Park Hopping!!!! What should I do first? MK or Epcot? I want to be at MK for the majority of our day with doing a few rides at Epcot. How much time would it take to park hop to Epcot for a few hours and then back to MK.

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Answer 1

Well hey there Tamra, I'm happy to welcome you back to planDisney!

It looks like you've definitely been able to glean a bit of knowledge about the art of Park Hopping from our Panelists this year, and I'm happy to lend my own tried-and-true strategy to you to help you out as your Walt Disney World Resort vacation draws near! I personally like to geek out on the best ways to make the most of our days at the theme parks as we happily hop between them, so here's what I would recommend for that day:

In my opinion, the best place to start is to check the Hours & Events Calendar on the day you intend to visit, and end your day at the theme park that closes latest. Being able to take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry for Disney Resort Hotel Guests could drastically affect the way your morning plays out, depending on whether you intend to wake up early to "rope drop" your first theme park.

On the date that you've indicated as November 16, 2023 for your visit, it's important to take note that this is a Special Ticketed Event date for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Magic Kingdom Park will close to day guests at 6:00 p.m. ET. In my experience, this has often resulted in lower wait times across the board in the late afternoon as folks and families make their way out; if you have a ticket to the event it would be a good idea to save any rides or attractions with lengthier waits for the last hour prior to midnight when we've often been able to walk right on!

My recommendation is to start your day at EPCOT and be sure to set your timer for the two opportunities to join the Virtual Queue at 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. ET in order to experience Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. (Since these tend to go very quickly and sometimes within seconds, it's good to know that if you're unsuccessful with the first opportunity to join the queue via your My Disney Experience App early in the morning, you can have another try as long as you're in EPCOT for the second chance at it!) Similarly, TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom Park currently also has these opportunities at these same times but you'll have an additional chance to enter the Virtual Queue at 6:00 p.m. ET if you're attending the party that evening.

Currently, Park Hopper Availability still begins at 2:00 p.m. ET and will only change in 2024 so keep that in mind as you make your way over to Magic Kingdom Park, allowing yourself about 20 - 30 minutes to board the Walt Disney World Monorail and make the transfer over at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). If you're spending the morning at EPCOT for a few rides, this should give you more than enough time before you head over to Magic Kingdom Park!

I hope that this helps Tamra, and Happy Hopping!
Prince

Park Hopping!!!! What should I do first? MK or Epcot? I want to be at MK for the majority of our day with doing a few rides at Epcot. How much time would it take to park hop to Epcot for a few hours and then back to MK.

Meet the Panelist: Prince, Ontario

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Park Hopping!!!! What should I do first? MK or Epcot? I want to be at MK for the majority of our day with doing a few rides at Epcot. How much time would it take to park hop to Epcot for a few hours and then back to MK.”

Meet the Panelist: Prince, Ontario

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Park Hopping!!!! What should I do first? MK or Epcot? I want to be at MK for the majority of our day with doing a few rides at Epcot. How much time would it take to park hop to Epcot for a few hours and then back to MK.