Our 4 Park in one Day Challenge – A Disney World Trip Blog
This summer while vacationing in Daytona Beach my daughter and I decided to drive into Orlando and do a Disney Four Park Challenge! It was only about an hour’s drive, so we thought, why not!
As a member of several affiliate programs, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you click links in this post, at no cost to you.
What is the 4 Park 1 Day Disney World Challenge?
I saw a few videos on YouTube of people doing this challenge, but their challenges were usually way more intense than what we had planned. The main premise is that the Disney World guest will attempt to visit all 4 parks in 1 day. The details and rules are different for everyone. So we made up our own rules for this first adventure.
As a member of several affiliate programs, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you click links in this post, at no cost to you.
Our Four Park Challenge Rules
Our guidelines for our first Four Park Disney Challenge were to go on at least one ride in each park, have at least one snack in each park, and get a park photo. This seemed like a doable challenge for our first time.
We parked our car at Hollywood Studios for the day and we left my husband and son at Hollywood Studios (they were not interested in joining us for this challenge) while we headed to EPCOT to start our day.
EPCOT
We chose EPCOT as our first park because we both love it, especially World Showcase. We knew that we would enjoy spending several hours there until we could Park Hop at 2 pm.
We wanted to enter through the International Gates and head straight for coffee and breakfast. Because we were leaving from Hollywood Studios, we were able to hop on the Skyliner and head straight to EPCOT. We arrived right at rope drop so we were able to walk right into the park.
Our first stop: Joffrey’s Shakin’ Jamaican’ Cold Brew! This is a daily park must-have for us!
We headed into the France Pavillion where we grabbed breakfast at Les Halles Boulangerie – Patisserie in the France Pavilion. We enjoyed our breakfast of Croissant Jambon Fromage (Ham, Cheese, and Béchamel in a Croissant) and the Florentine Quiche (Ham and Gruyere Quiche). Then we headed out into EPCOT to enjoy the day.
We decided to head towards Canada and World Nature to start our day.
Unfortunately, we picked the very hottest day possible, the temperature was 95+ degrees but felt like 108 with the sun. It was boiling, which made this whole day a lot less enjoyable. We made sure that we took our time and took lots of breaks.
We took our time enjoying the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. It’s my favorite time to visit EPCOT We saw several topiaries along the way.
We stopped at the temporary Passholder’s Lounge inside the Land Pavilion. It was a very simple setup. They had a quarter of the dining area set aside and once you checked in you were handed a little M&M treat and a sticker. We were able to relax for a while and cool down. There was plenty of ice water and we were able to charge our phones for a little while.
We rode Living with the Land before heading over to Spaceship Earth.
We waited for about 30 minutes to ride Spaceship Earth, a classic. Then we found the 100th Anniversary celebration photo opp and got our park photo. The photographer was super friendly and encouraged us in our 4-park challenge.
We finally made it to Norway where we enjoyed a Viking Coffee and rode on Frozen Ever After. Thankfully we had a Lightning Lane so we didn’t have to wait very long to get on the ride.
After the ride, we stopped in the Germany Pavilion to have one of my favorite treats, the Pretzel Bread Pudding. You can pick up this treat at Sommerfest in the EPCOT Germany Pavilion. It’s only about $4.79 and it’s perfect for sharing. I can’t even begin got explain how delicious this treat is!
We finally made it back up to the International Gateway in time to get on the Skyliner and head back over to Hollywood Studios.
So far, the day was going pretty smoothly. It still wasn’t time for Park Hopping, so to use up some time, we decided to take a scenic ride on the Skyliner to use up some time.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
We finally made it to Hollywood Studios at 2 pm. We headed right into the parks and took a quick water and bathroom break before meeting up with the rest of our family.
We were able to score a Lightning Lane for Rock n’ Roller Coaster, which was fantastic! We have missed this ride on all of our other trips because it was either not running or it was down for a few months for renovations. So we were all very excited to ride it.
Rock n’ Roller Coaster did not disappoint. I loved this ride. It was super intense and I loved the inversions (I may have avoided telling my kids that they would be flipped upside down… don’t worry they all enjoyed it!
Next, we needed to find something to eat so we headed over to Backlot Express and got a light lunch. We didn’t wander around at Hollywood Studios very much because it was so hot! We did a little shopping and decided to head out and take the bus over to Animal Kingdom.
Find out why we think Hollywood Studios is the Best Disney World Park for Teens. Your teens won’t be bored at Hollywood Studios. Read the post here.
DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM
I had a great idea for our snack at Animal Kingdom and a place where we could really rest for a while.
When we arrive at Animal Kingdom we headed straight to Nomad Lounge. This is my best-kept secret!
Nomad Lounge is a fantastic Lounge on the side of the Tiffins restaurant. You are able to sit outside (in the cool shade) on a deck overlooking Discovery River and enjoy a nice drink and some delicious appetizers. Nomad Lounge has, by far, the best Churros in Disney World!
Our Cast Member at Nomad Lounge was so amazing! She insisted that we stay and rest for a while and rehydrate. We enjoyed a great conversation with her and rested before heading back into the park to ride Avatar: Flight of Passage. This was the one ride I bought the ILL for. I knew that with the heat there was no way we wanted to wait in line for long. We also didn’t want to trek all over the park looking for another ride.
The entrance to Pandora is right outside of the Nomad lounge, so it was perfect!
We absolutely love riding Flight of Passage. It is one of the most incredible riding experiences at Disney World. This ride is a 3D flying simulator where you are riding on the back of a Banshee in Pandora. You get on the ride like you would a motorcycle and lean forward, holding on. Supports come up to support your back and legs.
During the ride you feel like you are genuinely flying, you feel the wind in your hair and you can even feel the banshee “breathing” under you. It’s incredible!
We headed straight over to Na’vi River Journey This ride is a great way to rest and cool down. The sounds of the Valley of Mo’ara are really beautiful. Make sure you take time to really look around and see all of the details.
After the ride, we got our quick picture at the front of the park and headed straight to Magic Kingdom.
Read more about Disney’s Animal Kingdom and why we think you shouldn’t skip this great park. Read the post here: Is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park Worth It?
MAGIC KINGDOM
It was time for a snack that would help cool us down so we headed over to Aloha Isle and got Dole Whip Floats. I really love the Dole Whip float with coconut soft serve instead of the pineapple. I highly recommend this combo!
We got a lightning lane for Pirates of the Caribbean. Each trip I love this ride more and more. I can see why so many people consider it one of their favorites I’m starting to get the nostalgia.
After the ride, we went and got our Celebration buttons to commemorate our Disney World Challenge accomplishment!!
We originally were hoping to end our night with the Happily Ever After Fireworks but everyone was exhausted, there was no way I could convince everyone to stay longer. We decided to hop on a ferry and head back to the TTC to get our car and drive back to Daytona. Just a little note that the Ferry boat driver was hilarious!! He really helped end our day on a great note.
We were even able to catch some of the fireworks on our way over on the boat, so that was a nice bonus. We climbed into bed at Daytona Beach around 11:30 pm. It was such a fun, whirlwind adventure!
In conclusion
I don’t know that I would attempt 4 parks in one day again unless we were staying on property and able to come up with a plan beforehand. I would definitely do the day trip the next time we’re in Daytona. We might just pick one or two parks instead of 4!
Have you ever done 4 parks in one day or would you ever consider it?
IN REVIEW: Our 1 Day June Trip – Four Disney World Parks In One Day
Highlights of this trip:
My highlight was the fun I had with my daughter. I love spending time with her and we really did have a blast. Even though we were getting cranky and hot I wouldn’t have wanted to do this challenge with anyone else.
Best Snack of this trip:
The Pretzel Bread Pudding wins this time. It was just so good!
Best Ride of this trip:
I really enjoyed riding Pirates of the Caribbean with my daughter. This is quickly becoming one of our favorite rides because of the nostalgia (and that nice Pirates smell – IYKYK)
The biggest mistake on this trip:
Picking the hottest day ever! I don’t think we could have avoided this since we were only in Florida for the week but I would love to plan our next one-day trip during the cooler months.
