We bought our tickets. Park hopping now

[think-like-tink]

I didn't want to park hop. But, we got them offered to us on base. Now I have to re-do our plans.

I know some of you have said rope drop one park in the morning and park hop in the evening using your FP+. Is this really best way?

 

[Msmithmd]

Just because the military tickets are hoppers, does not mean one actually needs to park hop. Maybe obvious, but your post made me wonder.

Your proposed strategy used to be the best way to do things. Now with the extra FP available after the first three, the strategy is less clear.

I'd say use your FP at the first park if the second one is MK because MK tends to have better FP selections available later in the day. If your second park is any other, I would personally keep my FP at the second park.

 

[think-like-tink]

No, I know you don't have to.

 

[kaybird]

We love to park hop. Having said that, it is not exact. Stay in the park you want, if it gets too crowded, then hop.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We enjoy park hopping but we don't always utilize it. I pay for it to be added to our tickets every time. I think park hopping depends on a few things:

- we go "off" season so the parks tend to close early. If MK closes at 7pm then we "hop" to Epcot which closes later, to get a little more park time.

- Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios generally close earlier - AK as early as 5pm. I don't like to call it a day that early so we will hop to MK or Epcot to get in more hours.

- Last day of our WDW trips is a "what do you HAVE to do 1 more time" before leaving as well as our final souvenier shopping buys... we hop to make sure everyone gets in that last ride, show, event.

- Sometimes a park will be open say 8/9a-10/11p - thats a LONG day in 1 park. On those days we will start somewhere else and then hop to the latest opened park mid-day.

- I know they say to plan food around the park your in.... We don't find alot of sit down options that we like at Animal Kingdom. Where we tend to go there earlier in the day and hop anyway to something that is open later, I will hop to somewhere that I can make an ADR the family will enjoy.

So I say take advantage of the hopping opportunity but if you don't feel like going to a different park, don't do it just to use it.

 

[johde]

I know some of you have said rope drop one park in the morning and park hop in the evening using your FP+. Is this really best way?

That was the general rule of thumb before the extra FP+'s. Now, it depends on the answers to 2 question.

1) How effectively can you tour the each park without FP+?
2) How easy do you think it is going to be to book extra FP+ at the second park?

For example, if you are planning on RDing DAK and Hopping to DHS, I would probably use the strategy you said; do DAK with all standby and use your prebooked FP+ for DHS. DAK is still fairly easy to do in the mornings without FP+ and prebooking FP+ at DHS guarantees you TSMM or RnR, ToT, and one other Tier 2 ride.

On the other hand, if I was starting the day at DHS then hopping to the Magic Kingdom. Assuming 7DMT and A&E are not on your "Must Do" for that day, I would probably swap thing. Prebook my FP+ at DHS, so far at least, there seems to be good availability of FP+ for solid Non-Headliners later in the day. Use your Extra FP+ for those rides early evening, catching a headliner if it comes along, then if the parks open late enough, and you have enough energy, ride the headliners after the fireworks.

 

[HiHoWeGo]

I'd say use your FP at the first park if the second one is MK because MK tends to have better FP selections available later in the day.

If I'm interpreting what you are saying here, I think you are incorrect. You can only use FP+ at one park per day. If you use your FP+ at a park other than MK and then hop to MK, you won't be able to get any FP+s there (4th or beyond). If you use 2 of 3 at the first park and then hop to MK, you won't be able to use the 3rd at MK.

Of course, I could have misinterpreted what you were saying.

 

[Kat913]

If I'm interpreting what you are saying here, I think you are incorrect. You can only use FP+ at one park per day. If you use your FP+ at a park other than MK and then hop to MK, you won't be able to get any FP+s there (4th or beyond). If you use 2 of 3 at the first park and then hop to MK, you won't be able to use the 3rd at MK.

Of course, I could have misinterpreted what you were saying.

The new fp+ rules allow you to get a 4th fp at a different park once you have used your original fp+ selections at the 1st park ( or the first 3 have timed out)
The only glitch is you have to do it at the fp+ machine at the park you desire the fp+ in. (Can't currently book from the app, etc.)
Anotherwards you can be in MK. Use your 1st 3 fps then hop to DHS , go to machine & get a fp for TOT ( IF IT IS SILL AVAILABLE & they aren't all gone)

As they continue to tweek the system I'm sure this can all change again.

 

[Kat913]

Oops- " in other words " hate auto correct. Haha

 

[DavidNYC]

That was the general rule of thumb before the extra FP+'s. Now, it depends on the answers to 2 question.

1) How effectively can you tour the each park without FP+?
2) How easy do you think it is going to be to book extra FP+ at the second park?

For example, if you are planning on RDing DAK and Hopping to DHS, I would probably use the strategy you said; do DAK with all standby and use your prebooked FP+ for DHS. DAK is still fairly easy to do in the mornings without FP+ and prebooking FP+ at DHS guarantees you TSMM or RnR, ToT, and one other Tier 2 ride.

On the other hand, if I was starting the day at DHS then hopping to the Magic Kingdom. Assuming 7DMT and A&E are not on your "Must Do" for that day, I would probably swap thing. Prebook my FP+ at DHS, so far at least, there seems to be good availability of FP+ for solid Non-Headliners later in the day. Use your Extra FP+ for those rides early evening, catching a headliner if it comes along, then if the parks open late enough, and you have enough energy, ride the headliners after the fireworks.

Agree completely. These were exactly the two scenarios that I'd used as examples before. I think best strategy will become clearer over next few months as more reports come in as to how easy it is to be the 4+ FP at given parks at given times. MK seems pretty good. Haven't seen too many reports but can't imagine Soarin or TT will be too easy to get as a 4th come mid-day (but I'd love to be wrong!).

 

[HiHoWeGo]

The new fp+ rules allow you to get a 4th fp at a different park once you have used your original fp+ selections at the 1st park ( or the first 3 have timed out)
The only glitch is you have to do it at the fp+ machine at the park you desire the fp+ in. (Can't currently book from the app, etc.)
Anotherwards you can be in MK. Use your 1st 3 fps then hop to DHS , go to machine & get a fp for TOT ( IF IT IS SILL AVAILABLE & they aren't all gone)

As they continue to tweek the system I'm sure this can all change again.

I stand corrected. Thanks Kat for clearing up my error!