October 22, 2025 • 19 mins
Ready to tackle the ultimate Disney adventure? Join travel advisors Ryan and Julie as they break down everything you need to know about the Disney Four Park Challenge - visiting all four Walt Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) in a single day.
Four Park Challenge Basics:
- Standard rules: Visit each park, ride one attraction, enjoy a snack, and take a photo
- Advanced options: Add character meet-and-greets or shows for an extra challenge
- Why this challenge is best for experienced Disney visitors, not first-timers
Critical Planning Factors:
- Transportation strategies between parks (bus, monorail, Skyliner, boat, or rideshare)
- Managing wait times and choosing efficient attractions
- Utilizing early park entry and understanding park hours
- Deciding whether to purchase Lightning Lane passes
- Avoiding rides with long pre-shows or frequent breakdowns
Ryan's Four Park Strategy: Starting at Magic Kingdom (Port Orleans French Quarter resort), he hits Peter Pan's Flight, grabs breakfast at Friar's Nook, then monorails to EPCOT for Finding Nemo and a French bakery treat. Next, he boats to Hollywood Studios for Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and a Ronto Wrap, takes the Skyliner to Riviera Resort for a coffee break, then rideshares to Animal Kingdom for Kilimanjaro Safari and celebration drinks at Nomad Lounge.
Julie's Family-Friendly Approach: Starting from a Magic Kingdom resort (Polynesian), she begins at Animal Kingdom earliest opening with Navi River Journey, takes in the Winged Encounters show, buses to Hollywood Studios for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and an Olaf meet-and-greet, Skyliners to EPCOT for lunch and character photos, then monorails to Magic Kingdom for It's a Small World, parade viewing, and finishes with the unique Kernel Kitchen popcorn sundae.
Pro Tips:
- Budget approximately 8 hours for the complete challenge
- Stay at resorts with convenient transportation options
- Use mobile ordering to save time
- Choose attractions near park entrances for efficiency
- Consider ending at the park with latest closing time
- Factor in special events that may affect park hours
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to All Things
Travel.
Have you heard of the Four ParkChallenge?
If your Insta Feed is full ofDisney accounts, you probably
have the Four Park Challenge isa challenge to visit.
Yep.
You guessed it.
All four parks at Walt DisneyWorld in one day.
Today we're sharing our ideas onhow you would complete this
(00:20):
challenge, or at least try to.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts, Ryan andJulie.
He is your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and I am a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:46):
all things travel.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (00:49):
So Julie, my guess is with your
kiddos ages, you have notattempted a four part challenge,
have you?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (00:56):
I haven't, but as part as prepping
for the show, I did kind ofthink through how we would do it
I feel like it could be reallydoable.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:06):
Yeah.
my family many moons ago, didthis one day'cause we were
looking for a unique experience.
and it was a lot of fun.
Now I will say.
This is best suited for somebodywho goes to Walt Disney World
multiple times, right?
This is not how you want tohandle your first or even third
time you go to Walt Disney Worldbecause you're gonna be focusing
(01:28):
on new fun experiences,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:30):
And you need to kind of know like the
layout of the park and have agood plan going into it.
So if it's your first timewalking into Magic Kingdom, I
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:38):
right?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:38):
there's a lot to soak in.
we're gonna go through what wethink the rules or things that
you need to consider are, andthen we'll share our plan.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:47):
before we do that, if you have not
listened to last week's episode,we discussed all sorts of shore
excursion ideas when it comes toa European cruise.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:57):
All right, so everyone's rules for a
four Park challenge is alwaysobviously visit each park,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:06):
Yep.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:06):
the next typical ones are in each park
you do a ride, a snack, and takea photo.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:13):
Yep.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:14):
But if you wanted to upgrade that plan
or challenge your family alittle bit more, I would say add
in a show or a character, meetand greet as a requirement,
because those things take alittle bit more
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:26):
They do.
Yeah.
And when my family did this,when my kids were younger, we
did a ride, we did a snack, wedid a photo, and then we also
did some sort of show.
And over the course of the day,we challenged ourselves to ride
four different types oftransportation to get around.
which made it very interestingbecause that was the only time
(02:47):
in all of my time at Walt DisneyWorld that the monorail actually
shut down.
So we're like.
That changes thingsdramatically.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:54):
my gosh.
Yeah.
I guess like a hiccup like that,like when I'm writing out my
plan, I'm
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:59):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:59):
isn't bad, but Right.
Like you have a real time
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (03:02):
And the skyliner was not in
existence at that time.
So, you know, it really didchange our options.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (03:08):
All right, so what are some things
that we wanna consider?
we mentioned just a couple justnow, but kind of run through
some things we wanna thinkabout.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (03:16):
So transportation, first and
foremost, where is your resortand how are you going to get
from each place?
Are you looking for.
For speed and efficiency.
is there, is there aconsideration based on where
your resort is, where you shouldstart, where you should end?
All those things come into play.
Wait times, obviously, for methis was not the time to ride
(03:40):
the newest awesomes.
the focus was on the challenge.
So we were looking for whatmaximized our time as far as
wait times.
obviously not having tableservice meals, focusing on quick
service meals.
if you're gonna focus on snacksI think that's a good way to do
it.
And then maybe, have a sit downdinner, at the end of your time.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:01):
Yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11 (04:01):
popularity of characters.
If you're doing character meetand greets, do you know where
those character meet and greetsare?
for instance, Julie, you'vetalked about, some places people
may not know, like the Pixar,theater in Epcot.
if you're looking for a low waittime ride.
And a character meet and greet,pop over and do, figment?
(04:22):
right next door is the charactermeet and greet that not a lot of
people know about.
And then you could stay and thenyou could stay.
Well, we're like done, right?
Grab, grab yourself a whateveron the way out.
And you're, you're done atEpcot.
That's probably not what peoplewant to do, but you get the
idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:38):
Right.
Do you wanna purchase lightninglanes and take advantage of
lightning lanes?
if it was an adult's trip, Ihonestly think I would just buy
the single pass and for
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (04:47):
A hundred percent.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:48):
and boom, boom, boom.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (04:49):
Yeah.
It's it.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:50):
not something that I could do with
the kids necessarily, so Ididn't include that on my sample
plan.
early entry.
So take advantage of earlyentry.
Look at the park hours.
some parks open way earlier than
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (05:05):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (05:05):
some parks stay open much later than
other parks.
So you don't wanna get to a parkor have that planned as your
last park and get there and belike, oh wait, they're closed.
think about if there's anyevening parties going on, and
this is more so.
along with those park hours,things like the Halloween party,
the Christmas party, Jo,Hollywood Nights.
If one of those is going on,your time could be cut short, or
(05:27):
could affect the crowds.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (05:30):
I will tell you, Julie, when we did
this as a family, it took usabout eight hours to do this.
we weren't running, you know,amazing race style, but when you
factor in all thetransportation, waiting in
lines, all that kind of stuff,this does take some time to
accomplish.
So you really do need to bemindful, and like we said at the
very beginning, the last tip isthis is not your first visit.
(05:52):
This is something to work onwhen you're kind of a Disney
Pro, if you will.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (05:57):
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think going back to likeyour comment about how long it
could take, waiting for that buscould take some time.
don't go on the ride that tendsto break down.
rise of the resistance probablyshouldn't be on your list
because there's a solid chanceyou're gonna get stuck on the
ride.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (06:15):
Yeah, really good point.
Well, before we get into ourideas, I wanna talk about where
in the world is Wonder andBeyond Travel, I have a client
who's worked with me for.
Many years.
one of the fun things that shedoes is when each of her
grandkids, I think we're on thethird grandkid, when each of the
grandkids get to a certain age,she takes them on a Disney trip.
(06:39):
from a travel advisorstandpoint, it's never the most
expensive trip that I book, butit's always one of the most
special because they alwaysstay.
At the All Star movies becausewhen her kids were younger and
they would go, that's where theystayed.
And so that resort, even thoughit's a value resort, has always
been a special one to her andher family.
(07:01):
they're going next month,they've got a park hopper
because she has all these ideasof the different places they're
gonna bebop around.
we've done some really goodcharacter meals with, Ohana
Breakfast, and we're going tothe rodeo roundup for barbecue.
she just has such a good timeand with each of these kids,
it's so special to have thattime with grandma.
(07:23):
I absolutely love helping herplan each of these trips.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:27):
How old are the kids?
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (07:28):
usually around eight years old.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:30):
Oh, that's so perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (07:32):
Yeah.
and sometimes they've been toDisney in the past, sometimes
they haven't.
it really depends on thefamilies but she has just such a
fun time planning these out withher grandkids.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:42):
that's amazing.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (07:44):
All right, so let's talk about a
four Park challenge.
here's what I'm gonna do I'mgoing to start with the classic.
I'm gonna start my day at MagicKingdom.
Because to me that's just theright thing to do what resort do
you think I should stay at JulieFor this trip?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:06):
Hmm.
moderate.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:09):
A moderate.
Okay.
So I'm gonna stay at FrenchQuarter.
at Port Orleans, which actuallywas the resort that I was
staying at when we did this thefirst time.
So I'm gonna take the bus overto Magic Kingdom, so that's
gonna be my transportation.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:24):
Perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:25):
what I always want to do at Magic
Kingdom, first and foremost, isI want to go to Peter Pan's
flight.
I'm going to then get a snackover at the Friar's Nook'cause
they have some really goodbreakfast items.
and most of them are like, graband go so I can eat it while I'm
bebopping around.
and it's right there close toPeter Pan.
(08:47):
Then for my.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:47):
on this bebop.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:49):
Then for my photo, it's a Midwestern
thing, maybe.
I don't know.
and then for my photo as I'mleaving'cause I'm done, right?
I'm done with what I'm doing.
I am going to stop at the castleeverybody in my party's gonna
hold up on number one'causethat's the first part that we
went to.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:07):
Yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:08):
Then I'm going to get on the
monorail.
I'm gonna head over to Epcot.
And then I'm going to choose aride that's at the front of the
park and is relatively easy todo.
So I'm gonna get on Nemo.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:25):
That's a
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:25):
And, yep.
And so I'm gonna get on Nemo,And then I need to get back over
to the International Gateway, soI'm gonna make sure that I get a
photo.
outside of nemo, then I'm gonnawalk back and for my snack, I'm
gonna go to the bakery in Francebecause even though World
(09:45):
Showcase isn't open yet, thebakery is, and that's also right
by the bridge to theinternational gateway, then I'm
going to walk and get on a boat,and that's gonna be my third
form of transportation.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:58):
Perfect
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:59):
And then for the boat where you
think I'm taking that.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:04):
Hollywood studios.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:06):
to Hollywood Studios.
once I get off the boat atHollywood Studios, I am going
to, throw an audible here.
Instead of doing a ride atHollywood Studios, I'm going to
do a show, and I'm going to dothe Indiana Jones Stunt
Spectacular because it is thequintessential Hollywood studio
(10:27):
thing to do.
then I'm gonna take a little bitex of extra time and I'm gonna
walk back to Batou and get alunch Ron wrap because I'm
there.
I've got to do it
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:38):
Yes.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:39):
way out.
I'm gonna stop over by theChinese theater and I'm gonna
get my number three photo of theday.
Are we tired yet?
Okay, so.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:50):
gotten breaks.
We got to sit down on the boat.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:52):
Okay, I'm gonna head out of Hollywood
Studios and I am going to get onthe Skyliner and I'm gonna take
the Skyliner over to Riviera.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:02):
Ooh,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:03):
I'm gonna go over to Riviera.
I'm gonna take a second, take abreath, and I'm going to get a
nice coffee in the afternoonthere.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:12):
that.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:12):
I'm gonna get a coffee or maybe an
alcoholic coffee beverage.
I'm gonna take a second and I'mgonna sit in that beautiful
voyager's room that's right nextto there.
then to get over to AnimalKingdom, Julie, I'm gonna call
myself a minivan.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:25):
Look at you.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:27):
So I'm going to call myself a minivan.
I'm going to take that minivanover to Animal Kingdom.
I am gonna stop at the Tree oflife.
As I first go in.
I'm gonna hold up number fourwith my fingers.
So I've got my four photos.
I'm going to go on.
Let's see, what would be theride that I would want to go on?
(11:50):
I think the Safari is gonna bethe perfect ride.
Now that's a little trickybecause the wait time may be up,
so it depends if I've got mylightning lanes or not
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:00):
But
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:01):
For,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:01):
park.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:02):
it's just hang out.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:04):
yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:05):
That's the quintessential animal
kingdom ride.
So I'm gonna do that and then,or Everest, let's toss those up.
Maybe I'm going to celebrate bygetting on the single rider line
for Everest and getting throughquickly.
boy, it's time for my snackAssuming, well, it doesn't even
matter if I'm with all adults,but then I'm gonna head over to
(12:27):
the Nomad Lounge and have a niceappetizer and drink to celebrate
my time with my four Parkchallenge.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:34):
Perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:36):
There we go.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:36):
the, and like,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:37):
I.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:38):
this through, like it sounds doable.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:41):
Oh, it's doable.
It, it's very doable.
And, and you know, obviously itdepends on your party what you
need is you do need a strategy.
everybody needs to be on thesame page, or you need a team
leader.
with lightning lanes, if you'reusing them or the app with wait
times, with mobile ordering,either snacks or quick service,
you can totally save time indoing these things.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:03):
So I'm gonna take a little bit of a
different approach because I'mgonna pretend that I have my
kids with me.
Maybe in like three years, maybenot this year.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:10):
Okay.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:11):
so we are gonna stay at a Magic Kingdom
resort because, you know, I lovethe Polynesian.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:16):
I've heard that in past shows.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:17):
it, you know, only about 50 ish days
until I'm back.
I'm getting pretty excited.
we are actually gonna start atAnimal Kingdom and I chose that
because they opened theearliest.
I wanted to maximize the amountof time available.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:30):
idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:31):
we're gonna take a bus there, and I
didn't focus on The differenttransportation, but I did add
some other things in.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:36):
Okay, great.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:37):
we're gonna do Navi River Journey
because it's right in the frontof the park and it opens with
early entry.
Kilimanjaro Safari does not openwith early entry, so you'd waste
a lot of time just standing inline waiting.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:48):
Yeah, that's not the right way to
start a day like this.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:51):
Yeah, you're gonna take your picture
at the Tree of Life sort ofright outside Pandora.
You're gonna go over to theSafari Bakery to grab some
overnight oats, which soundslike this healthy snack you
might not want, but it isdelicious.
It's so good.
I'm also gonna stop at the frontof the park after taking my Tree
of Life picture and watch theWinked Encounters Show, which if
(14:15):
you've never seen that, it
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (14:16):
that's really cool.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:17):
all the McCalls fly over you.
It is so cool.
So much fun.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (14:22):
Agreed.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:23):
Next, I'm gonna take the bus over to
Hollywood Studio.
you could also take a minivan ifthe buses are not running yet
between the parks.
sometimes that does take sometime and we are gonna go on
Mickey and mini's, runawayrailway with or without a
lightning lane.
I just really love that ride andI wanted to make sure I was
picking rides that the kidswould still really enjoy.
(14:44):
we're gonna take a pictureoutside of that at the Chinese
theater.
Go grab a Jack Jack Nam Namcookie from that cart outside
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (14:52):
that's a good idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:54):
Hmm.
Delicious.
And then go over and meet Olafbecause my kids are into Olaf
right now.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (15:01):
And what's interesting about this,
Julie, is, and why we say don'ttry to do this until you've gone
to the park several times.
You are only seeing a small partof Hollywood Studios, and the
same with Animal Kingdom.
So you really want to make surewhat your focus for that day is.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (15:19):
Right.
And especially when you thinkabout doing it, if you have kids
with you, they don't alwaysunderstand we're not gonna do
all the things here right now,we are moving on.
So next we're gonna go over toEpcot via either the Skyliner or
the boat.
We are gonna ride Nemo just likeRyan said,'cause my kids love
that ride and it can give them alittle bit of downtime in that
(15:40):
aquarium'cause we're gonna bemoving at a little bit of a
slower pace.
actually gonna go over and grablunch at Connections Cafe and
Eatery.
I love their general, so chickensalad.
And we are gonna need aStarbucks cold brew by this
point.
We are gonna head over and meetMickey and Minnie inside Camico
Hall at one of their new meetand greet spots.
(16:02):
Sometimes it's Mickey andMinnie, sometimes it's other
characters, so whoever's therewe're there for it.
And take a picture outsideSpaceship Earth.
On our way outta the park to themonorail to go to Magic Kingdom.
to end at Magic Kingdom becausethey are usually open later, and
our resort is right there.
So now that we're gonna be tiredat the end of the day, we have a
(16:25):
quick ride back to the resorts.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:28):
And you can celebrate with fireworks
or with a fireworks dessertparty if that's how you want to
handle it.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:34):
That's fancy.
We are gonna go ride.
It's a small world'cause thatseems pretty magic kingdom to
me.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (16:41):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:41):
a photo at the castle, see a parade,
whether that's the daytimeparade, but I doubt we make it
there that early
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:48):
Right.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:48):
Disney starlight.
I really love that parade
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:52):
is a great parade.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:53):
I can't wait to see it again.
Our snack is something not a lotof people know about.
It's the kernel kitchen at theconfectionary
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:01):
Yeah.
Tell me about this.
I know it's there.
I know it's there.
I've seen people get it.
I need to know about it'cause itsounds like something I might
like.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:09):
like a make your own popcorn sundae.
Basically, there's three or fourdifferent popcorn bases you can
Pick from different flavors ofpopcorn, like butter, caramel
cheddar, and then there'sSkittles or something that looks
like rainbow.
and then you can pick toppings,things like M and mss, chocolate
syrup, caramel, Oreo cookies,Skittles, like all sorts of
(17:31):
candies and sauces.
you can mix and match whateveryou want.
It is amazing.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:37):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:38):
So good.
It's definitely a snack that yousplit.
it's not a one person popcorn
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:44):
If you say.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:44):
Um, I say so.
So that's gonna be our day, andthen we are gonna go back and
collapse at our room in thePolynesian.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:52):
I absolutely love it.
So much fun.
So just to wrap up here, youhave not done this.
I feel like I do this almost allthe time with teenagers when I
take them now.
'cause we are just go, go, go,so next trip, is this something
you want to try or is this stillnot time yet?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:09):
next trip for us is in like 50 days.
So Mia's still only two and ahalf.
Yeah, I'm not doing that withher yet.
maybe when she is like five.
So maybe in a couple years.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:19):
Okay.
Very good.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:20):
because like I said, it's that
understanding of like.
gonna go to Toy Story land to doall those rides today.
They have to kind of be on
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:27):
Right,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:28):
you
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:28):
right.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:29):
The world is full of wonder and your next
great adventure is waiting atWonder and Beyond Travel.
We work with you to create a oneof a kind journey, taking the
stress off your plate So you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or just want to dream a
little bigger, head over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(18:50):
We'd love to help you getstarted.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:53):
We look forward to talking to you
next week on all Things Travel.
When we discuss the top AlaskaCruise Shore excursions.
Hello and welcome to All Things
Travel.
Have you heard of the Four ParkChallenge?
If your Insta Feed is full ofDisney accounts, you probably
have the Four Park Challenge isa challenge to visit.
Yep.
You guessed it.
All four parks at Walt DisneyWorld in one day.
Today we're sharing our ideas onhow you would complete this
(00:20):
challenge, or at least try to.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts, Ryan andJulie.
He is your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and I am a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:46):
all things travel.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (00:49):
So Julie, my guess is with your
kiddos ages, you have notattempted a four part challenge,
have you?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (00:56):
I haven't, but as part as prepping
for the show, I did kind ofthink through how we would do it
I feel like it could be reallydoable.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:06):
Yeah.
my family many moons ago, didthis one day'cause we were
looking for a unique experience.
and it was a lot of fun.
Now I will say.
This is best suited for somebodywho goes to Walt Disney World
multiple times, right?
This is not how you want tohandle your first or even third
time you go to Walt Disney Worldbecause you're gonna be focusing
(01:28):
on new fun experiences,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:30):
And you need to kind of know like the
layout of the park and have agood plan going into it.
So if it's your first timewalking into Magic Kingdom, I
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:38):
right?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:38):
there's a lot to soak in.
we're gonna go through what wethink the rules or things that
you need to consider are, andthen we'll share our plan.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (01:47):
before we do that, if you have not
listened to last week's episode,we discussed all sorts of shore
excursion ideas when it comes toa European cruise.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (01:57):
All right, so everyone's rules for a
four Park challenge is alwaysobviously visit each park,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:06):
Yep.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:06):
the next typical ones are in each park
you do a ride, a snack, and takea photo.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:13):
Yep.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:14):
But if you wanted to upgrade that plan
or challenge your family alittle bit more, I would say add
in a show or a character, meetand greet as a requirement,
because those things take alittle bit more
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:26):
They do.
Yeah.
And when my family did this,when my kids were younger, we
did a ride, we did a snack, wedid a photo, and then we also
did some sort of show.
And over the course of the day,we challenged ourselves to ride
four different types oftransportation to get around.
which made it very interestingbecause that was the only time
(02:47):
in all of my time at Walt DisneyWorld that the monorail actually
shut down.
So we're like.
That changes thingsdramatically.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:54):
my gosh.
Yeah.
I guess like a hiccup like that,like when I'm writing out my
plan, I'm
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (02:59):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (02:59):
isn't bad, but Right.
Like you have a real time
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (03:02):
And the skyliner was not in
existence at that time.
So, you know, it really didchange our options.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (03:08):
All right, so what are some things
that we wanna consider?
we mentioned just a couple justnow, but kind of run through
some things we wanna thinkabout.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (03:16):
So transportation, first and
foremost, where is your resortand how are you going to get
from each place?
Are you looking for.
For speed and efficiency.
is there, is there aconsideration based on where
your resort is, where you shouldstart, where you should end?
All those things come into play.
Wait times, obviously, for methis was not the time to ride
(03:40):
the newest awesomes.
the focus was on the challenge.
So we were looking for whatmaximized our time as far as
wait times.
obviously not having tableservice meals, focusing on quick
service meals.
if you're gonna focus on snacksI think that's a good way to do
it.
And then maybe, have a sit downdinner, at the end of your time.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:01):
Yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11 (04:01):
popularity of characters.
If you're doing character meetand greets, do you know where
those character meet and greetsare?
for instance, Julie, you'vetalked about, some places people
may not know, like the Pixar,theater in Epcot.
if you're looking for a low waittime ride.
And a character meet and greet,pop over and do, figment?
(04:22):
right next door is the charactermeet and greet that not a lot of
people know about.
And then you could stay and thenyou could stay.
Well, we're like done, right?
Grab, grab yourself a whateveron the way out.
And you're, you're done atEpcot.
That's probably not what peoplewant to do, but you get the
idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:38):
Right.
Do you wanna purchase lightninglanes and take advantage of
lightning lanes?
if it was an adult's trip, Ihonestly think I would just buy
the single pass and for
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (04:47):
A hundred percent.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:48):
and boom, boom, boom.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (04:49):
Yeah.
It's it.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (04:50):
not something that I could do with
the kids necessarily, so Ididn't include that on my sample
plan.
early entry.
So take advantage of earlyentry.
Look at the park hours.
some parks open way earlier than
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (05:05):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (05:05):
some parks stay open much later than
other parks.
So you don't wanna get to a parkor have that planned as your
last park and get there and belike, oh wait, they're closed.
think about if there's anyevening parties going on, and
this is more so.
along with those park hours,things like the Halloween party,
the Christmas party, Jo,Hollywood Nights.
If one of those is going on,your time could be cut short, or
(05:27):
could affect the crowds.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (05:30):
I will tell you, Julie, when we did
this as a family, it took usabout eight hours to do this.
we weren't running, you know,amazing race style, but when you
factor in all thetransportation, waiting in
lines, all that kind of stuff,this does take some time to
accomplish.
So you really do need to bemindful, and like we said at the
very beginning, the last tip isthis is not your first visit.
(05:52):
This is something to work onwhen you're kind of a Disney
Pro, if you will.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (05:57):
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think going back to likeyour comment about how long it
could take, waiting for that buscould take some time.
don't go on the ride that tendsto break down.
rise of the resistance probablyshouldn't be on your list
because there's a solid chanceyou're gonna get stuck on the
ride.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (06:15):
Yeah, really good point.
Well, before we get into ourideas, I wanna talk about where
in the world is Wonder andBeyond Travel, I have a client
who's worked with me for.
Many years.
one of the fun things that shedoes is when each of her
grandkids, I think we're on thethird grandkid, when each of the
grandkids get to a certain age,she takes them on a Disney trip.
(06:39):
from a travel advisorstandpoint, it's never the most
expensive trip that I book, butit's always one of the most
special because they alwaysstay.
At the All Star movies becausewhen her kids were younger and
they would go, that's where theystayed.
And so that resort, even thoughit's a value resort, has always
been a special one to her andher family.
(07:01):
they're going next month,they've got a park hopper
because she has all these ideasof the different places they're
gonna bebop around.
we've done some really goodcharacter meals with, Ohana
Breakfast, and we're going tothe rodeo roundup for barbecue.
she just has such a good timeand with each of these kids,
it's so special to have thattime with grandma.
(07:23):
I absolutely love helping herplan each of these trips.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:27):
How old are the kids?
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (07:28):
usually around eight years old.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:30):
Oh, that's so perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (07:32):
Yeah.
and sometimes they've been toDisney in the past, sometimes
they haven't.
it really depends on thefamilies but she has just such a
fun time planning these out withher grandkids.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (07:42):
that's amazing.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (07:44):
All right, so let's talk about a
four Park challenge.
here's what I'm gonna do I'mgoing to start with the classic.
I'm gonna start my day at MagicKingdom.
Because to me that's just theright thing to do what resort do
you think I should stay at JulieFor this trip?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:06):
Hmm.
moderate.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:09):
A moderate.
Okay.
So I'm gonna stay at FrenchQuarter.
at Port Orleans, which actuallywas the resort that I was
staying at when we did this thefirst time.
So I'm gonna take the bus overto Magic Kingdom, so that's
gonna be my transportation.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:24):
Perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:25):
what I always want to do at Magic
Kingdom, first and foremost, isI want to go to Peter Pan's
flight.
I'm going to then get a snackover at the Friar's Nook'cause
they have some really goodbreakfast items.
and most of them are like, graband go so I can eat it while I'm
bebopping around.
and it's right there close toPeter Pan.
(08:47):
Then for my.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (08:47):
on this bebop.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (08:49):
Then for my photo, it's a Midwestern
thing, maybe.
I don't know.
and then for my photo as I'mleaving'cause I'm done, right?
I'm done with what I'm doing.
I am going to stop at the castleeverybody in my party's gonna
hold up on number one'causethat's the first part that we
went to.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:07):
Yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:08):
Then I'm going to get on the
monorail.
I'm gonna head over to Epcot.
And then I'm going to choose aride that's at the front of the
park and is relatively easy todo.
So I'm gonna get on Nemo.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:25):
That's a
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:25):
And, yep.
And so I'm gonna get on Nemo,And then I need to get back over
to the International Gateway, soI'm gonna make sure that I get a
photo.
outside of nemo, then I'm gonnawalk back and for my snack, I'm
gonna go to the bakery in Francebecause even though World
(09:45):
Showcase isn't open yet, thebakery is, and that's also right
by the bridge to theinternational gateway, then I'm
going to walk and get on a boat,and that's gonna be my third
form of transportation.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (09:58):
Perfect
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (09:59):
And then for the boat where you
think I'm taking that.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:04):
Hollywood studios.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:06):
to Hollywood Studios.
once I get off the boat atHollywood Studios, I am going
to, throw an audible here.
Instead of doing a ride atHollywood Studios, I'm going to
do a show, and I'm going to dothe Indiana Jones Stunt
Spectacular because it is thequintessential Hollywood studio
(10:27):
thing to do.
then I'm gonna take a little bitex of extra time and I'm gonna
walk back to Batou and get alunch Ron wrap because I'm
there.
I've got to do it
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:38):
Yes.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:39):
way out.
I'm gonna stop over by theChinese theater and I'm gonna
get my number three photo of theday.
Are we tired yet?
Okay, so.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (10:50):
gotten breaks.
We got to sit down on the boat.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (10:52):
Okay, I'm gonna head out of Hollywood
Studios and I am going to get onthe Skyliner and I'm gonna take
the Skyliner over to Riviera.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:02):
Ooh,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:03):
I'm gonna go over to Riviera.
I'm gonna take a second, take abreath, and I'm going to get a
nice coffee in the afternoonthere.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:12):
that.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:12):
I'm gonna get a coffee or maybe an
alcoholic coffee beverage.
I'm gonna take a second and I'mgonna sit in that beautiful
voyager's room that's right nextto there.
then to get over to AnimalKingdom, Julie, I'm gonna call
myself a minivan.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (11:25):
Look at you.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (11:27):
So I'm going to call myself a minivan.
I'm going to take that minivanover to Animal Kingdom.
I am gonna stop at the Tree oflife.
As I first go in.
I'm gonna hold up number fourwith my fingers.
So I've got my four photos.
I'm going to go on.
Let's see, what would be theride that I would want to go on?
(11:50):
I think the Safari is gonna bethe perfect ride.
Now that's a little trickybecause the wait time may be up,
so it depends if I've got mylightning lanes or not
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:00):
But
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:01):
For,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:01):
park.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:02):
it's just hang out.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:04):
yeah.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:05):
That's the quintessential animal
kingdom ride.
So I'm gonna do that and then,or Everest, let's toss those up.
Maybe I'm going to celebrate bygetting on the single rider line
for Everest and getting throughquickly.
boy, it's time for my snackAssuming, well, it doesn't even
matter if I'm with all adults,but then I'm gonna head over to
(12:27):
the Nomad Lounge and have a niceappetizer and drink to celebrate
my time with my four Parkchallenge.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:34):
Perfect.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:36):
There we go.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:36):
the, and like,
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:37):
I.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (12:38):
this through, like it sounds doable.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (12:41):
Oh, it's doable.
It, it's very doable.
And, and you know, obviously itdepends on your party what you
need is you do need a strategy.
everybody needs to be on thesame page, or you need a team
leader.
with lightning lanes, if you'reusing them or the app with wait
times, with mobile ordering,either snacks or quick service,
you can totally save time indoing these things.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:03):
So I'm gonna take a little bit of a
different approach because I'mgonna pretend that I have my
kids with me.
Maybe in like three years, maybenot this year.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:10):
Okay.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:11):
so we are gonna stay at a Magic Kingdom
resort because, you know, I lovethe Polynesian.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:16):
I've heard that in past shows.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:17):
it, you know, only about 50 ish days
until I'm back.
I'm getting pretty excited.
we are actually gonna start atAnimal Kingdom and I chose that
because they opened theearliest.
I wanted to maximize the amountof time available.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:30):
idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:31):
we're gonna take a bus there, and I
didn't focus on The differenttransportation, but I did add
some other things in.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:36):
Okay, great.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:37):
we're gonna do Navi River Journey
because it's right in the frontof the park and it opens with
early entry.
Kilimanjaro Safari does not openwith early entry, so you'd waste
a lot of time just standing inline waiting.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (13:48):
Yeah, that's not the right way to
start a day like this.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (13:51):
Yeah, you're gonna take your picture
at the Tree of Life sort ofright outside Pandora.
You're gonna go over to theSafari Bakery to grab some
overnight oats, which soundslike this healthy snack you
might not want, but it isdelicious.
It's so good.
I'm also gonna stop at the frontof the park after taking my Tree
of Life picture and watch theWinked Encounters Show, which if
(14:15):
you've never seen that, it
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (14:16):
that's really cool.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:17):
all the McCalls fly over you.
It is so cool.
So much fun.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (14:22):
Agreed.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:23):
Next, I'm gonna take the bus over to
Hollywood Studio.
you could also take a minivan ifthe buses are not running yet
between the parks.
sometimes that does take sometime and we are gonna go on
Mickey and mini's, runawayrailway with or without a
lightning lane.
I just really love that ride andI wanted to make sure I was
picking rides that the kidswould still really enjoy.
(14:44):
we're gonna take a pictureoutside of that at the Chinese
theater.
Go grab a Jack Jack Nam Namcookie from that cart outside
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (14:52):
that's a good idea.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (14:54):
Hmm.
Delicious.
And then go over and meet Olafbecause my kids are into Olaf
right now.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (15:01):
And what's interesting about this,
Julie, is, and why we say don'ttry to do this until you've gone
to the park several times.
You are only seeing a small partof Hollywood Studios, and the
same with Animal Kingdom.
So you really want to make surewhat your focus for that day is.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (15:19):
Right.
And especially when you thinkabout doing it, if you have kids
with you, they don't alwaysunderstand we're not gonna do
all the things here right now,we are moving on.
So next we're gonna go over toEpcot via either the Skyliner or
the boat.
We are gonna ride Nemo just likeRyan said,'cause my kids love
that ride and it can give them alittle bit of downtime in that
(15:40):
aquarium'cause we're gonna bemoving at a little bit of a
slower pace.
actually gonna go over and grablunch at Connections Cafe and
Eatery.
I love their general, so chickensalad.
And we are gonna need aStarbucks cold brew by this
point.
We are gonna head over and meetMickey and Minnie inside Camico
Hall at one of their new meetand greet spots.
(16:02):
Sometimes it's Mickey andMinnie, sometimes it's other
characters, so whoever's therewe're there for it.
And take a picture outsideSpaceship Earth.
On our way outta the park to themonorail to go to Magic Kingdom.
to end at Magic Kingdom becausethey are usually open later, and
our resort is right there.
So now that we're gonna be tiredat the end of the day, we have a
(16:25):
quick ride back to the resorts.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:28):
And you can celebrate with fireworks
or with a fireworks dessertparty if that's how you want to
handle it.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:34):
That's fancy.
We are gonna go ride.
It's a small world'cause thatseems pretty magic kingdom to
me.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_11455 (16:41):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:41):
a photo at the castle, see a parade,
whether that's the daytimeparade, but I doubt we make it
there that early
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:48):
Right.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:48):
Disney starlight.
I really love that parade
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (16:52):
is a great parade.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (16:53):
I can't wait to see it again.
Our snack is something not a lotof people know about.
It's the kernel kitchen at theconfectionary
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:01):
Yeah.
Tell me about this.
I know it's there.
I know it's there.
I've seen people get it.
I need to know about it'cause itsounds like something I might
like.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:09):
like a make your own popcorn sundae.
Basically, there's three or fourdifferent popcorn bases you can
Pick from different flavors ofpopcorn, like butter, caramel
cheddar, and then there'sSkittles or something that looks
like rainbow.
and then you can pick toppings,things like M and mss, chocolate
syrup, caramel, Oreo cookies,Skittles, like all sorts of
(17:31):
candies and sauces.
you can mix and match whateveryou want.
It is amazing.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:37):
Yeah.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:38):
So good.
It's definitely a snack that yousplit.
it's not a one person popcorn
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:44):
If you say.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (17:44):
Um, I say so.
So that's gonna be our day, andthen we are gonna go back and
collapse at our room in thePolynesian.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (17:52):
I absolutely love it.
So much fun.
So just to wrap up here, youhave not done this.
I feel like I do this almost allthe time with teenagers when I
take them now.
'cause we are just go, go, go,so next trip, is this something
you want to try or is this stillnot time yet?
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:09):
next trip for us is in like 50 days.
So Mia's still only two and ahalf.
Yeah, I'm not doing that withher yet.
maybe when she is like five.
So maybe in a couple years.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:19):
Okay.
Very good.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:20):
because like I said, it's that
understanding of like.
gonna go to Toy Story land to doall those rides today.
They have to kind of be on
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:27):
Right,
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:28):
you
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:28):
right.
j_1_10-06-2025_114559 (18:29):
The world is full of wonder and your next
great adventure is waiting atWonder and Beyond Travel.
We work with you to create a oneof a kind journey, taking the
stress off your plate So you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or just want to dream a
little bigger, head over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(18:50):
We'd love to help you getstarted.
ryan_2_10-06-2025_114559 (18:53):
We look forward to talking to you
next week on all Things Travel.
When we discuss the top AlaskaCruise Shore excursions.
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