Park Hopping

[MarcyElly]

Hello Friends! The advice I got in this category helped us officially book for Sept 28 - Oct 1 for Disney (and another 4 days at Universal). We really want to be able to get to all four parks by utilizing the park hopper option. We’ve never been to AK or HS, but want to make sure we visit MK and Epcot as well. Which parks are usually the more likely to be free in the afternoon? Right now we have reserved MK, Epcot, and AK for the mornings, but I’m thinking that if we also want to see HS we should probably switch out our Epcot morning (it seems like Epcot is more likely to be free for hopping than HS). What is your experience/advice?

Thanks again!

[AnimalKingdomFan79]

Well based on your dates, on Oct 1st will be the opening of the Ratatouille ride so I would assume hopping to Epcot on that afternoon may not be available.
I've also heard that once folks don't get passes for Smuggler's Run that they leave around 2 pm anyhow so HS may be more open in the afternoons as well.
I think checking the park reservation calendar a bit closer to your travel time (+ based on any announcements on anniversary festivities etc. will help you make the best decision)

[Happy2012]

I haven't been back to the parks yet but from what I am seeing through vlogs, updates... AK usually closes earlier then the other parks. As AnimalKingdomFan79 said depending on what day you reserved for Oct 1 is going to be most important because you will probably not be able to hop to MK or Epcot on that day but if your AK day is another day you may have luck hopping to Epcot that same day.
We are scheduled to be in the bubble at the beginning of September so hopefully I can get a better idea of how it works as well.

[Liquid Ice]

Animal Kingdom usually empties out in the afternoon - even though they often close at 5pm, but I'd expect leading up to and immediately after the 50th, the parks will probably be more crowded and usually park hours get extended when that happens. We will probably (hopefully!) also be much further along in ending this pandemic, so hour restrictions may be significantly reduced.

So if you want somewhere to park hop, AK might be one of the better ones - there really aren't a lot of rides at Animal Kingdom too, so you can get a lot done in a short time.

Epcot is usually open late, so that might another good one to do in the afternoon - but MK and Hollywood Studios have the most rides, so if you want to do everything you may have to spend the better part of a day at those parks.

[CH-GenX]

I'd say if you want to do rise of the resistance you have to go HS morning then one of the others 1

[reaganbetter]

Walt Disney World really changed up "Park Hopping" because of COVID-19.
You must have park hopping added to your tickets. Reservations must be made for each park via Disney Phone App or Online.
Keep refreshing, as people leave reservations open DAILY. A small number of tickets are always released hours before park opens.
Capacity is 25-30% for each park with social distancing. This is subject to change since Florida has been less strict compared to CA for parks.
Park Hopping TIME: After 1:00PM each day, for each park. You need a reservation to each park you park hop.

SEASON PASSES: Passes are allowed if purchased in 2020 till the date they expire. This including Platinum that haven't expired.
DISNEY for all parks CA and Florida is suspending these at end of 2021 due to COVID-19.
Due to economic uncertainty to make sure the park doesn't shutdown again.
SEASON PASSS: You still need park reservations at each park for park hopping.

DISNEY TICKETING. Magic Bands now 100% for ticketing. This includes scanning your Iphone bar codes.
Ticketing has become wireless at all parks in effort help with COVID-19. There are cast members helping direct gate traffic and lines.

[Liquid Ice]

Walt Disney World really changed up "Park Hopping" because of COVID-19.
You must have park hopping added to your tickets. Reservations must be made for each park via Disney Phone App or Online.
Keep refreshing, as people leave reservations open DAILY. A small number of tickets are always released hours before park opens.
Capacity is 25-30% for each park with social distancing. This is subject to change since Florida has been less strict compared to CA for parks.
Park Hopping TIME: After 1:00PM each day, for each park. You need a reservation to each park you park hop.

SEASON PASSES: Passes are allowed if purchased in 2020 till the date they expire. This including Platinum that haven't expired.
DISNEY for all parks CA and Florida is suspending these at end of 2021 due to COVID-19.
Due to economic uncertainty to make sure the park doesn't shutdown again.
SEASON PASSS: You still need park reservations at each park for park hopping.

DISNEY TICKETING. Magic Bands now 100% for ticketing. This includes scanning your Iphone bar codes.
Ticketing has become wireless at all parks in effort help with COVID-19. There are cast members helping direct gate traffic and lines.

Sorry but you have some inaccurate information here - you do not need a reservation for each park you hop to. You only need a reservation for the first park, and then you can park hop at 2pm (not 1pm) each day to a different Disney World park (there is no limit to how many parks you can hop to, you can visit all 4 parks with just a Park Pass reservation for 1 park) -- this assumes the other parks have not hit capacity, but so far this has not happened. If you're worried, you can call 407-560-5000 to verify if any parks are closed for park hopping capacity before you leave or you can check on the Disney World website or in your MDE app.

Direct from the source: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest ... rk-hopper/

How It Works
Guests who purchased a ticket or annual pass with the Park Hopper benefits will be able to visit more than one park per day, with some new modifications as part of our ongoing focus on health and safety. These modifications are designed to help us continue managing attendance in a way that fosters physical distancing.

• We will set specific Park Hopper hours during which this option are available. Park Hopper hours will start at 2 PM each day and end at the park’s scheduled close time. Guests are now able to check the Park Hours calendar and the My Disney Experience app for the most up-to-date Park Hopper hours, as they could start earlier at a later date, depending on the day and park.

• With the updated Park Hopper experience, Guests must make a Disney Park Pass reservation for the first park they plan to visit AND enter that first park prior to visiting another. At this time, a park reservation is not required after the first park, however, reservation requirements are subject to change.

• Reservations for dining experiences, Droid Depot, Savi's Workshop and other pre-booked experiences do not guarantee access to a park, and Park Hopper availability may change daily. We recommend Guests book in-park dining and other experiences at the park where they have a Disney Park Pass reservation. Guests can make dining reservations or add their party to the walk-up list at select table-service restaurants via the My Disney Experience app after they enter the second park, subject to availability.

Please note that the ability to visit another park will be subject to the park’s capacity limitations. In the event that the Park Hopper option is unavailable at a theme park, Guests will be notified in real time via a push notification from the My Disney Experience app.

Also - just as a note, Disney World Annual Passes have not gone away yet (accurate for Disneyland) - they are still renewing passes, so where you said season passes won't be extended beyond 2021, I don't believe this to be true either - things could change, but at this moment, WDW is still renewing existing passes, they are not selling new ones however (with certain exceptions - like for children who turned 3 and the rest of their family has an AP).