Brent Hopper and his kids can claim something few Disney fans can.
“We did every ride, every park in under 12 days,” he said.
Not just at Walt Disney World — but at Disney parks around the world.
The Florida father actually attempted it twice with his two oldest kids, Tanner and Peyton, while his then-toddlers stayed home with his wife. The Hoppers didn’t quite make it to every ride on their first try in 2023.
“The competitor in myself was like, ‘Alright, I need to redeem it,'” Brent said. “I need to do this again.”
Running on Mickey ice cream bars and outside motivation, they succeeded in 2024.
Why they did it
Brent said he’d toyed with the idea on a family trip to Asia years ago, but he was inspired to actually try it after Nathan Firesheets rode every ride across all 12 Disney parks within 12 days in 2023.
“I’ve been to Disney many times. I could do this, no problem, and then some,” Brent recalled thinking of the unofficial challenge.
After all, he’d grown up going to Disney World and worked there as a cast member before becoming a commercial airline pilot. He still visited the parks often.
His kids were seasoned park goers and travelers, too.
“I was excited, but also I didn’t know how that was going to work,” said Tanner, 17.
His 15-year-old sister, Peyton, said: “I thought it was crazy and not possible at all.”
Giving kids the world: This Florida resort gives critically ill children the chance to just be kids
For extra motivation, Brent made their attempt a fundraiser for Give Kids the World Village, a Central Florida nonprofit that partners with theme parks to fulfill wishes for families with critically ill children.
“Seeing what we’re raising the money for, it definitely kind of opened my eyes a bit,” Tanner said after they visited the Village.
The Hoppers already had visas for China and didn’t need them for the other destinations.
How they did it
Americans can visit China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting to a third country on the same trip, but the Hoppers already had 10-year visas from prior travel.
They were able to fly between resorts using Brent’s airline benefits, which helped them save money but added stress and didn’t always work out.
On their first go-around in 2023, they couldn’t get seats on a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong, so they flew to Shenzen instead and wound up taking a taxi to Hong Kong for about $75. On their second attempt in 2024, Brent said they got the last three seats on a flight from Paris to Shanghai.
Peyton recalls “just barely getting any sleep sometimes because we would have a flight that would get in super, super late and then we’d have to go to another park the next day or in the morning.”
Most of the time, they would catch a cab or a rideshare to their hotel. But once, they went directly from the airport to Hong Kong Disneyland and stored their bags with the resort’s luggage storage.
In the parks, they saved time wherever they could, using tools like Lightning Lanes or Premier Access to shorten wait times at attractions when available. They also stuck to quick-service dining and snacks.
Even so, they still couldn’t get to every ride on their first try without risking throwing off their tight travel schedule.
“You have to keep going,” said Brent, who was in charge of logistics. “It was like doing a marathon or ultra marathon or something.”
On both attempts, they took a photo at each attraction and posted it on X as @hopinarndthwrld.
Each day, the Hoppers wore shirts with a QR code linking to information on what they were doing and why.
Park order
Their trips followed roughly the same schedule. But on the first trip, they took a rest day at home in Orlando, Florida, before tackling Disney World.
On the second trip, they spent an extra day in Tokyo to make sure to get to the rides they missed the first time, instead of taking a rest day.
Both times, they lost time flying to China, due to the time difference, but they would gain it back flying back to the United States.
2023 itinerary:
-
Days 1-2: Both Disneyland Paris parks, travel to Shanghai.
-
Day 3: Shanghai Disneyland, travel to Hong Kong.
-
Day 4: Hong Kong Disneyland, travel to Tokyo.
-
Days 5-6: Both Tokyo Disney parks, travel to Los Angeles.
-
Days 7-8: Both Disneyland parks, travel to Orlando.
-
Days 10-12: All four Disney World parks.
2024 itinerary:
-
Days 1-2: Both Disneyland Paris parks, travel to Shanghai.
-
Day 3: Shanghai Disneyland, travel to Hong Kong.
-
Day 4: Hong Kong Disneyland, travel to Tokyo.
-
Days 5-7: Both Tokyo Disney parks, travel to Los Angeles.
-
Day 8-9: Both Disneyland parks, travel to Orlando.
-
Days 10-12: All four Disney World parks.
Brent tallied it up and counted nearly 31 hours of flying on that second trip, with 100 hours and 47 minutes in the parks.
The hard parts
Tanner Hopper said the hardest part of the trips was keeping at it even when he was tired.
Tanner said the hard part was “just trying to keep going while I’m tired and everything’s falling apart.”
“I did not realize how hard this is going to be — mentally, physically,” Brent echoed, saying the first trip smacked them in the face. “Your body can fall apart pretty quickly, whether it’s sleep deprivation, the amount of steps we did through the whole thing, and then the rides, just non–stop.”
Brent got more supportive shoes for their second attempt in 2024, and he and Tanner brought extra insoles and socks.
Peyton said when she felt drained, she’d remember their cause. Ice cream also helped.
“Honestly, the Mickey ice cream bars kept me going. Those are so good,” she said. “I survived on those, multiple days.”
The payoff
The Hoppers used the self-chosen challenges to raise money and awareness for Give Kids the World Village, a Florida-based non-profit for families with critically ill children.
The Hoppers visited all 12 parks within 12 days on both trips, but they came up nine rides short across Disneyland Paris and seven rides short at Tokyo Disneyland in 2023.
“It was definitely a little annoying,” Peyton said. “I felt a little bit of, like, defeat because we just couldn’t complete that goal.”
They rode all 217 rides worldwide in 2024.
“Knowing that the second time around, that we actually did everything in every park, it felt much better,” Tanner said.
They raised more than $5,000 for Give Kids the World Village across both trips. Brent hopes they raised awareness, too.
“Obviously, people are like, ‘You guys are crazy, but you know, what you’re doing is amazing,'” he said.
As new Disney attractions open, he’s open to trying the challenge a third time. He thinks Tanner would join him, but Peyton would have to be convinced.
Where are the 12 Disney parks located?
Brent Hopper said the best part of the trips was spending time with his kids, realizing they’re growing up and will be off to college soon.
How much would it cost to visit all 12 Disney parks?
Brent estimates he spent about $10,000 on both trips, even with his airline benefits. That includes park tickets, lodging, meals, ground transportation, and incidentals for all three people.
Disney ticket prices vary by date. At Disney World, they also vary by park. The latest prices and promotions can be found on each resort’s website.
In some cases, it can be cheaper to buy multiple one-day, one-park tickets than multi-day passes, which may include higher-priced dates due to their longer validity windows.
Disney World’s standard one-day, one-park tickets typically start at $119 for adults at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and higher at the other three parks. But this summer, the resort is offering a 4-Park Magic Ticket for $399, which includes one day at each park with no park hopping.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure’s standard one-day, one-park tickets start at $104 per day for adults. Two of those would cost $208. Those starting prices are available on multiple dates this summer.
As of May 14, the lowest priced one-day, one-park passport for Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea cost 7900 yen this summer, which is a little over $50 for adults. Two of those would come to about $100.
Disneyland Paris offers both dated and undated tickets, with dated tickets costing less. As of May 14, the lowest priced dated one-day, one-park tickets for Disneyland Park or Disney Adventure World cost $87 for adults this summer. Two of those would cost $174. Cheaper dates are available later in the year and early 2027.
A one-day ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland currently starts at 669 Hong Kong dollars for adults, with multiple dates available at that price this summer. That’s equal to a little over $85.
Shanghai Disneyland releases tickets about a month in advance. Among current offerings, the lowest standard one-day ticket costs 499 yuan or about $73 for adults.
Tickets to all 12 parks would cost at least $1039 per adult this summer.
Airfare, lodging, meals, and other expenses cost extra.
This story was updated to refresh headlines.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How one family conquered every Disney ride on Earth in 12 days
