4 Parks 1 Day - 5/20/2026

Hey everyone, Sam here, and it's my first post! Starting big with an epic Disney challenge, and YES, my husband Brian, our two boys, Mitchell (4) and Ethan (1), and I did all 4 Parks in 1 Day, and to top it off, we did every transportation mode possible. I know I know- Sam you’re insane. BUT GUYS, I had a "free" park hopper and hooked a bounce back offer. What more justification do I need? We actually got the park hopper as a replacement for our Christmas Party ticket from December. My dream was to spend Ethan's first birthday watching the holiday parade but it (quite literally) rained on our parade. His birthday was ruined, so I wanted to do something special to replace it.

The Rules:

Go to each Park

Use every mode of transportation

At least 1 Snack and 1 Ride at each park.

Since the challenge was the plan, Brian and I weren't worried about meeting characters or doing shows. We had actual park tickets for following day, so making sure the boys had pictures with the characters would be taken care of the next day. Alright, time to go. Our resort this trip is The Beach Club, so that's our starting point.

Park 1 - Animal Kingdom

We were off to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom around 07:15. We went thought security and made it in around 07:55. We went right to Kilimanjaro Safari - I knew the kids would like that and it was slim pickings for rope drop with two little ones. I could have chosen the Nav'i River Journey, but the safari won in our hearts. Away the Simba 1 took us; we saw the painted dogs and lions up and moving around while the giraffes and elephants weren't out quite yet. Afterwards we hopped off our vehicle we walked through Gorilla Falls followed by breakfast at the Kusafirfi Coffee Shop and Bakery. Brian got the breakfast totchos and I got the egg and bacon croissant sandwich. While eating the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe came out and the boys were enjoying breakfast and a show.

We continued our morning and headed to the Maharajah Jungle Trek and afterwards I really wanted the brownie cookie dough ice cream sandwich that has been popping up on my social media for weeks. We headed through Asia and took a peek at the Tropical America's construction on the path to the front of the park. At this point it was exactly 10:15 - I know this because the Terra Treats stand doesn’t open until 1030. I made the first mistake of the day - telling the four year old, Mitchell, we were getting ice cream. Meltdown ensued so we made a deal to move forward and get some delicious ice cream at Hollywood Studios. He begrudgingly agreed and we said goodbye to Animal Kingdom as the macaws flew over the Tree of Life.

Park 2 - Hollywood Studios

We took a bus from Animal Kingdom to Caribbean Beach Resort to catch the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios. If we're going to make sure we hit all modes of transport, no better way to use the Skyliner than to go to its hub at Caribbean Beach. On our way we grabbed some Joffery's lattes and up to the gondolas we went. The breeze was refreshing and we arrived to Hollywood Studios around 11:00. Our mission was clear: ice cream. We went down Hollywood Boulevard and got a nice cup of vanilla ice cream at Hollywood Scoops as we looked at the newly painted guitar on Rockin Roller Coaster. It was time to check wait times so we could pick our ride.

(Side note: I'm personally not a fan of Hollywood studios, especially with little ones. My kids don’t care for Toy Story and I don’t care for Star Wars. Doesn’t leave much left - though I am looking forward to Animation Courtyard and Monsters Inc). Checking the app Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway was at a 35 minute wait. Brian & I enjoyed the ride; Mitchell was terrified and Ethan woke up when Daisy was teaching us how to conga. Getting off Mitchell told us "I never want to do that ride ever again" which is a common statement from him. We headed back to Toy Story Land - Toy Story Mania was down so we decided to grab the boys some lunch at Woody's Lunch Box. Toy Story Mania came back up as we were heading into Galaxy's Edge and I didn't have it in myself to head back. We said hello to the Storm Troopers while Brian got his Ronto wrap. There was really nothing left we wanted to do so onward to the next park!

Park 3 - EPCOT

We headed out of Hollywood Studios and saw the boat coming down the river so with some pep in our step we headed over. Before this trip, I never knew there was a boat for Hollywood Studios but it was perfect for the transportation goal. We loaded onto the Friendship III and with stickers in hand we were off to EPCOT - or so we thought. Second mistake: “Mom I have to pee right now!” Luckily the boat stops at resorts before hitting EPCOT so we got off at the Boardwalk to find the nearest bathroom. It actually worked out in our favor though- we filled our water bottles at the Boardwalk Deli and walked to EPCOT's International Gateway.

In we tapped at 2:45 for the third time! It was still hot as heck and we needed to cool down so we headed towards The Land Pavilion to one of our favorites - Living With the Land. On our way we stopped by the butterfly tent for the Flower and Garden Festival and as we disembarked from the stroller our third mistake appeared: a lost binky.

Oh well - we gotta keep going! The family learned what it is to be truly living with the land and had a nice applesauce break in Sunshine Seasons as we planned the rest of EPCOT. We headed into the SeaBase Aquarium (which included yet another bathroom break) and we walked around the World Showcase. Brian got his signature sushi in Japan and bread bowl lobster bisque in France. We made promises to play on the EPCOT playground and Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana the next day to keep our day rolling. Only one more to go!

Park 4 - Magic Kingdom

Onto the monorail we went! Off at the TTC and back on the express line to the most magical place on earth. Luckily we didn’t have to do security again and we tapped into the Magic Kingdom at 6:30. As we entered I felt relief - we did it! Just a few more things and the day is done. We got our picture and per Mitchell’s request we walked through the castle. All of my childhood memories came flooding back as we were greeted by the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel; Brian hates the spinning but got on with us. At this point we knew we needed to get some food for the kids - so the convince (and chicken tenders) of Pinocchio Village Haus was a hit. We snacked and FaceTimed grandma while we waited for the time to tick so Brian and Mitchell could ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Mitchell is terrified of rides that go inside but he loves the rollercoasters!). While Brian and Mitchell went on, Ethan and I did the Mad Tea Party and a diaper change near the Cheshire Cafe. The last time we were in Magic Kingdom the torrential downpour kept us from doing many of the rides but today seemed like redemption for us. Most rides in Fantasyland were 10-20 minutes so we headed to Dumbo and rode during the sunset. At this point the boys were getting cranky (maybe it was more me though) and we wanted to leave before fireworks so we said goodbye to Magic Kingdom and headed towards the exit.

It was 9:01 when we reached the front of the park - just in time to squeeze into a spot for the Starlight Parade. We watched the lights of the parade go by and saw Wendy and Peter fly. Mickey waved goodnight to us and we headed to the bus stops. It was only about a 15 minute wait, we loaded on and took our ride back to the Beach Club.

Recap of transportation:

Beach Club > Bus to Animal Kingdom > Bus to Caribbean Beach Resort > Skyliner to Hollywood Studios > Boat to Boardwalk > Walk to Epcot > Monorail to Magic Kingdom > Bus to Beach Club

But would you do it again?

For the foreseeable future, no. Maybe when the boys are older and we are stroller and diaper bag free it will be more enjoyable, but folding and unfolding the stroller for the busses is a pain, especially at the end of the night. The temperature was in the 90s and even though we do the two hottest parks in the morning it really took a toll on the whole family. Mitchell wanted to go back to Stormalong Bay and Ethan wanted to walk and be independent. I’m glad I can say "I did it!" but that was enough for this trip.

Back to Anthony and Ash for your regularly scheduled posts. Chat real soon pal!

Sam