Jenna SaxtonIf you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World, you’re probably looking forward to spending all day in the theme parks. But, why visit only one every day when you can visit them all? Well, Disney’s park hopper ticket option lets you do just that!
It can be hard to decide if a park hopper ticket is right for you and your family, especially since it comes at a premium price. And, with park hopper rules changing in 2024, there’s a lot to know before you go! So, we’re bringing you all the details you need to know about park hopping at Disney World to help you maximize your park time and your money!
Disney World Park Hopping Basics
What Is Park Hopping?
Park hopping allows you to visit multiple Disney World theme parks in a single day. That’s right – with a Park Hopper ticket (or Disney World Annual Pass), you can visit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the same day! This means you can enjoy the attractions, shows, and experiences at one park in the morning and then head to another park in the afternoon and even head to another park in the evening.
With four unique theme parks to explore, it can be tough to choose just one to visit in a day. The park hopper option makes it so that you can pick and choose exactly what you want to do each day so that you’re guaranteed to experience everything on your must-do list. Plus, it’s a great way to switch up your day if you find one park is particularly busy or if you want to catch a fireworks show at a different park.
Benefits of Park Hopping at Disney World
There’s a reason that park hopping is so popular in Disney World! Here are some of the many reasons Disney-goers opt for the flexibility of a park hopper ticket over the one-day, one-park ticket:
Flexibility
Park hopping allows you to customize your itinerary and gives you more options during your day. You can start your day at Magic Kingdom, then head to EPCOT for a lunch reservation, and finish the day with a ride on the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And, in 2024, you won’t even have to plan which park you start off with making it so that you can spend less time planning and more time enjoying your vacation.
More Attractions
With park hopping, you can experience more attractions and shows in a single day since you can visit two, three, or even all four parks. This is especially useful if you have limited time at Disney World or find that one park is more crowded than others and want to find lower wait times.
Variety
Each Disney World theme park has its unique attractions, shows, and experiences. Park Hopping allows you to enjoy the best of each park and avoid getting bored or running out of things to do.
Nighttime Shows
Some of the best nighttime shows at Disney World, such as Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom and Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, are only available in the evening. Park Hopping allows you to see these shows and experience the parks after dark if you start your day elsewhere.
All in all, park hopping makes it easy to maximize your time in Disney World and lets you customize your day with what rides you want to go on, where you want to eat, and what shows you want to see. While there’s still some planning involved in getting around, you might find that a park hopper actually makes your visit more relaxing since all your plans aren’t set in stone before you even check in!
Park Hopper Ticket & Cost
If you’re planning to visit multiple theme parks in a single day, then you’ll have to purchase the Park Hopper option when you buy your tickets. This ticket add-on is different from the one-day, one-park ticket, as it doesn’t lock you into one specific park for the day. But, how much does a Disney World Park Hopper ticket cost?
Currently, Disney offers two different park hopper ticket options – the Park Hopper Option and the Park Hopper Plus Option. The Park Hopper Option allows you to visit any combination of Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in one day. Whereas, the Park Hopper Plus Option gives you even more flexibility, allowing you to visit any of the four theme parks and one of the following each day of your trip:
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
- ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
- FootGolf at Disney’s Oak Trail
- Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course (one round; prior to 4:00 PM)
- Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course (one round; prior to 4:00 PM)
These ticket options do come at a higher price compared to the one-day, one-park ticket since they’re considered an upgrade. In general, you can expect to pay between $188 to $254 for the Park Hopper Option and between $208 to $274 for the Park Hopper Plus Option. This is about $79 to $100 more than the base ticket.
How Does Disney Park Hopping Work?
So, you’ve purchased a Disney park hopper ticket, now how do you use it? Here’s the step-by-step guide to park hopping in Disney World!
As of January 9th, 2024 and Later
Starting on January 9th, 2024, Disney World brought back all-day park hopping. This means that now you don’t have to wait until 2PM to start park hopping. And, in some cases, you don’t even need a Park Pass Reservation!
So, how do you know if you need to make a Park Pass Reservation? If you’ve purchased a date-based park ticket then you’re good to go – no reservation required! However, guests with non-date-based tickets or Disney World Annual Passholders DO still need to make a reservation for the first park they plan to visit (and scan in at the park entrance before park hopping).
Here’s how to park hop if you have a date-based park hopper ticket beginning January 9th, 2024:
- Purchase your date-based park hopper ticket online prior to your trip or at the ticket window.
- Go to whatever park you want to start your day at.
- Leave your first park and hop to the next park you want to visit anytime. Even if you’ve only been in the first park for a few minutes!
- Park hop to any other parks you want to visit anytime you want! Just note that park hopping is subject to park capacity limits.
Here’s how to park hop if you have a non-date-based ticket or are a Disney World Annual Passholder beginning January 9th, 2024:
- Prior to your trip, go into your My Disney Experience account and make a Park Pass Reservation for the park you want to visit first. This could be Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom but you have to choose where you’ll start your day.
- On the day of your park visit, go to the park you have a Park Pass Reservation for and scan into the entrance with your MagicBand, MagicMobile, or Key To The World Card.
- Go to your second park anytime…even if you only just got to your first park! Note that you are required to scan into the first park you have a Park Pass Reservation for before going to your next park.
- Stay at your second park or keep park hopping! There are no rules about where you go, when you go, or how many parks you go to. Just note that park hopping is subject to park capacity limits.
Park Hopping Transportation Options
One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face when park hopping in Disney World is getting to the other parks. Luckily, there are several easy and free ways to get from park to park.
Monorail
The monorail is a popular and convenient way to travel between Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. It runs from 30 minutes prior to the earliest park opening until one hour after the latest park closing. You can also get to the Transportation and Ticket Center using the monorail and catch a Disney bus to other theme parks.
Water Taxis
Water taxis operate between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios making it easy to get between these two parks. They usually run in 15-30 minute intervals and take about 30 minutes to get from the exit of one park to the entrance of the other.
Disney Skyliner
The Disney Skyliner connects EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (though there are a few stops at resorts in between).
Disney Bus
For the parks that aren’t connected by monorail, boat, or skyliner, Disney offers park-to-park bus transportation. Just note that these buses may not begin running early in the morning, so be sure to check with a Cast Member before you make your park hopping plans if you’ll need to rely on a bus.
Disney bus transportation is also available to all four theme parks and water parks at all Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Springs.
Minnie Van Service
The Minnie Van Service is a private ride service that can take you anywhere on Disney property. They are operated by Lyft and can be accessed through the Lyft app. This service is more expensive than other transportation options, but it can be a convenient and comfortable option if you’re in a rush.
Lighting Lane Multi Pass and Park Hopping
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a new paid service that replaced FastPass+, allowing you to skip the line at select Disney World attractions throughout all four theme parks using Lighting Lanes. These services do cost money, so you might be wondering how it works if you’re park hopping. Luckily, Lightning Lane Multi Pass park hops with you!
Currently, the service is priced separately by theme park per day with a park hopper option. The park hopper option is usually the most expensive, however, it gives you the ability to make Lightning Lane reservations in more than one park in one day.
You can plan ahead and purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass up to 3-7 days prior to your trip. You’re able to pre-book up to 3 Lightning Lane selections at the first park you plan to visit that day and can then select attractions at other parks once you’ve redeemed your first Lightning Lane on the day of your visit.
Don’t forget that anyone with date-based tickets does not need a Park Pass Reservation, so you’ll be able to make your first Lightning Lane selection at any of the four theme parks if you have a park hopper ticket.
Virtual Queues and Park Hopping
Several Disney World attractions currently operate with a virtual queue, meaning that you can’t just get in line at any time of day. All guests must secure a spot in the virtual queue through the My Disney Experience app to ride during the virtual queue sign-up windows that open at 7AM and 1PM daily.
Currently, there are two virtual queue attractions including Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT.
If you have a non-date-based ticket or a Disney World Annual Pass, you need to have a Park Pass Reservation for the park where the attraction is located to join the virtual queue at 7AM and have entered the park to join the virtual queue at 1PM.
For those with date-based park hopper tickets, you can attempt to enter either virtual when they open at 7AM! And, with all-day park hopping back, you’ll be able to enter the second (or third, or fourth) park of your day prior to 1PM and have a chance at joining the virtual queue in the afternoon if you miss your chance in the morning or want to try to join the virtual queue for another attraction.
Just note that you can only be in one virtual queue at a time so you’ll need to have redeemed your spot in line prior to joining another if available.
Disney World Park Hopping Tips
If you’re planning on park hopping at Disney World, there are a few tips that can help make your experience smoother and more enjoyable. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Choosing Your Parks
When deciding which parks to visit, it’s important to consider the distance between them and what transportation options are available. Magic Kingdom and EPCOT are the closest and connected by the monorail, while Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are a bit further away and only have bus transportation. Keep in mind that transportation time can eat into your park hopping time, so try to choose parks that are relatively close to each other.
Consider Transportation Time
Speaking of transportation time, it’s important to factor in how long it will take you to get from one park to another. On average, you can expect it to take anywhere between 30-45 minutes to get from one park to another. Plus, you’ll have to consider the time it takes to walk out of one park and into another. Keep this in mind when planning your day so you don’t end up spending more time traveling than actually enjoying the parks.
Know When NOT To Park Hop
Of course, park hopping isn’t for everyone and it might not even be best for every day of your trip depending on what parks you plan to visit. For example, if you have young kids who need naps or breaks throughout the day, it may be better to stick to one park rather than trying to cram in multiple parks. Additionally, if you’re visiting during a particularly busy time of year, park hopping may not be worth it due to the crowds and long wait times for transportation. Use your judgment and consider your family’s needs when deciding whether or not to park hop.
Is Disney World Park Hopper Worth It?
So, is the Park Hopper option worth the extra cost? Well, it really depends!
The biggest benefit to park hopping is the flexibility that it gives you during your visit. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to have every second of your trip planned, then the park hopper gives you the ability to pick and choose what you do based on what you feel like that day. However, if you are someone who plans ahead, the park hopper gives you the ability to really customize each day and “do it all.”
Park hopping is also great for families that plan shorter trips to Disney World. It makes it feasible to visit all four parks over the course of only two or three days!
Of course, there are some cases where you may not get the best bang for your buck with a park hopper ticket. For example, if you’re visiting during a busy season, you may find that wait times are long in all four parks, so you spend the majority (if not all) of your day in one park trying to ride everything and don’t even make it to a second park. This can also be the case for parks with more to do like Magic Kingdom. With shows, rides, and more, these activities can eat up most of your day making a park hopper a bit of a waste.
So, whether or not the Park Hopper is worth it depends on your individual preferences and priorities. If you value flexibility and want to see and do as much as possible, it may be a good option. However, if you are on a tight budget or have limited time, it may not be necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still park hop at Disney World?
Yes, you can still park hop at Disney World and you can do it whenever you want if you have a park hopper ticket or annual pass! All-day park hopping returned on January 9th, 2024.
What time can you park hop at Disney World?
As of January 9th, 2024, you can start park hopping as soon as the parks open.
Can you park hop if a park is at capacity?
No, you cannot park hop to a park that is at capacity. If a park is at capacity, you will not be able to enter the park even if you have a valid park hopper ticket or annual pass. It’s always a good idea to ask a Cast Member for the most up-to-date information on park capacity if you have concerns.
Can I park hop to all four parks in one day?
Yes, you can park hop to all four parks in one day if you have the Park Hopper option added to your ticket or an annual pass! Keep in mind that this can be a lot of walking and may not be feasible for everyone. It’s always a good idea to plan ahead and prioritize which attractions and experiences you want to see at each park.
Comments
Do you like park hopping at Disney World? Which parks do you think are the easiest to do in one day together? Let us know in the comments!
