Park Hopping at Walt Disney World ~ Why You SHOULD Park Hop on Your Disney Vacation
Park hopping at Walt Disney World is something I would place under the “worth it” category when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. On many trips, our family has enjoyed both the option of base tickets {visiting one park per day} and park hoppers. At this stage in our travel, park hopping is our preference, and today I am going to share why YOUR family should park hop on your next Walt Disney World vacation!
Park hopping is great when you have limited days in Orlando. With park hopping, you can see so much of the Disney parks! I feel as if you can see as much of the parks with a 3-day park hopper as you can with a 4 or 5 day base ticket. If you only have two or three full days between arrival and departure, park hopping is worth it! This allows you to hit at least two of the parks per day, to enjoy the highlights of each one.
Park hopping gives you the opportunity to visit less crowded parks. As much as I scour the crowd calendars, check the park hours, and plan my days, there is always an unexpected crowd level or change to our schedule. With park hoppers, we can visit a park at Rope Drop, when the crowds are always lowest. And from there, we can park hop over to the park that is projected as the least crowded for the day. This method has saved us SO much time in line and allowed us to use Fastpasses more effectively.
Park Hopper tickets allow you to take advantage of those Morning and Evening Extra Magic Hours. Looking at the park schedule, you can start your day at the park with morning hours and end your day at the park with the later hours. Or, if you need a fun character breakfast in the morning, you can start your day with some Mickey waffles and Pooh Stuffed French Toast at Crystal Palace, then plan to have a pool break and hop to the park with evening Extra Magic Hours that night.
With park hopping, the dining options are endless! I often feel as if I am advising guests to have dinner at EPCOT. But, maybe you don’t want to spend ANOTHER whole day at EPCOT. That is where the park hopper comes in handy. EPCOT is situated in such a way that you can easily hop between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT…or Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. With Hollywood Studios being a smaller park, with everything closer together, you can spend most of your day there, do everything you want to do, and then head to EPCOT for dinner.
Park hopping lets you plan your Fastpasses more effectively. If you can Rope Drop Animal Kingdom, and enjoy most of the park until about 3PM, then you can easily hop over to Magic Kingdom and hit all the “mountains” with well planned Fastpasses. Or, take a nap and swim break after your first park, and see Fantasamic later that evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With park hopper, the options are endless!
Park hopping sets you up for the ultimate flexibility on your Walt Disney World vacation. You only have to park hop twice to make up the difference in upgrading your tickets. For families who are wanting the option to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari, have lunch with Winnie the Pooh, and then see Illuminations at night, park hopping is definitely the best option! It also allows you flexibility to NOT plan every second of your trip. Start your day at one park, check the wait times for another one, and you can easily be on your way to enjoy a second park. I think that families with young children can also benefit from park hopping. Is Disney Jr. the only thing taking you to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with your Sofia the First obsessed princess? Then you definitely need to make your way there, but perhaps you don’t want to spend an entire day there. So you hit Hollywood Studios for breakfast with the Disney Jr. friends, see the Disney Jr. Live on Stage, meet Olaf, and then head to EPCOT for the afternoon. Mom and dad can wander World Showcase while the little one naps in the stroller!
Park hopping can be overwhelming for infrequent or first time Disney travelers. However, it can be SO worth it and give your family the opportunities to see and do some of the Walt Disney World attractions that you may miss out on if you only have base tickets. You never know…you may find yourself visiting all four Disney parks in one day!
