“We could just… go to Disney World tomorrow” I half-heartedly suggested while settling into a bar stool at Los Angeles International Airport. Our original flight plans to connect to Palm Beach from Atlanta had just imploded and after a quick call with Delta, we were now preparing to make an unplanned midnight arrival to Orlando. But after a few insanely overpriced margaritas, the idea of stopping by the Most Magical Place on Earth without tickets, a plan, or even a place to stay started sounding like a great idea, and before we knew it, we were telling everyone we saw “We’re going to Disney World!”
If you’re planning a Disney vacation, or if you’ve planned one before, you know that there’s strategy required; Booking dining for the most popular restaurants 60 days out, planning to be at the parks at 7 am in the hopes of snagging a coveted Lightening Lane for the most popular attractions, and planning your ride strategy to avoid lines are just some of the ways guests optimize their Disney World experience.
I’m not here to tell you that you don’t need to do any of that! Of course, there are certain places you won’t be able to eat at without reservations, hotels that won’t be available without booking ahead, and seasons (namely the week of Christmas) when this simply won’t be possible. What I am here to tell you is that even in 2025, it’s possible to have a casual visit to Disney World for a single day and still accomplish everything you’d want to without spending hours planning and stressing about plans.
If you're here, you might be trying to figure out how to make the most of one day in Disney World. While you can visit Disney without planning, in order to achieve the kind of success we had on our visit, it’s important to have some basic knowledge of how the parks operate.
If you’re a total newbie or a seasoned veteran, I promise there will be some helpful information for you here; I lived in the greater Orlando area for four years, have been to the Walt Disney World theme parks over 150 times, and know the parks quite literally inside and out. Today, I’ll share how my partner and I managed to ride every attraction, see our favorite shows, enjoy the best restaurants, and experience beautiful wildlife all in one day over a holiday weekend. Here’s my ultimate guide to visiting Disney World for one day without planning, plus some tips and tricks that only the locals know!
Picking the Best Place to Stay for Visiting Disney World
I won’t lie, staying at a Disney-owned hotel can add a whole additional layer of “magic” to your vacation. But if you’re balling on a budget like we were for this trip, or if you’re planning a quick, one-night visit to the Mouse’s house, you can absolutely get by staying at a hotel that Disney doesn’t own. While I don’t typically advocate for third-party hotel sites, Orlando’s abundance of adequate lodging makes it one of the best places to take a gamble on Priceline or Hotel Tonight.
I’d recommend setting your search location to “Lake Buena Vista,” the formal name for the land Disney World sits on. Keep an eye out for hotels located within Disney property bounds near Disney Springs, or hotels in the newly renovated Flamingo Crossing area. I’d also avoid staying at hotels located off of Highway 192 in Kissimmee as those tend to be run down. I’d also avoid hotels with “Universal” or “SeaWorld” in the name as those theme parks are a 20 or 30 minute drive (depending on traffic) from Disney.
We were lucky enough to find a decent deal for one of Disney’s “good neighbor” hotels, the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, which receives certain benefits like early park admission, shuttle transportation to the parks, and walkability to the Disney Springs shopping district. I’ll be honest, this hotel is showing its age, the staff was only so/so, and this hotel doesn’t hold a candle to other hotels with the Hilton flagship branding that I’ve stayed at. That said, putting this hotel in the frame of reference of a one night quick stay and forgiving the price due to the premium location, I’d consider staying here again, especially at the affordable $230 rate we found online.
I’ve also stayed at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista, and Gaylord Palms Resort and felt that all of those properties would serve the purpose of a one-night crash pad (the latter I prefer to most of the Disney properties I’ve stayed at).
How to Spend One Day at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Before 10 am: Arrive, Buy Tickets, and Activate Genie Plus
If you’re visiting a Disney Park for the day, you’re likely driving in. For regular daytime guests, parking costs $30 per vehicle and covers your parking fees for all of the parks for a single day, meaning you could move your car from one theme park lot to another without having to pay an additional parking fee. If you’re looking to skirt the parking fees and happen to be staying nearby, you could explore taking a shuttle from your hotel if one is available.
Park tickets can be purchased online or at the theme park's front gate. We purchased our tickets at the gate and quickly linked them to our phones using the My Disney Experience app. This app allows you to make dining reservations, mobile order food from quick service dining locations, check ride wait times, and use Genie Plus. To connect a ticket purchased at the gate, simply scan the QR code on the back of the ticket card.
If you’re only visiting for one day, I highly recommend purchasing a Lighting Lane Multi-Pass (formerly known as FastPass). This service expedites your time standing in line for certain rides by bypassing the regular “Stand By” lines and allowing access to the Lightning Lanes which receive priority admission onto specific attractions. Lightning Lane Multi-Pass is dynamically priced based on the date of your visit and the park you are visiting. We paid $17 each to take advantage of the program over MLK Weekend at Animal Kingdom. That said, the service saved us over three hours in lines and made our day much more enjoyable.
Once you’ve purchased Lightning Lanes, you’ll want to select your attractions as soon as possible. Lightening Lanes are limited and frequently run out by the early afternoon. If you’re visiting Animal Kingdom, I’d recommend selecting Lightning Lanes for Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, and Navi’I River Journey. If those attractions are unavailable, I’d recommend selecting Dinosaur (Expected to close some time in 2025), Festival of the Lion King, or Finding Nemo: The Big Blue...and Beyond. You can check out all available Lightning Lane attractions here.
At 10 am, we selected the below Lightning Lane options:
10:40-11:40 – Kilimanjaro Safari
12:10-1:10 – Expedition Everest
5:45-6:45 – Nav’I River Journey
In addition to Lightning Lanes, select attractions may have Individual Lightning Lanes available for purchase. These rides cannot be unlocked using the regular Lightning Lane Multi-Pass features and need to be purchased a la carte. At Animal Kingdom, the only attraction with this add-on is Avatar: Flight of Passage. These individual lightning lanes tend to run around $20 each, but they are dynamically priced and sell out early in the day. On the date of our visit, the Individual Light Lanes had sold out before our 10 am arrival. That said, I don’t feel that paying for these expensive upsells is worth it for most visitors, especially at Animal Kingdom where there’s more than enough time to enjoy all of the attractions.
EmmExplorer Extras:
Book your Lightning Lanes as early in the day as possible. As soon as you scan a Lightning Lane, or if it’s been more than two hours since your first reservation, you’re able to request additional Lightning Lane passes. This is especially helpful for parks like Magic Kingdom that have multiple Lightning Lane attractions to experience. That said, at Walt Disney World, you can also use this hack to book Lightning Lanes for the same ride again in case you’d like to experience it twice.
Arrival-12 pm: Hop on Rides & Maximize Lightning Lanes
For the few hours of the day, we fully focused on rides, making a beeline to Expedition Everest and opting to wait standby because we knew we wanted to experience it twice. From there, we headed down to Dinosaur in Dinoland USA to get one last ride in before its impending closure. After a quick 20-minute standby wait, we returned to Africa for our 10:40 Kilimanjaro Safari experience via Lightning Lane. As soon as we scanned our Lightning Lane passes for the safari, we made a reservation for It’s Tough to be a Bug (Closing March 2025). I would not recommend following our lead here and instead recommend reserving a Lightning Lane for an attraction you’d like to experience again (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris) or a show (Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo – The Musical).
EmmExplorer Extras:
Consider using the Single Rider line for Expedition Everest if you're short on time or hoping to ride the attraction more than once. I’ve seen great success cutting standby wait times in half by standing in the Single Rider line, especially later in the day. The line is located to the left of the gift shop exit and is not always open. If you do choose to stand in the Single Rider line, note you will not sit with anyone in your party, though you may end up on the same train. You’re also unable to select the front or back seats while standing in the Single Rider line.
12 pm-2 pm: Catch a Show and Mobile Order Your Lunch
As we entered the afternoon and hunger crept up on us, we decided to catch the 1 pm showing of Festival of the Lion King. While waiting in line for seating, we mobile ordered our lunch at Satu'li Canteen in Pandora. Mobile ordering has become standard at all quick service locations in the parks and I've found it expedites meal service significantly. Mobile ordering is accessed through the My Disney Experience app and allows you to order food and pay in advance on your mobile device. Plan to order your meal around 40 minutes before you’d like to eat and enjoy a show or look at animals nearby your restaurant of choice while you wait.
If you’re looking for great quick service, I highly recommend Satuli Canteen for build-your-own protein bowls or, my favorite, steamed cheeseburger pods with chips and coleslaw. Full lunches with soft drinks at Disney will run around $20 per person.
EmmExplorer Extras:
Save sit-down dining reservations for dinner time, especially at Animal Kingdom. Most animal viewing locations close around 5 pm, which significantly reduces the amount of things to do in the park. Enjoying a sit-down meal at the end of the day reduces the stress of wanting to finish a meal quickly to enjoy the park.
2 pm-4 pm: Check Out the Animals, Grab a Drink, and Re-Ride Your Favorites
With most of the rides out of the way (with a notable exception that we’ll get to later), we decided to spend the afternoon leisurely enjoying the park. This included some shopping at the gift shops, admiring the animals around Discovery Island, visiting the Maharajah Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail to see Tigers and Gorillas, and riding the atrocity that is It’s Tough to Be a Bug (closing March 2025) one last time.
On this trip, we spent extended time exploring around the Tree of Life, which I highly suggest if you haven’t before and find yourself with extra time. There are some excellent photo spots located around the tree that are perfect for the ‘gram. This is also a great time to take advantage of Disney’s PhotoPass photographers to get photos with the Tree of Life. My favorite photographer location is the small dock area next to Mr. Kamal’s snack stand in between the Asia and Africa areas of the park.
As the late afternoon tummy rumbles set in, consider picking up a snack. My favorite sweet treat is the Zebra Domes at Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery in Africa, seasoned fries from Mr. Kamal’s snack shack in Asia, and boozy Dole Whips served at Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Africa. We opted for the latter this past trip, selecting a special offering consisting of Dole Whip, strawberry purée, and rum. It was sweet, delicious, and a definite recommend in my eyes.
EmmExplorer Extras:
Many of the animals “go to sleep” around 5 pm, so if you have any interest in seeing them, prioritize Killamanjaro Safari and the various animal exhibits in the mid-afternoon when lines begin to fill up.
4 pm-6 pm: Catch Some AC, Plan Dinner, and Stand in Your Big Lines of the Day
As the Floridian afternoon rains and heat set in, it was the perfect time to get in line for our longest wait of the day; Avatar: Flight of Passage. Lines for this ride tend to hover around an hour just about any time of day, so pack some patience and know it’s totally worth the wait. We waited around 70 minutes and took the opportunity to strategize our dinner plans while we waited in line. Fortunately, we were able to snag a reservation for Tiffins, a signature, sit-down restaurant located near Pandora: The World of Avatar.
After Flight of Passage, we popped over to Nav’I River Journey, for which we had a Lightning Lane (that I highly recommend getting for this ride). This short attraction is great for all ages, but probably isn’t worth more than a 45 minute wait.
EmmExplorer Extras:
If you’re looking for last minute dining reservations, keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app 24 hours before your visit and throughout your day in the parks. Last minute openings and cancellations tend to pop up, which opens up popular restaurants for day-of dining. On our last trip, I spotted last minute availability at Magic Kingdom’s popular Be Our Guest Restaurant, as well as high-quality resort favorite The Yachtsman Steakhouse.
6 pm-Close: Dinner Time and Souvenir Shopping
Our spontaneous reservation at Tiffins was an unexpected highlight of our visit. The intimate restaurant offers an expansive menu inspired by the travels and research of Disney’s Imagineers while building the theme park. This means there are unique menu items inspired by Africa, Asia, and South America, creating a unique fusion of global flavors.
I opted for two sides as my meal; The Land Salad, created exclusively using vegetables grown in the Living with the Land attraction in EPCOT, and Lobster Macaroni & Cheese. The salad, which I unfortunately forgot to photograph, was crisp and fresh with a bright citrus vinaigrette that I adored. The mac was rich and plentiful with chunks of lobster. I also enjoyed an Annapurna Lotus beverage that featured an infamous Disney glow-cube (I used to BEG my parents for the drinks with glow cubes when I was a kid… It's fun being an adult with my own money!) and a glass of African Sauvignon Blanc.
My partner adored his Oaxacan Pork Duo featuring a pork chop and smoked pork shoulder. He also indulged in a glass of African red wine and a S'mores martini that looked delectable. For dessert, we split the crème brulé, which was good, but nothing terribly special. That said, we loved our time at Tiffins and would absolutely return during a future visit.
Booking an evening dining reservation at Animal Kingdom offers the unique opportunity of staying in the park past closing time. This means open, albeit quieter, gift shops and a nearly empty area in front of the Tree of Life. We took a few minutes to enjoy the ambiance of the park at night and reflected on an incredible day of spontaneity, adventure, and togetherness before we hit the road for our next adventure.
Wrapping It Up!
Whew, that’s how to spend one action-packed but low-key day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Following our visit, my partner and I endured a rainy three-hour drive to West Palm Beach (a drive I would not recommend adding to your own itinerary). But despite the exhausting drive at hand, we couldn’t stop talking about what a perfect day we had and how much we wanted to replay it over and over again.
While there’s so much to explore in Walt Disney World, there’s even more to see in the state of Florida. If you’re interested in visiting Florida, I have plenty of tips and itineraries to share from my “Great Florida Road Trip” blog series.
If you’re a Disney fan, check out some Disney-related blog posts below and keep an eye out for more Disney World and Disneyland guides to come!
Until next time, keep on exploring!
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