A 24-Hour Impromptu Visit to Walt Disney World (How We Did It)

A few weeks ago, I received a text message from a friend who was coming into town for a business trip. She wanted to know if I would be available to hang out in the parks if she came a day early. Her main priority was going to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic! because she hadn’t seen it in forever. I couldn’t have been more excited! First, I am always happy when friends or family visit. Secondly, I hadn’t seen Fantasmic! in forever either!

This particular friend, Anna, has also been to Disney many times. So, I knew she wouldn’t have much of an agenda. But we had such a good time that I felt inspired to write a trip report about how things went. Other than one hiccup, we did a lot in less than 24 hours. I couldn’t believe it!

It all started at the airport, where I picked her up at approximately 2:00 p.m. We then drove to our resort of choice, Disney’s All-Star Music. Anna had scored a deal for less than $100.00 for the night. We were going to be those people who only slept in the room. When we got to the resort, Anna went inside to check on our room. Normally, you would receive a room-ready text, but our reservation wasn’t linked for some reason. The cast member quickly got things sorted and gave Anna a map with our room number.

the Broadway hotel section of Disney's All-Star Music

We had been hoping to get reservations for 1900 Park Fare for breakfast the following day but had been unsuccessful. So Anna mentioned it, and the cast member gave her a tip. She told us to reserve a table for six guests and then go back to the My Disney Experience app and modify it to a party of two. Sure enough, as soon as she searched for a party of six, several times came up. We selected 10:30 a.m. time. Then, Anna went back in and modified the reservation to two guests. Hopefully, this tip might help you secure a future reservation if you have difficulty.

After we left the check-in area, we drove around to Broadway Hotel, where our room was located. All-Star Music is my favorite of the three All-Star Resorts, and Broadway Hotel is my favorite section. We were assigned a room in building 8, and I was able to park a few steps from our building and walk right to it. If you have a car while you’re at Disney, it’s so convenient to park at the value resorts. You can usually get pretty close to your room. The only time I haven’t been close is when we stayed in the Country Fair section of the resort last year.

We left our bags in the room, and after freshening up, we took my car to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We could have taken the bus, but the car was only a few steps away. We also knew that since we were staying late, we’d end up on a packed bus at the end of the night. So, for this visit, taking the car was a win-win.

We arrived at Hollywood Studios at 4:30 p.m. and had almost two hours until our 6:15 p.m. dining reservation at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. We walked past Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and noticed it had an hour wait posted. Neither of us was in the mood to stand in line, so we went to Star Tours—The Adventure Continues to check out the new ride transmissions that recently debuted. We got Ahsoka Tano and a scene with the purrgil (aka space whales).

Then we did the only other thing that two Disney seasoned pros would do–got in line for Muppet Vision 3D. It was cute but we both decided we didn’t need to see it again for a couple of years. After that, we walked around Grand Ave and reminisced about the former Stage 1 Company Store (the Muppets store), the It’s a Wonderful Shop, and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. (Womp, womp.)

Muppets Courtyard at Disney's Hollywood Studios

At that point, we had a little less than an hour before our reservation, and we were both pretty hungry. We decided to walk around Galaxy’s Edge to see if Chewbacca was out. This is the thing I love about Galaxy’s Edge. You can almost always find a character or two roaming around the land. It was no time before we ran into Chewie, Rey, and Vi Moradi!

Rey, Chewbacca, and Vi Moradi in Galaxy's Edge

Before we knew it, it was time to check in for Sci-Fi. Anna had made this reservation, and I was excited but a little skeptical about eating there. I knew going in I would get something simple like a burger, but I was a little leary that we would receive a basic Disney quick-service burger. Years ago, my son and I ate here often. But with so many new things, Sci-Fi is a place that we’ve overlooked in recent years.

We checked in at approximately 6:10 p.m. and were seated at almost 6:30 p.m. The restaurant was very busy, with many guests waiting near the entrance. When we were seated, a server greeted us, went over the drink specials, and then took our order. Thankfully, things were picking up. We both ordered the classic burger with a side of onion rings. Within 10 minutes, someone brought our burgers. Our food was piping hot, and the burgers tasted like they had come from a premium steakhouse. The patties were sizable, and the meat was tender to the point it was almost falling apart. Our onion rings were tasty, too. Sometimes, you just need a cheeseburger, and we were awarded one. We also had an excellent server who checked on us frequently and kept our drinks refilled.

the signage over the Sci-Fi Dine In Drive In at Disney's Hollywood Studios

After dinner, we really should have gotten in line for Fantasmic! But we decided to walk over to Toy Story Land and check out the wait time for Toy Story Mania. It was only 15 minutes! However, it was 7:53 p.m., and Fantasmic! started at 8:30 p.m. Would we make it? Thankfully, it was practically a walk-on. Our only disappointment was that neither of us was the best in the car, even after we looked up a few cheats! Maybe next time.

After our spin on Toy Story, we were off to see Fantasmic! With a 15-minute wait posted at Toy Story Mania, I just knew we’d have our choice of seats in the theater. Wrong! It was packed. As we walked to the seating area, an announcement came on overhead that limited seating was available. It was less than 10 minutes to showtime. Thankfully, a cast member stopped us and squeezed us into an already closed area. This is what I call Disney magic. We weren’t expecting it, but it all worked out.

My best advice for seeing Fantasmic! is to arrive ahead of time or do a dining package with reserved seating. They let guests in as early as 90 minutes to get a seat. You can grab snacks and drinks to enjoy while you’re waiting. It’s a huge time commitment and one of the reasons I haven’t seen it in so long. Last August, Kristen, Carter, and I thought we would waltz in at the last minute and ended up in the nosebleed section. We couldn’t see anything and ended up leaving.

After Fantasmic! we stayed in our seats. There is no crowd like an after-Fantasmic! crowd (or fireworks at Epcot and Magic Kingdom). It took approximately 10 minutes for the theater to clear. While we waited, we witnessed a man fall, and tons of guests had left their trash under the bleachers. Soon, cast members came through to clean up the mess. We thanked them for what they were doing as we talked a little trash, literally.

When the coast was clear, we took our time walking out of the park. We stopped and took photos of all the neon lights on the way. It’s such a privilege to be able to take your time when you leave late. The shops on Hollywood Boulevard remain open, and while the rides have closed, there is no rush or push to leave.

We drove back to our room and decided to wake up early the following day and take advantage of early theme park entry for resort guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Our room was ice cold when we got back! But we had a good night’s sleep and talked about how we were at a point in our lives where our kids were older, and we were kind of over feeling like we always had to stay at the nicest hotels. Of course, the nice hotels are a treat. But having fun with your family and friends supersedes everything else, and you can do that just fine at the All-Star Resorts.

The next morning came bright and early. We got up, put our luggage in my car, and headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This was the shortest stay I’ve ever had. We never even went to the food court, gift shop, or pool! We got to the park entrance at approximately 7:45 a.m. Early entry had started at 7:30 a.m. that morning, and we were able to breeze through since the other resort guests had already flooded the park. Now, this is not your typical rope-drop strategy. We had decided that if we were going to do things the “right” way, we would have needed to be at the park by 7:00 a.m. But neither of us felt it was worth the effort.

Upon arrival, we went straight to Pandora, the World of Avatar, to ride Flight of Passage. Our only other goal was to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris and leave the park by 9:45 a.m. to get to our breakfast reservation.

We got in line for Flight of Passage at 7:55 a.m. and were in the preshow by 8:35 a.m. So we only had a 40-minute wait and felt that was well worth it, considering waits are typically 1.5 hours or more throughout most of the day. It is also worth noting that we did not spend 30 minutes waiting outside the park that morning for it to open. However, had we not arrived before the park opened to all guests, we would have had much longer waits.

As soon as we exited Flight of Passage, we took the back way from Pandora (past Festival of the Lion King) to Kilimanjaro Safaris. A 15-minute wait was posted! We felt like we had timed things right. It was 8:58 a.m. when we got in line and 9:25 a.m. when we boarded. So we waited a little longer than expected, but I don’t think we ever realized it. We had a wonderful safari with close-up views of the giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and a semi-awake lion.

After our safari, it was time to eat. I’ll have a review of breakfast at 1900 Park Fare in the coming days. When we arrived, the security guard checked our reservation and told us we had to park in the cast member parking lot. A manager was at the gate, and we assume he was there because they’ve undoubtedly received many complaints about parking. It’s not that we care to walk. But we were coming for an expensive brunch at a high-end hotel. A hotel we spend money at regularly. You have to park across the street, cross an exceptionally busy road, and then walk about a quarter of a mile to the hotel’s entrance. A mother was walking along with us. She had her hands full with one child on her hip and leading another toddler by the hand. It was absolutely ridiculous, and the fact that they weren’t making exceptions for guests who clearly needed assistance was disheartening. I don’t know how much more out of touch a hotel could be with its guests.

Thankfully, our spoiled moods were soon lifted. We were greeted by Esther, a female greeter at the Grand Floridian. If you have the time during your visit, stop and say hello. She is a delight. When Jim and Denise were here last month, we met Esther. She was very kind to us and reminded me of what the Grand Floridian is about–people. After we got checked in at 1900 Park Fare, we were soon seated. Mirabel was at the table ahead of us, and the other characters were not far behind (Prince Ali, Tiana, and Cinderella). Because of our timing, we met them all before eating, and it worked well. We had a delicious meal that served as both breakfast and lunch. I will elaborate much more in our review.

After lunch, it was time to drop Anna off for the next leg of her journey. She was meeting up with a fellow travel agent to check out the Conrad, a new hotel immediately behind Walt Disney World. While I was there, I took an initial tour. Price-wise, it’s going to be comparable to the Four Seasons. We’re talking upwards of $1000.00 a night. We were no longer in All-Star Music territory, that’s for sure. Since I didn’t stay at the resort, I can’t offer a review yet. But I took a few photos. So, I will try to do some sort of write-up to give you an idea of what to expect. If it looks like something of interest, you can investigate a little further. I’ve never seen anything quite like the pool. It looks like a lake.

Here’s a recap of our 24-hour trip:

Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. Airport Pick-Up
3:00 p.m. Check-In All-Star Music
4:30 p.m. Hollywood Studios
- Star Tours
- Muppet Vision 3D
- Galaxy’s Edge Characters
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (Dinner)
- Toy Story Mania
- Fantasmic!
- Hotel/Sleep
Wednesday, 7:45 a.m. Animal Kingdom
- Flight of Passage
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Stopped for Character Cruises on the way out
10:30 a.m. Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fare Breakfast
12:30 p.m. Arrived at the Conrad Hotel

If you’ve ever considered flying in for a 24-hour trip, it can be done. Of course, you might prefer to prioritize rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or Tron: Lightcycle Run, or whatever is your preference. If you purchased Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass, you could do even more. We did not purchase any extras. Anna is returning with her son for a jam-packed 48-hour trip in a couple of weeks. She mentioned she would do the extras when he came to make sure he got to see everything. And I would do the same if I had family coming in for a limited visit.

But you don’t have to purchase extras to have a good time. This visit turned out to be 24 hours packed with little things that added up to be a lot! I hope you enjoyed our trip and were able to glean something from it.

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In the Comments

What do you think? Would you be on board for 24 hours at Walt Disney World? Did you like the way we toured? Or did our ride choices make you roll your eyes? What would your priorities have been? And did you see that pool at the Conrad? Let us know below in the comments. We love to hear your feedback and opinions!