Walt Disney World Tips: All Four Parks in Five Days
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Updated December 2025
Walt Disney World is a dream destination for many families. I grew up visiting Disneyland in California, so when I finally visited Disney World in my early twenties, it was a bit overwhelming.
Unlike Disneyland with two parks that are right beside one another, Disney World has acres and acres of land, with four parks and over a dozen other attractions, including water parks, resorts, a boardwalk, and Disney Springs. If you’re eagerly looking for a thorough itinerary to help you plan your trip to Disney World, read on to see how I experienced Walt Disney World in five magical days! I am a former cast member who used to work at Magic Kingdom, but here is how I explored the parks as a visitor.
Love family-friendly travel destinations? See my Grapevine, Texas Family Weekend Getaway or my Salt Lake City Family Guide.
Tips for Visiting
I have been to three out of the six major Disney theme parks, including Disneyland Paris, and plan to make it to each park someday. So far, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has been my favorite park because it offers so much, from animal experiences, to amazing rides, to tasty food in four different parks! This itinerary is great for families, couples without kids, and anyone else who wants to experience an unforgettable Walt Disney World vacation! Before we get started on the itinerary, here are some tips for your visit.
The outline below of my trip is best done with Disney World park hopper tickets, which allows visitors to experience more than one park a day. It provides flexibility and a better chance to see everything you want during your visit. I would highly recommend a park hopper pass if you know you want to see it all.
After you purchase your tickets, be sure to also reserve Lightning Lane tickets up to three days in advance (or seven days in advance if you are a guest at a Disney hotel). You can schedule three Lightning Lane passes at a time and can also get single passes for the most popular rides.
To save money, I avoided expensive restaurants with character meals. I didn’t feel like I was missing out since there are plenty of opportunities throughout the parks to meet characters and I found decent food for much less at the other restaurants around the park.
Do not underestimate the size of Disney World—it is not like Disneyland where you can walk from one park to another and even to Downtown Disney. The distances between parks at Disney World is much larger. Conveniently, there are several ways to get around Disney World, including driving, taking a charter bus (many hotels outside the park even offer shuttles), using the monorail, getting from Epcot to Hollywood Studios via the Disney Skyliner, and by water taxi if you are a guest at a resort.
Stay near the park in a VRBO in Kissimmee, big enough for your whole family or group. You will save a lot of money that way versus at a Disney resort, plus many of them have Disney theming, like this villa with an awesome Star Wars bedroom or this Mickey-themed 4-bedroom home.
I love maps because they help me visualize where I will be going and where things are in relation to each other, so refer to these Disney World maps while planning your trip with my Disney World itinerary!
Be sure to download the Disney World mobile app to see live wait times for rides, an interactive map, and other information while inside the parks. You can also use the app to reserve Lightning Lane Passes that are still available the day you’re in the park.
Prepare for long days in the parks with lots of walking and tiring activities. A 5-day Disney World itinerary sounds like a blast, but it can also be really exhausting, especially for young kids. Take breaks whenever your group needs to and pack items that will help the trip go smoother.
See my insider tips from a former Magic Kingdom cast member for more ways to maximize your time.
Now, let’s get to the best part—how to spend five days exploring each park at Walt Disney World!
Day 1 - Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park
Magic Kingdom is the iconic park with Cinderella’s Castle, similar to Disneyland and the other parks throughout the world. I wanted to start here to really feel the magic come alive! This park includes Main Street, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, and Frontierland—all the classic Disney experiences. To reach Magic Kingdom, visitors must travel on a ferry across Bay Lake (my preferred way to enter the park) or take the monorail (how I left the park after fireworks at night).
I worked at Magic Kingdom for several months and know all the ins and outs. Read my insider tips to Magic Kingdom here for more detailed advice on this park.
My Favorite Rides:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Seven Dwarfs Mine Trail - This is my favorite ride in Magic Kingdom that can’t be found at Disneyland—be sure to get a Lightning Lane Single Pass!
Space Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Food Highlight:
One of the best things I ate in Disney World were the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow Inn. I shared two with my travel partner—a nutella with fruit and a chicken with syrup. They were both really good!
Other Activities:
One of my absolute favorite activities at Disney World was actually doing a Pirates of the Caribbean treasure hunt! Tucked away in Adventureland is a small area where you can pick up a map and an activated card that will give you clues to follow. Barely anyone was doing it at the same time as me and I had so much fun! I loved going up to seemingly random objects throughout Adventureland and making them move and talk with my card. I got a lot of questions from people who were intrigued and wanted to try, too.
I also loved Enchanted Tales with Belle, which I haven’t experienced at any other Disney park. It’s such a cute walk-through experience where visitors get to re-enact the tale of Beauty and the Beast and meet Belle. My travel partner was chosen to play a knight in the story and I’m not gonna lie, I was a little jealous.
Day 2 - Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
Animal Kingdom is hands down my favorite Disney park out of every single one I’ve been to! I am a huge animal lover and Animal Kingdom has amazing opportunities to see and learn about them. I discovered an amazing secret while I was there—since this park does not currently have any night shows, besides the Tree of Life lighting up, the ride wait times are usually shorter and the crowds die down in the evening as people park hop to other parks.
My Favorite Rides:
Kilimanjaro Safaris - Real life animals come up close to the safari truck—I saw an adorable baby giraffe running around crazily, several rhinos blocked our path during one ride, and the lions could be observed without fences blocking the view! This ride closes at night, but my group walked there right before it closed, got on with no wait, and got a ride all to ourselves, where I endlessly asked the poor driver dozens of questions about the animals.
Expedition Everest - This ride is so much fun that I rode it nine—yes, I’m crazy—consecutive times while everyone else was watching Rivers of Light (which is unfortunately discontinued)! I regretted nothing, but definitely was done after the ninth time.
Avatar Flight of Passage - Flying over all the mystical places from Avatar was so incredible and felt almost real!
Food Highlight:
I really enjoyed dining by the lake with a plate piled high with meats and sides from Flame Grill Barbecue! I also really like the rice bowls at Satu’li Canteen in Avatar World.
Other Activities:
Animal Kingdom is full of animal exhibits and is basically a zoo. Aside from the Kilimanjaro Safaris, there are animals all throughout the park, from parrots to tigers to gorillas and many more!
The most iconic part of Animal Kingdom is the ginormous Tree of Life in the middle of the park. Get a close up look and discover the dozens of animals carved into the trunk. When leaving the park after dark, take the time to appreciate the Tree of Life, all lit up.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug was a fun 4-D show I loved from Disneyland and it was just as good here. I especially loved watching others see it for the first time and getting surprised at the bug ‘encounters’ the show offers! Sadly, this was discontinued in 2025 and I haven’t been back yet to see the new Zootopia show.
I met Pocahontas in Animal Kingdom, which was a unique character experience I hadn’t had before! You can also meet Moana, Rafiki, and other nature-focused characters in Animal Kingdom.
Day 3 - Epcot Theme Park
Epcot is a unique park that isn’t solely focused on Disney-themed rides and venues. There are two parts to the park—Future World and World Showcase. Future World has more rides and a focus on futuristic attractions, whereas World Showcase is where you can walk in a big circle around a lake to different areas that represent countries throughout the world. If you are traveling from one of the Disney World hotels nearby or from Hollywood Studios, be sure to take the Disney Skyliner to get there!
My Favorite Rides:
Soarin’ Around the World - If you’ve been to Disneyland, you will find that this ride is very similar to Soarin’ Over California, but instead focuses on iconic places throughout the whole world. It is one of my all-time favorite rides!
Test Track - I enjoyed designing my own virtual car before getting on the ride and racing super fast down the track.
Mission: SPACE - This ride was a blast the first time I went on it, but once was enough—the second time made me nauseous as the ride spins like crazy and is very disorienting!
Frozen Ever After - The wait for this ride was ridiculously long, especially for not being a thrill ride. It is similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, meaning that you travel in a boat on the water. For avid Frozen fans, the wait is worth it, especially when “Let It Go” blasts through the air!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure - I never knew becoming a rat could be so fun, but this ride sure is fun, as well as charming, and immersive.
Food Highlight:
Ice cream is always a highlight for me, so naturally I loved the ice cream in the France section of Epcot’s World Showcase called L’Artisan des Glaces. I also had my grandest meal in Epcot at the German restaurant, Biergarten. The atmosphere was so much fun, with a playful cultural performance, large tables with strangers who become quick friends, over-sized mugs, and a buffet of traditional German food.
Other Activities:
Walking around the World Showcase is a fun way to experience different cultures, including Mexico, Italy, France, Japan, Morocco, Germany, Norway, the UK, and Canada.
My first visit to Walt Disney World was in the springtime, during the Flower and Garden Festival. There were dozens of beautiful topiaries throughout the park, shaped as popular Disney characters. I loved searching for them!
Both China and Canada have Circle Vision shows where you can stand in the middle of the room and watch a documentary of the country that surrounds the circular walls.
My favorite Disney princess and movie has always been Mulan, so meeting her in the China section of the World Showcase was exciting!
Day 4 - Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park
Hollywood Studios has some of the best thrill rides, including several new ones that have opened up in the past few years. It is similar to California Adventures in Anaheim, but it felt smaller and does not have the iconic ferris wheel or boardwalk area. It also has a huge Star Wars area and Toy Story Land.
My Favorite Rides:
Tower of Terror - This ride really is terrifying (yes, because the giant drop, but also just the spooky atmosphere) but it’s worth it because it is SO MUCH FUN.
Rock n’ Roller Coaster - This ride is a must-experience for anyone who loves roller coasters! I always use the single rider line (even if I’m traveling with others), which is much shorter.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance - I’m not even the biggest Star Wars fan, but I totally geeked out when I saw an army of storm troopers on this ride.
Toy Story Mania - This ride is more like a game where you get to play against the person sitting beside you and shoot at targets to get more points. The competition can get fierce! This same ride is at Disneyland, but the line for this one is so much more immersive and fun, modeled to look like Andy’s room!
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - About time Mickey and Minnie got a super fun ride just for them! This ride is adorable and so fun.
Food Highlight:
I had lunch at the Sci-Fi Dinner Theater, which had sci-fi short films showing on a big screen and seats that looked like cars. It was a fun atmosphere that felt like being at a drive-in movie theater and the milkshakes were delicious!
Other Activities:
My favorite 4D Disney show is Muppet Vision, which can be seen at this park. It is hilarious and entertaining—the perfect place to rest from standing in the sun, waiting in a long line. Tragically, this show ended in 2025, but the plans to build a Monster’s Inc. land in its place definitely sound exciting!
Fans of Star Wars will love walking through the Star Wars area and seeing different characters, such as Storm Troopers, as well as watching the Jedi training.
Walking through Toy Story Land was so much fun—everything is designed to make it feel like visitors are toys in Andy’s room. I saw Toy Story characters walking around, including Buzz, Rex, Woody, and army guys.
Hollywood Studios is where I met Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy and saw Donald Duck!
Fantasmic plays at night in Hollywood Studios, complete with a great light show and an appearance by Mickey Mouse!
Day 5 - Revisit Your Favorites
For your last day at Walt Disney World, take the time to revisit your favorite parks and ride your favorite rides! I revisited Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. Throughout the week I collected a few free ride passes from rides breaking down temporarily, so I used those up as well! This was a fun day, ending with a firework show in Magic Kingdom.
I was glad I had the extra day to relive my favorites, especially since another visit to Disney World may not be for a long time, seeing how much it costs to visit the parks these days. With that said, I can’t wait to go back when they open the rumored Villains Land in Magic Kingdom!
Travel Days
I would not advise anyone who wants to get the most out of the parks to visit on the days they will be traveling to and from Orlando. Whether you are driving (like I did from Georgia), or flying into one of the two airports (Orlando International Airport and Sanford International Airport), you may have time on your travel days to do other activities. There is a ton to do in Orlando, but I will keep these suggestions Disney-related.
Water Parks
Disney World has two water parks—Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I haven’t visited either of them, but it would make a great summer time activity!
Disney Springs
Disney Springs has tons of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. It is a fun and free place to hang out and walk around.
Hotel-Hopping
Disney World hotels are incredible, with many activities, great restaurants, and fun themes. It would be fun to spend some time traveling around to the different hotels and experiencing them, even if you don’t plan on staying in any of them.
Bonus Day - Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
If you happen to visit in September or October, be sure to plan a night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Admission for this special event in Magic Kingdom is not included in a park hopper pass, but it is definitely worth experiencing. I actually went on a night I was in Orlando a separate time than the rest of my Disney World itinerary, visiting Universal Studios. I hate horror movies, so I chose this party instead of the teen/adult experience at Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights. I had a blast at Disney World, dressing up as Meg from Hercules, riding all the rides, seeing tons of Disney villains, and getting loads of candy! There were also fun Halloween-themed parades and shows. The night ended with a fantastic Halloween-themed fireworks show!
Five days at Disney World is a big commitment for many families and couples, but if you have even more time in Orlando or want to spend fewer days at Disney World, visiting Universal Studios with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a MUST!
For a classic Disney experience, visit the park that started it all—Disneyland in Anaheim, California. I grew up going many times, so it has a special place in my heart and remains one of my favorite places on earth!
Looking for more fun family vacation destinations? Another hugely popular spot, great for families visiting the Eastern USA, is Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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