Everything Park Hopping - Please Read Post 1

[SnowMermaid]

It's been a while since we've been to WDW. We are going in late June for a trip combined with a conference my husband is going to.

We have reservations for each day and also park hopper.

I will be going to the parks in the morning with the kids and hubby will be joining us after conference time.

My question is how does this work with the reservation system. Does hubs need to visit the initial reservation park for the day before we do any other park, or can he just join us at the park we want to go to in the evening. So for example if we have a reservation at magic kingdom, and me and the kids go there in the morning, can we all just go to, say animals kingdom in the evening. Or would hubs need to visit magic kingdom before hopping?

Trying to keep up with all this has been very confusing after not going for 7+ years.

Thanks!

 

[nw6675]

Yes, he has to tap in. He can have a different reservation so you could just reserve your second park as his first.

 

[leiaorgana]

Your other option is that you could make your husband's park reservation for the park you think you might be at later on instead and he could just go straight there instead of having to go to the original park you were at in the morning and that would save him some time travelling between the parks.

 

[Gina]

Thanks! I decided to just book an extra day and avoid park hopper. The 2 PM thing irritates me. LOL But I'd be willing to pay for park hopping anytime. I'm part of the problem.

I'm totally with you!! Getting rid of reservations was the first step (that should have happened way before next year) and now it's time for the ridiculous hop restriction to go as well. We're aiming for a January 2025 trip but that's a deal breaker for us... We like to hit a park early, stay for a couple hours, then hop somewhere else. Definitely don't like to be told when we can go where!

 

[SnowMermaid]

Yes, he has to tap in. He can have a different reservation so you could just reserve your second park as his first.

So you can have his first park be different then ours even if it is on the same reservation? If we change just him, would we (or he) potentially lose a spot for the reservation for that entire day?

This whole thing is just frustrating, I use to be the go to know it all about disney and now I feel like I've never been before!

 

[nw6675]

So you can have his first park be different then ours even if it is on the same reservation? If we change just him, would we (or he) potentially lose a spot for the reservation for that entire day?

This whole thing is just frustrating, I use to be the go to know it all about disney and now I feel like I've never been before!

Yes, he can be different because you check who you are making the park reservation for. We did this several times when my knee acted up. They went to AK and park hopped to Epcot. My only reservation was Epcot.

You should be able to modify or cancel just him to make the change because you still have to choose who it is for. That's how I did it.

 

[DisDad4Life]

I'm sure the answer to this is out there, but I haven't been able to find it...

We have a park reservation for AK, but only to have breakfast at Tusker House (no intent on booking any LLs at AK). Then back to the hotel for some pool time, after which we'll park hop (after 2:00pm) to Epcot. My question is can we book our first LL at 7:00am for an Epcot ride, or do we have to tap in at AK before we can book anything for Epcot?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!

 

[TikiRob]

I'm sure the answer to this is out there, but I haven't been able to find it...

We have a park reservation for AK, but only to have breakfast at Tusker House (no intent on booking any LLs at AK). Then back to the hotel for some pool time, after which we'll park hop (after 2:00pm) to Epcot. My question is can we book our first LL at 7:00am for an Epcot ride, or do we have to tap in at AK before we can book anything for Epcot?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!

You can make LL at any park if you have Park Hopper/Annual Pass! This is a popular strategy for stacking a park for the evening.

 

[DisDad4Life]

You can make LL at any park if you have Park Hopper/Annual Pass! This is a popular strategy for stacking a park for the evening.

Excellent, thank you!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I'm sure the answer to this is out there, but I haven't been able to find it...

We have a park reservation for AK, but only to have breakfast at Tusker House (no intent on booking any LLs at AK). Then back to the hotel for some pool time, after which we'll park hop (after 2:00pm) to Epcot. My question is can we book our first LL at 7:00am for an Epcot ride, or do we have to tap in at AK before we can book anything for Epcot?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!

As shared by @TikiRob, yes you can do this. I would recommend reading the posts on page 1 of the 'Everything Genie' thread as it explains how G+ works and also how to 'stack' LLs for your second park. I would also recommend watching the video linked in that thread.

 

[musicguy856]

I'm sure the answer to this is out there, but I haven't been able to find it...

We have a park reservation for AK, but only to have breakfast at Tusker House (no intent on booking any LLs at AK). Then back to the hotel for some pool time, after which we'll park hop (after 2:00pm) to Epcot. My question is can we book our first LL at 7:00am for an Epcot ride, or do we have to tap in at AK before we can book anything for Epcot?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!

Just know that in order to book one at Epcot if you're hopping there, the return time will have to advance past 2pm first. This shouldn't be a problem for rides such as Remy though as they push out quickly at 7am.

 

[CoachBeard]

I just booked 8 day park hoppers for mid January, so after the 1/9/24 changes. Does this mean I can park hop at any time or do I still have to wait until the afternoon, what was it 2PM? to park hop? I will not need to make park reservations so I was unsure about hopping.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I just booked 8 day park hoppers for mid January, so after the 1/9/24 changes. Does this mean I can park hop at any time or do I still have to wait until the afternoon, what was it 2PM? to park hop? I will not need to make park reservations so I was unsure about hopping.

At this time there have not been any announcements about changes to park hopping so at this time it's still 2PM or later.

 

[Disco Lemonade]

I think your plan is doable as well, for all the reasons listed above. I would plan for each hop to take about an hour, though, from leaving one park gate to entering the next, given that you'll have to get from the park exit gate to your car, drive to the next park, enter the parking lot and be directed to your parking spot, and then get from the car through security to the park entrance tapstyles. At this point, only AK and MK have parking trams, so unless trams return to DHS in time for your visit, you'll be walking from your car to the DHS entrance, and when riding the Skyliner we've seen cars parked quite a distance away from the entrance. And at MK the parking trams will bring you to the TTC, where you'll go through security and then choose either the ferry or the monorail to bring you to the MK entrance plaza. So even though the drive from one parking lot to the next might be 10-20 minutes, there are other activities that require time as well!

The double hop option worked well using our car for transportation and stacking lightning lanes for the future park. We started at AK and stayed until about 1. We only wanted to use a few LL at that park and did everything we really wanted to do by late morning. I started booking LL ahead for HS and had LL to use as soon as we got in at 2. I then started booking LL for MK and we made that switch around 5-6. That transfer took slightly longer since you have to use the parking tram and monorail, but still wasn’t bad. We left as fireworks were starting and watched them from the ferry on the way back. Was a long, full, but very fun day. I probably spent less time in lines than I have in years of going to DL and DW.

 

[maddhatir]

Help me! It's been so long since my last visit to Disney and The Dis! I'm not sure if this is the right thread.

I will be visiting Nov 12-17 2023. BWV. I have my tickets. I know I can now make park ressies.

My question is about Evening EHM ( it's still extra hours of magic to me )
Can I attend evening EHM if that particular park was not my reserved park for that day?..... or can any deluxe guest attend evening hours by just hopping?

 

[CarolynFH]

Help me! It's been so long since my last visit to Disney and The Dis! I'm not sure if this is the right thread.

I will be visiting Nov 12-17 2023. BWV. I have my tickets. I know I can now make park ressies.

My question is about Evening EHM ( it's still extra hours of magic to me )
Can I attend evening EHM if that particular park was not my reserved park for that day?..... or can any deluxe guest attend evening hours by just hopping?

As long as you have hopper tickets and have entered your reserved park, you can hop to the park that has DEEH. If you don’t have hoppers, the DEEH park will have to be your reserved park.

 

[maddhatir]

As long as you have hopper tickets and have entered your reserved park, you can hop to the park that has DEEH. If you don’t have hoppers, the DEEH park will have to be your reserved park.

Thank you!

 

[WDWRook]

If I'm hopping from AK to EP; is it better to use the bus or should I drive and use our car (we will have are car)? We are DVC members and staying at Poly on DVC points.

 

[CarolynFH]

If I'm hopping from AK to EP; is it better to use the bus or should I drive and use our car (we will have are car)? We are DVC members and staying at Poly on DVC points.

We generally drive to parks (except MK) when we have a car, especially when hopping. It’s usually quicker.

However, in case you’re not aware, the parking trams are back at AK but not at Epcot. So depending on when you’re there, you might face a relatively long walk in the heat across the huge Epcot lot, depending on what time you’re hopping. So bus to AK, bus to Epcot, monorail back to Poly could be better if long hot walks would be a problem.

 

[scrappinginontario]

If I'm hopping from AK to EP; is it better to use the bus or should I drive and use our car (we will have are car)? We are DVC members and staying at Poly on DVC points.

I normally recommend buses especially since you’re hopping to Epcot and parking teams have not returned. Could be a lot of walking just to get to the gate.