Happy 2021! To kick off the new year, park hopping at the Walt Disney World Resort has officially returned! Due to social distancing, park hopping will work a little differently for now. Here’s everything you need to know about park hopping in 2021.
Pre-covid my daughter and I were park hopping professionals. We would average at least three parks a day, often all four. People often would say to us, why? They would assume moving from park to park meant we would miss out on so much. Well for my daughter and I, it truly was the opposite.
On January 1, 2021 park-hopping returned to Walt Disney World in a new and more structured way. You still need to make your park reservations like you have since July’s reopening. The change however, is that with a park hopper ticket or an annual pass you may now visit two or even all four parks in the same day.
Park hopping begins at 2:00 pm and is based off of park availability. For example, if you have a park reservation for Magic Kingdom, at 2:00 you can check park availability at the other three parks and choose whichever one is available to park hop to. You can park hop to all four parks in the same day if you like. You can also return to the park you started at.
Now this is where strategy is key. It seems it would be easy to decide where to go. However, I highly suggest reviewing park hours and paying attention to attractions and restaurants. How do you park hop? What park do you choose? Where do you start? And where should you end? With good planning, you can enhance and ease your days even while making them longer and more productive.
- When deciding where to start your day, I would book a park reservation for the park that opens the earliest. Then you can try to park hop to a park that stays open later.
- For your second park, be sure to consider which transportation options will best suit your needs. The buses will now be running more frequently, but I always recommend taking an Uber or Lyft as they are the fastest options.
- When it comes to dining options, be sure to choose restaurants that are in the general area of the park you’re at. For example if you have a dining reservation at the Yacht Club, spend the day at Hollywood Studios or Epcot and just take the boat over to the resort for your meal.
- Early closing parks can still be enjoyed and you can still spend time at another park afterwards. Closing Animal Kingdom at 5 or 6pm still allows plenty of time to get to Epcot for a 9pm closing time. Animal Kingdom also has the least transportation options, so it is a great park to start at on a given park day (buses are least crowded at Animal Kingdom mid-afternoon).
Transportation while park hopping is also a huge thing to consider while planning. The skyliner is often crowded in the morning. Buses depending on resorts can also have lengthy waits at times. Uber or Lyft are great options. Walking is also an option for many parks. The boats run in the Epcot resort areas and in the Bay Lake areas. Rental cars are my personal choice as we like our freedom to go wherever. That being said we love the skyliner and enjoy the monorail. You can walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot from The Swan and Dolphin, Boardwalk, or Yacht and Beach Club. There is also a brand new walkway from the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom. When park hopping, plan for and remember all of your options for transportation so you can utilize the least crowded and most efficient method for you. Most of all maximize your Disney time to create an epic family vacation for you and your family to cherish forever.
As a travel professional and experienced guest at Walt Disney World, feel free to contact me directly for assistance with planning, or to get advice on how to maximize your next Disney vacation.
Email: hawk@mickeyworldtravel.com
