Hello, friends, fellow readers, and fellow Disney lovers! We recently went on a weekend cruise with our friends and decided to kick things off with a day at Disney. Who’s been to Disney? Have you visited all the parks? I’m curious—what’s your favorite park?
The Walt Disney World parks each offer something unique and special. Magic Kingdom is the most iconic of them all, serving as the heart of Walt Disney’s magic. The castle still gives me goosebumps at 33 years old—it never gets old.
Epcot, on the other hand, is a blend of past, present, and future, with an exploration of different cultures from around the world.
Hollywood Studios brings the adventures of movies and television to life, while also adding a thrill factor.
Finally, Animal Kingdom captures the beauty of nature through a blend of imagination and real-life exhibits and shows. Honestly, each park has something for everyone to enjoy.
So, what’s your favorite park?
Now, the real question—have you completed the Four Parks Challenge? If you’re wondering, “What’s the Four Parks Challenge?”—there are some rules involved. Let’s break it down.
What is the Four Parks Challenge?
There are different versions of the Four Parks Challenge, but we decided to follow this one:
You have to visit all four Disney parks in one day with three simple rules:
- Ride at least one ride at each park.
- Eat a snack or treat at each park.
- Take a photo in each park.
We couldn’t decide which park to visit, so we decided to take on the challenge. This required a bit of planning, reading tips from others, and a lot of walking. If you’re ready with your walking shoes and a sense of adventure, let’s get started! But first, here are a few things to consider before taking on this challenge.
Things to Consider When Doing the Four Parks Challenge
Before you start, here are some key factors to think about:
- What time do the parks open and close?
- Do you have an early entry pass?
- If you’ve booked Lightning Lanes, what time are they scheduled for?
- How will you get between the parks?
- Where do you plan to rope drop?
After considering these questions, we came up with our plan.
Planning for the Four Parks Challenge: Our Plan and Where We Stayed
When we arrived in Florida, we visited Nick’s grandparents in Cocoa Beach. We had dinner at Papa Vito’s (where else?), and then headed to our hotel on Wednesday night. Knowing we had an early morning ahead, we stayed two nights at the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area, an IHG hotel. We picked this place for a few reasons: we had points with IHG, it was conveniently located near Disney and Disney Springs, and offered early park entry, plus a pool and hot tub. We knew we wouldn’t have much time to enjoy the amenities, but we did manage to use them! The hotel had great perks, but the service was lacking. The front desk was slow, and the bartender was rude. The bar closed at 10 PM, which was inconvenient when we returned from the park and wanted food or drinks. You’d think they’d cater to the Disney crowd. On a positive note, breakfast service was fantastic, and who doesn’t love Mickey and Minnie waffles?
We decided not to use the free shuttle to the park. It wasn’t that it wasn’t available, but we wanted to optimize our time. We did use the early entry, which was super helpful. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel for its service, but I’d recommend it for its location and resources. Now that you’ve figured out where to stay, let’s dive into our Four Park Challenge plan.
Our Four Park Challenge
Now, let’s get to the fun part—our Four Park Challenge!
Park One: Animal Kingdom
We rented a car because we were heading to Miami for a cruise after Disney. However, we decided to use rideshare and Disney transport to make the day easier. We wanted to get to the park before the hotel shuttle started, so we caught a Lyft at 6:30 AM. Early entry for Animal Kingdom began at 7:30 AM, and thanks to our hotel, we were allowed early access! We arrived at the park at 7:00 AM, and the lines were already insane. We quickly got in line and entered the park at 7:30 AM. Our first ride was Avatar: Flight of Passage, which was a huge hit with the group. The graphics were stunning, and we waited less than 30 minutes—while the wait time skyrocketed to 90 minutes afterward!
For breakfast, Nick and I split a Mickey pretzel from a snack shack near Kilimanjaro Safari.
Next, we did the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. The estimated wait was about an hour, but we only waited 45 minutes. The ride was amazing, and we saw so many cool animals. It even sparked my desire to visit Tanzania!
Park One Recap: Animal Kingdom – 2 rides and 1 snack. Up next: Hollywood Studios.
Park Two: Hollywood Studios
We took a Lyft to Hollywood Studios, and our first stop was the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We initially used a Lightning Lane for this but soon realized we could have easily walked in without it. After the show, we made our way to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It was a 90-minute wait, but the ride was great—though not quite as mind-blowing as expected. We explored Star Wars Land afterward, which was a blast. We also rode Smugglers Run with our Lightning Lane pass, walking straight to the ride!
Afterward, we walked through Toy Story Land and took a peek at the Slinky Dog line. It was way too long, so we skipped it. We ended the park visit with the Tower of Terror, which was a nostalgic favorite of mine. Greg grabbed a snack while waiting in line, which was much-needed! Per him, we weren’t meeting his basic needs…
Park Two Recap: Hollywood Studios – 3 rides, 1 show, and 1 snack. Up next: Epcot.
Park Three: Epcot
We took the Disney Skyliner to Epcot and, of course, our main goal here was the snacks! Disney does such a great job with smaller portions, so you can try a variety of dishes. We started with espresso martinis at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. As the self-proclaimed espresso martini queen, I can confirm these were worth the wait!
I was going to add in my cute picture of my espresso martini with the sign but…
While the girls waited for drinks, the boys got some pizza from Via Napoli, which was amazing. We also indulged in some Asian street food—crab wontons, vegetable dumplings, and bao buns. Nick also tried boba tea for the first time!
After snacking, we used our Lightning Lane for Soarin’ Around the World, which we breezed through. The ride was a big hit, and afterwards, we snapped a photo at the iconic globe. We took the monorail to our next stop!
Park Three Recap: Epcot – 1 ride, 1 drink, and 4 snacks. Next up: Magic Kingdom.
Park Four: Magic Kingdom
Does the Magic Kingdom castle still give you butterflies? It certainly does for me. After soaking in the view, we rode Haunted Mansion, a classic that didn’t disappoint. The wait was 45 minutes, but it was well worth it. Afterward, we rode Tron, a high-speed roller coaster that was incredible (and surprisingly bike-like!). If you can, definitely book a Lightning Lane for this one. Abby thought Tron was going to be like Soarin and Avatar. To her surprise (halfway through the line), she realized it was a little bit more involved. She ended up loving it, if that tells you anything!
The wait for tron was going to interfere with seeing the firewrorks. To our surprise, we could still see the fireworks from the Tron line.
We ended the day with sweet treats at the Main Street Confectionery.
Park Four Recap: Magic Kingdom – 2 rides and 1 snack.
Our Four Park Challenge:
We completed our Four Parks Challenge with 8 rides, 1 show, 1 drink, 6 snacks, and countless memories. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it. If you’ve done the challenge before, I’d love to hear about your experience and what rides/snacks you recommend!
Our Favorites and Least Favorites:
Dominique:
- Favorite Ride: Tron (Magic Kingdom)
- Least Favorite Ride: Indiana Jones Show (Hollywood Studios)
- Favorite Snack: Crab Wontons & Vegetable Dumplings (Epcot)
- Best Disney Park: Magic Kingdom!
Nick:
- Favorite Ride: Tron (Magic Kingdom)
- Least Favorite Ride: Indiana Jones Show (Hollywood Studios)
- Favorite Snack: Boba Tea (Epcot)
- Best Disney Park: Magic Kingdom
Abby:
- Favorite Ride: Avatar Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom)
- Least Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror (Hollywood Studios)
- Favorite Snack: Mickey Rice Crispy Treat (Magic Kingdom)
- Best Disney Park: Undecided
Greg:
- Favorite Ride: Avatar Flight of Passage & Rise of the Resistance (AK & Hollywood Studios)
Outfit of the Day
Part of the Disney experience is the outfits. Here are the details of mine, which were perfect for walking around in the heat.
Things to Pack for a Long Disney Day:
We packed a backpack with essentials and room for souvenirs. Surprisingly, we bought no Souveniors this past trip. The backpack was super helpful and It was easy to stow away during rides, making our challenge day more manageable. Obviously, you need to make sure you are in a comfortable outfit and wearing comfortable shoes. What are some other things you should possibly pack with you for your long park day? Things that I suggest putting in your backpack are:
- Wallet-Credit card/money/ID
- Tickets/Fast passes downloaded on phone
- Megababe (all my pulse size girlies get me here!)
- Portable Charger
- Refillable water bottle- paying for one time use water bottles is insane for the wallet and the environment.
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Liquid IV – helpful for my dehydrated husband
- Hat (helps on those hot sunny florida days)
- Hand Santizer
- If rain is in the forcast- rain jacket and poncos
- Over the Counter Medications
- I got this carrier and it was a game changer for the cruise/our park day. Honestly, it’s a game changer for my work bag. I purchased ours on amazon!
Don’t forget the ears! What did I forget on my packing list that you would put on yours?
Is Disney Plus-Size Friendly?
As a plus-sized person, I’ve always been conscious of fitting into rides. I’m happy to say that Disney made the experience comfortable, and there were no issues at all. Honestly, to ease those minds, I didn’t have any close calls. Plus-sized parkhoppers on TikTok offer great advice for fellow Disney lovers that are also plus sized!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our Disney Park Challenge as much as we enjoyed experiencing it. Stay tuned for our upcoming cruise adventure on the Independence of the Seas. Keep up with all things travel, nursing, and Flicks_withNick’s movie reviews by following us on Instagram or subscribing to the blog.
TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick 
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