We attempted to experience every attraction across all four Disney World parks in a single day for a noble cause – here’s how it turned out

Enjoying everything a single Disney World theme park has to offer in one day can be quite challenging. It doesn’t take a Disney aficionado to realize that the notion of riding every ride at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios in just one day is pretty wild.

However, we enjoy tackling seemingly impossible challenges, especially when they support charity, so we embarked on the quest to ride every attraction at Disney World in a day.

According to official figures, Walt Disney World currently boasts 52 moving attractions. This includes popular rides like Space Mountain and Expedition Everest, as well as hidden gems such as the Magic Kingdom's Main Street Vehicles and the boats to Tom Sawyer's Island.

We set out on this adventure not only because of our love for Disney and our questionable sanity, but also to push the boundaries of what’s achievable and to raise funds for one of our favorite charities, Give Kids the World (GKTW).

Located in the Orlando area, GKTW is the place where most Make-A-Wish children stay during their visits. If you haven't heard of it, GKTW is a unique place that considers every detail of a child's stay, allowing these special kids and their families to celebrate an entire year of joy in just one day, with accessible rides on-site and close proximity to all the major theme parks.

To support this wonderful organization, Dinogo committed to donating $150 for every ride we could complete in a single day, and many generous readers and supporters joined in with similar pledges.

Fueled by this motivation, we embarked on our mission.

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Rules of the Challenge

Naturally, every challenge has its rules. Similar to our first attempt in 2018, we adhered to the Parkeology challenge guidelines, which prohibit any special access, including purchasing a spot on a private VIP tour or any actions that other guests couldn't replicate.

You can take advantage of the early and late park hours available to resort guests, as well as the new paid FastPass replacement system, Genie+, which we utilized to the fullest extent.

Additionally, each unique ride counts as just one, so no endlessly riding the teacups to boost the score—thankfully.

Our quest to experience all the Disney rides

On the morning of our big adventure, Colby from the TPG social team and I were joined by Richard Kerr of Bilt Rewards (formerly with TPG), Ed Pizza from PizzaInMotion.com (a frequent TPG contributor), and Jeanne Hoffman from Le Chic Geek.

Since we were all staying at Disney resorts, we were eligible to start riding attractions at 8:30 a.m.—30 minutes before the official opening at 9 a.m. To secure our spot at the front of the (large) crowd gathering for that early start, we arrived as soon as the park began admitting guests at 7:30 a.m., planning to stay until 11 p.m. that night.

Here’s how the subsequent 20 miles unfolded... and the number of rides we managed to experience.

• 7:30 a.m.: Disembarked from the monorail at the Magic Kingdom stop (prior to this, I was instructed to keep circling the loop).
• 7:50 a.m.: Scanned into the Magic Kingdom using my Magic Band with a preloaded ticket.
• 7:57 a.m.: Officially lined up in the front of the holding area near the Tea Cups in Fantasyland to be as close as possible to our first target: Peter Pan. (Check out the difference between the front of the crowd and the eventual gathering in the photos below.)

• 8:30 a.m.: Disney cast members guided our early group through Fantasyland at a leisurely pace, leading us to our first attraction where we were the day's first riders.
• 8:34 a.m. Ride 1: Peter Pan's Flight (this ride typically has a long wait, so it's wise to grab it first if possible).

• 8:51 a.m. Ride 2: Astro Orbiter (it took a bit to board, even at this early hour).
• 8:58 a.m. Ride 3: Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
• 9:14 a.m. Ride 4: Big Thunder Mountain.
• 9:24 a.m. Ride 5: Splash Mountain.
• 9:48 a.m. Ride 6: Pirates of the Caribbean (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 10:12 a.m. Ride 7: Barnstormer.
• 10:26 a.m. Ride 8: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (purchased an individual Lightning Lane).
• 10:35 a.m. Ride 9: Tea Cups.
• 10:46 a.m. Ride 10: Tomorrowland People Mover.
• 11:20 a.m. Ride 11: Haunted Mansion (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• Lunch: Columbia Harbour House (ordered via the Disney app and hit "we are here" while still on the Haunted Mansion).
• 12:03 p.m. Ride 12: Winnie the Pooh (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 12:18 p.m. Ride 13: Tom Sawyer Island.
• 12:30 p.m. Ride 14: Liberty Square River Boat.
• 1:12 p.m. Ride 15: Dumbo (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).

Next, we hopped over to Animal Kingdom.

• 2:07 p.m. Ride 16: Expedition Everest.
• 2:18 p.m. Ride 17: TriceraTop Spin.
• 2:36 p.m. Ride 18: Dinosaur (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 2:48 p.m. Ride 19: Wildlife Express Train.
• 3:07 p.m. Ride 20: Kilimanjaro Safaris (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 3:43 p.m. Ride 21: Na'vi River Journey (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).

After that, we hopped over to Hollywood Studios.

• 4:25 p.m. Ride 22: Alien Swirling Saucers (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 4:41 p.m. Ride 23: Star Tours.
• 5:02 p.m. Ride 24: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (using the Single Rider line).
• 5:24 p.m. Ride 25: Toy Story Mania (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 6:01 p.m. Ride 26: Slinky Dog Dash (only a 30-minute wait, which was excellent for Slinky).

Epcot was next on our itinerary.

• 6:43 p.m. Ride 27: Journey into Imagination with Figment.
• 7:05 p.m. Ride 28: Soarin' (using Genie+ Lightning Lane).
• 7:23 p.m. Ride 29: Living with the Land.
• 7:48 p.m. Ride 30: The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
• 8:16 p.m. Ride 31: Mission: Space.
• 8:27 p.m. Ride 32: Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.
• Dinner: Regal Eagle (ordered ahead and pressed "we are here" as soon as we left the Mexico Pavilion).

• 9:17 p.m. Ride 33: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure (purchased an individual Lightning Lane).

At last, we made our way back to Magic Kingdom to wrap up the evening. The park offered an additional two hours of access from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. for guests at deluxe resorts, allowing us to enjoy a few more attractions.

• 10:20 p.m. Ride 34: Tomorrowland Speedway.
• 10:32 p.m. Ride 35: Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid.
• 10:34 p.m. Ride 36: Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.
• 10:51 p.m. Ride 37: Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
• 10:57 p.m. Ride 38: It's a Small World After All.
• 12:20 a.m.: Celebratory drinks at the Swan Reserve.

If you think that sounds like a wild day at Disney World, you’re absolutely right. To capture our ride experiences, we snapped selfies throughout the day, although they became increasingly disheveled as the hours, miles, and attractions wore on.

Insights gained from experiencing all the Disney rides.

We understood from the start that riding all 52 attractions in a single day was beyond our reach. As far as we know, no one has successfully completed this challenge at Disney World since the parks reopened post-pandemic, with new regulations in place.

For starters, park hopping isn't permitted until 2 p.m., which means you have three parks to explore with only one-third of the day left for their operating hours. The added challenge is that Disney continues to open new rides – while it was feasible to achieve this a few years back, new attractions like Rise of the Resistance, Remy, and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway make it nearly impossible now, given their popularity.

Moreover, the hours from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. simply aren't sufficient to accomplish the task, even under optimal conditions. Although Genie+ enabled us to experience more than we otherwise could, it still presents its own learning curve. Our primary aim was to ride as many attractions as possible, and managing 38 rides across four parks – with a late-night return to Magic Kingdom – was likely close to the maximum achievable while adhering to the rules.

That said, here are some helpful tips if you want to maximize your ride count at Disney World in just one day.

• Purchase Genie+ in advance: Securing that first Lightning Lane at 7 a.m. instead of 7:01 a.m. can lead to vastly different outcomes for popular rides like Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, and Slinky Dog Dash.
• Stay on-site and plan your rope drop: Arriving early for a park's opening can help you snag one to two true walk-on rides right at the start. To be at the front of the pack for an 8:30 a.m. opening for resort guests, make sure to arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. Arriving at 8:20 a.m. means you'll face a 20–30 minute wait for that first popular attraction, negating your early advantage.
• Look for evenings with extended hours for deluxe resort guests: On select Monday and Wednesday nights, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot offer an extra two hours for Disney deluxe resort guests, allowing you to fit in more attractions. In our case, a late-night return to Magic Kingdom added five rides to our total that we wouldn't have experienced otherwise.
• Carefully choose the two individual Lightning Lanes: To maximize your rides, you’ll want to not only purchase Genie+ but also the two additional cost Lightning Lanes. However, some are more advantageous than others. For instance, Everest and Space Mountain typically have shorter waits compared to Mine Train and Rise of the Resistance, so be strategic if you're park hopping to save time.
• Constantly check for available Lightning Lanes: By late morning, it can be challenging to secure good, close-in Lightning Lanes on the first attempt. While you can’t modify them once booked, you can cancel. Refreshing the app page repeatedly for two to three minutes may reveal desirable options that you can grab quickly.
• Drive yourself and park close to Magic Kingdom: Whether you're staying at the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary, or have a dining reservation there, parking nearby saves you valuable minutes when transitioning to the next park. After a certain time, attendants often allow closer parking at the other parks as crowds thin out.
• Pre-order meals and hit "I'm here" early: We didn't lose any time waiting for meals because we ordered through the app and clicked "I'm here" 10–15 minutes before arriving, ensuring our food was ready. While it may be slightly older by the time you get it, this was a minor trade-off. Also, keep a cooler in your car for refreshing water and snacks between parks.
• Your footwear is crucial: A standard day at a Disney park involves at least 10 miles of walking, but during a challenge like this, you might cover double that. Even if you're an avid runner, the strain can be significant. Our 16-hour park day totaled 20 miles, which was quite a bit of concrete for our feet. Those with new but broken-in running shoes fared best, while those without felt the consequences.
• Make the most of early and late hours: The first and last 60-90 minutes of the park day are optimal for maximizing rides, provided you hustle between attractions. Use this time wisely and remember you can board the last ride until closing time. For us, we managed to fit in a 20-minute ride with just three minutes to spare, making it an efficient addition to our day without consuming too much time.

In summary

We completed 38 rides, walked 20 miles (sometimes jogging), logged over 16 hours in the parks, and most importantly, raised over $20,000 for Give Kids the World Village. While we didn't manage to ride every attraction at Disney World in one day, we certainly came close considering the circumstances.