How do you hop from one park to another

[2disneycrazy]

I have a trip planned for July for 2 adults & 1 6-year old. I already purchased my 10 day MYW tickets with the water option and now I am really considering adding on the hopper option.

This is my first trip on Disney property and the last time I was in Florida last year I only spent 1 day at Magic Kingdom. This year we will be spending 10 days in the parks.

How do you get from one park to another? Do you have to transfer to one of the hotels and then to another park?

If it's a big hassle to go from park to park, then maybe it won't be worth it for me to add on the hopper.

Any advice will help me decide. What would you do?

Thank you.

 

[poohs_hunny]

Hopping is not so difficult, if you don't mind the travel time. You can travel from MK to EPCOT and vice versa by monorail. To go between the other parks, buses are available. You should not have to go to a resort first. I know that many people swear by hopping, but with your length of stay, it may not be necessary. This coming trip is going to be my first without park hopping, because I found that I don't use it much and my stay is a bit longer than previous trips. I would recommend it for you if you get "bored" staying in one park for a whole day, or if you think you'd like to spend the day in one park and have dinner/watch fireworks in another. Basically, do what works for your family and have fun!

 

[princess aurora]

We do not consider it a "hassle" to go from one park to another but part of the adventure.

Yes, you can get transportation from one park to another park. You may have to take a few methods of transportation to do so. ie monorail then bus to MGM from MK, Boat from MGM to Epcot hence the adventure part

We usually park hop by attending one park in the morning until mid afternoon then go back to our hotel to rest, swim freshen up then go to a different park in the evening.

We also go from park to park on somedays and do not return to our hotel until the late evening. It really depends on how YOU like to do your vacation. We like to have the option.

 

[goofie4goofy]

Hi!
Going from park to park is VERY easy. There is the Monorail and bus transportation and boats.

If you are in the MK and wish to go to EPCOT, you take the monorail from the MK to the TCC (transportation and ticket center). You get off there then get onto the EPCOT monorail. It is clearly marked by big signs. It takes just a minute to get off one and walk the on/off ramps to the other. You must switch at the TCC as the monorail has 2 loops...the resort monorail stops are: TCC, Poly, GF, MK and Contemp . The other is the TCC and EPCOT.

If you are at EPCOT and wish to go to MGM, the best way is by boat which is at the gateway....it's by the bridge in the back near FRANCE. Or take a bus, but the baot is faster...or you can walk, it is not very far.

To get to AK you must take a bus, either from your hotel or at the bus stops at the parks. Also if you are going to MGM first thing from your hotel you must take a bus. There is no monorail to take you there. The AK, MGM and water parks are not connected by monorail.

If you are staying at teh POLY, GF or WL you can also take the boat over to MK and you can get on a boat from the MK which will take you to the TCC.
So there are the resort boats and a TCC boat at the MK.

If you are staying at the Poly, GF or Contemp, you can jump right on the monorail to teh MK or the TCC. However the CR is closest to the MK so lots of people just walk instead of riding on the rail the entire loop.

It is very very easy to get everywhere in WDW using the transportation. We have gone to all parks in 1 day. It's very easy just rember that the MK and EPCOT are on the monorail (with a connection). The other parks are by bus and/or boat.

Also if you need hekp when there ask any CM and they will help you and show you where to go.

 

[kirbsam]

hopping is easy and for our family necessary.

 

[Bev J]

Our family always goes to more than one park each day. We think that ALL day and Night at one park is too much of that park. We like to have the option to got to a different park especially if the park we first go to ends up being very crowded.
On our last day in the parks we sometimes go to all the parks just to hit our favorite ride/show....

Bev

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

We always get the park hopper option and spend part of each day at two parks, sometimes more. The park hopper is great if you are at a park that happens to get reallly crowded for whatever reason. Some years ago we went to Epcot on a Friday in May and it was packed with school kids. We exited and saw tons of school buses in the parking lot so I guess the local schools use Epcot during the school year. We simply took a bus to another park from there.
As people have noted, if you exit Epcot at the International Gateway you can take the Friendship boat from there to the Disney Studios. The boats stop at the Yacht/Beach Clubs, Boardwalk, and Swan/Dolphin along the route. The boat ride is about 30 minutes. You can walk in less time between the two parks but it is a nice relaxing ride.
As noted, from the MK you can monorail to Epcot via the TTC. Just note that from the MK you cannot get buses to the other parks. What we do is just take the 5-7 minute walk to the Contemporary and catch a bus from there to either the AK, Studios, the water parks or DTD.
Park hopping is easy and it gives you a great look at the massive size of WDW.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We opted out of the water parks, seems there isn't enough time in a day to actually use this feature for the extra money. We figure, on our down day, if the weather is condusive for swimming the whole day, buying a water park pass for one day is better. We tend to just enjoy our resort pool, you can easily hop to your room for some A/C and rest, out of the heat. Plus those water parks tend to fill up fast and there isn't alot of shady spots to escape the sun.

As for the hopper pass, yes we hop. One park in the am and another park in the pm. Really don't like to see the same park all day and night long, also, if you're in one park in the am and another park has its extra hours scheduled you can buzz right on over. As others have stated, your dining may be in another park other then the one you initally punch in first.

Its all immaterial but adding alot to your ticket means you are on the go all day to get the maximium value and use. Depending on the timing or season, if its real hot, the water parks will be filled and its hard to go over there for an hour or so, really not using the value of the wp option.

 

[almacdonald]

We just got back from a 10 day trip. We only hopped twice and it was only cause we could, not because we needed to. We felt like we should use the option that we paid for. We found that it just took too long. Some parks (AK comes to mind) have buses that go from park to park. And MK and Epcot have the monorail (but you have to transfer). Our best days were days when we'd go to the waterparks for EMH and stick around til early afternoon (of course we napped on the lounge chairs!) and head back to the hotel to shower then go to whichever park we wanted to. This broke up the day and we were well rested for the evening. From my personal experience, I'd skip the park hopper but definitely get the waterpark and more option.

 

[Kick Save]

We usually park hop by attending one park in the morning until mid afternoon then go back to our hotel to rest, swim freshen up then go to a different park in the evening.

This is our typical plan of attack, too. Works really well as you get a nice break and a swim in during the hottest part of the day (and busiest at the parks). Sometimes we'll be at the same park all day, but even then we head to the resort for a dip and a rest.

 

[savs]

Our plan of attack is the same as Princess Aurora and Kick Save....we spend the morning at one park go back to the hotel for a break and then in the evening we head to different park. We are there 10 days every year also and I still find it convienent to have this option. It works great for your meals as well, that way you can eat anywhere you would want.

As far as the water park and other option, this is wonderful for our family. We will do 2 water park days in our 10 days we are there (with a park in the evening) plus we love going to Disney Quest, so that is a must option for our tickets.

 

[eblack0409]

We always get the park hopper option...that way if we get to one park and it is way too crowded, we can easily go to another!

 

[UP Disney]

One of the things I like about Disney is the park hopping. We also usually visit a park in the morning, go back to the resort for rest & a swim, then on to a different park in the evening. Sometimes we spend the whole day in one park and then head to Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks. Remember some of the parks close earlier as well. We usually stay until they close and then head to Epcot or Magic Kingdom which usually stay open later in the evening.

I enjoy taking the boats & monorail for the scenery - it makes it nice that you can go between some of the parks this way. There are so many things to see at Disney. Some of the buses even have neat scenery. On our last day or two, we've been known to visit multiple parks just to have one last shot at our favorite attractions in the different resorts. This last trip we ended up in 3 parks in one day.

 

[TheZeppo]

Park Hopping is a life saver if you like to just go with the flow. That way if you feel like heading over to Epcot from MGM you can just hop on the bus and your there in 10 or 15 minutes.

 

[SteinsLaFemme]

I vote for hopping, especially in the summer. My family goes to the park early in the morning. By early afternoon we are hot, tired and cranky and head back to the resort to swim and relax. By late afternoon/early evening we have our second wind and head on over back to a park. Hopping gives us the flexibility to go to a different park at night than we go to during the day. I make touring plans before our trip and treat evenings seperately than I do the days. I love hopping.

 

[tjmw2727]

Just to clarify - there is park to park transporation between all the theme parks. So if you are interested in park hopping don't let transportation issues scare you. We allow an hour - its usually much less.

MK - you can get a bus from MK -to AK and MGM you don't have to go via the TTC. You can take the monorial or boat to the TTC and then take the monorail to Epcot.

AK - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of every park, including MK.

MGM - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of every park including Epcot's main entance. You can also walk or take the Friendship boats from MGM to Epcot and enter via the World Showcase.

Epcot - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of MGM and AK and take the monorial to the TTC from there you can take the ferry or monorial to MK.

We love park hopping but its not always ideal, depends on the family and the trip and the touring plans.

TJ

 

[betterlatethannever]

Just to clarify - there is park to park transporation between all the theme parks. So if you are interested in park hopping don't let transportation issues scare you. We allow an hour - its usually much less.

MK - you can get a bus from MK -to AK and MGM you don't have to go via the TTC. You can take the monorial or boat to the TTC and then take the monorail to Epcot.

AK - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of every park, including MK.

MGM - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of every park including Epcot's main entance. You can also walk or take the Friendship boats from MGM to Epcot and enter via the World Showcase.

Epcot - you can get a bus directly to the entrance of MGM and AK and take the monorial to the TTC from there you can take the ferry or monorial to MK.

We love park hopping but its not always ideal, depends on the family and the trip and the touring plans.

TJ

You CANNOT go between MK and another park. The busses to/from AK and MGM stop at the TTC. They do no go directly to MK. See the AK bus depot sign below.

Ed

 

[dustysky]

My family and I dont hop, its time consuming and honestly involves more walking then I care for.

 

[Jrabbit910]

I like to hop... I had to add it on to my last trip as I didnt have it to begin with. I should have did it from the get go but I didnt. The best part of adding the park hopper to your ticket is that you dont have to do it for all the days. Lets say you start off w/ just the base ticket and your using that for a few days then you decide to get the park hopper for the remaining days, your only cost would be to the tickets that you have left.
I hope that made sense but in my opinion... HOP HOP HOP!

 

[tjmw2727]

You CANNOT go between MK and another park. The busses to/from AK and MGM stop at the TTC. They do no go directly to MK. See the AK bus depot sign below.

Ed

I took a bus from the AK directly to the MK in April 2006. I don't have a picture of the sign but it was the first bus stop in the second section.

TJ