Hi Amanda!
Welcome back to planDisney! I often find myself daydreaming about my next Walt Disney World Resort vacation - especially my itinerary for visiting the parks! The possibilities are endless when you're planning your trip, and so are the ticket options.
Amanda, the not-so-simple answer to your question is that it depends on the type of ticket you purchase. If you
purchase a vacation package that includes your hotel stay and a 3-day park ticket, you are free to visit one park per day and you can enter whichever theme park you want each of those days. The type of ticket you purchase with a vacation package is a date-based ticket which has a specific start date (your arrival day) and a
specific usage window. With this ticket, you could spend one day at each of the three parks you named, but if your plans change once you arrive, you could switch out one of the parks to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park or skip one of the parks you listed and return for a second day at another one. You could also choose to
add a Park Hopper option if you wanted to visit more than one theme park per day.
Vacation packages also offer other
Magical Extras and guests of Disney Resorts Collection hotels receive some
great benefits during their visit. Additionally, there are
dining plan options available to add to your package if you'd like the convenience of including the cost of many of your meals into your package. If you are not interested in booking a package, you can also purchase date-based tickets individually. These are the standard tickets that are sold on the
Walt Disney World Resort website. When purchasing tickets, you'll choose a start date and then can select from available options, like adding the Park Hopper option or a
water park visit.
However, I did want to point out that there are select types of tickets that
still require theme park reservations. These include student group tickets, sport and convention tickets, Military Salute tickets, and other tickets that are NOT date-based. Occasionally, some special offers may have entry specifications on the tickets as well. For example, there is a great deal right now on a
3-day, 3-park ticket, but you can only use the ticket to enter one day at Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios each - no repeats and no Magic Kingdom Park. It's a great value if the plan and validity dates fit with your vacation, but it's important to read the details on any ticket that you purchase carefully.
If you have any questions as you're buying your tickets or want to confirm that you don't need theme park reservations, you can always contact a Cast Member by
calling either New or Existing Tickets or initiating a chat from the Walt Disney World Resort website. They can access your account and clarify any details for you!
Amanda, I hope this helps you plan for your upcoming vacation! Please stop by to see us again at planDisney with any other questions in the future!
Cheers,
Kristi