Hi Stacy! Welcome back to planDisney!
Don’t you just love being able to Park Hop at
Walt Disney World Resort again? I can’t remember a trip where my family and I didn’t rise with the sun and fall into bed listening for fireworks. The only way this was possible (especially with kids!) was because we took the time to nap during the hottest part of the day and then hopped to a new Park in the evening! For some reason, certain Parks, like
Magic Kingdom and
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, are my favorites to head to in the morning. I love the morning glow of the sun on
Cinderella Castle and the chirping birds by the Tree of Life.
EPCOT and
Disney’s Hollywood Studios tend to be the Parks we visit later in the day, enjoying the ambiance of Sunset Boulevard at dusk, and snacking on some freshly made Werther's Original Caramel Popcorn from
Karamell-Kuche in The Germany Pavilion while waiting for our favorite nighttime spectacle,
Harmonious.
Park hopping allows you and your party to move about as you please, heading back to a Park or attraction that you just have to see again, or snagging a last-minute dinner reservation inside a Theme Park. Having a great vacation is all about being flexible and sometimes you end up making the best memories in those spontaneous moments.
Using
Disney Genie,
Disney Genie+ Service and Individual Lightning Lanes is a great way to pack even more into what is sure to be a fantastic trip. Disney has thought of everything with this new service, including how to maximize your time even if you are Park Hopping. When you’re making your initial Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane selections on the morning of your visit, you are certainly able to choose attractions from more than one park if you have a
Park Hopper Option ticket.
In fact, if you go to the “My Day” tab in Disney Genie, you can specify which park you’re planning to hop to later in the day. Your new "friend" the Genie will now personalize your afternoon itinerary for your second park! It will even offer you Individual Lightning Lane choices for times that are after 2 p.m. considering you cannot hop before that time.
One thing to consider is that recently Walt Disney World Resort has changed which attractions are available as Individual Lightning Lane purchases. Depending on your arrival date, Frozen Ever After may be included in the Genie+ Service and not as an Individual Lightning Lane. Between February 25, 2022 and August 7, 2022,
Frozen Ever After, Space Mountain, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway will not be eligible as Individual Lightning Lane selections. Just something to keep in mind if you're traveling within those dates! You are still able to ride Frozen Ever After by waiting in the standby line, or you can enter the Lightning Lane by purchasing Genie+ during this time.
Have a magical vacation!
Ashley M