Walt Disney World (In One Day) 248 photos HERE at Flickr. This year, Disney has been giving free admission to any one of its theme parks on a person's birthday. Since my birthday fell on this trip, I decided to take advantage. Initially, I decided to visit Animal Kingdom, because it was the one park I had never been to. Then, I started thinking; why not try to do more? For $55 you can upgrade the ticket to a park hopper, so I could get a couple parks out of it. Then, I started thinking more; why not try to do all four parks? All of the parks opened at 9:00, and Magic Kingdom was the last to close at 10:00 at night. I figured if I did not make it to Magic Kingdom, no big deal, as I have done most of the things there before, and went to Disneyland Paris last year. Shortly before 9:00, my day begins. Animal Kingdom opens with a ceremony featuring Minnie, Goofy, Pluto... And Mickey Mouse. After the ropes are dropped, most people, myself included, head toward the Africa section of the park and Kilimanjaro Safaris. In addition to beating the crowds, it's important to get to the ride early while the animals are actually still out and active. They were all out and about close to the road. The safari area is so massive the entire Magic Kingdom could fit inside of it. There is a loose storyline regarding poachers and a cheesy ending with a couple special effects, but the focus of the ride is really seeing the animals. Next I headed toward this incredible structure. Everest was one of my most anticipated rides on the trip. I loved it. I don't care that much for the backward section, but the ride is very long and smooth, and of course integrated so well with the mountain. I didn't really realize how large this drop is until we were going down it. It's a pretty fast coaster for Disney. Definitely the highlight of Animal Kingdom for me. There was no line, and I would have enjoyed riding it a second time, but there was no way I could spare time for re-rides, especially this early in the day. Next up, the area of the park that appears to have been cobbled together on the remains of a limited budget. Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama. The concept is a sort of dinosaur themed county fair midway, but ultimately it just seems out of place with the rest of the park being so incredibly detailed. The center piece is Primeval Whirl, two cheaply themed basic spinning wild mouse coasters. Only the left side was running, and I got my credit. Disney can do much better than this. A South Carolina license plate? I have absolutely no explanation for this. Maybe there is some theme going on here that I totally missed. I guess it is supposed to be southern themed for whatever reason. Moving on, I was looking forward to ride the other remaining E-Ticket attraction at Animal Kingdom. The premise of DINOSAUR is that you are traveling back in time to just before an asteroid (presumably causing the extinction of the dinosaurs) hits Earth. For me, all I got from it was that somebody invented a time machine that involves violently shaking the piss out of you for 10 minutes. The ride probably would have been pretty cool as a normal dark ride where you ride through and see the animatronics, but instead Disney decided to make the entire experience equivalent to riding down a rocky hillside in an Oldsmobile. I have no desire to ever do it again. One more look at the Tree of Life... And that's it for Animal Kingdom. It took just two hours for me to do the things that I had planned. This is going to be a pretty memorable birthday. On to park number two. I figured this park would not take very long either. The main goals were Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Midway Mania, all opened since I visited before. I visited the Studios park near Paris last year, and was interested to compare it to the original. Having Pixar back in the fold is huge for the Disney parks. There are so many ride opportunities involving their films. First stop, Toy Story Midway Mania. I always wondered how they estimated the queue times. Now I know. In fact, I ended up getting one of these five times during the day. This ride had one of the only real lines I had to wait in the entire day. It was around 20 minutes. Not a bad line to wait in, though, because it is fantastically themed and the animatronic Mr. Potato Head is hilarious. It seemed to malfunction, though, because when he went to pop his ear back in it missed the hole and fell off onto the floor, making a loud noise. This is one of the best rides ever. I did not really know much about the ride in advance, but wow, unbelievable. The technology is impressive, and the different games are just so much fun. The cars move through the building coming to a stop in front of different games of skill on HD screens, and the gun on your car can be used to fire balls on the screens at the targets. It's basically a massive immersive video game. I would say this is probably my second favorite Disney ride. This is the first. I went on the Tower of Terror in Paris, and absolutely loved it. But, then I hear everyone saying that the Paris one is the worst, and is blown away by the Florida version. Could it really be that much better? Yes. I even broke my re-ride rule and grabbed a Fast Pass to ride again. The Fast Pass was not really needed however, as there was no line. The lobby was similar to the Paris ride, but it became clear quickly that there was more space and more budget for this one. The Paris Tower is fixed in the elevator shaft, and does not move forward onto a track, so needless to say I was a bit surprised when this one started moving out of the shaft. The dark ride portion is stunning, and the drop portion is a blast, not to mention a new experience each time you ride it. Based on the six Disney parks I have been to, this is my favorite attraction they have ever built. Hands down. Next door is Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. While I believe the ride itself is the same as the Paris version, again it is clear that Paris got the short end of the stick, especially when it comes to the plaza in front of the ride. Paris did not have the big Gibson out front or the strings turning into track. Those things were just painted on a wall. This sort of became a recurring theme here: Things that the Paris Studios skimped on. There is not a single thing I can think of that is done better there than in Florida. I really enjoy this ride. While certainly not spectacular, it is smoother than I would expect given the shoulder restraints, and works really well with the music and theming. Hey, remember when America used to actually have a good transit system? 100 years ago? Good times. To anyone who thinks Disney can do no wrong, I give you exhibit A. And exhibit B. The Mickey hat works a lot better than the Epcot Mickey wand. The final ride I needed to do at the Studios. It's an old one, but still great to me. Absolutely loving the lines. Casablanca! Did not do this, but I loved it when I went before. All I wanted to do at this point was walk through the rest of the park and then leave. Did it before, did it in Paris, so no big loss not doing it this day. Now Disney has announced plans to makeover Star Tours with a new film integrating the prequels. Just when you thought George Lucas had run out of things to ruin, he pops up again to continue destroying your childhood. That's it for Hollywood Studios. Two parks down, and the time is only 2:00. I hurried through the first two parks because I wanted to maximize my time at Epcot, which is my favorite park. Epcot is exactly where I headed next. Well, first the Transportation Center across from Magic Kingdom to leave my car for the rest of the day. The "watch your heads" announcement on the tram was made after I proceeded to absolutely crush mine entering the car. Off to Epcot. Definitely the most unique of the Disney parks, and the most adult oriented, I am a huge fan of the Epcot concept. Also, a huge fan of Spaceship Earth. Test Track was just being planned the last time I was Epcot, so there were a number of new E-Ticket attractions for me to do. The first stop, however, was a long overdue meal. This bird was way too confident, and just waiting for me to look the other way. First ride of the day at Epcot. There was a slight wait for Test Track, but I went right through in the single rider line. I have taken thousands of rides on roller coasters and other thrill rides, including the 30 hour marathon on the Screamin' Eagle. On all of these rides I have wallet, keys, cell phone, etc in my pockets. Not once have I ever lost anything from my pockets on a ride. Until this day. Until the weakest, most unexciting thrill ride at Walt Disney World. Yes, I lost my cell phone on Test Track of all rides. The most embarrassing ride ever to lose something on. I made the walk of shame up the exit ramp, and thankfully it had been retrieved from the car, so all was good. Next door, Mission: SPACE. I did not have many expectations for this. In addition to generally finding simulator rides fairly mundane, they also make me sick, and apparently this thing makes a LOT of people sick. So much in fact that they now offer a non-spinning side of the ride. You receive a card for the intensity that you choose, just so they can assure that everyone getting on has had every opportunity to know what they are getting into. Four people are assigned to a pod, and each one has a role. I was the navigator. You are asked to push buttons at a couple of points during the ride, but whether you do or not does not actually affect the story or the ride. Not only did Mission: SPACE not make me even the slightest bit sick or uncomfortable (it was quite pleasant in fact), but I totally loved it. One of my favorite rides at Disney World. The centrifuge works brilliantly, and you wouldn't even know you were in one without prior knowledge or examining your surroundings carefully when you board the car. The forward spinning on launch and backward spinning to simulate weightlessness work so incredibly well that it is almost impossible not to get caught up in the effect. I was truly impressed. In the pavilion at the ride exit there is some sort of mission control game you can play. Looked interesting, but I had to keep moving. I believe I have been on Universe of Energy before, and at 45 minutes long, it would have to be one of the few things I skipped out on at Epcot. I definitely would not be skipping out on this. Spaceship Earth is still one of my favorites. The interactive future part is kind of cheesy, but the attraction still captures the essence of what Epcot is supposed to be about. I can't wait for my future. HERE is my video. I can't wait to be able to drive around in George Jetson's car. Moving on to The Land pavilion, it was time for Soarin'. I had heard so much hype for this ride, so it was a bit of a let down. I definitely enjoyed it, but I didn't find it to be that much more immersive than just watching a movie in a normal domed IMAX theater. I will say that anytime the camera moved down close to the ground or water, I felt like my feet were about to hit, so the illusion was pretty good at times. I love all of the different pavilions at Epcot. No other park has really explored that concept to such an extent. Unfortunately, Living with the Land, which I recall really enjoying before, was down for rehab. Last time I went on The Seas, there was no Nemo. Integrating the film was an obvious opportunity I guess, and it adds a little something extra to the ride. Dark skies in the distance, but the rain held off the entire day. Luck was definitely on my side all week. On to the other half of Epcot, World Showcase, where you can buy hockey shirts in Canada. And soccer shirts in England of course. Like Chelsea. And Liverpool. And Newcastle. And Manchester United. And, that's it. Arsenal seems to constantly get short changed in America. With more time, I would have liked to explore the countries a bit more, and perhaps sample some more food. A walk-through would have to suffice, though. This is definitely the most adult part of Disney, and there are only two actual rides in the World Showcase. For this to really be an accurate representation, there would be hundreds of thousands of pigeons. Norway is home to one of the aforementioned rides. Maelstrom. A bit dated, but I still like it. What I did not like was that the only way to exit the ride is through a theater, and the doors are closed while the film is playing inside, so everyone is stuck at the ride exit until it is over. Still a decent illusion. Final ride at Epcot, and another makeover with Disney characters to add appeal to children. Worth doing once. That's about it. I was really pleased with how much I was able to do at Epcot. I did much more than I had planned or hoped for, and the only disappointment was that The Land boat ride was closed. Also, I only recently remembered that I forgot to go into the Coca-Cola area with the free samples. I left Epcot at around 6:30, leaving plenty of time to hit some of the highlights at the Magic Kingdom. Preparations for Halloween were well underway there. No one has ever taken this picture before. Tomorrowland is one of my favorite theme park areas, but first I headed for the back of the park. Rides I would not be doing included this. And this. This, however, is a must-do. One of the classic Disney attractions. The dancing ghosts in the ballroom are still some of the best ride special effects anywhere. Amazingly realistic. Next, the water ride that all water rides want to be. It's impressive how much ride is packed into what appears from the outside to be a fairly small space. There are many scenes, and a good number of drops before the big one at the end. I hate to get back to Disneyland Paris again, but that park comes up short because it is missing one very important thing: Splash Mountain! It may be the most iconic Disney ride, and is one of the best. Next door is the best Disney World roller coaster. Yes, I prefer it to Everest. It is such a long ride with so many great little moments. I would probably even put it in my top 20 or 25 steel coasters. By this point night had fallen over central Florida. My one missing coaster at Disney was in here. Goofy's Barnstormer. One of the few junior coasters you will ever see that runs two trains. Now finally, to Tomorrowland. It was very sad to see this, but I knew long before I even planned the trip that Space Mountain would be down for rehab, so it was not a surprise. Did this in Paris, but it is such an awesome ride that I did not mind spending some time to do it again. I had not planned to do this, but when I got off Buzz Lightyear there it was. The cast member pointed out that the last Monsters, Inc show was about to start, and I would probably be much more happy doing that, but I had made my decision. Big crowd. I wanted to do this because I rode Alien Encounter when it opened, and it nearly scared me to death. I needed to see for myself just how awful its replacement was. It's pretty bad. The handful of other people on the ride did not seem to be too impressed either. SpectroMagic is a cool evening light parade at the Magic Kingdom, but it was a bit of an annoyance because I was trapped on the wrong half of the park. While trapped, I took a second ride on Big Thunder Mountain, then patiently waited for the parade to end. I had one final ride to do to make the day an unbelievable smashing success, but this parade was in my way. Finally, with minutes until closing, it ended. The final can't-miss attraction. I really liked the addition of Jack Sparrow and the different movie related items. It was fun to try and spot them in each room. It was very appropriate of the park to shoot off fireworks to celebrate my accomplishment. "Wishes" is easily the best fireworks show I have ever seen. There could not have been a better way to finish out the day. Just when I thought it was winding down, the show kicked into another gear. During the finale the sky seems to absolutely explode. And so that does it. All of Disney World, or the highlights at least, in one day. On the right day, with the right planning, it can be done. I never really felt that hurried either, and Epcot in particular was taken in at a very relaxed pace. To recap, here are all the rides I did: Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition Everest Primeval Whirl DINOSAUR Toy Story Midway Mania! Tower of Terror Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Tower of Terror Great Movie Ride Test Track Mission: SPACE Spaceship Earth Soarin' The Seas Maelstrom Grand Fiesta The Haunted Mansion Splash Mountain Big Thunder Mountain Railway Goofy's Barnstormer Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin Stitch's Great Escape Big Thunder Mountain Railway Pirates of the Caribbean My favorites? There are six that stand out above the rest for me: Tower of Terror Toy Story Midway Mania! Big Thunder Mountain Railway Splash Mountain Expedition Everest Mission: SPACE Return Home Content copyright Jonathan Hawkins