Skyliner; Art of Animation
  • On Nov 26, 2023
    Mary from MO Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    If we made a reservation for a park, but don't arrive to WDW until after 2pm, do we have to go to that park first or can we go to any of the parks if we have the park hopper option?

    Mary,

    Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!

    The way that the Theme Park Reservations system works currently, in conjunction with park hopping, is that you do have to go to your initial park before hopping. We had to do just this last week, as my wife had to go ‘check-in’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios before joining the rest of the family in EPCOT, where we had park-hopped to enjoy the food stands at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

    It is a bit of an inconvenience, but now you know, and can plan accordingly.

    HOPPING TIP #1
    Disney has a bus service between parks, starting just before 2 p.m. specifically for park hopping, where needed. When hopping, if you can catch one of those buses that leave closer to 1:30 p.m., that would get your hopping off to a good start. 

    HOPPING TIP #2
    While you are not guaranteed to be able to get into any given park when you are hopping, (since the second park has to have available space), I have never had a problem getting into a second park on my travels. If you were trying to get into the Magic Kingdom on a super busy day, like Christmas Day, you could have a problem, but most days you should be fine. 

    HOPPING TIP #3
    How will you know if that next park has available space? When getting ready to park hop, call (407) 560-5000. That is the Park Hopping Hotline (or at least that is what I call it!), and it will tell you the status of all the parks, and if the park you want to hop to has space. 

    BONUS TIP
    Park hopping is especially convenient if you are moving between Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, or the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. These two routes, which are served by the Disney Skyliner and the monorail respectively, are more accessible because you are dealing with these convenient transportation services. 

    Please feel free to write me back directly if you have any follow-up questions.

    Have a Magical Vacation!


    Doug
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Meet the Panelist: Doug, Indiana

I am one of the Dads on the planDisney Panel, and I love to help parents plan their vacation, with a focus on showing them how it can be fun for them too. I am also here to help Dads plan some nice surprises for the Moms in their life (they deserve it!). Learn More About Doug

Related Video

  • thumbnail image for Guide To EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

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