On January 1st of 2021, Park Hopping returned to Walt Disney World and we got to try it firsthand!
Park Hopping to All Four Parks!
Throughout the day, we visited all four parks to test the modified system. We used Disney’s park-to-park transportation and got answers to many of our questions. Throughout that day, we learned A LOT, including some great tips. So today, we’re sharing our advice for the 7 big Park Hopping mistakes you DON’T want to make!
Not Making a Disney Park Pass Reservation
This first point is a very important technicality for the modified Park Hopping system. The Disney Park Pass reservation system is how Disney currently monitors its park capacities, and guests will still be required to make a Disney Park Pass reservation if they plan to Park Hop.
©Disney | Disney Park Pass Availability Calendar
Ahead of your visit, make your Disney Park Pass reservation for the first park you plan to visit that day. You won’t be required to make a reservation for your second, third, or fourth parks, you’ll just hold on to the reservation that you made for the first while you hop.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Without a Disney Park Pass reservation, you won’t be allowed to enter any of the Disney parks. If you need more information on the Disney Park Pass system or would like a tutorial on how to make a reservation, click below.
Here’s How to Make a Disney Park Pass Reservation!
Not Purchasing a Park Hopper Ticket
Possibly the biggest mistake you could make when attempting to Park Hop is to not purchase a Park Hopper ticket. Guests who wish to visit more than one theme park in a day will need to have a Park Hopper capable ticket or annual pass to do so.
Sunset Boulevard
Park Hopper tickets cost more than regular tickets, so you’ll need to decide for yourself if the extra cash is worth it. If you’re purchasing tickets for a group, getting the Park Hopper can add hundreds to your total, so keep that in mind when making your decision.
Over 6000 People Don’t Believe This Add-On is Worth it at Disney World Right Now — Click Here!
Skipping Your First Park
Here’s another big no-no when trying to Park Hop — DON’T skip your first park! In order to Park Hop later in the day, you’ll need to make sure that you visit the park you made a Disney Park Pass reservation for FIRST.
Animal Kingdom Gate
If you skip your first park and try to head directly to the second (even if it’s within Park Hopping hours), you’ll be denied entry. Then, you’d have to go all the way to your first park, scan in, then go back to your second park. That would be quite the hassle, so make sure you do your first things first!
Can I Park Hop to Multiple Disney Parks on the Same Day? We’ve Got the Answer!
Trying to Park Hop Too Early
One of the caveats to the new system is that guests are only allowed to Park Hop during specified Park Hopping hours. These hours are currently listed on the Walt Disney World website.
©Disney
Currently, the Park Hopping window begins at 2PM, but there’s a chance that time could change in the future, so make sure to check the hours ahead of your trip. In our experience, we could get into our second park up to 15 minutes before the posted Park Hopper hours, but not any sooner.
EPCOT
Basically, don’t think that you’ll be able to visit Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning, then hop over to EPCOT for a mid-day lunch. If you try to do that, you’ll have some very “hangry” people waiting outside the EPCOT entrance for a few hours, and you’d be wasting valuable park time!
What the Return of Park Hopping Means for Your 2021 Trip to Disney World
Not Checking Park Capacity BEFORE You Hop
As far as Park Hopping goes, everything is subject to availability. Guests will only be able to enter a Disney World park if it’s not already at capacity. Thankfully, Disney has a solution for sharing the availability with guests.
Magic Kingdom
If you’re planning on hopping, call (407) 560-5000 for the most up-to-date information on park availability. When you dial, a recording will tell you which parks have availability for hopping. We recommend calling this number BEFORE you leave your first park.
EPCOT’s China Pavilion
If the park you plan to hop to is full and you’re already in transit, then you’ll be faced with the problem of adjusting your plans while on the move. Sure, you can head to a different park or just go back to your first park, but either way, you’ll waste time.
Learn More About the Availability Phone Number HERE!
Forgetting to Budget Time for Transportation
Budgeting time correctly is a problem many guests face when visiting Walt Disney World, but it’s especially important if you plan to Park Hop. Traveling between two parks takes time, and you’ll likely need to schedule an extra hour into your day simply for transit.
Skyliner Station
If an hour seems like too much, keep in mind that you’ll have to leave the current park, walk to the Disney transportation you plan to use, travel, then go through temperature checks, security, and the entrance at the second park. This may take even longer if you’re driving and you have to allow time for parking.
We’ve found that Disney’s park-to-park buses begin running about 15 minutes before the Park Hopping hours begin, so if you want to be at your second park right at 2PM, you may want to Uber, take the Skyliner, or hop in your car (if you brought it).
Park Hopper signage
Your methods of Disney-owned transportation include Friendship boats and Skyliner between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. (There’s also a walking path, but it takes a while.)
Disney Bus
Keep in mind that the EPCOT monorail is not currently running, so you’ll have to ride the bus, drive, or rideshare if traveling to/from Magic Kingdom.
Read More About Park-to-Park Transportation Here!
Not Checking Park Hours or Planning Ahead of Time
With the modified Park Hopping system, you’ll be required to do a bit more planning in advance. Since reopening, Disney World has typically had shorter park hours than in the past. Right now, there are even some days when Animal Kingdom closes at 5PM!
Animal Kingdom
If you want to Park Hop, you should definitely check out the park hours on the website or in My Disney Experience before your visit to help you decide which park to go to first. Since Animal Kingdom is closing so early, you may decide to choose to visit it in the morning. Otherwise, there may be a day where you only get 3 hours in the park! Similarly, EPCOT is often open the latest, so you may get more time there in the afternoon.
EPCOT at night
Similarly in the “planning ahead of time” category, you’ll want to visit Hollywood Studios first thing in the morning if you want to ride Rise of the Resistance. A Disney Park Pass reservation is required to get a boarding pass, and both boarding group drop times happen before Park Hopping hours begin.
Rise of the Resistance
We definitely recommend sitting down and thinking about your plans for Park Hopping if you’re paying extra for the ticket! It’ll save you time and stress in the parks if you know where you’re headed and when.
Which Park Should You Visit First Thing in the Morning? — Click Here
There are a lot of things to know about Park Hopping with the modified system, but we’re here to answer all your questions! As we get settled into this new way of doing things, we’re sure to learn a lot more tips, so stay tuned to DFB!
The Best (And the Worst!) Things About Park Hopping in Disney World!
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You definitely don’t need to account in an hour to park hop. We were there 10 days and park hopped 1-3 times every day only using Disney transportation. Buses were always immediate and went straight from park to park, so 20 minutes is more like how long you should account in. The longest it ever took was probably 45 minutes to get from Hollywood Studios to Epcot via skyliner after HS closed and there was a long wait.
Great info! Thank you. We’ll be going in May, so it’ll be interesting to see if the park hours or park hopping hours change by then. We always get the park hopper option because we don’t get a choice. The military-discounted tickets come with it automatically, even when Disney had stopped allowing people to park hop.
I’m hesitant on making ADRs for evening meals at a park I plan to hop to. I’m hoping Epcot will be safe for that. Guess I’ll find out in May
Brilliant update on Park hopping and its made us think that we need to hold off for a while before booking our next Disney holiday. Its certainly not a cheap holiday to Disney, and we don’t want to be spending an enjoyable time looking at park availabilities, phoning ahead, checking hopping times and then the potential disappointment that our plans where unsuccessful. Sadly i think we are a long way off before we will see the parks returning to how they where before this dreadful virus.
If you park hop, say from Epcot to Hollywood Studios using the “back” entrance and the boat, will you be able to get back INTO Epcot after you are done so you can get to your car?
The current Park Hopping program is a disaster and was adopted as a means to better control park guest crowds. It takes on average of 45 minutes to park-hop and with the current reduced park hours, its is a totals waste of park time. In a worst case, a family could park-hop and not even be able to even enter the second park because of park guest capacity limits. Disney park management knows this and that at any given time, one-third of park guests are on the transportation system and not in the parks.
Jaxx, yes, as long as the park is not at capacity. So far we have not seen a park reach capacity while we’ve park hopped.
DFB Sarah
Is park hopping still restricted to 1 park? When I was there in January I would go to my reserved park but then could only park hopper over to one additional park.
Hi, Rose. Our reporters have been able to do multiple parks in a single day with Park Hopping. We’ve even made it to four parks in one day.
what if my entire party doesn’t make it to the first park – will we all be able to go to a second park as a group?
We are traveling with an infant, so – what if the mom has to miss the first park with the baby?
Ken, I think the policy about scanning into the first park is applicable at all times. You might give Disney a call to see what they say. You could try changing the DPP of the person or persons who can’t make it to the first park, but that could be tricky if parks are busy and DPPs are booked up.