Four days. Five kids. Two theme parks a day. If you’d told me a year ago that our family could pull off a true park-hopping trip with the whole crew, I would have laughed — that’s always been a “just me and Mark” move. Turns out, we were wrong. Here’s exactly how our surprise, whirlwind Disney World trip went, what worked, what I’d skip next time, and why one “extra” addition to our plans nearly threw the whole thing off.
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Why We Decided to Park Hop With All Five Kids
Our usual family vacations are long — 7 to 8 days of pure, unhurried R&R with the kids. That’s our real reset button.
This time was different. We only had four days to work with, travel days included, and I wanted to see if a shorter, faster-paced park-hopping trip could actually work with five kids in tow instead of just two adults.
I figured if we planned it tightly enough, we could make it happen. So I mapped it out:
- Monday (arrival): Swim at the pool at Kidani Village, dinner, then Epcot for extended evening hours
- Tuesday: Animal Kingdom in the morning, Hollywood Studios later
- Wednesday: Sleep in, then Magic Kingdom’s extended evening hours, switching resorts to the Contemporary for easy monorail access
- Thursday (checkout day): Relax and enjoy the resort
Simple, right? Then Disney released the Halloween party dates — and one landed right in the middle of our trip. We added it. Looking back, I probably wouldn’t have — and I’ll get into exactly why.
Keeping Everyone Fed (and Sane) in the Parks
Before I get into the day-by-day, I have to tell you about the meal system that saved us — because with five kids, finding food everyone actually wants to eat can eat up half your park time.
I got up early most mornings to pack lunch and dinner for the day. Three things made this possible:
- A backpack cooler I’ve relied on for over five years now — it still holds up
- Ice packs I could drain before going through TSA
- Food storage containers to pack everyone’s meals fresh each morning
Since our room had a dishwasher, we just ran it each night and reloaded for the next day. We packed salads, wraps, guacamole, yogurt, berries, granola, sandwiches, and cheeses.
Here’s why it was worth the extra effort:
- No more hunting for a restaurant that satisfies a group our size
- We just found a bench or table, pulled out everyone’s container, ate, and moved on
- It saved us real money over the course of the trip
Bonus: we ended up with new containers and ice packs for the kids’ school lunches too, so the investment didn’t stop at Disney.
Day One: Epcot’s Extended Evening Hours (Was It Worth It?)
We had a 6 p.m. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind lightning lane booked for our first night. After swimming at Kidani and eating dinner in our room, we headed over — and made it in time.
Official extended evening hours didn’t kick off until 9 p.m., so we filled the gap with:
- Mission: SPACE
- Spaceship Earth
- Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Living with the Land
Once the extended hours started, we rode Soarin’ Around the World (20-minute wait) and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (posted at 35, but really only 20). World Showcase was closed for the night, so after a snack stop, we checked wait times around 10:40 p.m.:
- Test Track: posted 50 minutes
- Guardians: posted 75 minutes
- Frozen Ever After: posted 35 minutes
I’ve visited Epcot more times than I can count and had never ridden Frozen Ever After. This was the night. My son and I ran over and only waited about 10 minutes.
We did miss out on Test Track, which stung a little. My honest take? I don’t think Epcot’s extended evening hours are worth it. We simply didn’t get through enough rides to justify staying that late.
Day Two: Animal Kingdom, a Surprise Halloween Party, and a Late-Night Scramble
We slept in the next morning — and this is where I started second-guessing the Halloween party decision.
Once everyone was up, we headed to Animal Kingdom with lightning lanes already purchased for:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- Expedition Everest
- Lunch
- Bluey meet-up
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Kali River Rapids
Then it was back to the resort to cool off, shower, and eat dinner before heading to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
The party technically starts at 6 p.m. (with entry allowed from 4 p.m.), but we didn’t arrive until around 6 — which meant we scrapped our original plan of doing Hollywood Studios that night. (I wrote a full separate review of the party here if you want the details.)
We didn’t catch any parades or shows, which disappointed me a bit — but this trip was for the kids, so we followed their lead. And their lead was rides:
- Tron Lightcycle / Run — three times, 30 minutes or less each time
- Space Mountain — a walk-on, three times
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — twice
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Haunted Mansion
We also hit a bunch of trick-or-treat trails, and since the party itself was a total surprise to the kids, they were thrilled.
One logistics note: because we added the party after already booking our resorts, we had to take the ferry back to the Transportation and Ticket Center just to reach our rental car. If I could redo it, I’d have booked our whole stay at the Contemporary from the start. Mark’s and my favorite resort is actually Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we wanted the kids to experience it — but the extra transportation hassle from adding the party mid-plan wasn’t worth it in hindsight.
Day Three: Hollywood Studios, 110-Degree Heat, and Knowing When to Call It
Wednesday’s plan was Hollywood Studios followed by Magic Kingdom’s extended evening hours, with lightning lanes lined up in advance. I packed lunch again, and the kids slept in.
Once we got moving, our lineup looked like this:
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular — we ate lunch while watching
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Mania!
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror again
Here’s the thing: it was 100 degrees, with a feels-like temperature of 110. As soon as we finished our second Tower of Terror ride, we called it. We grabbed dinner at Contempo Cafe — fitting, since that was also our switch-over day from Kidani to Bay Lake Tower — and skipped extended evening hours entirely.
If I have one true regret from the whole trip, it’s that. But honestly, “regret” is too strong a word. It’s really just proof that you can plan every detail and still need to read the room — or in our case, the thermometer — and adjust.
Looking back, this is the one spot where a small purchase would have made a real difference. I didn’t have a neck fan with me that day, and after standing around in 110-degree heat, I can tell you it’s officially on my must-bring list for every future summer trip.
Resort Swap: Kidani vs. the Contemporary
What the Kids Thought
We took an informal poll, and the verdict was clear: the kids liked the Contemporary far more overall, even though they preferred the room layout at Kidani.
The Pool Situation
A heads-up if you’re planning something similar: once you check out of your room, your MagicBand stops working for the pool gate at Bay Lake Tower — even if you’re still using the resort’s amenities that day. We confirmed with the front desk that we were still allowed to use the pool, but they didn’t have a workaround for the MagicBand access issue. Someone else ended up letting us in.
We eventually moved over to the main pool at the Contemporary instead, which turned out to be the better call anyway — since Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary are part of the same resort, you can use either pool. The Kidani pool was crowded and warm, almost like bath water, with none of the refreshing feel we got at the pools at Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary.
If you’re wondering how a family of seven managed to stay at resorts like Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Contemporary without blowing our whole vacation budget, here’s the secret: we rented Disney Vacation Club points. Renting points from DVC members lets you book deluxe resorts like these at a fraction of the cash rate — without these rentals, staying at either resort would have been way out of our price range.
The Big Reveal: How We Surprised the Kids
This entire trip was planned as a surprise from start to finish. We told the kids we were heading to the airport to see an airshow. Once we parked, we broke the news that the airshow was cancelled — and that we were going to Disney World instead.
From there, every piece of the trip became its own surprise:
- The stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge
- The Halloween party
- The move to the Contemporary
The kids told us afterward that having multiple surprises stacked throughout the trip made the whole thing feel like a dream — like they woke up expecting an airshow and somehow ended up at Disney World. We got hugs, thank-yous, and plenty of “I love you”s the whole way through, and honestly, that’s what made every bit of planning worth it.
My Takeaways for Your Own Disney Park-Hopping Trip
If you’re considering a shorter, park-hopping-style trip with your own family, here’s what I’d pass along:
- Book your resort strategy first, especially if a party or special event might land during your trip — adding one after the fact can complicate your transportation plans
- Pack your own meals if you’re traveling with a bigger group; it saves money, time, and a lot of “where should we eat” debates
- Weigh extended evening hours park by park — they worked out great at Magic Kingdom-style crowds, but didn’t feel worth it everywhere
- Build in flexibility for heat, energy levels, and tired kids — the plan is a guide, not a contract
- Watch your MagicBand access on checkout day if you’re planning to use resort amenities afterward
Every trip teaches you something new, and this one reminded me that the best Disney memories usually come from a mix of solid planning and knowing when to let go of the plan.