- Tour day
- Sun, Nov 88:00 AM – 6:00 PM with our guide
- Parks
- 3 in one dayMagic Kingdom → EPCOT → Hollywood Studios
- Group
- 9 guests5 adults · 4 kids, ages 4–7
- Staying at
- Grand FloridianSat Nov 7 & Sun Nov 8
- Travel
- DriveDown Sat Nov 7 · Home Mon Nov 9
Who’s going
The Davis family
- Amy
- Derek
- Tia
- Jackson · 7 · 48"
- Max · 5 · 44"
Our hosts for the tour. Jackson and Max have never been to Disney World, so this day is built around first-timer magic.
The Moncrieff family
- Andrew
- Molly
- Austin · 6 · 46"
- Ella · 4 · 40"
Ella and Austin have been to the parks a handful of times and are very ready to show the boys around.
The main event
Sunday, November 8 · Hour by hour
Our guide is with us from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The shape of the day: a long Magic Kingdom morning, a quick strike on EPCOT’s best coaster, then a Hollywood Studios finale ending with Fantasmic!. In each park, solid chips are must-dos in no particular order; dashed chips are optional bonuses only if there is time. The guide calls the sequence. Everything before 8:00 and after 6:00 is on our own.
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7:00AMbefore the tour
Grand Floridianon our ownBreakfast and gear up
Quick breakfast at Gasparilla Island Grill (grab-and-go, right by the marina) or in the room. Sunscreen on, chargers packed, and park passes ready to tap: MagicBands, or the Disney MagicMobile pass in Apple Wallet on a phone or Apple Watch.
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7:30AMbefore the tour
Monorail15–20 minMonorail to Magic Kingdom
We ride the monorail from the hotel station, one stop to Magic Kingdom, and meet our guide at the turnstiles by 7:55. Bag check happens on the way in.
Good to know: Magic Kingdom opens at 8:00 that day. Hotel guests get Early Entry at 7:30, but the tour caps at 10 hours, so a 7:30 start would mean a 5:30 finish.
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8:00AMto 1:30 PM
Magic Kingdom5½ hoursMagic Kingdom mega-block
Plan: Meet our guide at the turnstiles and walk in down Main Street, U.S.A. with the castle straight ahead, the boys’ first look at it. Then the must-dos below in whatever order the guide thinks is smartest, plus anything else the guide highly recommends we see or do in Magic Kingdom, with the guide walking us in the Lightning Lane entrance of everything.
Must-do
- TRON Lightcycle / Run 48" · Jackson only
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 38"
- Space Mountain 44" · not Ella
- Big Thunder Mountain 38"
- Peter Pan’s Flight any height
- Haunted Mansion any height
- Pirates of the Caribbean any height
- Jungle Cruise any height · holiday “Jingle Cruise”
Optional, if there’s time
- Buzz Lightyear any height
- “it’s a small world” any height
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant any height
- Mad Tea Party (teacups) any height
- Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid any height
- Anything the guide recommends
First-timer moment: a photo in front of the castle on the way in, and a quick Mickey meet if the guide can slot one in. Lunch: something quick on the move around noon, guide’s pick. Closed that week: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (refurbishment through Dec 18), so it is off the list. Big Thunder reopened in May with new cavern scenes and now takes riders from 38".
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1:30PMto 1:45 PM
Backstage transit
Walk out the nearest Magic Kingdom backstage gate straight into the private van. No tram, no parking lot.
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1:45PMto 2:45 PM
EPCOT1 hourGuardians pit stop
Plan: The van parks backstage right behind World Discovery. Walk straight in and blast off on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, grab a quick snack at the exit, and head back to the van. The Food & Wine Festival booths are open that week, so the snack can be a festival one.
Must-do
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind 42" · not Ella
Optional, if there’s time
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure any height
- Soarin’ Across America 40"
- Test Track 40"
- Frozen Ever After any height
Timing: Cosmic Rewind is the one can’t-miss here. Every optional ride we add at EPCOT stretches this stop and cuts straight into Hollywood Studios time, so we lean on the guide to keep an eye on the clock.
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2:45PMto 3:00 PM
Backstage transit
Quick 10-minute drive over to Hollywood Studios.
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3:00PMto 6:00 PM
Hollywood Studios3 hoursHollywood Studios finale
Plan: The big three here are Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, in whatever order the guide likes, before the guide signs off at 6:00 PM. Galaxy’s Edge is worth a wander for the first-timers.
Must-do
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 40"
- Slinky Dog Dash 38"
- Tower of Terror 40"
Optional, if there’s time
- Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets 48" · Jackson only
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run 38"
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway any height
- Toy Story Mania! any height
Timing: the dashed rides are bonuses only if the big three go fast.
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6:00PMguide signs off
Eveningon our ownDinner and Fantasmic!
Plan: Stay in Hollywood Studios. Dinner in the park, then Fantasmic! at 8:00 PM (second show 9:30 as a backup), then a ride back to the Grand Floridian. We are asking the guide to help set up a VIP viewing spot for the show, a dinner reservation, and the ride home.
Heads up: the van goes home with the guide at 6:00, so the ride back needs to be arranged. No regular fireworks at Magic Kingdom Sunday; it is a Christmas-party night.
Height check
Who rides what
Heights are Disney’s official minimums, measured with shoes on, and the guide cannot bend them. Here is how our four line up against the rides on this page.
Clears every ride on this page.
Sits out TRON and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster.
Sits out TRON and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster.
Sits out TRON, Space Mountain, Cosmic Rewind and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster.
For those rides the grown-ups can use rider swap: one adult waits with the kids who are sitting out, then rides without queuing again. The guide handles it.
The rest of the trip
Saturday and Monday
Saturday, November 7
Drive down and settle in
- Check in at the Grand Floridian. Rooms are ready from about 3:00 PM; bell services holds bags if we arrive early.
- Afternoon for the kids: the Beach Pool is the fun one, with a long waterslide, a zero-entry shallow end and an Alice in Wonderland splash playground for Ella and Max. The Courtyard Pool by the main building is the quiet one. Beyond the pools: the sandy beach on the lagoon, the marina (mini speedboats and pontoon rentals for the brave), the arcade next to Gasparilla, and the monorail itself, which the kids can ride round the whole loop for free. Check the resort activities sheet at check-in for the poolside games and the evening movie on the lawn.
- Dinner ideas: 1900 Park Fare character buffet right in the hotel (book in the app, it is the kids’ first Disney characters), or Grand Floridian Cafe for something calmer. One monorail stop away at the Polynesian: Wailulu Bar & Grill for a sit-down with a view, or Capt. Cook’s quick service and a Dole Whip from Pineapple Lanai. Gasparilla Island Grill is the no-reservation fallback at home.
- Evening: walk down to the beach by the marina to watch Happily Ever After, the Magic Kingdom fireworks show, across the water at 8:00 PM, then the Electrical Water Pageant floats past around 8:30. Early to bed after that. Sunday starts at 7:00.
Grown-ups: Enchanted Rose, the Beauty and the Beast lounge on the second floor, is a nice nightcap spot. Or hop one monorail stop to the Polynesian for tiki cocktails at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto (kids welcome before 8:00) or the Tambu Lounge upstairs.
Monday, November 9
Easy morning, then home
- Breakfast: 1900 Park Fare character breakfast right in the hotel, so the kids get one more round of characters and the ear-shaped waffles before we go. Book it in the app; if it is full, room service or Gasparilla and a walk through the lobby.
- Last hour: checkout is 11:00 AM and bell services will hold the bags, so there is time for one more swim or a monorail loop while the grown-ups pack the cars.
- Souvenirs: the resort gift shop by the lobby covers anything we forgot to buy in the parks.
- Drive home. (Buc-ee’s stop for the boys!)
The famous lobby gingerbread house was retired after 2025. Disney says smaller gingerbread displays will be dotted around the resort instead, so keep an eye out in the lobby on the way out.
For our guide
Where we’d love your input
This plan is our wish list, not a script. You know the parks on a Sunday in November far better than we do, so please push back on anything.
- Meeting point. We plan to ride the monorail over and meet you at the Magic Kingdom turnstiles at 8:00. Does that work, or do you need to start from the hotel?
- Start time. Magic Kingdom opens at 8:00 that Sunday with Early Entry at 7:30 for hotel guests. Is 8:00 to 6:00 right? What times would you recommend?
- Park order. Magic Kingdom → EPCOT → Hollywood Studios. We want to end at Hollywood Studios so we can stay for Fantasmic!. Would you change anything before that based on Sunday crowds?
- Animal Kingdom. Is it worth it, and do we have time, to swing into Animal Kingdom just for Avatar Flight of Passage? If so, where would you fit it in? (It is 44", so Ella would sit that one out.)
- Order. We have no preferred order for the must-dos. Sequence them however makes sense, and tell us anything else in Magic Kingdom you would highly recommend we see or do.
- Closures. We know Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is closed that week. Anything else down that we should swap out?
- First-timers. Jackson and Max have never been. What would you add for them that we have missed? A quick Mickey meet would be a hit. Heights are on the ride board, so rider swap on TRON, Space Mountain and Cosmic Rewind.
- Lunch. Quick bites on the move, or is there a sit-down that fits a group of nine? If we do sit down, it still needs to be quick.
- EPCOT. Is one hour realistic for Cosmic Rewind plus a snack? Any of the optional EPCOT rides we add will cut into Hollywood Studios time, so what would you squeeze in, if anything?
- After 6:00. We plan to stay for Fantasmic!. Could you set us up with a VIP viewing section for the show, a dinner reservation beforehand, and a ride back to the Grand Floridian afterward?
- Rain plan. If Sunday is wet, what changes?
- Souvenirs. Where can we get VIP plaid souvenirs to remember the day?
- Prep. Anything we need sorted ahead of time: Park Hopper tickets, park reservations, MagicBands, the app, anything else?
Why the plaid? Disney’s VIP guides wear a signature plaid vest, which is why cast members call them “Plaids.” This page borrows the pattern in their honor.
Good to know
Logistics and small print
How a VIP tour works
- One guide for up to 10 guests (infants count), booked by the hour: 7-hour minimum, 10-hour maximum. Our 8:00 to 6:00 day is the full 10.
- The guide walks us into the Lightning Lane entrance of every ride, including TRON and Cosmic Rewind. No virtual queues or extra passes to buy.
- Private vehicle between parks using backstage routes. Phones and cameras stay put while we are backstage.
- Park tickets are separate from the tour. Everyone needs Park Hopper admission valid for all three parks.
- Changes or cancellation: call VIP Tour Services at least 3 days ahead.
- VIP Tour Services: (407) 560-4033
What to bring
- Broken-in shoes. Expect 8–10 miles on Sunday.
- Portable phone charger, one per family at least.
- Sunscreen, hats, and a light layer for the evening.
- Ponchos in a bag, just in case.
- MagicBands or the My Disney Experience app with everyone’s tickets linked.
- A small bag per family; the guide keeps us moving, so pack light.
Early November weather
- Typical highs near 78–80°F, lows around 60°F.
- Mornings can be cool, afternoons warm and sunny.
- Rain is less common than in summer, but Florida is Florida.
Park hours that day
- Magic Kingdom: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Early Entry 7:30 AM
- EPCOT: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Hollywood Studios: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Disney hotel guests get Early Entry 30 minutes before each park opens.
- Nov 8 is the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party night of the season, so Magic Kingdom closes to day guests at 6:00 PM. We will be long gone by then.