2024 is shaping up to be a BIG year for Disney World.
Cinderella Castle
New restaurants and rides will be opening, the Disney Dining Plan is coming back, park passes are going away, and all-day park hopping is returning! It’s a lot of change in a short amount of time, and if you’re visiting Disney World for the first time in a while you’re probably trying to decide just what your plan of attack should be. When it comes to park hopping, we think we’ve figured out the BEST order to do it — and no, we will not be taking any questions.
DISCLAIMER! This is a general consensus we came to as a team — but that doesn’t mean it’s the only park-hopping order to go in! We’re also mostly lying about this being a general consensus because there was a HOT debate among us here at DFB. There are plenty of reasons why you might want to start in one park and end in another and that is a-okay. We just happen to think this is the best order!
Animal Kingdom
Look, DFB Reader, at everything the light touches in Animal Kingdom. But, on a serious note, we recommend starting your day off in Animal Kingdom. This park opens earlier than the other parks, so it makes sense to start here if you’re truly trying to maximize your time. Not only that, but a lot of the animals are most active during morning hours, making this a great leisurely start to your day. Hop on Kilimanjaro Safaris as soon as it opens to wake up with the animals — it’s hard to beat that!
Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom
Of course, there are also thrills to be had in Animal Kingdom, so if that’s what you’re after you can make your way straight to Expedition Everest or Flight of Passage. There’s also no shortage of breakfast options — both quick and leisurely — to choose from, and some of our favorites can be found here. Plus, you can get Ngumu Jungle Juice here and since that has POG juice in it, it’s basically breakfast. Again, no questions, please.
Hollywood Studios
From Animal Kingdom, you’re going to want to make your way over to Hollywood Studios. In this scenario, we’re assuming you’ve purchased Genie+ for the day to fit in as many rides as possible — so by this time you should have enough banked up that you can hit the ground running (but not really because you shouldn’t run in the parks.) Visit Toy Story Land, Grand Avenue, Galaxy’s Edge, and more to hit as many of those must-do attractions as possible.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Hollywood Studios is also a great park for snacking — you can grab a breakfast or lunch Ronto Wrap, a Lunch Box Tart or some totchos, a big pretzel from Baseline, and more. There are great lunch options, too, but if you’ve had a decent breakfast, we recommend just sticking with a snack because the real eating event is going to take place at the next park we’re hopping to. Plus, it’s good to get a bunch of rides in back to back if you’re trying to make the most of your time.
EPCOT
From Hollywood Studios, we’re hopping on the Skyliner and making our way to EPCOT! It’s time to experience all this park has to offer. Since the Skyliner drops you off at the International Gateway, starting off in the World Showcase will be your best bet — which is perfect, because by now you’ve worked up an appetite for eating and drinking your way around the world! Depending on when you’re visiting, there will likely be an EPCOT Festival taking place — which is even better.
EPCOT’s NEW glowing ground
After you’ve explored the World Showcase, you can visit EPCOT’s other neighborhoods to experience the future, nature, and discovery — along with some of our favorite rides in the whole park. Chances are it might be getting dark now, so stick around for the Spaceship Earth light show — bonus points if you view it from the newly opened World Celebration Gardens that light up at night.
Magic Kingdom
Once you’re ready to leave EPCOT, hop on the Monorail and head to Magic Kingdom! You can plan to arrive early enough to have plenty of time to catch the fireworks — but if you don’t care about seeing the fireworks, well, that’s even better. You see, while everyone else is watching the show, you can walk right onto some of the most popular rides in the park. Assuming you’ve still been working your Genie+ magic, too, you can fit a lot of rides into a short amount of time at Magic Kingdom.
Cinderella Castle
And, you’ve already eaten your way around EPCOT, which is perfect because Magic Kingdom is a great park for dessert. You’ve got Gaston’s Tavern, the Main Street Confectionery, Storybook Treats, Aloha Isle, and so many more options. We love grabbing something from the Confectionery on Mobile Order as we make our way out of the park!
Main Street at night
Of course, as we said before, there’s no real “right” way to hop between parks. But, now that all-day park hopping is coming back in 2024, you can do the experiment yourself and decide!
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Interesting take on park hopping but have to say definitely NO to this plan. Guess that’s what makes a horse race.
Total agree Pris that is a NO to this plan. Most use of Park Hopping and enjoying the parks should be no more than 2 parks in one day