Hi Robert! Welcome to planDisney! You brought your questions to the right place! It sounds like you’ve got the beginnings of a great visit planned! I’m happy to answer your questions!
Let’s start with the
Park Hopper tickets! Selecting the Park Hopper option when purchasing your tickets will indeed allow you to visit more than one park during one day! So, yes, you can absolutely visit EPCOT in the morning and then choose to “hop” to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! For any days that you have the Park Hopper ticket you can visit any of the Disney Parks in any order or combination that you would like!
I love that you want to build some downtime into your vacation! My family always builds downtime into our visits to the Walt Disney World Resort! It’s important to remember that this is a vacation! It’s also important to remember that the Disney Parks (and Park Hopping) keep us on the go, so a day or two of rest is important! Also, in addition to the four Disney Parks, the hotels in the Disney Resorts Collection are so nice that it’s great to spend some time enjoying them while on vacation!
Robert,
reservations to visit any of the four Disney Parks will no longer be required after January 8, 2024 for Guests with date-based tickets (which is most Guests)! You simply need to have purchased valid admission for the Disney Parks! When you purchase your tickets you will select a “start date” for your tickets. Your tickets will then have a date-based window during which you can use your tickets.
There you go, Robert! A few more details can now be planned! Come on back with any additional questions!
Dreams do come true!
Jonathan