Park Hop Help

[ELSA711]

Okay, I need a little advice from those experienced planners who park hop a lot!


We always buy park hoppers for the convenience but with a family of 5 and young children, we really only utilized it a few times. MK/EP, EP/HS and once AK/MK

Going on adults only trip the first week of May and DH suggested our last day we hop 3 parks. Ending at MK, I'd prefer to end at AK but it makes sense since MK closes at midnight.

We want to 'wing it' as much as possible with attractions but is this doable: No ADR this day, we will eat at F&G kiosk booths and then ice cream for dinner, because we are adults and alone so we can

AK 9-12noon

EP 1-7pm

MK 8-12midnight

Should we schedule FP+, if so where? What park would you recommend them in. Leaving an hour between travels, is that legit or should we buffer in more time?

 

[verleniahall]

For your FP+ - which of the parks hav eyou "must do" attractiosn that you don't want ot wait for?

 

[BrianL]

We want to 'wing it' as much as possible with attractions but is this doable: No ADR this day, we will eat at F&G kiosk booths and then ice cream for dinner, because we are adults and alone so we can

I love this! Try ice cream for breakfast next time.

There are no rules about eating sensibly in the theme park!

 

[rsagusti]

I definitely think its doable, we've even done that with our kids. I'd probably do the FP at the first park for during your time, then add on single FPs for the parks you are in at the time. If you do your AK FPs and do them early then you'll be able to move through that park faster if you want, then you can do 1 at a time for Epcot and so on...

 

[ELSA711]

For your FP+ - which of the parks hav eyou "must do" attractiosn that you don't want ot wait for?

To be honest, we don't care. DH really just wants to wing it. He doesn't want to deal with all the planning you do when the kids have 'must dos'

We had two 'musts' ; get away for our anniversary and stay at AKL, check check

DH does like the mountains in MK but his fav ride is TT so I'm at a loss. I suppose we could wait for TT, it's really the only attraction we would do at EP. We have full days at each park prior.

 

[rsagusti]

I definitely think its doable, we've even done that with our kids. I'd probably do the FP at the first park for during your time, then add on single FPs for the parks you are in at the time. If you do your AK FPs and do them early then you'll be able to move through that park faster if you want, then you can do 1 at a time for Epcot and so on...

 

[johde]

3 parks are definitely doable. I've done all 4 parks on a few occasions. On the FP+ front, I agree with the previous poster. which park has the "worst" must do attraction. With your schedule, my gut is telling me the MK for your FP+. If you hit the Safari and Everest early at AK that park won't be a problem. Test Track is the only real potential long wait at EPCOT. That leaves MK.

 

[rsagusti]

Sorry for the double post. the only reason I'd get the fast passes are because it doesn't entirely matter if you don't even use them, if you are AK and you do the Safari and Everest without FP then just cancel them completely and rebook all 3 of your FPs for Epcot. If you never end up using them because you just go with the flow no biggie. I don't even tell my husband about 1/2 of the planning I do because he'd rather feel like we are just doing it as we want. but realistically I have it planned out to make the day go smoother.

 

[ELSA711]

3 parks are definitely doable. I've done all 4 parks on a few occasions. On the FP+ front, I agree with the previous poster. which park has the "worst" must do attraction. With your schedule, my gut is telling me the MK for your FP+. If you hit the Safari and Everest early at AK that park won't be a problem. Test Track is the only real potential long wait at EPCOT. That leaves MK.

That is my initial reaction. DH can't/won't do EE on more than one trip. So I figure if we hit AK early, we can go directly to Safari and then I can single ride EE and then hit Dinosaur. Really Dinosaur is his only must do at AK, lol
TT is the problem, I hate that queue. But there are no other 'attractions' we will do at EP. We only ever use the 1 FP, then cancel the rest and grab the other headliner (trick I learned from the DIS)
But having 3 at MK makes sense. I just wondered if you really need FP that late at night. We never been that late cause our kids can't hang, not sure DH can hang for that matter

 

[ELSA711]

Sorry for the double post. the only reason I'd get the fast passes are because it doesn't entirely matter if you don't even use them, if you are AK and you do the Safari and Everest without FP then just cancel them completely and rebook all 3 of your FPs for Epcot. If you never end up using them because you just go with the flow no biggie. I don't even tell my husband about 1/2 of the planning I do because he'd rather feel like we are just doing it as we want. but realistically I have it planned out to make the day go smoother.

you are so right, the less he knows the better

 

[Lucius Best]

AK 9-12noon
EP 1-7pm
MK 8-12midnight

Should we schedule FP+, if so where? What park would you recommend them in. Leaving an hour between travels, is that legit or should we buffer in more time?

Definitely schedule FP+, because you can, so why not. From your subsequent post, sounds like you won't need FP at AK if you get there at rope drop. Test Track has a single-rider line which is an option to avoid a long standby line. Test Track standby wait time possibly might take a little dip after 11am when World Showcase opens/people head to lunch, and again later after 5pm because of dinner. Personally I'd want to have my 3 FP reserved for MK.

 

[ELSA711]

Definitely schedule FP+, because you can, so why not. From your subsequent post, sounds like you won't need FP at AK if you get there at rope drop. Test Track has a single-rider line which is an option to avoid a long standby line. Test Track standby wait time possibly might take a little dip after 11am when World Showcase opens/people head to lunch, and again later after 5pm because of dinner. Personally I'd want to have my 3 FP reserved for MK.

Thank you!!! Totally forgot TT has single rider. We could even end up in same car, just behind each other right?

 

[Accident]

I never actually plan to park hop and go where the day takes us. Sometimes it's for crowd reasons, other times its just because we're in the mood for something else or we've had enough but not done with the parks yet...

fp+: We get it for the first park we plan to be at. We may not park hop. We'll get more when we make it to the next park unless we're leaving before we did any and then we'll just cancel out the set and try to get new ones while on the bus for the next park. (or hit a kiosk once we get there to see if we can get anything). Soon the kiosk will not be needed for singles (assuming it didn't start yet).

adr: food is where hopping based on mood can be a little more tricky. We tend to do adr table service lunches and try to walk in or just whatever we can get for dinner.

pricing: park hoppers cost the same to add on at the park. If we don't need them for another reason (tour, meals, etc) we don't but we have the budget to add them on. If we didn't hop, we saved some money. If we did, it cost the same.

 

[Lucius Best]

Thank you!!! Totally forgot TT has single rider. We could even end up in same car, just behind each other right?

Yes, last couple of trips my wife and I have exclusively done Test Track via single rider line. We have occasionally been seated in the same car, and once even sat next to each other (when the family of four we were paired with had two small children who were afraid to sit in the front row). Test Track single rider line moves pretty quick due to the seating arrangement. I've found EE and RnRC single rider lines to be fast or slow, depending on how adept the CMs are at "stitching" together odd-numbered parties.

 

[MrsHull]

Definitely do-able. Just pace yourself with the walking so that you aren't too worn out by the time you get to MK. Even if dinner is ice cream, find somewhere out of the way to sit to eat it.

 

[pens4821]

We did three parks a couple times this last trip. If you rope drop, there is no need for them at the first park (IMO, no matter which one it is). We FP'ed at the second park, but in your case I'd probably save them for MK (we did MK second), and either single rider TT or wait in line for it. We then tried to either hit a headliner while the wait was low, at closing, or just do the smaller wait stuff. We got to HS and RNRC was long, so we went on ToT, Star Tours, then watched the fireworks. At Epcot, we got into line for Test Track about 15 minutes before it closed and we only waited about 5/10 minutes (another time mid afternoon it only had a 35 minute wait).

I know some people hate hopping and say it takes too much time, but we loved it. Our best day was AM EMH AK getting in all the headliners (EE a few times, Safari, and Dino) then over to MK for BOG lunch at 11, then use our FP for BTMRR, Splash, and HM. We also got to ride Buzz a couple times, Dumbo, Under the Sea, Small World, Aladdin, as well as do a couple shows (country bear, philarmagic, saw the FoF parade). We then went to the boardwalk for dinner, then boated over to HS. That's the night we rode Tot, then Star Tours, and saw the fireworks. It was such an amazing day. We felt we got so much done, and the transportation between the parks was no big deal.

I do admit, this works best when you have multiple days. We were in each park at least 3 times, so it worked out. We were able to go ride the rides we really wanted to at that time.

 

[Quellman]

It is still to be determined if you can book 4th FP+ without visiting the kiosks. And you likely won't have much selection in May for desirable rides that need a FP+ at EPCOT. You could get lucky for a 4th at EPCOT, but you can imagine it won't be for Test Track, since Soarin' likely won't be open and Frozen won't be until June-ish. Like you said you will try and snack. If Test Track is a mus t reride try single rider.

You will have better luck at MK for 4th with late night hours and decent selections. You will see late night HM, Peter Pan, Splash, Space, BTMRR, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise.

My recommendation would be use Animal Kingdom for your FP+ hitting the big 2, Safari and Everest, and either using your third as a throw away or on attraction of your choice. Then check FP availability at EPCOT if you need to do Test Track, otherwise hit the snacks. Then at MK, select the best attraction with a return time that interests you. After fireworks things will start clearing out and you'll be able to hit more of the classics.

 

[Delirium]

I would use FP+ at Epcot. IN AK, you will be there early enough to get some things done before the crowds build. And, at MK, you will be there late enough to do things after the big crowds leave. At Epcot, you have no shot of finding a short line at Test Track (or Soarin, if it was open). Plus, right in the middle of the day, even things like Spaceship Earth will have a pretty long lone.

 

[samsteele]

I second the above PP. I'd make those FP+ for Epcot at midday (TT for sure since its a fav).

 

[Lucius Best]

I would use FP+ at Epcot. IN AK, you will be there early enough to get some things done before the crowds build. And, at MK, you will be there late enough to do things after the big crowds leave. At Epcot, you have no shot of finding a short line at Test Track (or Soarin, if it was open). Plus, right in the middle of the day, even things like Spaceship Earth will have a pretty long lone.

If you read OP's other posts here, she said that TT was the only ride they were interested in doing at Epcot, and DH likes the mountains at MK, and she's not sure if DH can handle staying at MK super late. I think reserving the 3 FP+ at MK is the way to go if the goal is to get more rides in at MK with shorter waits. Reserving FP+ at Epcot would save 30-45 minutes at Test Track, but if that's the only ride they want to do at Epcot, the other two FPs are wasted. Then they could get a FP at a kiosk at MK, but who knows what will be available for headliners at that point. Having the 3 FP+ reserved at MK means waiting longer for Test Track, but short waits for all 3 mountains at MK.