4.5 days enough time to park hop?

jz6982

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
36
We'll be arriving to Disney Dec 8th, pre-cruise, and staying until the 12th. We want to spend one day at Universal. That being said, is it worth it to park hop? Essentially we'll have 2 full days, one half day, and potentially half to 3/4 of our arrival day. (plane lands at 9:30am) I'm a first timer and DH hasn't been to the parks since he was a pre-teen. We're 28 and 30 now. Is it over zealous to think we'll fit more than one park in each day or is it smart to hop and then be able to see a little bit of everything?
 
ak closes at dusk - which is around 5pm in Dec
studio and MK can also close early. MK has MVMCP so closes some nights at 7pm. studio can close at 8 or 7pm.

so the only thing open until 9pm is Epcot.

also if you are using EMH - it is best to go to another park - then go to EMH in the evening or morning.
 
If you're unsure whether or not you'll park hop, you could always start out with a base ticket and upgrade later if you need it. DH and I are in a similar position and this is what we plan on doing.
 
Personally, I cannot imagine NOT hopping. Here is a perfect example of why I love to HOP. . .

1. Go to Animal Kingdom at rope drop (9 a.m.) Ride all the fun rides, go to Nemo and Festival of the Lion King, explore some of the trails. . .potentially finishing up "seeing it all" by 2 p.m.

2. Head on over to Disney's Hollywood Studios and ride Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and then head to Tune Inn lounge for a couple cocktails. Make a plan to hit this park up EARLY another day and ride Toy Story Mania and see some of the other sites here. . .

3. Head to Epcot for dinner at Tokyo Dining or Bistro de Paris, go ride Test Track, Soarin, Mission Space (orange side of course) and see a bit of world showcase, watch Illuminations.

This is all within one day and all of this I have done many times while visiting the world. It is only possible to do all of this if you have a park hopper.

So keep that in mind when deciding. While you might not hop each day you are there and you might spend an entire full day at Magic Kingdom and never hop, you still may want hoppers to hit highlights for each of the other parks so you can see a little bit of everything.
 

The only thing about visiting Universal from Disney is think about travel time. It's not that far of a distance but you won't see everything. Also that's seperate tickets; Disney park hoppers and then you will need tickets for Universal. Also, the new Harry Potter ride is going to open soon I think, and there will be huge crowds at Universal this year. I would stick to either Disney or Universal for 4.5 days, but that's just me.

I would also decide what is more important; say, you could do MK one full day, then Animal Kingdom/MGM another, etc., then Universal another day ... I've been to both Universal and Disney and my personal preferance is Disney for the full amount of time.

Do what makes you happy and plan plan plan; also look up TourGuide Mike, his service will help you make the best of your trip. It's $15 but it will maximize your trip time and you'll do a lot if you follow his advice.

Also, have fun on the cruise! I'm so jealous, I've never been on one.
 
When I did the cruise package, I didn't bother park-hopping.

And the last day, they usually offer one of the parks as a pick-up spot and they let you spend an additional hour there. Most years it was AK.
 

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