Not for the Faint of Heart

Please”¦please don’t even think about denying that you have never thought about what I’m about to propose. I won’t believe you.

You know you’ve thought of it.

You know you’ve dreamed about it.

You know you would love to try it”¦.it’s out there just screaming at you”¦can you hear the words?

“Try me”¦c’mon”¦try me.”

What am I talking about?

I’m talking about the idea of visiting all four Walt Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) in just one day.

Oh if you are saying, “Yo Mike it’s a piece of cake!” then belly up to the table and put on your napkin because I welcome you to bite into this challenge”¦but under my conditions.

Before we put on our walking shoes and head for the parks let’s talk a bit as to the required parameters you should follow in order to, at least in my own mind, “officially” claim this accomplishment.

Let’s first define this challenge and be crystal clear as to all the requirements.

Four Parks in less than a Day

Let’s all agree as to what we will define as a “day” in regards to this particular challenge. Sometimes the definition of “day” is quite different from person to person. Before we start looking at anything else we need to all be on the same page with a definition of a day for this challenge. So here is the deal.

You must visit the four parks in one calendar day. This does not mean that if you happen to be in the Magic Kingdom on an Extra Magic Hour evening and got off Splash Mountain at 12:01 AM that you could check off Magic Kingdom as one of the parks in your quest. Sorry. Not for this challenge. See the next bullet.

The actual day will be defined as starting from the time you awaken until 11:59 P.M. That will constitute a “day.” That is all you have. So if you wake up at 6 A.M. you essentially have from that time until closing of the fourth park you visit to accomplish this task. So I guess we’re saying four parks in less than a day”¦not 24 hours. I lied.

For this challenge you do have the flexibility to begin your day at any time and do the parks in any order you wish. However, as you put together your plan and the sequence of parks keep in mind the attractions you will be visiting. Of course you also need to keep in mind the other required parameters of this challenge so read on.

Required Number of Attractions

It would be pretty simple and easy to do this challenge by just running into a theme park, visiting the least crowded attractions and then move on to the next theme park”¦ but that’s way too easy and boring.

Well”¦we here at AllEars Challenge Central are not in the boring business so let’s go over the exciting requirements regarding attraction touring for this most interesting challenge.

Your visit to each park requires that you experience at least three (3) attractions. That’s all. That sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? Of course there is a bit more to it than that.

Of the three attractions that you experience at least one of those attractions must be a Headliner attraction. A Headliner attraction is an attraction that is recognized as a “staple” for that theme park. It is recognized as one of the more popular attractions in that park. The following bullets describe the attractions eligible for this challenge and I have placed (H) next to those attractions I consider to be Headliner attractions. Remember, you must choose three attractions from those listed for each theme park.

Magic Kingdom – Space Mountain (H), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (H), Splash Mountain (H), Haunted Mansion (H), and Pirates of the Caribbean (H). Because of their recent upgrading in the last two years both Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have been granted Headliner status.

EPCOT – Spaceship Earth, Soarin’ (H), Test Track (H), Mission:Space (H) and any World Showcase attraction. Keep in mind you cannot use more than one World Showcase attraction for your visit to EPCOT.

Hollywood Studios – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (H), Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (H), The Great Movie Ride (H), Star Tours, and Toy Story Mania (Opening this spring).

Animal Kingdom – Expedition Everest (H), Dinosaur; Kilimanjaro Safaris (H), It’s Tough to Be a Bug, and Kali River Rapids.

So there you have the list of attractions. You have to experience a total of one dozen attractions in less than a day.

You’ll need energy to accomplish this task and eating is also included in the list of requirements for this challenge.

Read on.

Challenge Chowing

Taking on this challenge requires fuel to get you through quite a long day. Again, as with attractions, you have a choice regarding food. See? I’m easy. You must eat at least two (2) meals during this adventurous day. It’s up to you as to when and where you eat. You may choose a sit-down restaurant or quick-service for any meal. There is a stipulation that you cannot have more than one meal in any one park. No limit on snacks.

The question is what works best for you.

Also, keep in mind that three meals and as many snacks as you require are fine too”¦as long as you have at least two meals during the day

Non-Goals

If you were wondering about some other requirements for this challenge there aren’t any. You are free to figure out transportation schemes and again, you may do the parks in any order that works for you.

There are no parade or fireworks requirements and no need to take a photo with any character. You do not need to see any shows, nor shop in any store.

You have enough to do.

Sound like fun?

It could be if you plan it right.

So think about how you’d tackle this little assignment.

Next time I’ll tell you my plan and how I arrived at it.