Park hopping is much different than it used to be.
We’ve had some time to get used to the new park hopping system, and feel pretty confident in our ability to…well, park hop! Those who haven’t visited the parks since 2019 may not recognize park hopping, as it’s changed quite a bit. The rules for hopping between parks, or even just getting into the first park of the day, are different. But don’t worry if this is all new to you — we’ll walk you through a day of park hopping!
Before You Arrive
In order to Park Hop, you will need to get a Disney Park Pass for the park that we planned to start in. And, if you plan on hopping, your park ticket or Annual Pass must have the Park Hopper option.
If you don’t scan in at the first park (where you have your Disney Park Pass reservation), you will be turned away at the other parks. You must scan in at your reserved park first, or cancel and rebook your Disney Park Pass at the park you’re heading to first.
Visiting the First Park
Here’s an example of our experience park hopping to get an idea of what it will look like for you!
We began our day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. (Gotta start with a classic!) When we arrived, it was business as usual. At the parking entrance, guests are asked if they have a Disney Park Pass reservation, and tickets are scanned as usual upon entering the park.
Park Hopping hours begin at 2PM, so we hung out at the OG Disney World park until about 1PM. At that time, we left and drove over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, hoping to make it before the 2PM mark. Another one of our team members started her day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and her experience was similar to ours for the first park.Â
Switching Parks & Using Transportation
Our reporter that started at Magic Kingdom traveled by personal vehicle, while our reporter at Animal Kingdom traveled via Disney transportation. The first reporter was able to leave Magic Kingdom and arrive at Hollywood Studios well in advance, while the second had to wait on Disney buses to arrive.
Heading to and from Animal Kingdom, the only method of Disney transportation is by bus. In this particular instance, we arrived at the bus depot around 1:30PM, but no park-to-park buses showed up until 1:45PM. While waiting for the bus to arrive, a Cast Member scanned our MagicBand (or ticket card) to make sure that we had a Park Hopper ticket before boarding the bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
We didn’t encounter this process when riding the Skyliner, as that method of transportation travels to both the parks and resorts.
Checking In At Our Second Park
It’s very important to note that Park Hopping is subject to availability. Guests won’t be allowed to hop to another park if it’s already at capacity. If you’re wondering about capacity, there is a number you can call for information. If you want to know the status of any of the Disney World parks, simply dial (407) 560-5000. We recommend checking on this before heading to your next park so that you don’t have any issues hopping.
When driving between parks, we were asked at the parking toll plaza whether we had already scanned into our first park. Our reporter that was driving arrived at Hollywood Studios before 2PM and was allowed to enter the park at 1:56PM. We were told by a Cast Member that guests would likely be allowed to scan into their second park up to 15 minutes ahead of the Park Hopping window.Â
For our reporter using Disney transportation, the bus didn’t arrive at the second park until after 2PM, so we didn’t get to scan in early. Since the buses didn’t arrive until 15 minutes before the window began, we recommend a different method of transportation if you’d like to scan in early.Â
Things went pretty smoothly scanning into our 3rd and 4th parks — not very much of the actual “entering the park” process has changed.
Our Biggest Questions
One of the biggest questions asked from those who haven’t used the new version of park hopping is “How many parks can I visit in a day?” and we got the answer: it’s all of them! We visited all 4 parks today (probably in record time), just to see if it could be done. Keep in mind that this is only possible if the other parks aren’t already at capacity. We also headed back to Magic Kingdom after we finished all 4 parks, so you can return to your original park if there’s availability.
Do note: According to a Cast Member, having a park pass will not guarantee re-entry later in the day if you have already hopped to a park. Thus meaning, even if you have a park pass to that park and the park hits capacity, you will not be let in. We will let you know if this information or situation changes.
And if you’re wondering what the best way to check the availability of each park is, then we definitely recommend calling that phone number we mentioned above. The status of each park is kept up-to-date, and that will be the fastest way to find out whether or not you can hop to your park of choice.
We haven’t personally experienced capacity issues while park hopping, but never say never!
Important Tips
First of all, we definitely recommend calling that phone number and checking availability BEFORE you leave to head to your next park. If it’s a busy day, it might be good to call while in transit as well. It would be a shame to arrive at your next park only to find out that it’s already full.
It’s also important to plan out your travels in advance. Know your transportation options between parks and keep in mind that traveling takes extra time.
Traveling between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is likely the easiest, considering you can take the Friendship boats, the Skyliner, you can walk (although it’s a pretty long walk), or you can drive.
Also, remember to check those Park Hopping hours listed on the Disney World website. If you want to make the most of your time, you’ll need to know what time you can visit the next park.
Keep checking DFB for more information on this modified system, answers to your questions, and tips for how to best utilize Park Hopping!
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Allie says
Do parks let guests in after a park hits capacity if other guests leave the park? Or is it that once the parks hit capacity they wont let anyone else in for the whole day?
Heather says
If you have a reservation for dinner are you allowed in even if it’s at capacity?
DFB Gigi says
Hi Heather! Unfortunately, if the park is at capacity, even if you have a dining reservation, admission is not guaranteed unless you already have a reservation for that park.