Ok, this is a little different for a lot of us since we have lived close enough to Disney to do one day trips. But if you don't live within a three hour drive, would you do this?
Disney Tickets? Typically $109-$189 per park, depending on the time of the year and the park. Park-hopping and line-skipping perks cost extra. Then there’s food (a Mickey pretzel with cheese sauce: $7.79), merch and transport to and from the airport.
Skipping overnight stays saves big. At one of Disney’s cheapest spots, All-Star Sports Resort, the median price for a standard room over the past five years was $210 a night, according to Len Testa, president of Touring Plans, which helps visitors navigate the parks. The Grand Floridian Hotel & Spa hits nearly $1,000 a night.
With her $1,450 annual pass and airline points, Santiago, the fitness-retreat planner, keeps trips under $150. She skips line-jumping extras, even for her beloved Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, preferring to go with the flow
She started taking one-day trips as a way to decompress, get some alone time, and reconnect with her inner child. “Everybody thinks I’m crazy. My kids are like, ‘don’t you get tired of it?’ Absolutely not!”
Veronica Diaz, a 41-year-old photographer from Houston, rose at 2 a.m. to do her hair and makeup before her 5:30 a.m. Disney-bound Southwest flight. She maps rides in advance, hitting only those on the same side of the park.
“You want to save your feet and that is where experience comes into play,” says Diaz.
Disney Tickets? Typically $109-$189 per park, depending on the time of the year and the park. Park-hopping and line-skipping perks cost extra. Then there’s food (a Mickey pretzel with cheese sauce: $7.79), merch and transport to and from the airport.
Skipping overnight stays saves big. At one of Disney’s cheapest spots, All-Star Sports Resort, the median price for a standard room over the past five years was $210 a night, according to Len Testa, president of Touring Plans, which helps visitors navigate the parks. The Grand Floridian Hotel & Spa hits nearly $1,000 a night.
With her $1,450 annual pass and airline points, Santiago, the fitness-retreat planner, keeps trips under $150. She skips line-jumping extras, even for her beloved Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, preferring to go with the flow
She started taking one-day trips as a way to decompress, get some alone time, and reconnect with her inner child. “Everybody thinks I’m crazy. My kids are like, ‘don’t you get tired of it?’ Absolutely not!”
Veronica Diaz, a 41-year-old photographer from Houston, rose at 2 a.m. to do her hair and makeup before her 5:30 a.m. Disney-bound Southwest flight. She maps rides in advance, hitting only those on the same side of the park.
“You want to save your feet and that is where experience comes into play,” says Diaz.
Audrey Tremaine's Disney-in-a-Day Itinerary:
Audrey Tremaine3:15 A.M.
Tremaine and her boyfriend Jakob Coker take a Lyft ride to Chicago O'Hare International Airport: $40.116:00 A.M.
Spirit Airlines flight to Orlando, Fla.: $11 round trip, booked with miles and points10:00 A.M.
Uber from Orlando airport to Magic Kingdom: $23.7710:30 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
A day in Magic Kingdom:
Park Admission: $154 per person
Dole Whip: $8.28 including tax
Cheshire Cat Tail and Cherry Queen of Hearts Slushy: $12.55 including tax
Loaded Chicken Strips: $12.02 including tax6:20 P.M.
Uber from Magic Kingdom to Orlando airport: $22.408:30 P.M.
Return flight from Orlando to Chicago10:45 - 11:00 P.M
Arrival at Chicago O'Hare and Uber home: $23.7411:45 P.M.
Tremaine and Coker arrive home
Molly Staffordsmith’s day in the Most Magical Place on Earth kicked off at 6 a.m. in a distinctly less enchanting locale: the Philadelphia International Airport.
Staffordsmith, a 22-year-old from New Jersey who works at a financial-advisory firm, had a detailed plan. As she and her father took off on Spirit Airlines, her sister logged into her Disney app from home and snagged them a coveted spot on Tron Lightcycle Run at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
After landing, Staffordsmith and her dad took an Uber straight to Tomorrowland to board Tron, a ride in which passengers straddle seats like on a motorcycle.
Then they hustled half-a-mile across the park, grabbed a breakfast burrito to share, and lined up for the Pirates of the Caribbean, where they waited an hour to board a weathered barge that floats by Dead Man’s Cove and a town ransacked by buccaneers. A whirlwind of rides later, including a sprint to Space Mountain, it was time for their final adventure: the 8 p.m. flight home.
“It was truly a magical day,” says Staffordsmith. “Everything worked out. And it was fantastic.”
Die-hard Disney fans are taking their love for the parks to another level: Partaking of the whole Disney travel and park experience in a single day.
Whether to save money, accommodate tight schedules, or simply test one’s limits, the endeavor requires meticulous planning, comfortable footwear, and an encyclopedic knowledge of Disney’s sprawling park system.
“The 24-hour thing can be challenging but it’s totally doable,” says Magda Santiago, a 52-year-old fitness-retreat planner from New Jersey, who has conquered all four Walt Disney World theme parks in one go.
Her pro-tips: Avoid Magic Kingdom on Mondays (Wednesday rocks). Start with Animal Kingdom’s less-crowded rides, then hit Hollywood Studios. Cap off at Epcot, margarita in hand.
For Audrey Tremaine, 22, Disney-in-a-day was the budget-friendly choice for her second anniversary with her boyfriend.
“Well, it’s cheaper than a hotel,” the recent college graduate remembers thinking.
Airline points slashed their Spirit Airlines flights to $11 each. Flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on a Tuesday, weekday Disney passes, homemade sandwiches and minimal extras kept the total to around $240 per person.
“I would totally do it again,” says Tremaine. “It is a huge money saver, especially if you’re on a budget.”
Tremaine’s boyfriend, Jakob Coker, 22, advises—book a later flight. Their 8:30 p.m. departure meant rushing out by 6:20 p.m.
Jennifer Abbey, a 32-year-old marketing executive, tackled Disney with her sister in 12 hours. Using airline miles, they booked a pre-Thanksgiving trip for minimal crowds.
She left her Brooklyn apartment at 4:45 a.m. for a 6 a.m. JFK flight. The sisters used the airline’s free Wi-Fi to book the rides they wanted.
Prioritizing favorites and short lines, they hit Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot before their 8 p.m. flight. Total cost? About $225 each. Abbey says the trip was mostly about the adrenaline rush.
“It was a fun experience, but it was exhausting. I’m not quite sure I would do it again,” Abbey said. “But I can check that off my bucket list.”
Staffordsmith, a 22-year-old from New Jersey who works at a financial-advisory firm, had a detailed plan. As she and her father took off on Spirit Airlines, her sister logged into her Disney app from home and snagged them a coveted spot on Tron Lightcycle Run at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
After landing, Staffordsmith and her dad took an Uber straight to Tomorrowland to board Tron, a ride in which passengers straddle seats like on a motorcycle.
Then they hustled half-a-mile across the park, grabbed a breakfast burrito to share, and lined up for the Pirates of the Caribbean, where they waited an hour to board a weathered barge that floats by Dead Man’s Cove and a town ransacked by buccaneers. A whirlwind of rides later, including a sprint to Space Mountain, it was time for their final adventure: the 8 p.m. flight home.
“It was truly a magical day,” says Staffordsmith. “Everything worked out. And it was fantastic.”
Die-hard Disney fans are taking their love for the parks to another level: Partaking of the whole Disney travel and park experience in a single day.
Whether to save money, accommodate tight schedules, or simply test one’s limits, the endeavor requires meticulous planning, comfortable footwear, and an encyclopedic knowledge of Disney’s sprawling park system.
“The 24-hour thing can be challenging but it’s totally doable,” says Magda Santiago, a 52-year-old fitness-retreat planner from New Jersey, who has conquered all four Walt Disney World theme parks in one go.
Homemade sandwiches, $11 flights
She goes to Disney World at least twice a year, usually flying Frontier Airlines out of New Jersey’s Trenton-Mercer Airport at 5 a.m., and getting home between nine and 11 p.m. that day. She carries a small backpack with a sweater and a change of clothes.Her pro-tips: Avoid Magic Kingdom on Mondays (Wednesday rocks). Start with Animal Kingdom’s less-crowded rides, then hit Hollywood Studios. Cap off at Epcot, margarita in hand.
For Audrey Tremaine, 22, Disney-in-a-day was the budget-friendly choice for her second anniversary with her boyfriend.
“Well, it’s cheaper than a hotel,” the recent college graduate remembers thinking.
Airline points slashed their Spirit Airlines flights to $11 each. Flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on a Tuesday, weekday Disney passes, homemade sandwiches and minimal extras kept the total to around $240 per person.
“I would totally do it again,” says Tremaine. “It is a huge money saver, especially if you’re on a budget.”
Tremaine’s boyfriend, Jakob Coker, 22, advises—book a later flight. Their 8:30 p.m. departure meant rushing out by 6:20 p.m.
Jennifer Abbey, a 32-year-old marketing executive, tackled Disney with her sister in 12 hours. Using airline miles, they booked a pre-Thanksgiving trip for minimal crowds.
She left her Brooklyn apartment at 4:45 a.m. for a 6 a.m. JFK flight. The sisters used the airline’s free Wi-Fi to book the rides they wanted.
Prioritizing favorites and short lines, they hit Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot before their 8 p.m. flight. Total cost? About $225 each. Abbey says the trip was mostly about the adrenaline rush.
“It was a fun experience, but it was exhausting. I’m not quite sure I would do it again,” Abbey said. “But I can check that off my bucket list.”
