A week's worth of Disney FUN in a day and a half! **Completed**

[dixonsontour]

What a fun thing to do all 4 parks. Glad you enjoyed Ohana.

 

[alan_renfroe]

I really enjoyed your last trip report. This one is great too! Could have used it when we did a two day whirlwind back in August! I especially appreciate it as a quick trip without the kids. My husband and I are child-free and we love to see what goes down without the kids. Not that I don't love a big family trip report!

Thank you so much for reading along and your compliments! I hope you all had a great whirlwind experience also. This was the first time I had ever been in any of the parks with just DW and I....and we had an amazing day together! I will never forget this experience for the rest of my life.

What a full fun filled day! Dole whips are a must for me as well before trying one I couldn't believe I hadn't had one prior.

I will agree that the jungle cruise line does move quiet slow but I've never had a bad experience on the ride.

You can never go wrong with BTMRR and Splash mountain.

Can't wait to hear about Epcot.

So you were like us....you hadn't had a Dole Whip before....and now you're hooked right? Ahhhh, what a nice refreshing way to have a snack in the middle of the day...especially when it's hot outside.

I guess I really shouldn't label our Jungle Cruise experience as 'bad' or anything....we just started getting really antsy about time when it started looking like there might be a possibility of not making our Fastpass time for BTMRR. Of course it all worked out okay....so all was good!

I love BTMRR and Splash Mountain soooooo much! Those are my favorite two rides at the Magic Kingdom and, on a slow day, I could just go back and forth riding those two rides over and over again! I felt lucky that in a day where we tried to rush everything, we still managed to get two rides on BTMRR, even though we were visiting all four parks in one day.

Epcot is coming up next! Thanks for reading!

What a fun thing to do all 4 parks. Glad you enjoyed Ohana.

What's so funny is that this was the very first time we've ever had the park hopper option....and now I can't go back! I MUST have it from now on! I had read trip reports where others had attempted the 4-parks-in-1-day feat and had been successful on varying levels. I figured with it being February, this was a great time to give it a try. And why not? We only had one day....why not make the absolute most of it! I'm so glad we did!



Park #4, Epcot, is coming up next!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Chapter 11: PARK #4 - Epcot (part I)

It was Saturday, February 7, 2015 and we had visited Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom. So far, we had ridden Expedition Everest twice, Primeval Whirl twice, Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, ferry boat to Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, Mickey's Philharmagic, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Walt Disney World Railroad, and the monorail. We only had one park left to go: Epcot!

It was almost 6:00pm when we got to Epcot. The sun was setting but hadn't completely gone down yet.





(I didn't realize that DW was taking this picture....or I would have either gotten out of the way or posed!)







We knew it was a long shot, but we decided to find a Fastpass kiosk to see if there were any left for the evening.

No dice. The only thing left was Captain EO and Nemo.

So we decided to see what the standby time was for Test Track...70 minutes, 60 minutes for single-rider line.



We decided to come back to Test Track later and opted instead for literally almost no wait for Mission Space:





DW may have a bit of a crush on Gary Sinese...just sayin'!





Gary's going to put us into hypersleep! Good! I could use the rest!



Lucky for us, he'll give us a wake up call when we get to Mars. What a great guy!



When we got out, it was now completely dark.

We were really starting to get hungry, so we headed for the World Showcase...



We made our way to the United Kingdom. We stopped at Yorkshire County Fish Shop and shared a Fish & Chips and a Bass ale. (Sorry, I was too hungry to think about taking a picture!) We were very hungry and this was soooo good!

As we were walking around the U.K., we got a glipse of Mary Poppins. She's practically perfect in every way, you know!



The France pavilion was in sight! The Eiffle Tower looks awesome at night!



In France, we stopped by Les Vins de Chefs de France and DW got a specialty drink. (One with Grand Marnier, but it wasn't the regular orange slush...it was something unique. It was sweet but VERY delicious!)

We were just enjoying not being in a hurry and strolling around the World Showcase.

We stopped at Sommerfest in the Germany pavilion.





I was still a bit hungry, so I had a Bratwurst. Yummy! I loved the mustard!



and DW had the Black Forest Cake...






Soooo good!

We were now officially full and ready to tackle the remainder of our evening at Epcot! Would we be able to ride Test Track before leaving?

Final Chapter is coming up!

 

[rteetz]

Sounds like a lot of fun! That brat and cake look very good. Can't wait to see if you made test track or not.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Sounds like a lot of fun! That brat and cake look very good. Can't wait to see if you made test track or not.

This day just continued to be great! We had decided not to make any dining reservations for this day and just eat at quick service restaurants when we felt like it. That gave us freedom to try different things in different countries, which was a real treat. The brat definitely hit the spot! Personally, I'm not a cake eater...but DW said the Black Forest Cake was amazing!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Last chapter coming up next! Plus an announcement that's very exciting for us!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Chapter 12: PARK #4 - Epcot (part II)

We had just finished eating and having a rest at Sommerfest in the Germany pavilion. It was now around 7:30 or so...so it was time to get moving on around the World Showcase.





We made our way around to the Mexico pavilion...

San Angel Inn....we've always wanted to eat here, but have still not had the experience. Oh well, something to plan for our next trip perhaps!



On our last trip, we had ridden the Gran Fiesta Tour for the first time ever and really enjoyed it. There was no wait at all, so we decided to ride. It's a nice way to rest after walking the perimeter of the World Showcase.



I love how the ride passes by the restaurant and you can smell the food! Yeah, I definitely want to eat at San Angel Inn on our next trip.








Now it was time to head back over to Future World to see if we would have time to ride Test Track.

The standby line posted time was still 60 minutes, but the single rider line posted time was 40 minutes. We opted to do the single rider line....and it worked out GREAT! It skips the part where you design your own car, but honestly I just enjoy riding....I don't really care about the car design. We were on the ride within 20 minutes...AND we got to ride in the same car...DW just sat directly in front of me!







Since it only took 20 minutes, we decided to go one more time!



So....

We did it!!!

We accomplished everything we wanted to do on this day...and more.

Four parks in one day! A day I'll never forget!



We strolled leisurely back to the front of the park...








It had been a long day and we were tired, but feeling accomplished.

Our day had come to a close, but what an amazing day it was! Here is a recap of our entire day:

- Animal Kingdom at rope drop
- rode Expedition Everest twice
- rode Primeval Whirl twice
- drove to Hollywood Studios
- rode Rock N' Roller Coaster
- rode Tower of Terror
- drove to Magic Kingdom
- rode ferry boat
- had lunch at Columbia Harbour House (first time we had eaten there)
- rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice
- rode Astro Orbiter (my wife's first time)
- rode Space Mountain
- saw Mickey's Philharmagic
- had a Dole Whip float
- rode Jungle Cruise
- rode Splash Mountain
- rode Walt Disney World Railroad
- rode monorail back to parking lot
- drove to Epcot
- rode Mission Space
- ate throughout World Showcase, including Yorkshire Fish in U.K., snack in France, and Sommerfest in Germany
- rode Gran Fiesta Tour
- rode Test Track twice

Whew! What a day! We both knew that this may be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of day...and we enjoyed every single minute of it. We both agreed that it was almost like getting a week's worth of Disney FUN in about a day and a half.

The next morning it was time to drive home. We checked out of our own personal 'tower of terror' where we were staying and went for some breakfast before hitting the road. We stopped at a McDonald's which claimed to be the largest in the world. For some reason, DW was fascinated and took several pictures:







They even had a special menu with chef-prepared items. Fancy!



After breakfast, we hit the road....going back through Disney property one last time.

And the sign you always hate to see...




See you real soon!


See you real soon indeed Mickey!


Before ending this trip report, I am happy to announce a future trip we are planning. This coming January, 2016, I will be celebrating my 50th birthday. DW and I have decided to do a 4-night cruise out of Port Canavaral and a 4-night stay at Disney World!!! The cruise has been set, but the details about the Disney portion of the trip are yet to fully be determined. We are very excited about this trip! I cannot think of a better way to spend mid-January than on a cruise to the Bahamas...and I cannot think of a better way I would rather spend my 50th birthday than to be at Disney World!

So...there you have it! I hope you've enjoyed reading this trip report.

And, as Mickey would say, See you real soon!

Alan

 

[rteetz]

Another great trip Alan! That really was one full fun packed day. I have also never eaten in Mexico but have wanted too. Epcot is a great way to end the day. Test track is one of my favorites and while I do like designing the car I could live without it. That McDonald's does look very large and not really like a typical McDonald's at all. Leaving is always the worst part even though it good to get home. Can't wait to hear about your cruise and stay at WDW! I will also be at WDW in January but for marathon weekend. I plan on running my first half marathon.

 

[rev02a]

I am impressed! I didn't think you would get nearly that much done! It looked like a lot of fun too!

 

[ichabody]

What a perfect day!!! Isn't it cool when things just work out...part of the Disney magic! I'm surprised you didn't hop back over to Magic Kingdom! San Angel Inn is my wife's favorite restaurant...we eat there every trip and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the Gran Fiesta, as do I, since I went bananas for The Three Caballeros when I was a kid...my dad ALWAYS showed it to us, yup, he was a "shiddypa". LOL!

 

[luulu1999]

WOW I really enjoyed that!! We have been to DL twice now but never WDW (even though it is closer for us) we are doing a short weekend trip in October for MNSSHP so we are doing the party one day and the next day spending a day in MK, I am COMPLETELY lost at what I need to do to prepare!!! So I am trying to read reports to get a grip on it!!

 

[tstottle]

You have inspired me to go to three parks on our second day! (First day is MK, and we only have two park days). Do you think it helped with all of that hopping that you were driving? I keep going back and forth between taking the bus (we are staying at Coronado Springs) or driving our rental car. As you know, time is of the essence and it seemed to work out great for you. we will be there in busy times though (July). I had talked myself out of EMH'ing to AK just for Everest, but now you have me thinking "why not"?

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Really enjoyed reading this trip report. Glad you were able to pack so much in. So, did someone else take your student group back from the conference? Do you already have a restaurant chosen for your 50th birthday at WDW?

 

[KathyM2]

Wow!! What a trip. Well you sure got more done in a day and a half than I did in 2 days with my 9 year old lol...but I can't even blame her...I'm exhausted just reading about your 4 parks in one day extravaganza!!! But it helps that there were just a few select rides you wanted to get in and you knew you'd be going back before too long. You managed to get in some great food and other non ride things too. Congrats

 

[alan_renfroe]

Another great trip Alan! That really was one full fun packed day. I have also never eaten in Mexico but have wanted too. Epcot is a great way to end the day. Test track is one of my favorites and while I do like designing the car I could live without it. That McDonald's does look very large and not really like a typical McDonald's at all. Leaving is always the worst part even though it good to get home. Can't wait to hear about your cruise and stay at WDW! I will also be at WDW in January but for marathon weekend. I plan on running my first half marathon.

Thanks very much my friend! Going into that weekend, I had no intentions of doing a trip report...but as the trip progressed, I thought it would be a fun quick report!

Yeah, for the last few times we've been to Epcot, we always see the diners at San Angel Inn and think, "why have we not eaten here?" It is very high right now on our radar for our next trip in January!

We LOVE Test Track! I'm sort of sentimental about the old version...I always enjoyed the 'hot' and 'cold' rooms as well as the 'toxic' room. But designing the cars is fun too.

Good for you on the half marathon! I hope to do that half marathon one day. I'm a 5K and 10K participant, but haven't worked my way up to 13.1 miles. In our own way, this 4-parks-in-1-day experience was like our own personal marathon for the day! lol! I wish I had clipped on my pedometer to see exactly how much walking we did that day. I definitely think we burned more calories than consumed!

I am impressed! I didn't think you would get nearly that much done! It looked like a lot of fun too!

We were surprised also. We ended up doing much more that we had planned. This is what we hoped to accomplish: AK= Everest, Primeval whirl, DHS= RnRC, MK= the three mountains and Philharmagic, Epcot= Test Track and Mission Space. We did ALL of those, plus did Everest twice, Primeval Whirl twice, Tower of Terror, Astro Orbiter, BTMRR twice, Jungle Cruise, Gran Fiesta Tour and TT twice. I am now convinced that early February may be the very best time to visit for trying to accomplish four parks in one day.

What a perfect day!!! Isn't it cool when things just work out...part of the Disney magic! I'm surprised you didn't hop back over to Magic Kingdom! San Angel Inn is my wife's favorite restaurant...we eat there every trip and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the Gran Fiesta, as do I, since I went bananas for The Three Caballeros when I was a kid...my dad ALWAYS showed it to us, yup, he was a "shiddypa". LOL!

Yep, perfect is exactly the way I would describe it! In fact, each and every hour we kept thinking, "wow...this is a perfect day!" We thought about going back to MK, since it was open until midnight, but we had a 9-hour drive first thing the next morning...so we felt satisfied that we had plenty of fun for one day. And we were tired.

Great to hear that your wife's favorite restaurant is San Angel! I'm 99% sure we will be eating there in January. I just love that atmosphere! Yeah, I love Gran Fiesta Tour also. Donald is one of my favorite Disney characters. If you tour the World Showcase counterclockwise, Mexico is the last country and by that time you're ready for a nice, easy pace with no wait. I miss Maelstrom in Norway, but I'm curious about the new Frozen ride. I'll bet once it opens, the lines will be worse than 7 Dwarfs right now.

WOW I really enjoyed that!! We have been to DL twice now but never WDW (even though it is closer for us) we are doing a short weekend trip in October for MNSSHP so we are doing the party one day and the next day spending a day in MK, I am COMPLETELY lost at what I need to do to prepare!!! So I am trying to read reports to get a grip on it!!

Thank you very much for reading! You are VERY smart to be doing your research. My advice on touring MK in one day: try to get your Fastpasses scheduled for afternoon and, depending on your priority, try to get Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain. (unless you're wanting to meet Elsa & Anna, in which case I'd drop the Splash Mt.) Get to the MK parking lot an hour before opening, take the ferry or monorail over, and check out the opening show...which is amazing! The Walt Disney World Railroad comes around with all the Disney characters on it! It's a magical way to start the day! Then, once the park is open, (if you have FP for 7D, Space & Splash,) you can head directly to some of the most popular Fantasyland rides, like Peter Pan OR go ride Big Thunder Mountain. The trick is to catch the rides with the longest waits either on Fastpass or at the best times (early or late in the day.) I actually feel sorry for families who just show up at the Magic Kingdom for the first time and have no plan...they seem miserable and disappointed.

You have inspired me to go to three parks on our second day! (First day is MK, and we only have two park days). Do you think it helped with all of that hopping that you were driving? I keep going back and forth between taking the bus (we are staying at Coronado Springs) or driving our rental car. As you know, time is of the essence and it seemed to work out great for you. we will be there in busy times though (July). I had talked myself out of EMH'ing to AK just for Everest, but now you have me thinking "why not"?

It DEFINITELY helped that we were driving. If you have a rental car, I would take advantage of that on your park hopping day. (You'll lose precious time waiting on buses. Buses are the best option for MK, but if you're doing the other three, I would definitely plan to drive.) If there is an EMH morning at AK, I would plan to be there early and proceed straight to Everest. (Because of the EMH, it is going to be one of the most crowded parks on that day....so do Everest or whatever your favorite is...and leave by 9-10am. Make a list of your priorities at each of the three parks. Sounds like your best bet might be do to Hollywood Studios mid-day and schedule your three afternoon fastpasses there.

Really enjoyed reading this trip report. Glad you were able to pack so much in. So, did someone else take your student group back from the conference? Do you already have a restaurant chosen for your 50th birthday at WDW?

Thank you very much! I really enjoyed putting this report together and responding to readers. I was hoping we weren't being too "pie in the sky" when we made our bold plans, but as it turns out we ended up doing MORE than we expected...which was awesome! No, we took the student group back on Sunday. (The conference had an awards banquet and dance for them on Saturday....so they were occupied.)

Great question about my 50th birthday dinner restaurant. I haven't definitively decided...but right now I'm thinking either Flying Fish or Ohana. I also know I would like to try to get a dinner at San Angel Inn and at Fulton's, because we've never been to either of those and always wanted to.

Wow!! What a trip. Well you sure got more done in a day and a half than I did in 2 days with my 9 year old lol...but I can't even blame her...I'm exhausted just reading about your 4 parks in one day extravaganza!!! But it helps that there were just a few select rides you wanted to get in and you knew you'd be going back before too long. You managed to get in some great food and other non ride things too. Congrats

Hi KathyM2! I think the main reason we got so much done was because my wife and I were on the same page as to what our plan would be...and we pretty much stuck to it. I thought I would feel rushed all day, but I really didn't. The only time we got frustrated was the unexpected hour long wait at Jungle Cruise, but we made that time up nicely. On past trips, we've been on the deluxe dining plan and we weren't on any dining plan for this trip...so we really got to experience a lot of places that were new for us...and they were great! My wife and I have decided that we will probably never do a dining plan again, unless it is free dining. Paying out of pocket comes with a lot of freedoms and that's a good thing.

Thank you very much for reading along! This was a day I will remember for the rest of my life.

 

[RDawn]

LOVED this report! It is great to hear how many things you were able to do in 1 day & not feel rushed. And I appreciate many of your dining tips too. Thanks so much.

 

[KathyM2]

Yes, it certainly helps to have everyone present on board with the plan!!! I find that sometimes a challenge with my family...who would rather be more spontaneous...they don't really get that with Disney...you kinda have to plan lol. I'm glad you didn't feel rushed though.

 

[alan_renfroe]

LOVED this report! It is great to hear how many things you were able to do in 1 day & not feel rushed. And I appreciate many of your dining tips too. Thanks so much.

Thank you so much! As soon as we found out we would be going to that conference, we knew we would try to get a day in at Disney World. The more we thought about it, since it was only one day in the parks, we decided to attempt the 4-parks-in-on-day thing...and I'm so glad we did! And you're very welcome on the dining tips. I hope to eventually eat at all of the Disney restaurants.

Yes, it certainly helps to have everyone present on board with the plan!!! I find that sometimes a challenge with my family...who would rather be more spontaneous...they don't really get that with Disney...you kinda have to plan lol. I'm glad you didn't feel rushed though.

Absolutely. I think it would have been impossible to pull this off with our whole family. My wife loves all things Disney as much as I do...and we sort of approached this as a challenge. I'm like you...I'm a planner...and that can sometimes frustrate our kids who would rather be more spontaneous. It was neat to have the dynamic of just my wife and myself. We missed not having the kiddos there, but at the same time we very much enjoyed just having this experience together as a couple. We plan to do it again in January to celebrate my 50th birthday!

 

[NJlauren]

Loved reading this TR! I'm adding 4 parks in 1 day to my bucket list!

 

[ash901]

I just read your last two trip reports this morning, during coffee. I am a little late to the party,,but I thoroughly enjoyed them. Look forward to your next one!