Visiting Disney World is always a fun and reinvigorating experience. But sometimes, it so happens that you are done with all your favorite rides and don’t feel like going around the park aimlessly.
Well, the good news is that you can now park hop at Disney World and enjoy four theme parks. Park hopping is right for you if you want to cover most ground at Disney World.
- You need the Walt Disney World annual pass or tickets with park hopping benefits to visit Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom all in one day!
- Park hopping starts at 2:00 p.m., so if you hustle hard enough, you can cover all four parks on your trip.
- It would help if you first scanned into the park for which you have a reservation and then park hop to the next one as the clock strikes two.
Let’s get hopping to the details about how to park hop at Disney World!
What Is Park Hopping at Disney World?
Park hopping is when you cover all four theme parks of Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in one day.
This way, you can enjoy all your favorite rides at each theme park and not waste your time exploring aimlessly.
Important Things To Remember Before Park Hopping
Before you start your park hopping plans, there are a few things that you must know.
- Visitors must have a valid ticket or an annual pass with park hopping benefits.
- Currently, park hopping starts at 2:00 p.m. and ends when the parks close.
- Keep in mind that the park’s capacity limitations restrict park hopping. You can call (407) 560-5000 to inquire about the restrictions.
- You can buy the Disney Genie+ plan to avoid waiting in lines. Additionally, this plan is compatible with park hopping benefits, so you can enjoy all your favorite rides without standing in long queues.
Tickets for Park Hopping
This guide will help you choose the proper tickets for park hopping.
Park Hopper Tickets vs. Park Hopper Plus Tickets
You can choose between park hopper and park hopper plus tickets. Both of these offer fruitful benefits, so you can enjoy your day at Disney World.
The park hopper ticket add-on allows free entry to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom.
On the other hand, the park hopper plus ticket allows you to go to the water parks and other Disney attractions along with the four parks, giving you the maximum benefits.
As a general rule, the standard park hopper ticket works best for visitors who are trying to squeeze the entire Disney World experience in one day.
The park hopper plus ticket is ideal for families that are considering spending three to four days at Disney World and seeing all four theme parks.
Additionally, families with teenagers may benefit greatly from purchasing the Disney World park hopper plus ticket. This is because when everyone is a little older, it is simply easier to move between parks.
Parents can also enjoy in their holiday more because they won’t have to lug strollers around the four Disney parks.
How To Make Disney Park Pass Reservations
Disney offers limited park pass reservations to three groups: people who have hotel reservations at a Disney Resort, those who have theme park tickets, and annual pass holders.
Depending on your resort stay and ticket availability, park bookings will be accessible through January 18, 2024. Your ticket eligibility is based on the trip dates included in your Disney vacation package if you have one.
You’ll need to change the dates of your vacation package if you want to reserve a park for a different day.
Disney World Park Hopper Prices
- A one-day regular ticket with the park hopper benefits requires an extra $65.
- Adding the Water Park and Sports to a one-day regular ticket costs an additional $70.
- A one-day regular ticket at Disney World for the park hopper plus option costs an additional $85.
Guide to Using Disney Park Pass
Your park hopper ticket is your magic key to access several Walt Disney World theme parks.
Follow these steps to get your Disney park pass:
- You must first create an account on StartYourDisneyExperience.com and register for your park admission.
- After that, you will be asked to create your travel group using the qualifying tickets. Check the names of persons in your group to avoid any mishaps at the time of entry.
- Pick the day and the theme park you want to go to.
- That’s it! Your park passes will be visible to you in “My Plans” in “My Disney Experience.”
How To Park Hop at Disney World
Visitors to Disney World who wish to park hop must follow these four easy steps:
- Make reservations for a Disney park pass and select the first park you intend to visit that day.
- Confirm the day’s park hopping hours (currently, it starts at 2:00 p.m.).
- Visit the first park that you selected at the time of your reservation.
- Make sure the next park is available when park hopping hours begin later that day. Enjoy your rides and go on to the next park!
Note: The first park in your reservations should be your first stop. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed to enter Disney World.
If you haven’t checked in to your daytime theme park reservation after 2:00 p.m., you still need to walk over to that park and do so before you can park hop to another one.
Even though it seems like a small detail, it can make or break your park hopping experience.
You can change your reservations if you reach a different park first, but it is a risky gamble.
If you cancel your current reservation and try to make another one at a different park, you can find yourself without a theme park reservation!
Reservations and Queues
When you plan to park hop, a reservation for a restaurant or other pre-scheduled activities, such as Droid Depot or Savi’s Workshop, does not ensure your entry into a park.
The only way to ensure entry through the gates is with a theme park reservation, but with an annual pass, you can keep an eye on things!
Additionally, you can stand in virtual lines with your Walt Disney World annual pass. The Virtual Queue window opens at 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m every day.
If you want to join a boarding group for the iconic coaster Guardians of the Galaxy, you’ll need a theme park ticket to EPCOT.
Park Hopper Pass and Capacity Restrictions
The capacity of the targeted park on the day in question will determine if it is possible to hop between parks at Walt Disney World. Each park still has capacity restrictions, so you must first see if there is room.
The park hopper option can let you skip over to a blocked-out park if the one you want is full for the day but not yet blocked out for reservations due to capacity. This is quite common on a day when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is completely booked.
There is a significant flaw with Rise of the Resistance’s virtual queue boarding groups. Making a virtual queue reservation requires Hollywood Studios to be your primary park if you want to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Similarly, to get a virtual spot for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, EPCOT must be your primary reserved park.
If you visit the Magic Kingdom first and wish to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the afternoon, you must first check whether Hollywood Studios is at capacity before booking your ride.
You won’t be allowed to enter the park if it is already full. You can wait or move on to another park that isn’t full. There is a virtual queue solely for this brand new ride, and it has a limited capacity.
In other words, it just lacks the reservation capacity to handle the additional crowd that park hoppers would bring.
Make it a general rule of thumb not to wait until too late in the day to visit several parks.
How To Park Hop With Genie+
You might already know about Disney’s decision to replace FastPass+ with the new premium line-skipping service Genie+. You can reserve rides so that you won’t have to stand in line all day for them. You will pay a set charge for the day.
Disney has enabled access to Genie+ even when visiting multiple parks, allowing you to book rides in one park and then book in a different park later in the day.
However, there are a few things you should be aware of if you choose to use Genie+ when park hopping.
You must begin your day in the park where your reserved park pass is booked. Even if you don’t need to use your Genie+ benefits here, you must tap in at the gate.
All Genie+ reservations for the second park should have return times starting at or after 2:00 p.m. This is because, even while using Genie+, the 2:00 p.m. park hopping restriction must be adhered to.
In case you forget, the app does a fantastic job of automatically switching it to 2:00 p.m. or later if you try to book a ride at the second park.
What Time of Year Is Best To Visit Disney World?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal answer to this question. What is true is that no matter what the crowd level is, you can still enjoy a great time at Walt Disney World.
One of the best ways to guarantee a wonderful trip is to go when there are fewer tourists around.
However, the best time to take your magical vacation depends on several other criteria, including the weather at Disney World, any special events, park hours, and your schedule.
Remember that Disney will continue to require reservations from visitors for park visits till January 2024.
If you have not yet purchased tickets or made reservations for a Disney park pass, you should do it as soon as you decide to visit, especially if it will be during one of the busy times, like spring break, the summer, or Christmas.
In our opinion, there is never a bad time to travel to Disney World, even if it is the busiest season. We have been to the theme parks during every season and have discovered that we can easily handle the crowds by sticking to proven suggestions and park schedules.
Takeaway
Park hopping is a terrific way to see as many parks as possible, whether you’re trying to see all the Walt Disney World attractions quickly or want to keep rolling on some of your favorite rides.
With the right reservations and the right information about park hopping, you can’t go wrong on your next trip to Disney World!
If you follow the advice in this article, you will have a fantastic time park hopping and making the most of your trip to Disney World.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Transportation Facilities at Disney World?
While Disney does not provide transportation, several transportation services are around the parks. The quickest way to move between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT and Magic Kingdom is to take the Skyliner.
There are bus services as well that start at 1:30 p.m. If you want to park hop quickly without waiting for a bus, you can also use a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft.
Make sure to factor in the time it will take to travel between parks when planning your park hopping, especially if making the most of your park hours is important to you.
Does Park Hopping Cost a Lot?
You must buy the “park hopper” ticket on your Disney theme park entry if you want to visit multiple parks in a single day, which costs a little extra.
It is up to you to decide if park hopping is worth the money because even if you are quick, you might not be able to cover as much ground as you decided.
How Many Parks Can I Visit in a Day by Park Hopping?
You are not restricted to the number of parks you can visit in a single day. In fact, visitors are welcome to visit all four parks in a single day.
As long as it is not already full, visitors can even go back to their first park of the day when they want to do so.
