Park Hopping has returned to Walt Disney World Resort today, albeit a little different than it used to look. Guests can now visit a second park beginning at 2:00 PM, provided they have visited the park their initial Disney Park Pass was for. This morning, we laid out all of the new information regarding Park Hopping. Now that we’ve actually Park Hopped, here’s everything else you need to know.
Before Park Hopping
Even before Park Hopper hours began today, there were signs at the theme parks with information regarding the new system. For now, Park Hopper hours are 2:00 PM until park close, but this could change at any time. Make sure to double-check each park’s hours before attempting to Park Hop. You can view this week’s posted hours here.
Guests wishing to Park Hop must have a Disney Park Pass reservation for the first theme park they plan to visit and they must enter that theme park before visiting another. We visited Magic Kingdom with our Park Pass this morning and then headed out to our second park in the afternoon.
Bus Park Hopping
We Park Hopped via bus from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Right now, gate 8 goes to EPCOT, gate 7 goes to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and gate 6 goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This is the first time park-to-park bus service has been available since the parks reopened in July. To board a park-to-park bus, you must have a valid ticket or pass with Park Hopper benefits.
A Cast Member scanned our MagicBand to make sure we were allowed to Park Hop.
Cast Members at a park-to-park bus stop will be able to tell you if the second park you wish to visit is at capacity. You can also ask at Guest Relations or call the capacity hotline at (407) 560-5000.
We had to wait a few minutes for a bus to arrive. Lines are socially distanced, utilizing multiple gates for one queue.
They had a second bus standing by, knowing a lot of people would be Park Hopping right at 2:00 PM.
Watch our video of the entire process at the bus stop below.
Keep in mind, once you leave your first park, you may not be guaranteed access back in again if it reaches capacity.
If you’re driving and forget to check on capacity before heading out, toll plaza Cast Members at your second park will be able to tell you if the park is at capacity.
Arrival
Soon we had arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
There was another sign about Park Hopping near the bus stops here.
Once we scanned our MagicBand, we were in!
Visiting More Parks
After a quick look around Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we Park Hopped to EPCOT! We had heard you could visit all four parks in one day now, but we wanted to make sure.
We took the bus from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to EPCOT. Though it was not advertised as a Park Hopping option, guests can also use the Disney Skyliner or the Friendship Boats to get between these two parks.
Unfortunately, if you’re heading from Magic Kingdom to EPCOT, the EPCOT monorail line is not yet available.
Finally, we left EPCOT so we could visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom before the day ended.
It’s official! We visited all four Walt Disney World theme parks in one day for the first time since March 2020.
Are you excited for the return of Park Hopping to Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
Not being guaranteed access back to the first park is an issue they need to fix. What if you simply want to take a break in the middle of the day and then return (without even park hopping)? We never spend a full day in the park. We go early, break in the afternoon, and then return in the evening.
So you don’t need to make a reservation at your next park like they’d originally said? You just show up after your first one and tap your band?
You can also use the friendship boats to go between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. People usually forget about them, but they’re up and running! :)