The Johnson Family’s Wild Ride at Walt Disney World

Otherwise known as Walt Disney World in 4 days! My family and I just returned from a 3 night, 4 day trip to Walt Disney World. Not a lot of time to take in the 4 major parks, 2 waterparks and Downtown Disney, but we accomplished our mission (or, at least mine.) So, yes, it is possible to squeeze all of the wonders of the World in a short amount of time, but with a few caveats. You need a lot of energy and stamina, a plan or itinerary, older kids and some good walking shoes!

My family consists of myself, my husband and two sons, ages 11 and 14. My boys were totally in to trying out all of the major rides and attractions. We made every one (sometimes twice!) But, had they been a few youngers (or worse yet, in strollers) we wouldn’t have been able to do everything we did in 4 days. I have to say that it probably helped that they are boys and not girls, as the need for shopping was kept to a minimum and the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique was not on our agenda! (Getting ready in the morning doesn’t involve as much grooming time either.) We’re a “long-legged” family, so we covered a lot of ground at a faster pace than most. In short, if your family consists of male children, 10 years or older, that can keep a good pace and are focused on getting to the next ride, then you too can see all of WDW in 4 days! (This is intended to be tongue in cheek!)

Here’s how we did it…

Day 1: Flew non-stop to Orlando, arriving at noon. Took the Magical Express to Pop Century. Checked in, dropped off our luggage and caught the next bus to Epcot. I had previously made reservations for dinner at Chefs de France for that evening, and therefore decided that afternoon and evening would be spent at Epcot. We had the basic Disney Dining plan and headed over to a snack stand to get some refreshments before going on our first ride. Spent the afternoon in Future World going on rides, etc. and then went to World Showcase for some dinner and sight-seeing. We dined at Chefs de France and then wandered around World Showcase for awhile taking in the beautiful flowers and topiaries present during the spring. Headed back to Future World for some more rides and IllumiNations.

Day 2: Got up at the crack of dawn since we had Extra Magical Hours at Magic Kingdom that morning.
Had a granola bar/protein bar in our hotel room while getting ready. My husband ran down to Pop’s cafeteria to buy some refillable souvenir mugs to use for coffee and soda. Took the bus to Magic Kingdom. Our plan of hitting the major rides first turned out be a success. We were able to get on all of the big rides with little or no wait time before the park got busy. We then ran to do some other rides or shows and when need be, got a Fast Pass. Took the bus back to Pop, used our counter service for lunch there, changed into our swimming suits and went to Blizzard Beach for the afternoon.
Spent the afternoon swimming, sliding, plunging and plummeting. Showered and dressed for dinner back at our hotel room and then went back to Epcot for our dinner reservations (6:45 p.m.) at San Angel Inn (located in the Pyramid in Mexico.) After dinner, did some repeat rides until 9 p.m.

Day 3: Slept in an extra hour (unti 8 a.m.) and went to Disney Hollywood Studios in the morning. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was first on our list, with Tower of Terror being second. Again, did both with hardly a wait. Walked around, did other rides like Star Wars, etc., went to the Indiana Jones stunt show and ate lunch afterwards. Went back to Pop, changed into our swimming suits and went to the other waterpark, Typhoon Lagoon. Note: if I had an extra day, I could have spent an entire day at Typhoon Lagoon (lounging on a beach or in a wave pool.) My kids said that they preferred the water slides/rides at Blizzard Beach. At night, we went to Downtown Disney for our dinner reservation at Wolfgang Puck’s (our favorite restaurant of the 3 that we dined at.) We walked around for awhile after dinner, but decided to go back to Disney Hollywood Studios. Another note: You can not take the bus from Downtown to another park, only to resorts. So, we had to take a bus to All-Stars and then from there to Hollywood.

Day 4: Our flight departure time was for 7:30 p.m. so we planned to spend the entire day at Animal Kingdom. We got there early as there were extra Magical Hours that morning. Expedition Everest was top of the list. Did that two times in a row since there was no wait and then went directly to the Safari (the animals are more present in the cooler morning time.) Again, we hit the rest of the rides on our list, including Dinosaur, Primeval whirl and the Kali River Rapids. Went to lunch at Flametree Barbeque to use up our last counter service, and then went to the 3D show, It’s Tough To Be A Bug.
Note: All of the 3D shows we saw were very fun, and refreshing breaks from walking around in the hot sun. With time to spare, we went back to the Pop to swim for awhile before the Magical Express took us back to Orlando Intl. Airport.

Some final tips…

Do: Pack some snacks/breakfast items even if you have the Dining Plan. It saves time in the morning to avoid going to a cafe or restaurant for breakfast. The earlier you get to the parks, the less lines and wait times for the major rides.

Do: Arrange for an early wake up call on the Extra Magic Hour Park days.

Do: Plan your itinerary around those Extra Magic Hours.

Do: Make dinner reservations ahead of time. Plan to have dinner in several parks so that you can spend some evening hours at those parks after dinner.

Do: Bring a variety of walking shoes, athletic sandals, etc. (saw a lot of Crocs) for all the walking during the day. Wear light weight clothes that dry fast (after getting soaked on the water rides.)

Do: Leave the bag/backpack at the hotel if you want to avoid getting bogged down by having your bag checked at the entrance. My husband wore cargo shorts…it’s amazing how many things you can fit in those pockets!

Do: Purchase the Dining Plan as part of your vacation package. It is definitely worth it! The entree’s at some restaurants were as much or more as the cost of the dining plan per day.

Do: Stay at one of the Disney properties. It’s so much more convenient and you get the benefit of the Extra Magic Hours. Not to mention, it’s just more fun!

Do: Go to the main or more popular rides/attractions first thing in the morning before they get too busy.

Do: Have a Magical time at Walt Disney World or DisneyLand!

Do: Contact Amy at A Room With A Viewto make your reservation for the wonderful world of Disney!
800-571-3159