Park Hopping Tips

[Dizzy Lizzie]

So I havent been to Disney World since 1996. I was six years old. The parks were so different back then. I don't think Animal Kingdom was open yet. My point is I'm a total noob. I'm basically treating this trip as my first time.

My boyfriend and I are going with my family. We plan to spend time with them but also plan on going off on our own. We got park hopper tickets. I've got a question.

Are there certain routes to take make traveling between parks faster? We're staying at Pop so we have easy access to the skyliner. The main parks we probably would hop between is MK, Epcot, and Hollywood. Animal Kingdom seems like a one done kind of place to me.

 

[TheMouseKId]

Hey there!

For those three parks, I prefer to go Hollywood - (Skyliner/Walk) - Epcot - (Monorail) - Magic Kingdom, or the other way around. This means you can avoid the buses which I would always try to avoid. Keep in mind that park hopping hours are 2 PM to Close. You have to stay at your original park until 1:30 ish because you can enter the next park at 2. Enjoy your trip!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Animal Kingdom seems like a one done kind of place to me.

Please don't blaspheme in here, this is a family site.

But to answer your question sincerely, a lot depends on how long your trip is, what time of year, and what your personal stamina is like. We like to get up early and be in the parks well before they officially open (rope drop), then take a break (swim or nap) in the afternoon when the crowds and weather are the worst, then return to the parks in the evenings. So it's not a park-to-park hopping, it's park-to-resort-to-park, in which case you would just follow the conventional transportation you would otherwise take to get from Pop to anywhere.

 

[loves to dive]

Please don't blaspheme in here, this is a family site.

But to answer your question sincerely, a lot depends on how long your trip is, what time of year, and what your personal stamina is like. We like to get up early and be in the parks well before they officially open (rope drop), then take a break (swim or nap) in the afternoon when the crowds and weather are the worst, then return to the parks in the evenings. So it's not a park-to-park hopping, it's park-to-resort-to-park, in which case you would just follow the conventional transportation you would otherwise take to get from Pop to anywhere.

This.

 

[Her Dotness]

Please don't blaspheme in here, this is a family site.

The good captain likely will consider it anathema that DH and I've never been to AK, don't want to go there at all--ever.

In fact, my devotion to the Disneyland tv show as a kid long, long ago never extended to the animal and nature shows. I was perfectly happy to surrender the tv to Mom and Dad when "real Disney" wasn't on.

We, also, are park-to-resort-to-park people who detest this 2:00 restriction. It's particularly rotten for those like us who want to hop to another park for lunch at a reasonable time and then go to our resort for lolling about until dinnertime.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The good captain likely will consider it anathema that DH and I've never been to AK, don't want to go there at all--ever.

In fact, my devotion to the Disneyland tv show as a kid long, long ago never extended to the animal and nature shows. I was perfectly happy to surrender the tv to Mom and Dad when "real Disney" wasn't on.

We, also, are park-to-resort-to-park people who detest this 2:00 restriction. It's particularly rotten for those like us who want to hop to another park for lunch at a reasonable time and then go to our resort for lolling about until dinnertime.

As an Animal Kingdom evangelist who also happens to be a big fan of "lolling about until dinnertime," I'll let this one slide.

 

[Her Dotness]

As an Animal Kingdom evangelist who also happens to be a big fan of "lolling about until dinnertime," I'll let this one slide.

Whew! Dodged that one. ::::giggling::::

 

[Dizzy Lizzie]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Sorry about my AK comment.

 

[Her Dotness]

Sorry about my AK comment.

I'm certainly not offended, no-AK-EVER as I am.

I'd say at best it's a 1-day or maybe even half-day park if I allow it some credit for existing. But, hey, what do I know?

The "Try it-you-might-like-it" folks have a point, I admit. I'll enthusiastically support your trying it and reporting how you liked it. Deal?

 

[Dizzy Lizzie]

I'll report it for sure!

 

[kwhite1022]

So for person staying offsite, what would be my best bet for hopping from Epcot to MK? Is parking at Disney springs and taking a bus to Epcot, still an option? Im worried that if we stay till close at MK (ll pm) we wont be able to get back to Epcot for our car. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[elvispursley]

So for person staying offsite, what would be my best bet for hopping from Epcot to MK? Is parking at Disney springs and taking a bus to Epcot, still an option? Im worried that if we stay till close at MK (ll pm) we wont be able to get back to Epcot for our car. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

Was it ever a thing? I don't think Disney advocates parking for free at DS and then going to a park ; I don't recall buses ever running to the parks from DS, just going to DS from the parks. If by chance the monorail has stopped running to the TTC, you can always Uber/Taxi would be my recommendation.

 

[CarolynFH]

So I havent been to Disney World since 1996. I was six years old. The parks were so different back then. I don't think Animal Kingdom was open yet. My point is I'm a total noob. I'm basically treating this trip as my first time.

My boyfriend and I are going with my family. We plan to spend time with them but also plan on going off on our own. We got park hopper tickets. I've got a question.

Are there certain routes to take make traveling between parks faster? We're staying at Pop so we have easy access to the skyliner. The main parks we probably would hop between is MK, Epcot, and Hollywood. Animal Kingdom seems like a one done kind of place to me.

Going back to your original post, Disney provides park to park transportation. Between MK and Epcot, there’s the monorail (requires a transfer at TTC). Between Epcot and DHS, there’s the Skyliner (transfer at CBR), the Friendship Boats (no transfer needed!), and a nice walkway. Between DHS and MK, there are direct buses. Between AK and all other parks, there are direct buses. There is no transportation between DS and the parks - the after-4 PM parks to DS buses didn’t come back after reopening, at least not yet. I usually allow an hour to get from one park to another, although that can vary.

PS I’m with @CaptainAmerica - AK is a must-visit park for me.

 

[Poohlovr]

I spend so much time at AK. I hesitate to admit it but here goes-- I would rather be at AK than Epcot.
There's so much to see. The park's so big that you can stroll for hours and not have covered it all by any means.
There's more rides here that we enjoy than at Epcot.
To each his own

 

[WNYDisneyDad]

I spent a week at WDW this past November, staying as CBR, so similar to you at POP. It was me (37 y/o) and my son (13 y/o) and like you, it was my first trip in a very long time. We had park hoppers and intended to hop to different parks (again, like you.)

However, one thing that really surprised me was how exhausted we got just doing the parks. My son and I are both in good shape and we even "trained" a little bit prior to going so that we wouldn't have tired legs by noon. Even with this, we still got tired earlier than I expected. To be frank, we did 80 miles in 5 park days (according to my pedometer), so there is certainly a reason that we felt that way.

As was previously mentioned, returning to your resort for a rest will do you wonders. The Skyliner knocks two of the parks out and I know it's been stated a million times before, but is really a game changer. The ride from Epcot might be 15 or so minutes but its just so pleasant. The views are incredible, especially in the dusk and nighttime. One of my best memories from my trip with my son was riding in the gondola, just the two of us, in silence, staring down at the lights of CBR after a full day of making memories that will last a lifetime. It was magical.