Grandparents with children and Character
  • On May 12, 2023
    Clint from FL Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    What is the best strategy for a one day visit starting in Magic Kingdom in morning and ending with Hollywood Studios after the 2pm park hop?

    Welcome to planDisney, Clint! I love this question because there are so many different ways that you can plan this itinerary and still have a great time. I have a few ideas about how I would tackle a day at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios and I'm happy to share them with you.

    At 7:00 a.m., you're going to want to do a few things right away. First, try and secure your spot in the Virtual Queue for TRON Lightcycle / Run. Then, if you're staying at a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel, purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If you're staying off-site, you can try to do this when the Theme Park opens. Make sure to choose a time after 2:00 p.m., which is when you can park hop! After you've done that, purchase Disney Genie+ Service and start making Lightning Lane selections for the things you want to do at Disney's Hollywood Studios later in the day.

    I know what you're thinking: shouldn't we be making selections for Magic Kingdom Park since we're heading there first? You'll be able to use the early hours of the day to take advantage of some lower wait times, so you're going to want to stack those Lightning Lanes for later in the day when you're at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I recommend prioritizing Slinky Dog Dash, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. You can make your first selection at 7:00 a.m., your second selection when the Theme Park opens, and then every two hours after that. If you time it right, you could have three or more Lightning Lanes stacked and ready to use by the time you can park hop at 2:00 p.m.!

    Now, let's talk strategy for a morning at Magic Kingdom Park. If you're staying at a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel, you should definitely take advantage of the extra 30 minutes in the Theme Parks in the morning. The Theme Park opens at 8:30 a.m. for Resort Hotel guests, so you're going to want to be there around 8:00 a.m. or earlier so you can be among the first people to ride in the morning. I recommend heading straight to Fantasyland and doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Train followed by Peter Pan's Flight! The wait times for these attractions tend to climb quickly, so they're great to hit first. From there, check the wait times using the My Disney Experience app when you're deciding what to do next!

    I know I just gave you lots of information, Clint, so please feel free to come back to me if you have any follow-up questions and I'll be happy to answer them for you.

    Have a magical day!

    Jessica
thumbnail image for Jessica

Meet the Panelist: Jessica, Texas

I'm a personal stylist and I live in Texas with my husband and our three rescue animals. We are Disney Parks-obsessed and love enjoying all the magic that's out there especially for grown-ups. In fact, we even opted out of a tropical honeymoon to spend a blissful week at Walt Disney World Resort instead! I'm thrilled to be on the planDisney Panel and I'm excited to share everything I've learned from all of our trips and help you plan a memorable family vacation.  Learn More About Jessica

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