, though.
This is a great suggestion! I’ve never even thought to try to hit all 4 parks in one day. Right now my boys are too young to deal with that- but it sounds like a great challenge for a parents only trip! 🙂 I wonder if you could also squeeze in a water park??
Boy, that would be tough! I would suggest doing the water park mid-afternoon. Wait till the afternoon rain comes in–the park will clear out & you’ll have no wait lines once the showers are gone.
Before kids, James and I did 4 parks in one day.We gave ourselves must dos in each park before moving on. It was so much fun! In which order would you do the parks?
I like the idea of Animal first, before it gets too hot, and then a bus to Hollywood, boat to Epcot, and monorail to Magic to end the day 🙂
that is a very active way to finish your trip! Sounds exhausting! Do you visit on travel days or just for your last full day?
It would have to be the last full day. We used to drive, not fly, and we’d usually leave early in the morning after breakfast. Only one time did we take advantage of a little more park time before we hit the road.
We hit all four parks in one day. It was fun but exhausting! 🙂
That it is!
We usually head out after lunch but we ususlly hit two out of four that morning.
We usually start our morning with a character breakfast and then head to Magic Kingdom to spend the remainder of our day, then end the trip with one last visit to Downtown Disney for a visit to Earl of Sandwich for the road!