Welcome to planDisney, Clark!
You've asked a great question as
Walt Disney World park hopping guidelines have changed in recent years. Let's take a look at some specifics!
First, guests with date-based tickets do not need
Theme Park Reservations. For those date-based Theme Park Tickets with the
Park Hopper Option, ticket holders can come and go as they please as long as the other park is not at capacity. However, there are some
tickets that require park reservations for entry each day--these include Annual Passes, Disney Military Salute Tickets, Sport and Convention tickets, and student group tickets, among others. In those cases, those guests with the Park Hopper Option will need to tap into the park they've reserved for that day--they can do so as soon as that park opens. Eligible for
Early Entry due to a stay at a Disney Resort Hotel? That means you can tap in up to 30 minutes earlier! Once tapped in, you may immediately hop to another park.
The exception to this is
Good-to-Go Days for Annual Passholders. Specifics for this fun perk are worth checking out if you're a Passholder.
To save time, Clark, if your plans have changed from when you made your original park reservation and you'd rather spend the morning at
Disney's Hollywood Studios, you may be able to change that reservation from
EPCOT to DHS--and that will save you a bit of commute time. To do so, just head to your My Disney Experience account, then on the MDE tab to the far right, scroll down to Theme Park Reservations. You'll be able to see if those DHS reservations are available prior to cancelling your EPCOT reservations. Of course, you can also do this on the
My Disney Experience app by scrolling down to the Park Reservations area in your account.
Clark, have so much fun putting together your plans to visit The Most Magical Place on Earth. As you think of more planning questions, be sure to send them our way. We love to help!
Andrea H