Park Hopper Question...

[muse1983]

We are heading back to Disney World in October :sohappy: and it will be the first time my wife and I have used the park hopper option. I guess my main question is concerning the simplicity of hopping from park to park (we are staying off grounds btw). Is it as simple as showing up at a park (MK for example) and then if you choose, walking to a designated area, waiting on a specific bus or monorail that is going to the park you choose and heading out?

When we were there in May of 2009 I never spotted a certain area where busses picked and dropped off guests but I'm assuming it should be pretty easy to find. Anyways, thanks for the help on my rather basic question :lol:

 

[Monty]

There are buses, monorails and boats available depending on which parks you're travelling between.

Between DHS and EPCOT there are boats or you can walk between the entrance to DHS and the International Gateway at EPCOT.

Between EPCOT and MK there are monorails.

Between everything else buses.

 

[Bravo 229]

We are heading back to Disney World in October :sohappy: and it will be the first time my wife and I have used the park hopper option. I guess my main question is concerning the simplicity of hopping from park to park (we are staying off grounds btw). Is it as simple as showing up at a park (MK for example) and then if you choose, walking to a designated area, waiting on a specific bus or monorail that is going to the park you choose and heading out?

When we were there in May of 2009 I never spotted a certain area where busses picked and dropped off guests but I'm assuming it should be pretty easy to find. Anyways, thanks for the help on my rather basic question :lol:

Using the Monorail and busses is fairly easy, though sometimes you may have to wait a few minutes before traveling to your destination. Most of the bus stations are located near the front of the parks - at DHS, its right in front of the tram station. In AK, it is to the left of the park entrance, and at EPCOT it is at the right of the park entrance. For the MK, I believe there are busses near the ferry dock that take you to the parks, and I know there are some busses on the far right of the TTC that travel to the other parks. Personally, for the AK, I've found its easier to drive to the park if thats my first destination and then drive to the second park because of the AKs shorter hours and distance from the rest of the parks. Have fun!

 

[twinnstar]

Personally, since you are staying off property, and dont really have a "home base" where you could take a nap or something haha...I would only hop from Epcot to MK and visa versa! Unless theres something specific you want to see at a park at a specific time (like youre having a character breakfast in MK, but want to spend the day in AK or you are spending the day at HS but want to see the fireworks at Epcot).

If you have a car - then ignore everything I said above haha. But I've found that its easiest to leave AK and HS for the "whole day" and leave the hopping for Epcot and MK Just my opinion though!

 

[hankhill]

I gotta say I have hit the trifecta in one day (DHS, MK and Epcot) and loved it. Bus to DHS, walked over the path and under the road to Boardwalk and used International Gateway into Epcot and then Monorail to MK. Now I did it solo and was really after more of a photo sfari experience but it was alot of fun.

The other way we have utilized it (from a family side) is broke it up over two days and did a "Best of" day. We did AK and DHS and did the favorites in each and then the same with MK and Epcot the next.

Have fun!

 

[muse1983]

Personally, since you are staying off property, and dont really have a "home base" where you could take a nap or something haha...I would only hop from Epcot to MK and visa versa! Unless theres something specific you want to see at a park at a specific time (like youre having a character breakfast in MK, but want to spend the day in AK or you are spending the day at HS but want to see the fireworks at Epcot).

If you have a car - then ignore everything I said above haha. But I've found that its easiest to leave AK and HS for the "whole day" and leave the hopping for Epcot and MK Just my opinion though!

We don't believe in naps when we go to Disney World :ROFLOL:. We are there from morning to closing time everyday!

 

[muse1983]

I've seen a few people mention "walking from DHS to Epcot and using the International Gateway. Can someone please elaborate a little more about this? How far of a walk is it? Where do I find the path to take me from Epcot to DHS or vice versa? Thanks!

 

[twinnstar]

We don't believe in naps when we go to Disney World :ROFLOL:. We are there from morning to closing time everyday!

hahaha well i dont actually take naps!! i was just using that as an example! hehe you think im gonna pay $4k to go to WDW and then take a NAP!?! :ROFLOL:

 

[wolf359]

I've seen a few people mention "walking from DHS to Epcot and using the International Gateway. Can someone please elaborate a little more about this? How far of a walk is it? Where do I find the path to take me from Epcot to DHS or vice versa? Thanks!

I'd allow about 20 minutes for the walk. Depending on timing the boats take about as long. What you make up in speed you lose in stopping at all of the resorts in between Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

The head of the walking path and the boat dock are near each other, to the right as you're looking at the DHS main entrance. There are signs, but they're easy to overlook if you're headed to the main gate and not on the lookout for them.

 

[muse1983]

I'd allow about 20 minutes for the walk. Depending on timing the boats take about as long. What you make up in speed you lose in stopping at all of the resorts in between Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

The head of the walking path and the boat dock are near each other, to the right as you're looking at the DHS main entrance. There are signs, but they're easy to overlook if you're headed to the main gate and not on the lookout for them.

What resorts are located between HS and Epcot? We kind of wanted to go eat at Beaches and Cream while we were there but I wasnt sure how far out of the way it would be from one of the parks

 

[tigsmom]

What resorts are located between HS and Epcot? We kind of wanted to go eat at Beaches and Cream while we were there but I wasnt sure how far out of the way it would be from one of the parks

You would have the Swan & Dolphin and then the Boardwalk area hotels...Boardwalk Inn and on the other side of the lake the Yacht & Beach Clubs. Beaches & Cream would be closer to EPCOT and just a short walk out the International Gateway

We've always taken the boat from DHS to the boardwalk and not path because we like the relaxing ride and are not usually in a hurry.

We always have hoppers because we rarely spend the entire day in one park and like to eat wherever we please and not be bound to what is inside a particular park. :shrug:

 

[dramamama]

Also, keep in mind that if you do choose to drive from park to park your initial parking pass for the day works all day at all parks. Sometimes it is faster than waiting for buses, especially with trams picking you up near your car. We like starting off the day in AK and then finishing the day at a later closing park like EPCOT. If we are staying off property and want to save a little money we will drive out to Kissimmee or to a Hess station (really good pizza for a gas station!) for a bite to eat between parks. Have fun, I am sure you will love the options park hoppers give you.

 

[Rob562]

There are buses, monorails and boats available depending on which parks you're travelling between.

Between DHS and EPCOT there are boats or you can walk between the entrance to DHS and the International Gateway at EPCOT.

Between EPCOT and MK there are monorails.

Between everything else buses.

Just wanted to add/clarify a couple things to what Monty said...

All park-to-park connections involving the Magic Kingdom you must go through the TTC. So when you leave the MK, you monorail or ferry over to the TTC. From there you can monorail to Epcot, or bus to Studios or Animal Kingdom. (and the reverse if you're coming *to* the MK... If you're at another park, look for the signs to "Transportation and Ticket Center (Gateway to the Magic Kingdom)"

When leaving the Studios, you have two options of going to Epcot (well three actually). You can boat or walk to the International Gateway, which is ideal if you want to tour World Showcase. There is also a bus that will bring you to the front entrance of Epcot, which is easier if you want to start in Future World.

-Rob

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Disney will have you believe that you can "hop" around the World very easily. It sounds great in theory, but without a car, the truth is more complex.

You can do it, sure, but be prepared to spend up to an hour commuting between parks, particularly if you're going to or from the MK to anywhere but Epcot (because you have an extra stop at the TTC, and then have to get the bus).

It's much easier and more efficient if you have a car.

That being said, one of my favorite WDW days ever was the day I went to all 4 parks in one day (and I used WDW transportation).

 

[Kobe!!]

<3 noobs. :lol:

 

[Vernonpush]

I've seen a few people mention "walking from DHS to Epcot and using the International Gateway. Can someone please elaborate a little more about this? How far of a walk is it? Where do I find the path to take me from Epcot to DHS or vice versa? Thanks!

It's just around 1 and an eighth miles (taking the short-cut past the Boardwalk Inn pool) :
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4234128

 

[muse1983]

<3 noobs. :lol:

Haha well I'm not really a "newb" to Disney World, I'm just a newb to park hopping, we have just never used it until now....other than a couple the reliability and usefullness of using a park hopper I am happy to say I am extremely far from being a Disney World "newb":ROFLOL:

 

[tizzo]

<3 noobs. :lol:

Fewer than three noobs? I have read that attendance wasn't what they'd like it to be last year, but really... :animwink:

 

[DisneyGator]

Park Hopping is the way to go!!! We go to the World quite often (locals), and it is very rare that we will spend an entire day in one park....now keep in mind that we know we can come back any time, so we don't feel the need to get every attraction in on every visit, but we can get quite a bit done in each park. We will usually do 2 or 3 parks in a day (but have done all 4; we just skip over AK most of the time). It really isn't hard to do, especially if you can find a day with good hours--we have gone on many days and spent 15-16 hours or so in the parks! When we do it, we usually drive our car from park to park. I find the busses can take too long--we will use them once in a while, but sometimes it is more of a hassle. What we like to do a lot is start at DHS with the car, and then drive to TTC and leave the car there. We hop the monorail to Epcot, and then monorail to MK after that (since they are usually open the latest)....it usually works out pretty well for us. Or if you are ending at Epcot, you could drive from DHS to Epcot, take the monorail from there right to MK, and monorail back to Epcot to end your night, and then your car is right there. Just some ideas....there are so many ways to do it! Good luck and have fun!

 

[jvenegas]

Disney will have you believe that you can "hop" around the World very easily. It sounds great in theory, but without a car, the truth is more complex.

You can do it, sure, but be prepared to spend up to an hour commuting between parks, particularly if you're going to or from the MK to anywhere but Epcot (because you have an extra stop at the TTC, and then have to get the bus).

It's much easier and more efficient if you have a car.

That being said, one of my favorite WDW days ever was the day I went to all 4 parks in one day (and I used WDW transportation).

I don't quite agree with you on this one. We just returned from WDW on January 9 and on that trip we were able to do Fantasmic at DHS (6:30 show), Wishes at MK (8:00 show) and IRoE at EPCOT (9:00) all in the same night (Jan 2).

We used bus/boat transportation from DHS to MK (bus from DHS to WL and boat to MK), monorail from MK to TTC then to EPCOT.

The movement from one park to the other was flawless and fast.