Four Parks in One Day: How This Family Mastered All the Disney Magic

Want to Park Hop like a pro? Here are the best tips for true Disney Fanatics.

Although Disney Fanatics come from all corners of the map, they share one thing: they’re savvy.

Die-hard Disney fans know how to work around hefty Park price tags, costly reservations, and competitive queues. There’s nothing wrong with taking Disney at a slower pace. With all the recent park policy changes—Genie Plus, Lightning Lanes, and Virtual Queues—it makes sense to approach a Disney day with flexibility at the forefront.

But what if you’re in a pinch with time? Maybe you’re headed to a relaxing stay to scope out some turtles at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort or heading to the newest Disney Cruise Line port, Lighthouse Point, and you only have a day or two to do Disney.

Park-hopping, a widespread practice introduced in 2005, allows you to pack more magic into your Disney trip whether you’re short on time or want to make plans at another park.

With four theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs, it’s almost impossible to do it all. But with the right strategy, you can make it happen. Take it from Disney travel planner Kari Becker.

How to Park Hop Like a Pro

It’s one thing to jump from one Disney Park to another with a Park-Hopper ticket in tow when you’re a pair of adults (or solo), but braving the four-park challenge with kiddos ups the difficulty level. While families have unique approaches to mastering the four-park maneuver, here are the notes you can take from Becker’s book.

Start Early

Getting there early is crucial to maximize your time at each of the four Parks. If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, Disney offers a 30-minute head start to get into the Parks.

Per the Insider article, Becker and her family stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, and Cast Members were already letting Guests into their first stop, Hollywood Studios, 45 minutes before it opened. The family could cross Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway as soon as they arrived.

Prioritize Attractions

Becker loosely outlined her family of four’s favorite attractions before embarking on the four-Park challenge. With Expedition Everest as their primary goal at their second stop, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Beckers didn’t spend time waiting in queues for other rides they felt less enthusiastic about. Everest was even shut down when they got to Animal Kingdom but got up and running five minutes later, and they checked the Animal Kingdom box successfully.

Use Genie Plus to Park Hop

Controversial but almost necessary these days, using Genie Plus, the Lightning Lane, and Individual Lightning Lane was a “must,” according to Becker. Especially with limited time at each Park, the Beckers leveraged Lightning Lanes to board popular attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Soarin’ at their third stop of the day: EPCOT.

Book Dining Reservations

Although the Beckers made quick stops for bites at Hollywood studios like Starbucks, they also planned for an early dinner reservation in EPCOT. Quick Service options are ideal for Park-Hopping days, but if you have Genie Plus reservations at certain times, you can also plan a dining reservation. In this case, the Beckers stopped at Garden Grill for a character dining meal.

Take Advantage of Transportation

Staying at an onsite Disney Resort comes with invaluable perks for Park-Hopping. Transportation is critical, and the Beckers opted for Disney buses for most of their travels between each park. However, they hopped on a boat back to the Wilderness Lodge after their last destination: Magic Kingdom.

Take Breaks

If someone in your party or family has a must-do attraction that you don’t mind skipping, that’s the perfect time to take a much-needed break. Whether that looks like sitting in air conditioning or shopping at the stores in the park, trading off between your group will help prevent burnout—although that’s a rare condition for Disney enthusiasts.

Finish Your Park Hop Day with Fireworks

The Beckers grande Park-Hopping finale was at Magic Kingdom to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run, which looks spectacular at night, and the iconic Space Mountain. Although they didn’t stay in Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks, they got a stunning view of them from their boat back to the resort.

There you have it, folks! Now, you can Park Hop like a pro. It may be tiring and take a bit of extra planning, but according to the Beckers, the Disney experience was worth it.