How to maximize your Disney World trip - 4 parks in 2 days
I’ve been a competitive cheerleader since 1999 and started going to Disney World for Nationals since 2003. I went every year until 2014 and sometimes even went 2 times a year. Since I’ve retired from cheerleading, I’ve been back to Disney World 2 times and to Disneyland once. All this to say that I consider myself somewhat of an expert in all things Disney.
When we would go to Disney World for Nationals, we’d only have about 6-8 hours free to go to the parks, so I have been groomed to enjoy the fast pace of going to all four parks in one day. Nowadays, I’ve slowed down and visit the 4 parks in 2 days lol. There is no right or wrong way to do Disney. I prefer to ride the rides, eat the food, and drink the drinks. These tips reflect that. Here are my tips + tricks to make the most of your trip and also some small things to make the wait times more bearable.
PLAN and prioritize. If you’re visiting two parks in one day, you’re going to have to cut some things out. Like I mentioned, I go to Disney to ride the rides. No parades, no cast members. Rides, food, and drinks. That is Disney to me. I know what rides I want to ride and prioritize that and make a game plan. For example, we usually match up Magic Kingdom with Epcot and Animal Kingdom with Hollywood Studios. Since Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are both so massive, we match these with the smaller parks. Magic Kingdom also shares the monorail with Epcot.
At Magic Kingdom, we ride Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, the tea cups a million times, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Then run over to Epcot to start Drinking Around the World (I have a separate post about the best drinks to get in each country: right here).
At Epcot, we go drinking around the world and will usually get a Fast Pass for Test Track.
At Animal Kingdom, we ride Flight of Passage (I’ve waited between 2-3 hours and it is worth it), Expedition Everest (you MUST do the single-rider line. Your wait will drop to 10 minutes maximum), and will sometimes do the safari.
At Hollywood Studios, we ride Rock N Rollercoaster (single rider line here as well) and try to get Fast Passes for Tower of Terror.
Park hoppers are your friend. The Park Hopper option is slightly more expensive than your regular park ticket, but allows you to quite literally hop between the parks, or visit multiple parks a day. This is really the only way to do the parks, and even if you are staying for more than 2-3 days, I still recommend getting the park hopper option. It allows you flexibility and more options for your day.
Hilton Disney Buena Vista Palace
Plan where you are sleeping as soon as possible. This should be the first thing you do honestly. Be flexible with your dates if you’re noticing hotel prices seem extreme. I have stayed both on and off property and both have their perks. Most recently, I stayed at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. I was able to get my Hilton points, stay at an incredible hotel, and still had the added perks of a Walt Disney World Hotel. Here are some of the perks of this hotel:
Official Walt Disney World hotel
You still have the Disney FastPass+ service, which means you can plan your fast passes 60 days in advance
Access to Disney’s Extra Magic Hours Benefit, which is when parks either open an hour earlier or stays open an hour later for those benefiting from this perk
Disney character breakfast on Sundays
Continuous shuttles to the theme parks
Pandora at Animal Kingdom
One of the worst parts of Disney World are the wait times without a doubt. I went to Animal Kingdom about 6 months after Flight of Passage opened. My dad and sister had gone that summer and said it was an incredible ride and we had to ride it. We got to the park during the morning extra magic hour and about 30 minutes after rope drop (when the park officially opens… it’s a big deal for us maniacs). Even with all of those precautions, the wait time was 8 1/2 hours…. My dad and sister were contemplating making us all wait for that ride. Us 3 remaining sisters said “absolutely not,” and left for Expedition Everest. We got in the single rider line, and rode the ride about 5 times in 45 minutes. We went back to Flight of Passage around lunch time and the wait had dropped to 3 hours. We decided to get in line and I agree that it was worth the 3 hour wait. While we were waiting, we decided to play “Heads Up” on our phones and it made the time fly by. We played this for hours that trip and we still joke about how we had become telepathic by the end of the trip when playing that game. Bring something with you to make the line go by quickly.
Another tip that can help the wait go by quickly is drinking! I brought some airplane bottles in and made some mixed drinks while we waited. There is beer and wine throughout the parks, but sometimes you need a cocktail lol.
Expedition Everest
My favorite tip is to utilize the single rider line at every ride you can. This will save you so much time and you will be able to ride the ride multiple times in the time it would have taken you to ride it if you had waited in the group line. You’re all going on the same ride, you won’t be having a conversation while zooming to Aerosmith’s concert or flying backwards from the Yeti. Utilize the single rider line! Expedition Everest especially has an incredible single rider line. I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes.
I prefaced this list by saying there is no right or wrong way to do Disney, and that is true. I hope this list has given you some ideas and tips to help with your next Disney vacation whether that is 2 days or 10 days long! Feel free to reach out with any questions about planning your Disney trip.