Ultimate Guide to Park Hopping at Disney World: Is It Worth It and How to Do It Efficiently?

Walt Disney World sells ticket media known as park hopper tickets.

Why would someone want to “park hop” at Walt Disney World?
What is park hopping?

Common Walt Disney World lingo involves the phrase “park hop,” Guests planning their Disney vacation may hear this term often. What does it mean?

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World is a term for traveling from one theme park to another on the same day. Walt Disney World has four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests can “park hop” between these four theme parks if they have the proper ticket media.

Guests can purchase a park hopper ticket, allowing them to visit more than one park daily. They should expect to pay more for the privilege. In addition, guests with annual passes can also park hop at Walt Disney World.

Is park hopping at Walt Disney World worth it? How do you park hop at Walt Disney World? What is the quickest way to park hop at Walt Disney World? This resource will answer those questions and more about park hopping at Walt Disney World.

What is Park Hopping at Disney World?

The term “park hop” means to visit more than one theme park in a single day. Your Walt Disney World theme park choices include Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Each one offers unique attractions, shows, dining, and, of course, Disney characters. In theory, park hopping can involve visiting all four Walt Disney World theme parks.

The massive Walt Disney World Resort property separates these four theme parks. Each one demands paid admission for access. If you want to go to more than one of these theme parks in a day, you must have the Park Hopper add-on for your Disney theme park ticket or an annual pass.

Misconceptions to Avoid

When we visit Walt Disney World, we hear many theme park misconceptions, such as Harry Potter land being at Walt Disney World. Some of these information errors relate to park hopping.

For example, if you enter a theme park, leave that park without entering another theme park, and return to the same theme park, that does not count as park hopping. You do not need a special higher-price add-on to your ticket to do that.

If you are like us and prefer to dine outside the Magic Kingdom theme park, one example of leaving the park and returning does not count as park hopping. For example, if you visit Magic Kingdom, leave for lunch at Steakhouse 71, a Disney’s Contemporary Resort restaurant within walking distance, and then return to Magic Kingdom, you are not park hopping. More importantly, you will not be charged for reentering Magic Kingdom later in the day doing this.

With a Disney standard or base ticket, you can leave and re-enter the same Disney theme park as often as you like during the same day. However, you may want to visit the Magic Kingdom in the morning and finish your day enjoying Epcot, a different Disney theme park over five miles away from the Magic Kingdom. You must spend more money on the park hopper option to do that.

What Should We Expect to Pay to Park Hop at Walt Disney World?

Speaking of spending more, the park hopper add-on does cost more than a standard ticket. According to Disney’s website, the park hopper option allows guests to visit more than one park daily.

The park hopper add-on to your tickets costs extra. However, like the daily ticket price, this price varies. Still, we checked for a weekday in April at Magic Kingdom. The single-day ticket price was $154. Adding the park hopper option made the single-day ticket cost $228. The privilege of experiencing more than one of the Walt Disney World theme parks in a day could significantly eat into your vacation budget for larger groups.

Regarding pricing on the park hopper add-on option, if you have a standard seven-day ticket, for example, that you’d like to upgrade, the price to upgrade will range from $70 to $100 to be able to park hop every one of those seven days total. The cost of park hopping becomes more economical the longer you stay. For this example, the price is around $15 daily, making park hopping less painful to your budget. Walt Disney World prices it this way to increase your chances of visiting its theme parks over other options in the Orlando area.

Why Park Hop at Walt Disney World?

Since the ability to park hop at Walt Disney World costs more, why would you want to do that?  We can think of several reasons to park hop at Walt Disney World.

What if you can only visit for a few days? Walt Disney World Resort has four theme parks, including entertainment, dining, and fun outside the theme parks. However, your group wants to see all four Disney theme parks on this trip. If you only have three days for this visit, a park hopper add-on will be your only way to accomplish this. During your three-day trip, you must “hop” at least one day to experience all four Walt Disney World theme parks.

What if you only plan to visit one of the Walt Disney World theme parks in the morning or early afternoon only? Depending on your group, you will be at one of the Walt Disney World theme parks for part of the day. For illustration, what if you have small children in your group? We love Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Still, it makes only a half-day park for young children based on thrills and height requirements. If you had a park hopper ticket, you could take a lunch break before going to a second Disney theme park in the late afternoon or evening.

For groups that desire more Disney-level thrill rides, Disney’s Animal Kingdom could end up being a half-day theme park. In that case, paying for the ability to park hop could be helpful, allowing you to visit that day and last longer for a full-day experience.

What if, during your visit, some Walt Disney World theme parks close early? Depending on when you visit Walt Disney World, seasonal events may cause some of the theme parks to close early. For instance, while looking at the Walt Disney World theme park hours, one (or more) of the theme parks close early when you plan to visit, while others stay open later

This commonly happens when after-hours parties like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party force Magic Kingdom to close at 6:00 p.m. If you have park hopping ability, this could make a better experience for you. When Magic Kingdom closes early, most guests without park hopping ability avoid that theme park. This means lower crowds at Magic Kingdom until 4:00 when the party guests can enter. Your group could park hop to Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios afterward, making it a full day of fun.

Ultimately, the decision to park hop or not comes down to how your group plans to tour the Walt Disney World theme parks. Based on your group, you must decide whether the park hopper upgrade improves your vacation. The decision revolves around when your group will utilize park hopping privileges at Walt Disney World.

How Do We Park Hop at Walt Disney World?

For those with park hopping ability, this process has become easier over the last year or so. It was restricted when the ability to park hop returned after the Disney theme parks in Florida shut down for a few months in 2020. Guests could only “hop” to another Walt Disney World theme park after 2:00 p.m. each day. This lowered the overall value of paying for park hopping.

Fortunately, that restriction no longer exists. Guests can park hop as early in the day as they want.

However, the process of park hopping differs depending on the theme park where you start. The Walt Disney World transportation system connects all four theme parks. This system includes bus service, water transportation, the Disney Monorail system, and the Disney Skyliner. Also, guests with their own vehicles can drive themselves, helping with the park hop process. Which method you use to park hop depends on which park you start at.

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World from Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom reigns as the most complex Walt Disney World theme park to get in and out of. However, those looking to park hop at Epcot can use the Disney Monorail system to reach that theme park. Guests will exit Magic Kingdom and take the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Walt Disney World’s Transportation and Ticket Center is an important location for Walt Disney World transportation. They will transfer to the monorail line that goes to Epcot at that location. The monorail to Epcot will take you near the front entrance to Epcot. If driving a car, this park-hopping strategy will allow a monorail trip back to your vehicle at the TTC after your time at Epcot.

If you are leaving the Magic Kingdom to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the bus service will be your best option to reach those theme parks. The Walt Disney World mobile application indicates that a bus should arrive about every 20 minutes.

One Important Detail About the Walt Disney World Bus Service 

The Walt Disney World transportation system works very well. Though some guests do not enjoy the bus service, it performs better than most bus systems. Still, those planning to use the Disney bus service to park hop need to remember an important detail.

The bus service between the theme parks does not start until 10:00 a.m. That means you cannot park hop early in the morning depending on the Walt Disney World buses. This should not be a problem except for days when Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens for guests at 8:00 am. or earlier. The other parks do not usually open that early except for occasional days at Magic Kingdom.

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World from Epcot

The “park hop” options if you start your day at Epcot come in many shapes and sizes. As a reminder, these transportation choices are free for anyone visiting Walt Disney World Resort.

The monorail is the best option if you wish to park hop to Magic Kingdom. You will follow the reverse instructions mentioned earlier in the Magic Kingdom park hopping section of this article.

If wishing to park hop from Epcot to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you have many choices. These same transportation options can also be used when park hopping from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Epcot. All these transportation options require guests to exit through the International Gateway exit in the World Showcase area of Epcot. This is not the main Epcot entrance and exit area where people quickly see the large Spaceship Earth attraction. Guests should bear that in mind as they plan to park hop.

Once exiting through the International Gateway exit, three park options present themselves. The first option is the Disney Friendship Boats. These will be seen to your left as you leave Epcot. These boats run between Hollywood Studios and Epcot. They make several stops at the Boardwalk area resort hotels along the way. The Friendship Boats make for a relaxing way to park hop. However, the second option tends to be a faster way to park hop between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney Skyliner Factor

The second option, Disney’s Skyliner, serves as one of the more unique ways to park hop. The Skyliner consists of fully enclosed gondolas suspended on wires high above the ground, moving from station to station. As scary as that might sound, this system of Disney transportation offers a relaxing time with some excellent views.

The Skyliner route goes to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Guests must transfer to a different Skyliner gondola at the Caribbean Beach Resort stop if using the Skyliner to park hop. At this point, guests exit the one gondola and look for signs to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests should expect this park hop trip to take about 15-25 minutes, depending on the time of day. This process works very smoothly.

For those who like to walk, guests can walk between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Depending on how quickly guests walk, this method is faster than the Friendship Boats on most occasions.

These two Walt Disney World theme parks are the only ones you can walk between. Disney states that the walk takes about 20-25 minutes. We suggest it takes most people about 30 minutes.

Sadly, none of those park hopping transportation options function in bad weather. In that case, your park hopping adventure needs to exit at the front of Epcot. Under these circumstances, Walt Disney World will start a bus service between Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World from Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

Besides the methods mentioned above from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the two remaining Walt Disney World theme parks depend on bus transportation to park hop. While we enjoy the bus service, guests should plan for extra time waiting for a bus to arrive so they can park hop. Please find the bus stop for the theme park you would like to visit. Cast members will be happy to help with this process.

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World Using a Car

If using your car or a rental car, the park hop process involves going from one theme park parking lot to another. This often makes the more efficient way to park hop at Walt Disney World.

In addition, if you drove a car to the first theme park of the day and had to pay for parking, then we have some good news. If you decide to park hop and drive your car to the second (and third or fourth) theme park, you will not have to pay for parking the second time that day. Please save your receipt and show it at the parking booths. Sometimes, the best way to park hop involves using your car.

What If We Use Disney Ride Share?

If you want to use the least amount of time possible to get from one Walt Disney World theme park to another without driving a car, you could use a ride-share service like Uber or Lyft. Most of the time, this will get you to the next theme park faster than Disney transportation.

However, this method does not work well when going back and forth to Magic Kingdom. Standard ride-share services have to drop guests off at the TTC. However, if time is money, Disney offers “Minnie Vans” that work within the Lyft app but cost far more than an ordinary ride-share. Nevertheless, Minnie Vans will pick you up at the Magic Kingdom entrance/exit area and drop you off there.

Pros and Cons of Park Hopping at Walt Disney World

The decision to pay for the park hopper upgrade still depends on your group’s plans. However, one criticism we often hear about paying for park hopping privileges revolves around the time it takes to travel between the Disney theme parks.

We agree that this can be an issue. With theme park time being so valuable, guests want to spend it IN the park. If you need to budget 45 minutes or more to get from Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom, then it can seem like you are wasting your ticket purchase. Regarding time in the Disney theme parks, park hopping can be inefficient.

As mentioned earlier, some park hopping trips, like Epcot to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, take less time. Based on this, groups can plan a quick park hop depending on which park they plan to start at.

Do you plan to take a break at your hotel or eat lunch outside the theme parks? As strange as it sounds, a quick nap at your resort hotel or a lunch break away from the busyness of the theme park can create a more relaxing day. We find that the ability to park hop to a new theme park in the afternoon or evening creates a fresh burst of excitement for most groups.

Of course, the biggest weakness of park hopping comes down to the price. Guests should not buy the park hopper upgrade unless they know they will use it. However, those wishing to visit more than one theme park in a day will find great value in a park hopper ticket for a five-day or more visit. Still, if your group is happy going to only one Disney theme park per day, then you could use the money you would have spent on the park hopper options for something else.

Also, the park hop process can drain your group of energy. It can be exhausting. Groups with smaller children or older adults may not do well spending time in more than one park in a day.

If your group plans to park hop to experience ALL the rides in a short time, you will need a relaxing vacation right after your Walt Disney World vacation. Walt Disney World visitors need to take time to relax. If your park hopping plan does not involve a sit-down experience (or two) like a table service restaurant or a break from the theme park, the grind of park hopping will wear you out.

You will never do everything at Walt Disney World in one trip. In fact, those of us who visit weekly still find new things we have not done before.

Does your group like to take its time enjoying each theme park? Will your group find using Walt Disney World transportation between theme parks a waste of time? If you answer these questions positively, the park hopper option may not work well for your group.

However, if your group wants to experience as much as possible in a short amount of time, then park hopping makes sense. If your group can handle visiting more than one theme park in a day, then the extra money might be well spent. If a flexible schedule works well for you, then the park hop option can do that. Remember, if you purchase tickets for more than six days, the price of the park hopper option looks economical, around $15 per day.

Finally, if you change your mind and want to add the park hopper option later, you can do that. This will use some of your valuable theme park time to visit a guest service location. However, that option remains open for you. Whether you park hop or not, enjoy your Walt Disney World vacation.

Ready To Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation?

The blogs at Pixie Vacations will help keep you updated on vital information for your next Walt Disney World vacation. The talented staff at Pixie Vacations can help you decide if the park hopper ticket upgrade makes sense for you. Their services are free when planning and booking your Walt Disney World vacation. How can this be free? Walt Disney World pays them after your visit to book your vacation. However you plan your vacation, enjoy the process!