Hi Catherine! Thanks for stopping by planDisney with this great question!
I'm excited to hear about your upcoming visit to the Walt Disney World Resort! It seems like you have a lot to pack into your stay, so let's dive into some ways to help you plan for a magical trip!
With three days to tackle all four theme parks, planning your itinerary will be critical to ensure you get to everything you want. With rides and attractions a top priority, I would plan to dedicate one full day to the Magic Kingdom. This park has the most attractions of any other, and you'll want to make sure you have time to explore each of the lands. I highly suggest purchasing the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass for this day. This will help you bypass the standby queues on attractions that you book a return time for, and help you maximize your time at the park. If you're planning an Advanced Dining Reservation for dinner on this day, I suggest booking one at the Magic Kingdom so you don't need to leave the park. There are plenty of delicious options, including Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in Adventureland. This themed restaurant has a creative menu and is one of my favorites!
On your next day, I suggest beginning at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park since it typically opens earlier than the rest. Since you are staying in a Disney Resorts hotel, you can utilize Early Theme Park Entry each day of your stay. This will allow you to get a head start on the day and begin riding attractions before others are allowed to enter. If Avatar Flight of Passage is a must-do, I suggest heading straight there upon arrival to hopefully enjoy a minimal wait time. Otherwise, you can purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass for this attraction and wait until your scheduled time to ride. If rides are your focus, I believe you can fit many of them into your morning at this park. If you were planning on seeing any of the shows, this may extend your time at the park since there are select showtimes throughout the day.
Once you have hit everything you were planning, I suggest hopping to either Disney's Hollywood Studios or EPCOT for the afternoon/evening. On the following day, you can start at either of these two parks and hop back and forth. The Disney Skyliner and Friendship Boats can take you between the two, otherwise, there is a walking path that will get you there. I believe with their close proximity and having one and a half days, you can plan to hit mostly everything you were hoping for between the two parks.
To recap, this is the amount of time I would dedicate to each park:
- Magic Kingdom - 1 full day
- Animal Kingdom - 1/2 day
- Hollywood Studios - 1/2 day or full day (depending on your preferences)
- EPCOT - 1/2 day or full day (depending on your preferences)
Catherine, I hope this information helps you plan for your stay! If you have any additional questions, please
stop back and see us again at planDisney!
Happy planning!
Greg