Help me plan out a Park Hopper day

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

So I need some help planning out a Epcot park hopper day.

We are going to Epcot on 9/20. I have all of the FPs picked out and the last one is at 2pm. The ideal plan would be the leave Epcot around the time we finish our last FP and any other shopping, etc. So probably 3pm.

I have 3 options of how to finish out the day and I need someones help.

Option 1: Leave Epcot and go to HS, staying at HS until the end of the park day.

Option 2: Leave Epcot and go to AK for the rest of the day.

Option 3: Leave Epcot go to HS for a few rides, preferably leaving HS at around 5pm and then heading over to AK to finish out the day.

Okay, so going to only HS would be the easiest because we'd just walk from Epcot and it's right next door, we'd have the most time to ride everything at a comfortable pace. I do love HS, because of Tower of Terror, Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast. But I am also very interested in seeing Pandora at AK. But is Pandora going to be too crowded to even get onto a ride with a reasonable wait time? Also how long does it take for a bus to get from Epcot to AK? Or is there a better/faster way to get there? Is it too much to go to HS and AK after 3pm?

It's been awhile since i've been to AK, so I do kind of miss it a little and I would be interested in exploring the whole area. I think i'm talking myself into AK But I am wondering about the crowd of Pandora, that's my biggest concern. I don't want to go all the way over there and find out that everything is packed and regret it.

I need help. Hopefully this isn't too scrambled!!

 

[MommaBerd]

So is this a one-day trip? If you are concerned about time, you could purchase the one-day Express Shuttle ($19) to go to AK. This gets you there faster and you wouldn't have to go through security.

 

[hiroMYhero]

This thread has specific park hopping FP tips:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/f...al-tier-1-booking-fps-for-long-stays.3538258/

 

[sharonabe]

It's been awhile since i've been to AK, so I do kind of miss it a little and I would be interested in exploring the whole area. I think i'm talking myself into AK But I am wondering about the crowd of Pandora, that's my biggest concern. I don't want to go all the way over there and find out that everything is packed and regret it.

I need help. Hopefully this isn't too scrambled!!

I think it depends on what you want to do at AK. If you just want to walk around and explore/see Pandora, then I would go after I've finished what I want to do at HS. You will probably be able to ride the river ride, but the new Flight of Passage will still have an hour wait or more late into the evening. And FoP has that kind of wait ALL day long. I doubt another month is going to make much difference.

 

[OatsZoo]

I would say go to AK but don't expect to ride the rides, if you do bonus. From what I hear the wait times later in the day are the same as the morning. Crazy. Over an hour for both. But you will have lots of time to do that if you head there around 3pm. What time does AK close when you are there? if it is 8 then maybe not much time there.

Do any parks have EMH if you are staying on site? Maybe one park is open later than the others.

 

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

I think it depends on what you want to do at AK. If you just want to walk around and explore/see Pandora, then I would go after I've finished what I want to do at HS. You will probably be able to ride the river ride, but the new Flight of Passage will still have an hour wait or more late into the evening. And FoP has that kind of wait ALL day long. I doubt another month is going to make much difference.

Will the other rides in AK be crowded too? Like Dinosaur, Everest and the Safari? I think I'd be fine just walking around Pandora if the wait times are long, but is everything else short enough during the evening?

 

[sharonabe]

Will the other rides in AK be crowded too? Like Dinosaur, Everest and the Safari? I think I'd be fine just walking around Pandora if the wait times are long, but is everything else short enough during the evening?

From what people have reported, the rest of AK is pretty much like normal, so as long as it's not a special Pandora only late EMH night, you'll be able to do the other rides without much wait.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Will the other rides in AK be crowded too? Like Dinosaur, Everest and the Safari? I think I'd be fine just walking around Pandora if the wait times are long, but is everything else short enough during the evening?

They shouldn't be too bad.

Do you really need 3 FPs for Epcot? If you only book 1 or even 2, you can immediately book for Park#2 when you are in line for your first FP of the day.

You should be able to book for an AK ride, or 2, before you finish up at Epcot. See the Addendum for tips.

 

[fla4fun]

I don't hop often, but when I do, I usually book my FP+ at the second park and rope drop the first park. For example, I'm headed to Epcot and DHS this week to see Energy and GMR before they close. I'm going to rope drop Epcot, stay at Epcot until sometime between 1-2 and then head over to DHS where my first FP window opens at 2:30. My last FP+ window at DHS ends at 6pm, and I'm planning on heading back to Epcot (since I'll be parked there) and spend the evening in WS.