So, we treated ourselves to a couple’s getaway to Disney World, and just for the fun of the challenge thought “why NOT do all four parks?”
#1 Make a list of rides you want to go on, and then start at the park with the most. For us, this should have been Magic Kingdom. Instead we started at the one closest to our hotel (let’s hear it for AKL!), Animal Kingdom. The issue is, the Disney FastPass+ system lets you book fast passes months in advance once you buy tickets, BUT, on the day of Park Hopping, it ONLY lets you make new fast pass reservations ONCE INSIDE THAT PARK. So we rode Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari quick and easy, but once we arrived at Magic Kingdom, all the fast passes were already booked through the late afternoon and we had to wait in the regular lines for rides like Haunted Mansion.
#2 Note which rides have single rider lines, and then book fast passes for the ones that DON’T. It was cool to ride together but when time is a factor you can suck it up and ride a few cars apart. The single rider lines are at: Expedition Everest, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Test Track. Note that NONE of the Magic Kingdom rides have a single rider line.
#3 Know which rides you’re willing to cut out due to technical problems, long waits, etc. We went on Halloween and have always loved Haunted Mansion, so we were willing to wait the 60 minutes in Florida’s heat to go on it again. Ditto for Tower of Terror. Know what we weren’t willing to wait for? Toy Story Mania, Big Thunder Mountain, or Space Mountain. Nothing against them, but we were on a schedule.
#4 Buses between parks average 15 minutes drive time, and are theoretically arriving at each park every 20 minutes. Theoretically. But you can walk between Hollywood Studios and Epcot in about 30 minutes, which are good odds to have. (In order of fastness: buses, monorail, ferries.)
Disclaimer: As always, our posts are our own, honest opinions and may differ from yours.