Hello Lou Ann! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
The
Express Transportation Option for Guests with the Park Hopper Option on their tickets is an excellent way to see more of the parks in a day.
One of the more stressful aspects of Park Hopping for me with my family is reaching the bus depot packing up our belongings and stroller and then doing it all again in reverse at the security gates and tickets gates at our next destination. I can't wait to try it out on our next vacation.
The Express Transportation runs from 10 am until park closing. This means that you can enjoy
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park until 9 pm that evening and hop on the next express bus to
Magic Kingdom after that.
I recommend checking in at the kiosk located next to Kilimanjaro Safaris at some point your day (preferably near your departure time) to inform the Cast Member of your intentions. They generally know when the next bus is due to arrive and depart and that may influence your decision. After all, if an express bus is due to depart at 8:55 pm, it may be worth your while to catch that bus in lieu of waiting for another at 9:25 pm.
If you just miss a bus and have to wait, I recommend checking in and then jumping in the queue for
Kilimanjaro Safaris. The nighttime safari is a special way to enjoy a daytime classic attraction and lines are generally shorter at that time.
Express buses generally depart a location every 30 minutes.
Happy Hopping!
~Todd