What is your Disney park hopping strategy?

[sky13]

I'm a park hopper and I like being able to go from one park to another, especially if one park is getting busy and also because I like going for EMH times. Sometimes I also park hop to see multiple fireworks shows in one night, especially for DHS/Epcot.

Im usually solo so it's very easy for me to park hop, and it helps that I'm now familiar enough with WDW transport to know what the easiest ways to park hop are.

So far this trip I've been hopping:
- DHS/Epcot - this has been on at least 3 days. So easy to do now with the skyliner (20 minutes), walking (25 minutes leisurely pace), boat (not a fan as it's about 30 minutes plus wait time for boat), and bus (if I'm not wrong there is still a bus from park entrances). In particular this works great for fireworks shows - e.g. one night I watched Epcot Forever at 9pm from near the International Gateway, then walked over to DHS for Star Wars fireworks at 10pm.
- MK/Epcot - another easy transfer with bus (I think!) and monorail, plus the options of taking the bus to the Contemporary or BC and walking over to the parks.

Quite a few times I'll hit a park at rope drop, then head back for a nap in the middle of the day when it's hot and crowds are busy, then head back to a different park for nighttime shows...

[Mexy02]

Originally Posted by Ashleylvsgoofy

We always hire a car, as convenient as the buses are we just prefer the freedom - we do like to resort hop also and go see all the different hotels

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It’s A very expensive option from jan next year with the new charges , we’ve had one as soon as we left offsite .

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by GoldenAvalanche

Do you do one park a day? Do you hop? Why? If you are on site do you stay at the EMH park that day?

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We tend not to park hop much. On our last visit I think we only park hopped once at Disney. Once we are in a park we tend to stay in the park until we get tired. If we go to EMH in the morning, then we stay in the park for the rest of the day (well, until mid-afternoon).

Like WhereIBelong, we tend to go to the parks early at the beginning of our holiday and then have later starts in the latter half of the hols.

[Andybear]

Do what you want to do - don't worry about what other people do as everyone is different, what suits one might not suit another.

[dx4100]

I wouldn't park hop with the concept of queuing less as when you factor in travel times its not going to help I feel.

I might park hop if for example I did lets says AK in the morning and then back to resort for a rest and then MK for the evening for fireworks and rides.

[Tinklebell]

Originally Posted by Mexy02

First time onsite forus and we’ve found the buses a real pain with long waits , skyliner brilliant . It depends on where you are now staying I think .

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Where are you staying? and what do you consider a long wait? We are staying onsite for first time next year and not taking a car so very interested to here more info about your experience of buses.

[AliceCooper9]

We don't park hop with kids just too much hassle. Disney Transportation takes too long.
Having another queue for buses/monorails and having to go through security again.
We usually pick one park start late, schedule the first FP+ for about 11am and stay until we have had enough. We are not early birds. It is a holiday so we rarely get up early.

[GoldenAvalanche]

Thanks everyone, I think I was over complicating it. I was using crowd maps and EMH to try and do the most efficient plan, but it meant doing EMH in one park, moving to another, and then potentially another in the evening. Over estimating our energy levels I think ha! So instead I've decided to stay at the EMH park, most likely go back to CSR to relax for a bit and then back out to a different theme park in the evening. I will get our fast passes based on the EMH park but obviously the rest we will play by ear. Thanks, for your opinions!

[pinkstargirl]

Originally Posted by Tinklebell

Where are you staying? and what do you consider a long wait? We are staying onsite for first time next year and not taking a car so very interested to here more info about your experience of buses.

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Different poster here, I've been here since 4/11 and haven't found the buses too bad honestly. I'm staying at All Star Sports. My longest wait for a bus to a park was actually this morning, I must have just missed an Epcot bus as it was 20 mins before the next one. I waited 30 minutes at Disney Springs last night for a bus back which was painful 😂 But on the whole the buses haven't been too bad in my experience.
You can get bus times from your hotel to the parks on MDE... When it works - which isn't all the time!

[3disneykids]

I book my fast passes and a happy with any additional ones rather than expecting them (we have young children and go for a long period so feel less rushed)



We go places on a whim so after the first park if we fancy it another park or Disney springs or head back to the hotel and go back out later.

We tend to go at a more relaxed pace (if there is one at Disney)

Also we don't really bother with EMH

We do pre check the busy day guides before booking our fast passes though .