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7 Must-Know Tips for Park Hopping at Walt Disney World

If you’re looking for the best park hopping tips, we’ve got you covered with this list of suggestions!

Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom, lit up at night with fireworks in the background

Get the best park hopping tips for Disney World! A park hopping package on multi-day tickets costs a premium for each day of your trip, so here are our suggestions for getting the best bang for your buck!

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 Park hopping at Walt Disney World was a tradition long taken for granted. That is, until the practice was removed in mid-2020.

Now that park hopping is back, there are some important things to keep in mind as you bounce around the Walt Disney World resort.

Sometimes Park Hopping is a great idea, but not always!

Learn more about what Park Hopper passes are and if they’re worth it.

Disney World Park HOpping Tips

Be advised that if you purchase a park hopping package on multi-day tickets, you are paying extra just for the option to park hop for every single day of your trip.

Aside from the extra money you’re spending, it also costs time to be able to jet back and forth between parks.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to put those park hopper tickets to the best use.

1. Look at Extra Magic Hours for All Parks

This is simple and straightforward, yet controversial. Although certain park hours extend on certain days, some say those parks also get heavier crowds, thus negating the value of extra hours.

I disagree, especially on early morning extra magic hours. Gaining park entry an hour early is always a benefit no matter how many people show up later that day.

Choosing where to begin and end your day based on when they open and close is a great way to lengthen your stay and get more out of each park.

This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to cram all 4 Disney parks into one day!

2. Consider Transportation Options Between Parks

Each park has different transportation perks and they connect to each other in different ways.

Use this knowledge to plan your park hopping sequences based on what park you are starting out in.

For example, The Magic Kingdom connects to Epcot via monorail. Epcot connects to Disney Hollywood Studios via Disney Skyliner.

However, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is available only by bus, so the time between parks will be longer if you choose to hop to or from there.

Consider the transit time between parks so you can optimize your time spent in the parks, not traveling between parks.

Be sure to check out our Disney World transportation tips to help you know the best way to go. Or, if you’re driving, check out our Disney World parking guide.

Monorail traveling through Epcot at Walt Disney World, which is one of our tips for park hopping at Disney World

3. Location, Location, Location

Just as you would consider transportation options between the parks, it’s also worthwhile to consider the distance from your lodging to the parks.

If you’re planning to park hop, it would make the most sense to start or end the day at a park closest to your resort, as this cuts down on overall transit time during the day.

4. Think About Where You Want to End Your Night

Before you go to any park, consider if your plans to park hop will affect your evening experience. Different parks have different nighttime entertainment and ambiance.

If you would rather see Pandora or Galaxy’s Edge at night, then you should not begin your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Disney Hollywood Studios.

Instead, visit another park for the morning and then hop to your favorite nighttime location.

firework show behind Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World

5. Stop to Dine In Between Parks

It’s usually best to travel quickly between parks so you can maximize time inside the parks. However, park hopping can also be an opportunity to take a break from the crowds at the height of attendance for the day.

Since most of the best restaurants are at the deluxe resorts, why not take a brief detour to enjoy California Grill, The Yachtsman, or even Topolino’s Terrace at the new Riviera Resort?

6. Plan Your In-Park Dining Options

Park Hopping can be a great way to experience everything Disney has to offer when it comes to dining.

Not only can you swing by a restaurant at a resort, but you can also maximize your in-park dining. Want to hit breakfast at Epcot, then lunch at a Magic Kingdom quick-service restaurant? No problem!

This is also ideal for fitting in reservations-only dining experiences you don’t want to miss (I’m looking at you, Cinderella’s Royal Table–this is a great way to meet the Disney Princesses!), since you won’t be tied to one park for the whole day.

Related Disney Dining Resources:

7. Limit Your Hopping

The best situations for park hopping are when you have fewer days at Disney World. The more days you have, the less value there is in splitting time between two places.

If you do hop, try to keep it down to just two parks per day, because attempting to make it to three or more parks will substantially cut into your day.

Along these same lines, avoid Park Hopper Plus packages at all costs. You get charged extra on each ticket just for the added option to spend a partial day at the water parks.

Usually, it’s cheaper to just buy the extra water park ticket for a day. With Blizzard Beach scheduled to reopen this spring, this could be worth considering.

Getting the Most out of Your Disney Park Hopper Pass

When you’re planning your trip to Disney World, don’t be overwhelmed by all of the options.

If you have the option to spend multiple days at the parks, just skip the Park Hopper option all together.

But if you’re on a time crunch, you can get the most out of your time by taking these factors into consideration when planning your day!

More Resources for Planning Your Disney Park Hopping Experience:

Pin this list to your Disney travel planning board for easy access!

Monorail traveling through Epcot at Disney World.
Magic Kingdom Cinderella castle lit up at night with fireworks in the background