ORLANDO, July 12 ― So much excitement, so little time.

Universal Orlando, Sea World and Disney World all compete for your attention. It seems within the realm of possibility to visit all of them over the course of a (very long) weekend until you realise the Disney World problem.

The complex includes the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, four equally appealing options. Most people have to choose between Disney World and the rest, but roller coaster enthusiasts like me (and very ambitious family travellers) refuse to make a decision. We can do it all.

Here is some advice on experiencing the thrills at the parks while still having time later for refreshments at Downtown Disney.

10am

My friend Peter and I bought park hopper tickets (US$155, around RM587 a person) at the Caribe Royale hotel, where we stayed. During breakfast, we downloaded the Disney World app and linked the tickets to it. That gave us access to the Fast Pass+ system, which allows you to reserve time on rides. We chose a three-ride pass, which you must use at only one park.

Using the pass at the Magic Kingdom made sense; it would be the last park we would visit, and reservations had already filled up on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the new ride that I wanted to try. Because we would have to wait in line for that one, I booked reservations for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. It was time to start.

11am

I decided to make Disney’s Animal Kingdom our first stop because I was eager to ride Expedition Everest, a signature high-speed roller coaster that weaves around mountain landscapes and comes with some surprises. It’s one of three attractions in the Disney World complex that has a line for single riders; we got in line and shaved 30 minutes off the 45-minute wait for people who were riding with companions.

1pm

Next up was Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which includes my favorite Disney park ride, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

We grabbed a quick lunch on the way to Rock 'n’ Roller Coaster, the indoor ride that features music by Aerosmith. This time, we waited less than 20 minutes to get on because of the single-rider line.

3.30pm

Epcot is spread out and doesn’t provide a lot of high-intensity options, so we stayed mostly in Future World at the front of the park; venturing into the World Showcase section would have meant lots of strolling and very few thrills.

Peter really wanted to ride the laid-back, moody Spaceship Earth, inside the globe near the entrance. Lucky for us, the wait was roughly five minutes, so we indulged.

Next was Test Track, which had the fastest moving single-rider line we experienced in the parks.

Now that we were in geek mode, we could try Mission: Space, which simulates a rocket launch to Mars, with a good amount of sound and movement in a slightly claustrophobic environment. The digital Mars animations are fascinating. The wait, 25 minutes, was not too bad.

5.30pm

Our first Fast Pass reservation in the Magic Kingdom was around 6.30pm. We left Epcot to get to Magic Kingdom (which involves parking, a monorail ride through a hotel and across water to the park entrance) and have dinner. We used the Fast Pass at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a steel roller coaster, before our 9pm reservation on Space Mountain.

We checked the app to see the wait time because I felt it essential to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the newest roller coaster in the park, regardless of the wait, which was listed at 60 minutes; we went for it.

We got to Space Mountain full of anticipation. I remembered this ride as stellar when I was a child, and after all these years, it remains a thrill. As we got off and noticed the line was short even for those without Fast Pass, we decided to wait to ride it a second time. We still exited the ride in time to make a light show at the castle, and were able to leave by 10.30pm.

In roughly a 12-hour period, we traversed four parks, rode all of Disney World’s coasters and took advantage of many other rides with minimal wait times. We were weary but believed we had done more than most would think possible, and left early enough to rest up for more theme park fun elsewhere the next day. ― The New York Times